Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler will be out from six to eight months recovering from should clot surgery in his throwing arm the Phillies announced on Sat Aug 23, 2025 (AP News photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:
#1 Philadlephia Phillies star pitcher Zack Wheeler underwent surgery this past week to have a blood clot removed from his throwing shoulder. Wheeler is expected to miss the remainder of the season and his recovery is expected to be six to eight months and is expected to return by opening day 2026.
#2 Bubba Chandler was all the rage at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Friday night as the 22 year old rookie pitched in his first big league game entering in the top of the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies. Chandler is a top prospect and came through in relief pitching four innings, not allowing a a run, two hits and striking out three.
#3 On Friday the Tampa Bay Rays Carson Williams hit a home run and was 2-4 with three RBIs in his big league debut on his second day in the show. Williams said in the Rays post game show, “It’s every kid’s dream, and it just got even better.”
#4 Former Oakland Athletic and New York Met pitcher Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15 day IL with a right elbow UCL injury on Friday. Montas so far is 3-2 ERA 6.28 in nine games and had started in seven games. The Mets are six games back in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
#5 Friday the Sacramento A’s got close but not enough as they were edged out by the Seattle Mariners 3-2. The M’s Bryan Woo pitched effectively enough to keep the A’s in check going a strong seven innings allowing one hit, one earned run, and seven strikeouts. The A’s who had just swept the Minnesota Twins got cooled off by some good pitching in Seattle.
#6 The A’s came right back on Saturday to even the series with a 2-1 win behind the great pitching of starter Jefferey Springs who pitched 5.1 allowed two hits and one earned run.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s players are all about the congratulations after defeating the Seattle Mariners in ten innings at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Sat Aug 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
Langeliers Lifts Sacramento to 2-1 Extra Inning Thriller
By Mauricio Segura
For nine innings at T-Mobile Park, the Sacramento Athletics and the Seattle Mariners traded zeros like boxers circling one another, neither willing to blink. It was a heated contest where every pitch carried weight, every swing felt decisive, and both lineups discovered how elusive runs can be on a night dominated by pitching and defense. The A’s finally found daylight in the tenth, seizing a 2-1 victory that showcased grit more than fireworks.
Sacramento broke the stalemate first in the fourth inning when Jacob Wilson doubled to center and Darell Hernaiz followed with a line drive single to plate him. The early run gave Jeffrey Springs something to work with, and the left-hander responded by inducing weak contact and letting his defense shine behind him.
Tyler Soderstrom was particularly steady in left field, robbing Julio Rodríguez of sharp contact and turning potential damage into outs. But Seattle wasn’t about to go quietly. Randy Arozarena, who had been kept quiet in his first two trips, tied the game with a solo blast in the sixth, a reminder that one mistake can change everything.
From that point, the bullpens traded zeroes with an almost surgical precision. Michael Kelly, Sean Newcomb, and Tyler Ferguson combined for scoreless relief, striking out five over three innings. Seattle’s arms were equally stubborn, with George Kirby and his successors silencing Sacramento bats just enough to force the game beyond regulation.
By the ninth, both clubs were gasping for a breakthrough. The Athletics nearly broke through in the eighth after a leadoff walk, but a pair of pop-ups killed the chance. Seattle likewise threatened in the seventh, only to see Victor Robles stranded at second after swiping a bag.
It took the pressure-cooker rules of extra innings to finally crack the Mariners. Colby Thomas began the tenth on second base, and Brett Harris, fresh off the bench, executed a textbook sacrifice bunt to move him to third.
The Athletics had been searching all night for one swing with meaning, and Shea Langeliers delivered it, drilling a sharp double down the right-field line to bring Thomas home. The dugout erupted, finally exhaling after so many squandered chances. Sacramento added baserunners but couldn’t stretch the lead further, leaving Seattle three outs to respond.
The Mariners threatened in the bottom half, putting runners aboard when Jorge Polanco walked and J.P. Crawford reached on a fielder’s choice. With the tying run at second and the winning run on base, Hogan Harris was called upon to clean up the mess.
