Tag: mlb

San Francisco Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic: Sutter Health gives the Candlestick Park treatment Giants crush A’s in wind blown game

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San Francisco Giants Harrison Bader front right is home plate by Jung Hoo Lee (51) after grand slam in the top of the eighth inning against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health West Sacramento on Sun May 17, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic:

#1 How much did the strong wind conditions at Sutter Health Park affect the outcome of the game, especially Harrison Bader’s grand slam?

#2 Was Adrian Houser’s six-inning performance the turning point that gave the Giants momentum late in the game?

#3 Which defensive mistake by the Athletics hurt them the most during the Giants’ explosive eighth inning?

#4 Are the Giants starting to build real momentum after strong performances from Casey Schmitt, Luis Arráez, and Harrison Bader throughout the series?

#5 What does this rivalry series reveal about the atmosphere of MLB games in Sacramento while the Athletics play at Sutter Health Park?

Marko Ukalovic does the San Francisco Giants podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason: A’s open up four game set with Angels Monday night

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Sacramento A’s starter JT Ginn (35) gets the starting calling against the Los Angeles Angels at the Big A in Anaheim on Mon May 18, 2026 (AP file photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason:

1.Going into Sunday’s game, this series was tied one game apiece, the A’s winning the first game of the series but the Giants roared back to win game two to tie up the series.

2. In games two and three the Giants offensive struggles were certainly absent and they hit some monster home runs that sucker punched the A’s especially in game three.

3. While game two was close with the A’s rallying in the eighth inning, game three was a blow-out the Giants hitting lights out coupled with some sloppy Sacramento errors and terrible relief pitching. Looking at the final score it’s hard to believe that going into the top of the eighth inning, the Athletics still had a chance to tie up or even win this game.

4. While most of the highlights of game three were centered around that eighth inning when San Francisco broke the game wide open there were a few things that were positive for the A’s that included the continued excellence of Carlos Cortes.

5. The A’s will be trying to put a number of recent ugly series behind them as they travel to Los Angeles for a series with the Angels as they are barely hanging onto first place in the American League West. First pitch 6:38pm PDT Monday night.

Barbara Mason does the Sacramento A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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. 

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O: How Fried’s injury impacts Yanks; Will Astros Arrighetti’s near no hitter be a shot in arm for Houston?; plus more news

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New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried has been placed on the 15 day IL due to an elbow injury and will his absence impact the Yankees pitching for the 2026 season? (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:

#1 Is New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried’s injury for the Yankees’ playoff outlook after he was placed on the 15 day injured list with an elbow bone bruise going to impact the Yankees for the season and for possible post season?

#2 Did Houston Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti’s near no-hitter against the Rangers signal a breakout ace performance for the Astros rotation?

#3 What impact could the growing “tarps off” fan tradition at St. Louis Cardinals games have on Busch Stadium’s atmosphere and team identity this season?

#4 Are the San Diego Padres proving they can win consistently with pitching and bullpen depth even when their star hitters struggle offensively?

#5 After winning the Subway Series opener, do the New York Yankees have a clear edge over the New York Mets heading into the rest of the rivalry matchup this weekend?

Charlie O does the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Harvey: Giants-A’s I 80 Series proves to be a big money maker in sold out Sutter Health Park

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The A’s recent success has kept ticket sales hoppinig at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento as they hosted the San Francisco Giants over the May 15-17, 2026 weekend (file photo by Visit Sacramento)

Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Harvey:

#1 Tony, talk about how successful these I 80 games have been particularly in a smaller minor league park like Sutter Health Park in a West Sacramento. These games have gotten so popular that you have people being turned away because there are no more tickets. Talk about the demand and supply.

#2 Tony, talk about how important the move by a group headed by Barry Broome the CEO and president of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council saying a a major announcement is coming soon about a bid bringing a MLB franchise to Sacramento. The idea would to be build a MLB park in the Sutter Health Park parking lot and get a group together to finance putting a MLB team together.

#3 According to reports Sacramento A’s owner John Fisher has not paid into the construction costs for the ball park in Las Vegas and he’s looking for minority investors to buys shares into ownership of the A’s and Fisher still has the San Jose Earthquakes up for sale. By the way not only is Fisher’s A’s in first place but his Earthquakes soccer team is tied for first place.

