Tag: mlb

Mason Miller struggles in second start back from 60-Day IL, as A’s fall to Padres for third-straight loss

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Sep 16, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Brett Sullivan (29) appeals to the third base umpire on a check swing by Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda (49) during the fifth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Noda was ruled out on the play. Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

San Diego Padres 5 (71-78)

Oakland Athletics 2 (46-102)

Win: Matt Waldron (1-3)

Loss: Mason Miller (0-3)

Save: Josh Hader (29)

Time: 3:15

Attendance: 14,376

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–The San Diego Padres beat the Oakland A’s, 5-2, in the second game of this three-game series on a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum to hand the A’s their third-straight loss.

The A’s sent the young right-hander, Mason Miller, to the mound. Miller, who was making his second start since coming off the 60-Day Injured List, struggled with his control.

Miller walked Ha-Seong Kim, following a 1-2 count, to start the game; and then Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled to put runners at second and third with nobody out for Juan Soto, who knocked Kim with a sacrifice fly to right. Xander Bogaerts then hit a donk single off the end of the bat into center for a base-hit to knock in Tatis and make it 2-0 Padres. Miller then issued a pair of two-out walks to load the bases, but he escaped further damage.

“Everytime [I’m] out there is a blessing and an opportunity,” said Miller. “I look to capitalize on things I’m struggling with, [and] make those adjustments week to week, outing to outing.” I don’t want to make any excuses for [my command].”

The knuckleballer, Matt Waldron, got the start for the Padres, and pitched scoreless innings in the bottom of the first and second. The A’s got to Waldron for a run to put the A’s on the board in the bottom of the third, as Nick Allen doubled to left with one out, and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Ryan Noda.

“I think that was my first time getting [a] hit off a knuckleball,” said Allen. “It was nice getting a double, [and] getting in scoring position for the guys.”

Luis Medina succeeded Mason Miller on the mound for the A’s, and threw a 1-2-3 top of the second, as well as a scoreless third. Medina remained in a groove in the top of the fourth, as he struck Trent Grisham out swinging to start the inning, and he got Matthew Batten looking for the second out. However, Medina walked Brett Sullivan, and gave up a single to Kim, which put runners at first and third. Medina walked Tatis to load the bases, and then he walked Soto to give the Padres a run for free.

Waldron pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth for the Padres, and Medina came back out for the A’s in the top of the fifth. Medina hit Luis Campusano with a pitch to start the inning. He got Ji Man Choi to strike out swinging for the first out; he walked Grisham with one out; and got Batten looking again for the second out.

A’s Manager Mark Kotsay then opted to pull Medina for the lefty, Easton Lucas to face the left-handed-hitting Brett Sullivan. Sullivan hit a chopper to first that was picked up by A’s first-baseman, Ryan Noda, who threw a bouncer that went all the way to the A’s dugout.

Campusano and Grisham both scored to open the Padres’ lead to 5-1. Sullivan was originally awarded second base, but the third base umpire and crew chief, Dan Iassogna, convened the crew, and awarded Sullivan third since he had reached first before Noda got his throw off.

Mark Kotsay wanted an explanation as to why Sullivan was awarded third, and Iassogna checked in with the replay center in New York for a rule’s check, but he was backed up by Approved Ruling of Rule 5.06(b)(4)(G), which states:

“If all runners, including the batter-runner, have advanced at least one base when an infielder makes a wild throw on the first play after the pitch, the award shall be governed by the position of the runners when the wild throw was made.”

Zack Gelof hit a home run to left off Waldron to start the bottom of the sixth to cut the Padres’ lead to 5-2. Seth Brown struck out swinging, but after Aledmys Diaz singled to center, Waldron’s day was done. Padres Manager Bob Melvin brought in Scott Barlow, who gave up an opposite-field single to Lawrence Butler, which brought the tying run to the plate. However, Carlos Perez grounded back to the mound for a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Easton Lucas ended up pitching two innings in total, and with two outs in the top of the seventh, he was replaced by Lucas Erceg, who would’ve ended up pitching a perfect inning and a third had Tatis not reached on an error with two outs in the top of the eighth.

Barlow ended up pitching an inning and a third of scoreless ball for San Diego, as did Robert Surarez. Dany Jimenez pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the A’s, and the Padres summoned their closer, Josh Hader, for the bottom of the ninth.