He got exactly what the Athletics needed: a grounder to third from Arozarena, where Brett Harris calmly initiated the force at second to end it. The final out was less a roar than a sigh of relief, the kind of finish that underscored just how fragile the margin was all night.
Langeliers’ double will rightfully be remembered as the decisive swing, but this game belonged equally to the Athletics’ arms. Springs kept Seattle off balance, while the bullpen backed him with shutdown efficiency.
Wilson’s early knock and Hernaiz’s timely RBI set the table, and Harris’ sacrifice in extras proved just as critical as the double that followed. Baseball purists might call it a throwback game, on scoring, tight defense, and just enough offense to matter. For Sacramento, it was a statement win that showed this club can grind as hard as anyone when runs are scarce.
Starting pitchers for Sunday’s contest at T Mobile: For the A’s LHP Jacob Lopez (7-6 ERA 3.28) for the M’s RHP Logan Gilbert (3-5 ERA 3.85) first pitch at 1:10pm PT.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb was dealing against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Sat Aug 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The San Francisco Giant’s (61-68) bats were lit in their game two against the league leading Milwaukee Brewers (81-48). They finished the game with ten hits beating the Brewers soundly 7-1.
Solid pitching with some very productive offense was the perfect formula for a win Saturday. The highlight in the game was the three run home run off the bat of Casey Schmitt. Giant’s pitcher Spencer Bivens closed out the game beautifully.
Game recap: Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Caleb Durbin doubled Jake Bauers home. The Brewers took the 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth inning. Freddy Peralta had walked four runners in the opening innings but had allowed only a couple of singles through five innings. Logan Webb was having a solid game through five with one single two doubles and one walk. He gave up the one run in the bottom of the second inning.
The Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta went five innings only allowing two hits no runs but gave up four walks in the early innings. He was relieved by Grant Anderson who struggled in the sixth inning giving up three hits with one run scored. Milwaukee also had a couple of errors in the same inning which resulted in two runs scored. That was it for Anderson who was relieved by Carlos Rodriguez.
San Francisco starting pitcher Logan Webb went six innings allowing five hits but only the one run. He had two walks and five strikeouts. Webb was relieved by Joey Lucchesi in the seventh inning and Spencer Bivens pitched the eighth inning and closed out the ninth inning.
The San Francisco bats came alive in the sixth scoring three runs, with three hits and taking advantage of two very uncustomary Brewer errors. WIlly Adames was safe at first base on a Milwaukee throwing error.
Dominic Smith had a single advancing Adames to second.. Casey Schmitt doubled driving Adames home for the first San Francisco run of the game and it was a tie score 1-1. Luis Matos grounded into a fielder’s choice and Smith scored.
Casey Schmitt scored on another Milwaukee error taking a 3-1 lead. It had been a very productive inning for San Francisco and Milwaukee had given the Giants some help with the errors.
By the time the dust had settled in a wild seventh inning San Francisco had taken a 6-1 lead in another very productive inning. Rafael Devers singled, Dominic Smith doubled and Casey Schmitt capped it off with a home run to left center for three more runs taking a 6-1 lead.
Patrick Bailey singled Matt Chapman, who had walked, home for a 7-1 lead and San Francisco was hitting lights out. They had nine hits to the Brewers five. All of the Giant’s runs had come in the sixth and seventh innings.
San Francisco pitcher Spencer Bivens had some great stuff going tonight closing out the game with a ground out, strike out and a final ground out. San Francisco had the kind of game they would like to see more often. The final was 7-1 and this series was tied. The Giants had clean defense with no errors and some great offense.
Dominic Smith, Luis Matos, and Patrick Bailey had two hits apiece and Casey Schmitt also had two hits one of which was the three run home run. Some pretty good pitching, some great hitting finishing with ten hits resulted in a great win for San Francisco. taking some of the sting out of yesterday’s loss and tying up the series.