#4 Talking about Sunday’s ballgame against the San Francisco Giants at Sutter Health Park the Giants rallied for eight runs in the top of the eighth to crush the A’s 10-1. What did manager Mark Kotsay say about the bullpen during that eighth inning?

#5 The A’s are headed for Anaheim for a four game set with the Angels. Starting pitchers for Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (2-1 ERA 3.12) for Los Angeles RHP Walbert Urena (1-4 ERA 3.29) The A’s have lost four of their last six games and the Angels are on a six game losing streak after getting crushed by the Dodgers in a three game set over the weekend.

Join Tony Harvey Saturdays for the Sacramento A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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 game wrap: Giants battle wind, and score eight runs in eighth inning for 10-1 win and series win over A’s in Sacramento

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San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt (10) slugs a single off the Sacramento A’s during the I 80 series at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun May 17, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Sutter Health Park

West Sacramento, California

San Francisco Giants 10 (20-27)

Sacramento Athletics 1 (23-23)

Win: Trevor McDonald (2-0)

Loss: Luis Severino (2-5)

Save: Matt Gage (1)

Time: 2:45

Attendance: 12,541

By Stephen Ruderman

WEST SACRAMENTO–The wind was howling a gazillion miles an hour from left field to right field at Sutter Health Park Sunday, and it made for quite a weird game. The Giants looked like they were going to have to battle it out, but they exploded for an eight-run exorcism in the top of the eighth, and they won it by a final of 10-1.

Look, I am not lying about the wind. The wind was blowing so hard that the flags in the lawn beyond right field weren’t just whipping, they were blowing up. Everything was blowing. The flagpoles were blowing. The light towers were blowing. The TVs above us in the outdoor extended press box were blowing, and we had to worry that they would kill us.

As for me, I took my precautions. I used my laptop as a paperweight for my game notes and scorecard. I would have to hope that it would hold up for two or three hours, or however long this game went.

The one thing the wind didn’t do was make me forget that the Giants really needed to win Sunday. Harrison Bader drew a walk off left-hander Jeffrey Springs to start the game, and Casey Schmitt lined a base-hit to right with one out. The Giants had runners at first and second with one out for Rafael Devers. Even with the wind howling, Devers and Willy Adames couldn’t shorten their swings, and they both flew out for yet another wasted opportunity by the Giants.

As I tweeted my frustrations at Rafi and Willy for their selfish at-bats, a massive gust of wind literally blew my laptop off the counter and into my lap. I was lucky enough to only lose my Giants game notes, and keep everything else.

Adrian Houser got off to a rough start this season, but his last two outings prior to today were solid. Houser walked Nick Kurtz to start the bottom of the first, but he then retired the next six.

With two outs and nobody on in the top of the third, Luis Arraez hit a high fly ball deep to right field that Carlos Cortes couldn’t track in the wind. It ended up going out, and Arraez had his second home run of the weekend—and the series—to put the Giants on the board.

Willy Adames reached on a throwing error by third-baseman Zack Gelof with one out in the top of the fourth, and advanced to second on a balk when Springs didn’t step towards first base on a throw over. Matt Chapman then shot a two-out double into the gap in left-center to knock in Adames and make it 2-0.

Houser continued to sail along into the middle innings. However, for whatever reason, he just would not pitch to Kurtz. Houser ended up walking Kurtz all three times he faced him, and he only threw one strike in each at-bat—or shall I say, “plate appearance.” Houser had never faced Kurtz before, so it made no sense.

Houser’s third walk to Kurtz, which came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, came back to bite him. It put runners at first and second with two outs for Carlos Cortes, who hit a popup to the left side of the infield. It should have gotten the Giants out of the inning, but Matt Chapman and Willy Adames never played at Candlestick Park, so they didn’t know how to field popups in this kind of howling wind. The ball fell in for a Candlestick double to put the A’s on the board. Thankfully, that would be the only run the A’s got in the inning.

Despite Cortes’ Candlestick double, the Giants played a great defensive game in combat with the wind. Matt Chapman had to battle the wind for a tough catch in foul territory to end the bottom of the sixth.

That would also end Houser’s day, and he turned in the solid outing the Giants needed from him. Houser went six innings, and gave up just the run and four hits. Houser also had what Susan Slusser described as “Stu Miller moments,” as the wind knocked him off balance on the mound a few times.