Carlos Perez singled to left to start the bottom of the ninth, but Brent Rooker flew out to left; Nick Allen grounded into a fielder’s choice; and Shea Langeliers pinch-hit for Tony Kemp and struck out swinging to end the game.

The A’s will try and salvage a game in this series tomorrow, as they will send the young 6’7” right-hander Joe Boyle to be the opener in his major league debut.

[Joe Boyle] will open tomorrow,” said A’s Manager Mark Kotsay. “We’re looking forward to this day tomorrow to see a young man that [has] earned this opportunity.” said A’s Manager Mark Kotsay.

Stephen Ruderman is a http://www.sportsradioservice.com contributor and podcaster

Giants swept by Rockies 5-2 in night cap; SF drops 3 straight to Colorado; Series Finale Sunday at Coors; Giants 2.5 games back of NL Wild Card

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Second game of the doubleheader San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers (left) and Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr (right) wait for a Colorado Rockie Ezequiel Tovar ball to go foul in the bottom of the seventh inning at Coors Field in Denver on Sat Sep 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants apparently did not get the errors out of their system and had a couple more in the second game of the day at Coors Field. A very sloppy game from San Francisco and some very good play from Colorado gave the Rockies their third win of the series 5-2 sweeping Saturday’s day-night doubleheader.

The Colorado Rockies (55-92) took care of the San Francisco Giants (75-73) in the first game of the doubleheader of their four game series Saturday morning 9-5. This was the one series left in the regular season that many thought San Francisco could succeed in and get closer to a Wild Card.

It is by no means turned out to be that way. The Giants looked awful in Game Two; the pitching was horrendous and offense not much better. The question going into Game Three of this series was could San Francisco get a split out of this series?

Night cap recap: As this game got started, it was not the start that the Giants had envisioned. Colorado got things rolling with a couple of runs in the first inning. Kris Bryant got a double and Elehuris Montero singled and the Rockies had an early 2-0 lead.

San Francisco kept pace scoring in the second inning trailing by a single run 2-1. Mike Yastrzemski singled Patrick Bailey home and the Giants still had Colorado in their sites.

The Rockies would answer and add a couple of runs in the third inning to extend their lead to 4-1. Ezequiel Tovar singled and Charlie Blackburn scored for the 3-1 lead.

Another San Francisco mistake on the mound gave Colorado another run. Tovar scored on a Jakob Junis wild pitch and the Giants were getting deeper and deeper in trouble as this game went on trailing 4-1. It was still very early in the game but the Giants would need some offense asap.

The fourth and fifth innings were quiet for both teams but in the top of the sixth inning, San Francisco got one run showing some signs of life. Michael Conforto hit a sacrifice fly and Thairo Estrada scored. The score was still a bit lop-sided as this game went into the latter innings with San Francisco still trailing 4-2.

The Rockies would top off this game in the seventh inning with a Bryant single and Blackman scored for the final of 5-2. The Rockies had won three straight games off San Francisco after being swept in their last series with the Giants at Oracle Park.

In Game Two, there were more errors and more runners left stranded. In the ninth inning the Giants had the bases loaded but came up empty. Both teams had ten hits in the game which highlights all the runners that San Francisco left hanging.

They had a couple of errors as well in the game which Colorado took advantage of. The Rockies have really played well in this series giving San Francisco all sorts of problems.

Sunday the Giants will try to salvage this series in Game Four. They cannot afford to be swept. Sean Manaea will take the mound for the Giants with a (5-6, 4.80 ERA). The Rockies will start Chris Flexen with a (1-7, 7.22 ERA). First pitch for this game will be 12:10 PM PT.

Giants Drop Front Game Of Doubleheader (Game 2 Of Series) To Rockies 9-5

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Keaton Winn works against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Coors Field in Denver on Sat Sep 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

A disastrous fifth inning set the stage for the San Francisco Giants (75-73) second loss in this series. All that they can hope for right now is a split losing the front game of Saturday’s doubleheader to the Colorado Rockies (55-92) and game two of the series 9-5.

Friday night the Giants lost a heartbreaker to the Rockies 3-2. The Giants led going into the bottom of the ninth. A single and an error later, the Rockies were celebrating a walk-off win 3-2.