Game notes: After a heartbreaking loss in Friday’s game one the Giants were back on the field for game two against the league-leading Brewers. The Giants offense was just shy of hits after tying up the game 4-4 in the top of the ninth inning. The Brewers were down to their last out if a walk-off was in the cards. Well Milwaukee had a full deck thanks to William Contreras’ solo home run winning the game 5-4.
Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb went six innings allowed five hits, one earned run and struck out five. The Brewers starter Freddy Peralta five innings, allowed two hits, four walks and six strikeouts.
Sunday’s game three will decide the winner of this series. San Francisco will be looking for more of the winning offense they had in Saturday’s game. The Giants Robbie Ray will take the mound with a 10-6 win/loss record and a 2.85 ERA. The Brewers right now are undecided as to who will start Sunday’s game. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 AM as San Francisco will be looking to win the rubber game.
Fans cheer as the solo home run ball from Seattle Mariners’ Jorge Polanco flies over the fence past Athletics right fielder JJ Bleday during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A’s Ninth Inning Charge Stopped Short in Seattle 3-2 By Mauricio Segura
The Athletics opened their night at T-Mobile Park with a clean, heavy swing and a little electricity. Brent Rooker saw Bryan Woo’s early offering in the first and lined it into the left center seats for his 26th home run, a quick jolt that set the tone for a crisp, pitcher-forward game. The M’s edged the A’s 3-2 at T Mobile Field in Seattle.
Luis Morales met the moment early, rolling through the Mariners order with a mix of ground balls and harmless air, helped by clean reads from Lawrence Butler in center and JJ Bleday in right. Through four innings the Green and Gold carried a 1-0 lead that felt sturdy, the kind of narrow edge that rewards patience and punishes mistakes.
Seattle’s answer arrived in the fifth in the form of a veteran’s swing. Eugenio Suárez turned on a pitch and sent a liner over the left field wall for his 40th, a no-nonsense shot that reset the scoreboard and the mood. Morales limited the damage there, but Woo matched him and then some.
The Mariners right-hander ran seven innings with only the early Rooker blast on his ledger, living at the knees and inducing a string of routine outs as the middle innings tilted toward the home dugout. Oakland-area memories have taught A’s fans not to trust one-run cushions on the road, and the seventh confirmed the suspicion.
After Morales handed things to Elvis Alvarado, Julio Rodríguez bounced out to first and then the gates opened. Josh Naylor got a heater he could lift and sent his 16th out to right center for a 2-1 Seattle lead. Two batters later Jorge Polanco rode a fly ball to almost the same neighborhood for his 19th, and the inning that began with a tie ended with the Mariners up 3-1.
The A’s flirted with a counterpunch in the top half thanks to an error by second baseman Cole Young that put Tyler Soderstrom aboard, but a deep fly from Jacob Wilson died in center and Butler’s hard grounder turned into a 4-6-3 double play, the kind of two-step that drains a dugout.
Still, the A’s kept pressing. In the eighth, with two outs, Brett Harris gave way to pinch hitter Carlos Cortes, who sliced a sharp double into right to jolt the visitors, only for Gabe Speier to enter and end it with a strikeout. Justin Sterner returned a steady bottom of the eighth, aided by a successful challenge that flipped an out-call at first into a single for J.P. Crawford, only for Tyler Soderstrom to gun Crawford down trying for second. That throw mattered more than it looked in the moment because it kept the deficit at two and set the stage for a final act that had real weight.
Andrés Muñoz took the ball for the ninth, the building braced for velocity, and the A’s refused to blink. Shea Langeliers struck out to start the inning, but Rooker lined a single to left to restart the heartbeat. Soderstrom followed with a ground-ball single to left, Rooker eased into second, and the game tilted. Wilson then shot a grounder up the middle for another single, Rooker scored, and manager Mark Kotsay sent in Colby Thomas to run.