Now, the Giants bullpen needed to hold the lead, and Sam Hentges threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh. Tony then had Keaton Winn warm up in the bullpen to pitch what was expected to be a tense bottom of the eighth.

However, the Giants’ offense—and perhaps, you can say the A’s gloves—had other plans in the top of the eighth. The Giants had the top of the order up against Luis Medina, and Bader reached on a ground ball to third that was bobbled by Gelof for the A’s third-baseman’s second error of the game. Arraez walked, and Schmitt lined a base-hit the other way to right to load the bases with nobody out.

It was now time for Rafi to shorten his swing, and he did, as he lined a base-hit to center. Bader scored, and after Lawrence Butler overran the ball, Arraez scored as well to make it 4-1. Willy also shortened his swing, and grounded a base-hit to left to reload the bases.

Mark Kotsay went with Jose Suarez, who got Daniel Susac to ground out to second with the drawn-in infield. A’s second-baseman Jeff McNeil was unable to get a throw to the plate, so he took the sure out at first, and Schmitt scored to make it 5-1.

Kotsay chose to put Matt Chapman on, and Drew Gilbert struck out swinging for the second out. It looked like the walk was going to pay off, but Jung Hoo Lee grounded a base-hit to right to keep the line moving and make it 6-1.

Bader then stepped up for the second time, and shot one down off the end of the bat down the right field line into the wind, which took it out for a grand slam. It was now 10-1, and it was just the second time this season the Giants scored ten runs. The other was April 17 in a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals in D.C.

As for Keaton Winn, he was in the game anyway, which meant that the bottom of the eighth was his inning all the way. Winn threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and Joel Peguero threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Oh yeah, and before I forget, Carlos Cortes pitched the top of the ninth for the A’s.

Anyway, Houser got the win, and Springs took the loss.

As I mentioned earlier, the Giants’ defense was incredible today. Luis Arraez, Harrison Bader and Drew Gilbert all made great plays to take away hits. Gilbert had to wrestle with the wind to make a weird diving catch for the first out of the bottom of the ninth.

The Giants improve to 20-27, and they will head down to Phoenix for a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks starting Monday night.

Robbie Ray (3-5 ERA 3.04) will go for the Giants in the series opener Sunday night. Zac Gallen will go for Arizona (1-5 ERA 5.02).

First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

Sacramento A’s game wrap: A’s Defensive Meltdown in Eighth Inning Leads to 10-1Blowout Loss Against Giants

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Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics talks with first base umpire Jansen Visconti #52 after being called for a balk during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Sutter Health Park on May 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Scott Marshall/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics were back in action to take on the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series.

The Giants defeated the A’s and took the series 10-1 in a very windy matinee affair in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,541 patrons.

Jeffrey Springs got the ball to start for the A’s on Sunday. It was Jeffrey’s 10th start for the A’s this season. Springs threw the ball well for the A’s as he went six innings of two-run (one earned), five-hit ball while throwing 92 pitches during his outing. Springs walked only one batter and struck out three.

“Jeffrey threw the ball great today,” Mark Kotsay said of Springs after the game. “Six innings, two runs. Overall, I thought he did a great job with the elements, pitching in these conditions and going out and really just staying focused throughout the six-inning performance. He did a great job.”

Relieving Springs from the bullpen, it was a mixed bag from the A’s relief corps.

First out of the pen for the A’s was Justin Sterner, who came on to pitch the seventh inning for the A’s. Sterner pitched well and delivered a clean inning while striking out two batters on 23 pitches.

In the eighth inning, the bullpen unraveled for the A’s. Luis Medina came on for the A’s but failed to get an out. Medina faced five batters and gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits and surrendered a walk. It was an abysmal performance that didn’t end with him. Jose Suarez came on to pitch the rest of the eighth and didn’t fare much better. Suarez pitched one inning, giving up three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one. It was a complete and total pitching and defensive meltdown for the A’s, who also committed three errors in the game (which is conservative; it could have been four).

“I mean, that’s the story of the game, really,” Mark Kotsay said after the game, referring to the team’s lack of clean baseball. “It’s a 2-1 game in the eighth, the leadoff hitter we put on [due to an error]. I think we kicked the ball around three times that inning. That’s not good baseball, and when you don’t play good baseball, things get out of hand, and it did in the eighth, and as you see, that’s the result.”