Saturday San Francisco was back on the field playing a double-header scheduled due to a rain-out Thursday night. Losing game one of this series hurt San Francisco’s playoff hopes. Every game going forward is critically important if the Giants want any shot at a playoff berth.

They are not doing much to advance their cause that’s for sure. They are making this pretty hard on themselves. Friday’s loss was a bit of a surprise because the Rockies reside in the basement of the NL West so this is a team that the Giants need to beat, especially with a couple of series coming up with the Dodgers, one with the Diamondbacks and another with the Padres.

The Giants got off to a quick start taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning and adding another run in the third inning to extend their lead to 3-0. In the second inning Blake Sabol doubled and both LaMonte Wade Jr. and Luis Matos scored.

In the third inning Thairo Estrada scored on passed ball by Austin Wynns. It was all looking good for San Francisco until the bottom of the third inning. This is when it all went sideways for the Giants.

A Colorado triple from Ezequiel Tovar with the bases loaded tied up the game 3-3 and this game quickly escalated in favor of the Rockies.

The fifth inning was a disaster for San Francisco. Giant’s starting pitcher Keaton Winn fell apart and after 76 pitches he was done. He had allowed three hits and three runs. Ryan Walker who relieved him in the fourth did not fare much better allowing two hits and three runs walking three batters. San Francisco walked in two runs in the fifth inning and when the dust had settled Colorado had taken a 6-3 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the sixth inning to lead 7-3.

Going into the seventh inning, the Giants had three innings left to make up a lot of ground or drop even further back in the wild card race. This was a horrible let-down after last night’s loss.

Colorado continued their beat-down in the bottom of the seventh inning scoring two more runs. The Rockies 9-3 lead set up a more than likely Colorado win going into the eighth inning and assuring them a split series or better.

San Francisco crept a little closer in the eighth inning when LaMonte Wade Jr. homered, a solo, to right center but still trailing 9-4 going into the ninth inning. The Rockies were three outs away from taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

San Francisco made a little noise in the ninth inning. Estrade singled Brandon Crawford home. With two outs, Mitch Haniger struck out swinging and that was the ball game 9-5.

This game was lost on the mound and the quiet bats didn’t help at all. They had seven hits in the game and left a lot of runners stranded The Giants are in a self-destruction mode right now and have to turn it around in the second game of the double dip. The two teams will take a breather and then play the second game of this double-header with first pitch at 5:10 PM.

Starting pitchers in the night cap for the Giants Scott Alexander (7-2 ERA 4.53) for the Rockies Kyle Freeland (6-14 ERA 6-14) at Coors Field.

MLB podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Ohtani done for season; San Diego manager Melvin talks about being back in Oakland

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Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Ohtani left the Angels on Fri Sep 16, 2023. His agent said he’ll be a DH somewhere next season (AP News photo)

On the MLB podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Los Angeles Angels two way star Shohei Ohtani cleared out his locker on Friday night and is done for the rest of the 2023 season. Ohtani has been out of the line up since Sep 4th is will need a procedure for his right elbow. Ohtani’s personal items were seen in a garbage can in the Angels clubhouse according to reporters and Ohtani didn’t speak to the media after taking batting practice in a cage before the game.

#2 Stephen, with former Oakland A’s and now San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin was back in his old confines at the Oakland Coliseum. It gave Melvin who showed up at the ballpark at 11 AM time to run the stairs in the lower bowl of the Coliseum.

#3 Asked about the A’s move to Las Vegas Melvin said he hopes fans would enjoy the ballpark and hope that the A’s are in Oakland a lot longer then people expect. Meaning getting the extension at the Coliseum through the 2027 before they move to Vegas if it gets the owners approval.

#4 The Los Angeles Angels Anthony Rendon has been out a good two months and has not made himself available to talk about what was thought to be his bruised deep bone which outside doctors with no working relationship with the Angels said it was a fractured tibia.

#5 New York Yankees pitcher Anthony Misiewicz was hit in the head by line drive hit by the Pittsburgh Pirates Ji Hwan Bae which happened in the bottom of the sixth inning at PNC Park. Misiewicz was hit on the side of the head as the ball rolled to right field. Misiewicz stood up after getting hit and was escorted off the field via cart under the watchful eye of medical personnel and the Yankee trainer.