Butler showed patience and drew a walk to load the bases, one out, the tying run ninety feet away and the go-ahead run on second against Seattle’s closer. Darell Hernaiz lifted a fly to center that did not travel far enough to challenge Rodríguez, and Muñoz finally slammed the door with a strikeout of Bleday, his last fastball good enough to finish a 3-2 Mariners win that felt like it travelled the long way around to get there.
For the Sacramento A’s, the night carried both the promise and the frustration that define close losses on the road. Rooker’s bat remains a force, Soderstrom stacked quality at-bats, and Wilson delivered under pressure. Morales gave them the shape of a win through five and change, but two swings in the seventh turned the ledger. Woo earned the quiet star, scattering traffic and refusing to yield anything after the first inning. Seattle’s bullpen teased the ninth with doubt and then survived it, which is usually the difference between a good flight home and replaying every pitch while the cabin lights dim.
The A’s will point to the little margins. A double play in the seventh stopped a budding answer. A routine fly in the ninth kept a runner anchored at third. Three swings defined Seattle’s offense, and the final one belonged to Muñoz with the game on the line. It was a narrow loss and a useful snapshot of why margins matter, not a moral victory, just a reminder that the road from one run up to one run short can be a brutal statement in the show.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco Giants Willy Adames connects for a top of the first inning home run against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Fri Aug 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The San Francisco Giants (61-68) tied up the game in the ninth inning 4-4 in their matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers (80-48). It was just not enough. Willie Contreras hit a home run with two outs to lift the Brewers to their 81st win of the season for a 5-4 victory.
After fighting so hard it was heartbreaking for San Francisco when it really looked like extra innings. San Francisco hit three home runs in the game 1 from Luis Matos and Willie Adames had two long balls.
Game recap: One again the Giants took an early 2-0 lead much like in yesterday’s game. San Francisco struck in the first and second innings. Willy Adames got the team up on the scoreboard in the first inning hitting a solo home run to left.
In the second inning San Francisco hit a second home run off the bat of Luis Matos for a 2-0 lead. Starting pitcher for San Francisco Whisenhunt had three great innings. The first and second innings were three and out for the Giants.
He got out of the third inning giving up a double. He hit a bit of a wall in the bottom of the fourth inning giving up a couple of walks, a couple of wild pitches (one that brought in a Brewer run) a single and a double. He did go four innings, giving up two earned runs, two walks and one strikeout. He was relieved by Matt Gage going into the fifth inning with the game all tied up 2-2.
The bottom of the fourth inning was the turning point for Milwaukee. Sal Frelich doubled driving Christian Yelich home cutting the Giants lead in half.. The Brewers would tie up the game 2-2 in the same inning when Andrew Vaughn scored from third base on a wild Whisenhunt pitch.
Going into the sixth inning the only hits the Giants had so far in the game were the Willy Adames and Luis Matos home runs. San Francisco needed some base runners although they were handling the Brewers pretty well; Milwaukee only had four hits so far in the game.
With two outs and two runners on base the Giants had a great opportunity to do some damage. Casey Schmitt walked and with Wilmer Flores and Rafael Devers on base the bases were loaded. Jung Hoo Lee came to the plate looking to break this game wide open. It didn’t happen. Lee struck out leaving the bases loaded. An opportunity lost.
The two teams took the tie into the top of the seventh inning. After jumping out to take the lead in the early innings the Giants had really stalled out with only two hits in the game. The Brewers were not having a great game at the plate either with only four hits.
Milwaukee starting pitcher Jose Quintana went 5 1/3 innings allowing two hits, two runs, two walks and two strikeout in this closely contested game. It was just a matter of time before the Brewers got on track and it all came down in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Milwaukee scored two runs to take a 4-2 lead. Willie Contreras doubled Andruw Monasterio home for the first run of the inning. Andrew Vaughn grounded out allowing Brice Turang to score.
San Francisco had their third hit of the game in the top of the eighth inning. Adames hit his second home run of the game fighting to keep pace with the Brewers.