On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s finished the game with just five hits and scored one run. They also walked five times.

The A’s lone run came in the fifth inning when Carlos Cortes hit an RBI double to, at the time, pull the A’s to within one at a 2-1 score.

That was all the A’s could muster on offense.

With the loss, the A’s lost the series to the Giants and fell to 23-23 on the season. The Giants improved to 20-27.

The A’s will head out on the road to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Monday at 6:38 p.m. PST. J.T. Ginn (2-1, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled to start for the A’s, while the Angels are yet to announce a starter for the game.

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 game wrap: Schmitt hits two home runs, and McDonald is lights out over 6 2/3 innings in much-needed 6-4 bounce-back win for Giants over A’s

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San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt (10) rounds the bases after hitting a first inning home run off Sacramento A’s starter Luis Severino at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat May 16, 2026 (AP News photo)

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Sutter Health Park

West Sacramento, California

San Francisco Giants 6 (19-27)

Sacramento Athletics 4 (23-22)

Win: Trevor McDonald (2-0)

Loss: Luis Severino (2-5)

Save: Matt Gage (1)

Time: 2:34

Attendance: 12,489

By Stephen Ruderman

WEST SACRAMENTO–Casey Schmitt hit two home runs, and Trevor McDonald gave up just a run over six and two thirds lights-out inning, as the Giants bounced back with a much-needed 6-4 win over the A’s here in Sacramento.

The Giants’ three-game winning streak was completely wiped out by a three-game losing streak. They had some good news, as Erik Miller was activated off of the Injured List. However, Heliot Ramos was placed on the Injured List after he strained his right quad Friday night.

(As for corresponding roster moves, Tristan Beck was sent down to the River Cats, and Will Brennan was called back up.)

The Giants’ offense had been home run happy again over the last three games, which was the biggest reason they lost three-straight. However, that paid dividends when Casey Schmitt hit a home run to left off Luis Severino with two outs in the top of the first inning.

Unfortunately, this game did not come without more wasted opportunities by the Giants. It also didn’t come without more bone-headed base-running blunders by Willy Adames.

Willy has already been in hot water for forgetting the amount of outs and getting doubled off second base after jazzercising with Mookie on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Saturday night, Adames was standing at second with one out in the top of the second. I couldn’t tell if he was talking to Darrel Hernaiz and Jeff McNeil, so I am not going to make any assumptions. However, when Drew Gilbert hit a ground ball to short that bounced in front of Adames, even though players are taught when they’re kids not to advance on a ground ball that bounces in front of them, Adames took off for third anyway, and was promptly thrown out by a mile. It was Adames’ second bone-headed base-running blunder in just the last four games.

Adames had a chance to redeem himself when he came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the third. Willy has shown more of a willingness to shorten his swing and hit line drives since last Friday. Here, he lined a base-hit the other way to right to knock in a pair of runs and make it 3-0. However, Adames was thrown out trying to take second on the throw home by Lawrence Butler.

To give Willy credit, Shea Langeliers was standing a good 10 feet in front of the plate to receive the throw that he knew had no chance of getting Luis Arraez, and was itching to make that play on Adames. Also, runners are generally going to try and take second on throws from the outfield to the plate, so I’m not going to fault Willy for that one.

As for the pitching side of things, Trevor McDonald took the ball for his third big league start of the year, and have up just one hit through his first three innings. The A’s put runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but McDonald retired the next two guys he faced to get out of it.

Luis Arraez walked with one out in the top of the fifth, and that set things up for Schmitt to hit his second home run of the game. This one was an opposite-field shot that just stayed fair down the right field line.

Do you remember how I mentioned earlier that this game did not come without missed opportunities by the Giants? Well, the Giants had a chance to make this one a laugher after they loaded the bases later in the inning with still just one out. Then, Drew Gilbert struck out on a foul tip, and Harrison Bader missed a grand salami by just a matter of feet, as he flew out to the track in left to end the inning.

The Giants wasted a golden opportunity to put the game away, and McDonald had to sit for a bit during the top of the fifth. The A’s immediately pounced, and got runners to first and third to start the inning. McNeil then hit a one-hopper to first, but Rafael Devers made a great sliding stop to his right to get it, and while his throw to second was a bit wild, Adames was able to catch it and step on the bag to get Hernaiz. Butler scored to put the A’s on the board, but McDonald was able to work out of it with just the run.