#6 If the bags are ever juiced and the Minnesota Twins Royce Lewis is coming to the plate his odds of hitting a grand slam home run are pretty good. Royce hit grand slam number four for the season a Twins record for a season on Friday night. Lewis said he thinks of the wins that comes with hitting the grand slam and he hopes his teammates hits some as well.

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Taking a look at the steps MLB will take to move A’s out of Oakland

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Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman is part of a three man MLB committee that will recommend relocating the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas. The committee will send their recommendation onto MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred after doing the first step of the study. (AP file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, MLB announced that there will be a relocation vote in mid November. There are several steps to the process beginning with a three man executive committee which consists of Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, who is chairing the committee, Philadelphia Phillies CEO John Middleton and Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman. 

#2 The second step of the process is the recommendation gets passed along to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred who will look over the relocation application and no doubt put his stamp approval on it.

#3 After Manfred is finished with his approval it moves onto a eight man committee who will look it over for the renderings, the blue prints, how the move will benefit MLB, the topic of moving to the smallest MLB market will no doubt be part MLB considerations.

#4 Once the eight man committee has completed their study they will pass it onto the 30 MLB owners for the mid November vote which requires 75% approval to relocate the A’s from Oakland to Las Vegas.

#5 You have to wonder if Oakland was going to get an expansion team out of this then why move out of Oakland in the first place. Also revisiting Howard Terminal could be tougher than it was the first time with John Fisher and the A’s.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rough start spells doom for A’s against Padres as they lose 8-3

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Photo courtesy of Oakland A’s Twitter.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- The A’s opened a home series against the Padres with a rough outing against the Padres by a final of 8-3.

Attendance: 17,828

Before the game Tony Kemp was awarded a nomination for the Roberto Clemente award whose number he wore along with a few other players.

Photo courtesy of Oakland A’s Twitter. Tony Kemp is handed the Roberto Clemente award by manager of the A’s Mark Kotsay on Sept. 15th 2023.

This would also be former A’s manager Bob Melvin’s first visit back to the Coliseum after going to the Padres.

Starting for the Athletics was Sean Newcomb who coming in had a 1-0 record with a 3.21 era. While the Padres had Seth Lugo start who had a 6-7 record with a 3.82 era.

The offense was working early for the Padres as Fernando Tatis Jr. showed his power by crushing a 2-0 pitch to center field. Then after back-to-back walks Newcomb threw a wild pitch getting Juan Soto home.

Quickly down 2-0 Newcomb wasn’t able to establish much more confidence in the second inning as he gave a lead-off double to Garrett Cooper. After a single and a hit by pitch the bases were then loaded for Tatis who singled getting two runs home making it 4-0. Newcomb was able to minimize the damage to just two runs but now the A’s needed some runs.

There would be some help in the bottom of the second as Shea Langeliers launched a solo shot to center field getting his 20th homer of the season.

The fourth saw the first pitching change of the game as Adrián Martínez came in to replace Newcomb.

Martínez would end up having quite the opposite of and outing as he only gave up one earned run in 4.2 innings pitched. It was exactly the kind of bounce back Martínez needed after his rough outing against Texas on the 10th when he gave up four runs.

Following up the second Ryan Noda hit a ground-rule double bringing home Esteury Ruiz making things a little closer at 4-2.

The one run given up by Martínez was a double by Luis Campusano in the fifth that made it 5-2.

There would be another solo home run by an A’s player in the sixth inning with Brent Rooker this time homering getting his 25th of the season.

Scoring stayed relatively quiet until the top of the ninth inning when with Devin Sweeney on the mound the Padres got two on base. Jose Azocar then stepped up and pretty much put the dagger in this game by getting a three run homer. That home run was Azocar’s first home run of his career as he didn’t have any in his rookie campaign.

The A’s could not form any sort of response in the ninth ending this one at 8-3.

“I think the walks killed us tonight,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said after the game.

Oakland will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Padres at 1:07 p.m.