The Giants were down to their last three outs in the top of the ninth inning. Schmitt was first at bat and struck out. Lee grounded out and San Francisco was down to their last out. Luis Matos doubled and the Giants were back in business with the go-ahead run at the plate.
Dominic Smith singled and San Francisco had runners at first and third with Patrick Bailey at the plate. Bailey struck out but the Giants scored on a wild pitch to tie up the game 4-4. This game went into the bottom of the ninth and the Brewers had three at bats to walk this game off. A fly out and a ground out set the stage for a game winning Contreras home run. Milwaukee had their 81st win of the season 5-4.
After fighting back to tie the game it was another terrible loss for the Giants. They fought hard the entire game and came so close. They made the Brewers earn this win.
Game notes: The Giants opened a weekend series with Milwaukee in a weekend series. The Brewers are the best team in baseball right now and presented all kinds of problems for San Francisco. The Giants played this game in front of yet another packed house at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
San Francisco is coming off a losing series against the San Diego Padres got some better offense but lost by a run. They have struggled at the plate for a bit and they couldn’t turn it around. The Brewers just finished a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs splitting the series after winning games one and four.
With only 34 games left in the season and a half dozen teams in line vying for a wild card now is the time for San Francisco to turn their recent struggles around but opened the series with a loss to the Brewers on Friday night. Giants starter Carson Whisenhunt pitched four innings allowing four hits and two earned runs in the loss.
Game two in this series is slated for a 4:10 PM first pitch. Logan Webb will take the mound for the GIants with a 11-9 win/loss record and a 3.19 ERA. Freddy Peralta will start for Milwaukee with 15-5 win/loss record and a 2.78 ERA.
Athletics’ Lawrence Butler (4) celebrates after hitting a three-run double during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
A’s baseball podcast with Lincoln Juarez:
#1 The A’s swept the Twins Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis and got their second consecutive series win. Tyler Soderstrom stole the show going 4-for-4.
#2 The A’s outscored the Twins 18-8 in the series and the offense has stayed hot. Yet again we see them putting up big numbers.
#3 Nick Kurtz went 2-for-4 Thursday with a homer. We know how much you love to talk about him, good to see him still swinging the bat well.
#4 The A’s have the 14th best record since the All-Star break at 18-13. What’s been the key to the team’s success the last month?
#5 Looking ahead, the A’s match up against the Mariners for three games this Friday and the weekend, it seems like a good opportunity for them to play spoiler. The A’s will start RHP Luis Morales (1-0 ERA 1.86) the M’s have not announced a starter as of yet.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
When the New York Yankees Aaron Judge was a free agent he passed on the San Francisco Giants and re upped with the Yankees shortly there after. (AP News photo)
Giants: Looking for the next Barry Bonds?
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
Over the last few years, the San Francisco Giants have attempted to sign some of the game’s biggest superstars, players who will truly bring fans to Oracle Park and, most importantly, lead the team to another World Series. No disrespect to Dominican-born Rafael Devers, who was acquired in a midseason trade from the Boston Red Sox; he is a very good player, but he is not in the same category as the ones you will see listed below.
Everybody will probably agree that the San Francisco Giants haven’t had a great player since Barry Bonds, a real superstar, who retired in 2007 after 22 years in the Major Leagues. No disrespect to Buster Posey, as good as he was, possibly Hall of Famer, but Bonds was in a much higher category of talent. As a business, baseball teams like to contract big stars.
The Giants signed future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander. It is good to have that talent; however, this should be Verlander’s last season with the Giants, and maybe his last season, period.
Verlander’s signing might have sold more tickets, because everybody wants to see successful players. However, with the Giants to this day, Justin Verlander is 1-10 with a 4.64 earned run average. Here is something that might surprise you: in World Series games, Verlander has a record of 1 win and 6 losses with a 4.64 earned run average.
Looking for that one big star, the Giants tried to sign these.
1-Aaron Judge.(No chance) He chose to stay with the Yankees, the team he had played for throughout his career. While the Giants made a strong offer, potentially matching the Padres’ offer of 10 years, $400 million, Judge’s preference was to remain in New York. Who can blame him?
The Yankees are the home of the sluggers and home to 27 World Series titles. When the Giants were trying to bring him to the Bay Area, I said it was never going to happen. He is a New York Yankee in the tradition of the great players like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Berra, Jeter, etc. There was no reason he was coming to San Francisco (even though he was born 95 miles from San Francisco in Linden). California. However, in baseball and business, New York is New York.
2-Shohei Ohtani (No chance) The Giants said they were offering him a contract that was very similar to, if not identical to, the one he ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (In the $700s million range). President of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, confirmed that they met with Ohtani and his representatives and were willing to match the Dodgers’ offer, including the deferred money, according to MLB.com.
Ultimately, Ohtani chose to sign with the Dodgers. Why? Said he preferred LA to SF. Note: ESPN reported that the Giants’ offer was identical to the one made by the Dodgers. Ohtani went Hollywood. I first met him and interviewed Ohtani “Showtime” as a rookie with the LA Angels in 2018 at Anaheim. Very smart and pleasant player.
3-Carlos Correa (Not meant to be). He had a deal with the Giants in place for a 13-year, $350 million contract, but it fell through due to concerns about a surgically repaired ankle, and the Giants stated that he had failed his physical.
However, the Correa story continued in 2025, as he had played for the Minnesota Twins and was currently with the Houston Astros, whom he had played for from 2012 to 2015, before joining the Twins. Carlos Correa, who is beloved in Houston, hit a home run in his first at-bat with the Houston Astros just days after being traded from Minnesota.
This Puerto Rican story is as long as his full legal name, which is Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr., and yes, he has seen the movie.
4-Juan Soto (Never close) There were rumors that the Giants were interested in Juan Soto, a free agent, but they did not make a strong push for him. Although all roads ended with a group of 10 different teams, Juan Soto landed in the Big Apple, and the New York Mets, secured him with a record-breaking contract for 15 years and $765 million, although he was jumping like a kangaroo from team to team, 2022-23 Padres and 2024 Yankees, he broke the Piñata with the Mets, where he is playing today, and will probably see him in the Playoffs. These Giants.
In 2025, they were not picked to win the NL West, but nobody expected them to be in 4th place at this time of the year. Buster Posey and company have a lot of work to do to improve this team. The mid-season acquisition of Rafael Devers did not change the chemistry of that lineup, and Willy Adames is having a better second half, but the team is not. There are only three ways you can find a superstar.
1-You develop him..
2-You trade for him.
3-You sign him as a Free Agent. Everybody will probably agree that the San Francisco Giants haven’t had a great player since Barry Bonds, who retired in 2007 after 22 years in the Major Leagues. The Giants initially drafted Barry Bonds out of high school in 1982 at Junípero Serra High in San Mateo (the same school as Tom Brady), but the Giants did not sign him due to a contract dispute over $5,000.
Bonds went on to play college ball at Arizona State University, hitting .347 with 45 home runs and 175 RBI. In 1984, he batted .360 and stole 30 bases. In 1985, hit 23 home runs with 66 RBI and a .368 average. That year, Bonds was a Sporting News All-American.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992, and in 1993, the Giants signed him as a free agent to a record-breaking six-year, $43.75 million contract. The rest is history. For the Giants today, 2025 it’s “Wait ‘Till Next Year”. Probably the most used phrase for a bunch of teams around mid-August and September.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
San Francisco Giants pitcher Joel Peguero throws against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the seventh inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Thu Aug 21, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
Despite a great start in this game taking a 2-0 lead through the third inning. the San Francisco Giants (61-67) lost to the San Diego Padres (72-56) 8-4 losing the four-game series 3-1 Thursday. The Giants got a great start but could not hang onto it.