Webb throws gem, but Giants fall 3-2 to Rockies

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Photo credit: si.com

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies played the second game of the four-game series on Friday. The Giants dropped a 3-2 decision to the Rockies at Coors Field. San Francisco fell to 75-72, while Colorado improved to 54-92. Camilo Doval (6-5, 2.98 ERA) took the loss for the Giants.

The Giants’ lineup featured Mike Yastrzemski, Thairo Estrada, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, LaMonte Wade Jr., Mitch Haniger, Patrick Bailey, Brandon Crawford, Luis Matos, and Logan Webb. Webb pitched for eight innings and gave up four hits, one earned run, and six strikeouts.

After a scoreless first inning, San Francisco got on the board in the top of the second inning. Patrick Bailey grounded into a force out to Chase Anderson and Ezequiel Tovar. Michael Conforto scored for a 1-0 Giants lead. LaMonte Wade Jr. was out at second base, while Bailey went to first base with two outs.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ezequiel Tovar singled on a line drive to Austin Slater. Ryan McMahon scored to tie the ballgame 1-1. Tovar went to second base.

The Giants regained the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Wilmer Flores walked. J.D. Davis scored for a 2-1 lead. LaMonte Wade Jr. went to third base, while Patrick Bailey went to second base.

The Giants’ lead was short-lived as the Rockies took the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. Elehuris Montero singled on a ground ball to Mike Yastrzemski. Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Jones scored for a 3-2 lead. Montero went to second base. Yastrzemski committed a throwing error. Moreover, San Francisco challenged the play for a home-plate collision, and the call on the field was upheld.

Notes
The Giants optioned Kyle Harrison and Casey Schmitt to Triple-A Sacramento. Ross Stripling returned to San Francisco from rehab and was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

The Giants recognized and celebrated the cultures, achievements, and celebrations of their Hispanic players, employees, and community members for Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Giants celebrated Roberto Clemente, a Latin American hero and one of the greatest baseball players of all time, on Roberto Clemente Day.

Up Next
The Giants and Rockies will meet again on Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Pacific. Keaton Winn (1-2, 3.55 ERA) will start for the Giants, but the Rockies haven’t named a starting pitcher yet.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Will MLB owners relocate A’s in mid November relocation vote?

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New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner will be one of the 30 owners to vote on the Oakland A’s relocation in mid November. Sources say Steinbrenner is not too favorable to the A’s leaving a big TV market for the smallest TV market in MLB. Will the other owners feel the same way? (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Thursday MLB owners have decided to vote on the future of the Oakland A’s and their relocation to the Las Vegas Tropicana location. They have decided to hold the vote in mid November.

#2 Daniel, talk about the first step of the process with the MLB owners three man committee Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, who is chairing the committee, Philadelphia Phillies CEO John Middleton and Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman. They will be reviewing the A’s application and will send it for review to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

#3 After Manfred reviews the application he will send it to an MLB eight man executive council with his recommendation. The eight man council will be reviewing the environmental impact reports, the financial benefits, the TV market, the funding of the park, and weigh the benefits of moving to Las Vegas and moving out of Oakland.

#4 After the eight man council review the application they will then send it to the 30 Major League teams where the owner of each team will vote on the A’s relocation. The A’s need 75% of the vote in order to move the team to Las Vegas.

#5 Taking all things into consideration Daniel with what’s in front of the three steps at MLB to make this happen do you see any outside chance that MLB can get at least eight MLB teams to say no and get on board against the relocation? The minimum that would stop the move of the A’s.

Daniel Dullum does the Oakland A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s have won 12 of last 22 games; Oakland has shown improvement despite picking up 100th loss

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Former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher now with the Oakland A’s Sean Newcomb works in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park in Cobb County GA on Sun Jul 29, 2023. Newcomb had to apologize after the game for sending sexist, racist and homophobic tweets six years ago. On Sat Aug 5, 2023 Newcomb kicked a garbage can into a fire extinguisher sending chemical spray all over the Braves clubhouse after a 10 inning loss. Newcomb had to apologize for both incidents. Newcomb starts tonight for the A’s against the San Diego Padres (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s who went 3-3 on the last road trip in Arlington and Houston, lost two out of three in Texas and won two out of three in Houston. The A’s have played improved baseball going 12-10 in their last 22 games.