The Padres outhit them 11-7. Verlander was looking very good until the fourth inning. He is getting no run support; many of these losses pinned on Verlander was not on him. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames both had solo home runs but when you are trailing significantly, solo’s do not get the job done. The San Francisco offense continues to putter along.
Game recap: The first two innings were quiet for both teams but San Francisco broke through in the third inning taking a 2-0 lead. Andrew Knizner doubled Luis Matos home for the 1-0 lead and then Heliot Ramos grounded into a double play allowing Knizner to score taking the 2-0 lead.
The San Francisco lead only lasted through the third inning. San Diego had a productive fourth inning coring two runs and tying up the game. Manny Machado singled Fernando Tatis Jr home and Xander Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly and Luis Arraez scored for the 2-2 tally. It was a new ballgame.
Justin Verlander exited the game after 4 1/3 innings in another rough outing He had a great three opening inning but it all started to come apart in the fourth inning and continued into the fifth inning. He allowed seven hits, seven runs with four strikeouts. He was relieved by Matt Gage who got the Giants out of the inning.
The Padres were just getting started hitting lights out in the fifth inning scoring six runs. The Giants had a rough inning with a Casey Schmitt throwing error and a fielding error by Luis Matos allowing the Padres Ramon Laureano and Jake Cronenworth to both score taking their lead to 4-2.
Manny Machado doubled a couple of runners home; Freddy Fermin and Fernando Tatis Jr. both crossed home plate and San Diego was having a huge inning now leading 6-2. The hits just kept on coming for the Padres; Xander Bogaerts singled Machado home and Laureano singled Ryan O’Hearn home; when the dust had settled San Diego had a 8-2 lead.
After getting such a great start in the game, the Giants needed to not only stop the bleeding but to also start hitting. San Francisco answered in the sixth inning hitting a couple of solo home runs. Rafael Devers homered to right center and Willy Adames sent the ball sailing to center. They had cut the Padres lead in half but still had some work to do.
Neither team scored in the seventh inning and the Giants had a quiet eighth inning with the score remaining 8-4. The game went into the ninth inning and San Francisco was down to their last three outs. Christian Koss struck out, Luis Matos lined out, Patrick Bailey struck out and that was the ball game 8-4 in favor of the Padres.
Game notes: Thursday afternoon the Giants finished off their four-game series losing three out of four games in San Diego. After winning the first game of the series, the Giants dropped the next three games. They lost game three Wednesday night 8-1. Despite his record Verlander, had had some good games but just didn’t have the team support needed to win those games.
The Giants need to have some far better offense. The Padres have been dominant in the last two games and had better offense to win the series. The Padres started Dylan Cease who went five innings allowed six hits and four earned runs. Verlander went 4.1 innings, and allowed seven hits and seven earned runs..
After this most disappointing series the Giants will be off to Milwaukee for a three game series with the Brewers that gets underway Friday night. The Brewers are the first team this season to reach 80 wins and they are favored in this series.
San Francisco will have Carson Whisenhunt on the mound with a 1-1 win/loss record and a 5.02 ERA. The Brewers will start Jose Quintara. He has a 10-4 win/loss record and a 3.32 ERA.
Minnesota Twins Kody Clemens (18) slid into the tag out by Sacramento A’s catcher Willie MacIver (left) in the bottom of the fourth inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Thu Aug 21, 2025 (AP News photo)
Rookies and Redemption Fuel Sacramento in 8-3 Rout Over Minnesota
By Mauricio Segura
In a ballpark where the Twins typically dance to their own beat, it was the Sacramento Athletics who brought the bass drum and snare roll to Target Field Wednesday afternoon, hammering Minnesota 8–3 in a statement win defined by clutch hitting, patient at-bats, and a power display from a blossoming rookie.
Sacramento’s explosive second inning looked like something out of a hitting clinic, complete with base-to-base fundamentals and just enough chaos to unsettle starter José Ureña. After a one-out hit-by-pitch and a couple of timely singles, the Athletics loaded the bases and broke the game open.
Nick Kurtz, the young first baseman showing flashes of future All-Star credentials, drew a composed walk to push runners around. Then Lawrence Butler doubled home three, Brent Rooker doubled home another, and by the time the dust settled, it was 6–0 Green and Gold with the home crowd stunned into silence.
Ureña never found his footing again. His second inning unraveling included a wild pitch, two more walks, and a barrage of hard contact that left Minnesota scrambling for answers. He lasted only five innings, tagged for six earned runs.
His opposition, Jack Perkins, pitched four and two-thirds innings of gritty baseball. While he flirted with danger in the fourth when the Twins loaded the bases with no outs, a bizarre force-out at home and alert defense limited the damage to just two runs.
Despite a late rally attempt, Minnesota never closed the gap to within striking distance. Sacramento’s bats kept breathing in the middle innings. Kurtz, making good on his second-inning RBI walk, delivered a solo shot to dead center in the sixth off reliever Michael Tonkin.
It was Kurtz’s 26th homer of the season and a no-doubt blast that seemed to symbolize the Athletics’ intent: a team in rebuild mode that’s no longer waiting around to be competitive.
Tyler Soderstrom, who manned left field, also had himself a day at the plate, collecting three hits including a double and two sharply-hit singles. He reached base four times, consistently applying pressure and pushing the pace offensively. It’s becoming more apparent that Soderstrom, still only 23, is growing into the kind of versatile player Sacramento can lean on both now and in the years ahead.
Ben Bowden, Osvaldo Bido, and the rest of Sacramento’s bullpen picked up where Perkins left off. After allowing a run in the fourth, they shut the door across the next five frames, giving up just three hits combined. Minnesota managed a final gasp in the ninth when Royce Lewis doubled in Kody Clemens, but it was far too little too late.
While Butler’s bases-clearing double was the highlight reel moment, Sacramento’s offense functioned like a well-tuned orchestra. Nine hits scattered across the lineup. Seven different players reached base. And the A’s demonstrated not just power but a patient eye, drawing five walks to Minnesota’s four.
Max Schuemann added an RBI single in the seventh to make it 8–2, while catcher Willie MacIver, despite finishing hitless, contributed behind the plate with steady game-calling and a throw that cut down a runner at home in the fourth.
Minnesota’s promising young trio of Buxton, Larnach, and Lee were mostly neutralized. Buxton went 0-for-4, lining out twice to center fielder Lawrence Butler who covered a lot of ground and made multiple strong reads. Larnach did double in the fourth and score, but it wasn’t enough to change the momentum. Meanwhile, James Outman struck out three times in the loss and left runners stranded in key moments.
Managerial decisions, particularly the timing of Minnesota’s pitching changes, could be questioned in hindsight. Ureña was allowed to face one batter too many during Sacramento’s second-inning barrage, and by the time Tonkin entered in the sixth, the game was largely out of reach.
It was a win that reminded fans and pundits alike that the Athletics, though relocated and retooled, aren’t merely a placeholder franchise. They’re young, they’re scrappy, and as they proved Wednesday, they’re capable of outplaying anyone when things click. With a new identity in Sacramento and a clubhouse built on grit, the Green and Gold might just be laying the groundwork for something special.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the 10th inning of a baseball game in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 The Sacramento A’s Shea Langeliers belted his 28 home run of the season and the A’s defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Target Field on Wednesday night.
#2 Langeliers home run was a 401 foot rocket to right center that came off Twins pitcher Genesis Cabrera who dropped his record to 0-1. Ghost runner Nick Kurtz scored ahead of Langeliers.
#3 The A’s get a two run win but scored only once in nine tries with runners in scoring position.
#4 Langeliers hitting 16 of home runs out of 28 home runs in the second half since All Star break.
#5 Sacramento A’s RHP Jack Perkins (2-2, 4.28 ERA) will start for the Athletics on Thursday opposite the Minnesota Twins RHP José Ureña (0-1, 4.06).
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
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