#2 The A’s were nearly no hit on Wednesday night in Houston by a combination of five Houston Astros pitchers. The A’s avoided getting no hit when Ryan Noda broke up the no hit bid with a single and later scoring in the inning.

#3 The A’s just couldn’t come back and fell to the Astros by four runs. The A’s lost their 100th game of the season with the 6-2 loss on Wednesday. This is the second year in a row they’ve lost 100 games.

#4 A couple of notes on tonight’s A’s starting pitcher Sean Newcomb, he comes over from the Atlanta Braves and nearly threw a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jul 29th. After the game Newcomb also had to apologize during a post game presser with the media not about losing the no hitter but about sexist, racist and homophobic tweets he sent out six or seven years ago. Later Newcomb on Sat Aug 5th kicked a garbage can that hit a fire extinguisher in the Braves clubhouse in frustration that sent chemical dust up in the clubhouse while a large fan was running, the team couldn’t come in the clubhouse to change out of their uniforms this was after a long ten inning game. Newcomb was angry for giving up the game winning hit to the Miami Marlins for the 7-6 loss. Do you think these might have been some of the reasons why Newcomb was dealt to the A’s?

#5 Jeremiah talk about tonight’s match ups to open the series Seth Lugo(6-7, 3.80 ERA) will go for the Padres and will be opposed by the A’s lefty, Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.75 ERA). First pitch at 6:40pm PT.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Weather Dampens Start of Giants vs Rockies Series In Colorado

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Grounds crew members pick up covers from the field after the postponement of a baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Denver. The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Saturday. (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (75-71) and the Colorado Rockies (53-92) four-game series was postponed Thursday evening due to inclement weather. The opening game of the series was postponed about three hours before the 5:40 scheduled first pitch.

A closer look at the weather channel showed 55 degrees that felt more like 52 degrees Thursday evening with rain pouring continuously since late afternoon. Just more crazy weather that seems to be world-wide.

A scheduled double-header will be played on Saturday September 16 with the first pitch at 11:20 AM. The second game of the double-header will take place Saturday evening at 5:10 PM.

As San Francisco heads into this series, they face a critical situation. Every game going forward is vitally important since the Giants are in the thick of an incredibly tight National League Wild Card race.

San Francisco has won 16 of their last 17 games against Colorado. A sweep would indeed be a beautiful thing. The Diamondbacks (76-72) , the Reds (76-72), the Cubs (78-69), the Marlins (75-72) and the Phillies (79-67) are all contenders in this closely contested race.

The Giants with a 75-71 record are close to the bottom of the heap in a packed field of rivals. Following this four game series with Colorado, San Francisco will play a two-game series with the Diamondbacks.

This will also be a huge series. Looking ahead, the Los Angeles Dodgers await the Giants in a four-game series starting on September 21. A series win or even a sweep for the Giants over the last-place Rockies is critical to San Francisco’s playoff hopes.

Friday night’s game which will hopefully be played is scheduled for 5:40 PM PT. The weather maps show rain stopping Friday morning in the early hours. There is a 40% chance of rain Friday but it does show clear at first pitch and hopefully it will hold for the duration of the ball game.

Logan Webb who was supposed to take the mound Thursday will start for the Giants on Friday night. He has a 10-12 win/loss record and a 3.40 ERA. There is good news for San Francisco. Michael Conforto will be back in the lineup after suffering a left hamstring strain giving the Giants outfield a boost.

Chase Anderson will start for the Rockies looking for his first win. He has a 0-5 win/loss record and a 6.49 ERA. The 35-year-old right-hander has really struggled this season.

The Giants Wilmer Flores has the hot bat right now for San Francisco. He has been on fire with a .288 batting average and 22 homers. Thairo Estrada and J.D. Davis have also been playing well. They are coming off an extra inning win over the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday night. Davis hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to tie up that game with LaMonte Wade Jr. hitting a game -winning sacrifice fly.

The strength in the San Francisco lineup should propel them through this series. Friday night the Giants head into the final leg of the season with 16 games left. They will be facing the Dodgers seven times, the Padres three times and two against the Diamondbacks.

They have to at least win this upcoming series with the Rockies although a sweep would go a long way for these guys because they face some dangerous foes in their final five series. It will for sure be an exciting photo finish this year for the San Francisco Giants.