To give credit to Severino, he ate up six innings for the A’s, despite giving up the five runs. McDonald, on the other hand, was lights out over six and two thirds. He gave up just a run on five hits, and he struck out five.

The Giants tacked on a run off Scott Barlow in the top of the seventh to make it 6-1. They had a chance to add on more, as they still had runners at second and third with one out, but, well, they wasted it.

Tony wanted to give Erik Miller some work in his return, and he got the final out in the bottom of the seventh. Miller was back out for the bottom of the eighth, and walked the first two batters of the inning. Tyler Soderstrom flew out to right for the first out, and then Tony pulled Miller for Caleb Kilian. Brent Rooker then stepped up, and hit a three-run bomb that hooked down the left field line to make it 6-4.

The Giants were going to have to earn this one. However, I was assured by people who have covered the A’s on a routine basis this season that the A’s wouldn’t come back. As for me, after watching the Giants get off to a horrendous 18-27 start, and have their three-game winning streak, where it looked like they were finally getting it together, get completely wiped out by a three-game losing streak, I was not going to relax until that final out was made.

Well, they were right. Matt Gage threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his first big league save, and the Giants won 6-4.

Trevor McDonald got the win; Luis Severino took the loss; and you already saw it in just my very last sentence: Matt Gage picked up his first big league save.

The Giants improve to 19-27, and they can take the series with a win Sunday. They will have to rely on Adrian Houser (1-4 ERA 5.79) Sunday. While Houser got off to a rough start, he is coming off a pair of solid outings. Hopefully, he can give the Giants another one Sunday. Jeffrey Springs (3-3 ERA 4.22) will go for the A’s.

First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

Sacramento A’s game wrap: Giants Hold Off Late Rally, Defeat A’s 6-4

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Luis Severino #40 of the Athletics pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Sutter Health Park on May 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics were back in action on Saturday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento to take on the San Francisco Giants. It was game two of a three-game series as the A’s looked to win the series after defeating the Giants 5-2 on Friday night.

The A’s couldn’t mount a comeback against the Giants on Saturday as they fell 6-4.

Luis Severino got the ball for what was his 10th start of the year for the Athletics, looking to pick up his third win in those attempts. Severino struggled in the outing and failed to deliver a quality start. Severino did manage to give the A’s six innings, but it was riddled with five runs on 10 hits, and he added two walks in the outing. It wasn’t what the A’s needed and still, to some degree, expect from their number one starter. Severino needed 96 pitches to get through his six innings of work.

What was A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s assessment of Luis Severino Saturday night?

“I think the ball was just up tonight,” Kotsay said after the game.

As for Severino, his opinion of his outing was slightly different.

“I feel I was getting through, throwing good pitches, some hits,” Severino said after the game. “I feel like there was not a lot of solid contact but the two homers and then the Arraez double. Everything else was just a blooper.”

Well, that’s certainly one way to describe an outing in which you gave up 10 hits and walked two batters.

The A’s bullpen came on for the rest of the game starting in the seventh inning.

Scott Barlow tossed the seventh inning for the A’s and struggled, giving up a run on two hits but managing to limit the damage. Barlow threw 16 pitches in the inning while walking none and striking out two.

In the eighth and ninth innings, the A’s sent Mark Leiter Jr. to the mound to keep things where they were in hopes of mounting a comeback. In the eighth inning, it was relatively smooth sailing for Leiter Jr. as he allowed only one hit and struck out one in a scoreless frame. In the ninth inning, he pitched another scoreless inning with his only blemish being a hit while striking out one more. All in, Leiter Jr. went two innings, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out two.

On the offensive side of the ball, it was a pretty tame performance from the green and gold as their offense didn’t get much going until the second half of the game.

The A’s got on the board for the first time in the fifth inning when Jeff McNeil got an RBI on a force out that scored Lawrence Butler from third base.

The A’s didn’t score again until the eighth inning when Brent Rooker hit a three-run home run to deep left field off Caleb Killian to make it a 6-4 ballgame. Rooker’s blast, his second hit of the night, traveled 407 feet and left the bat at 109.5 MPH. It was the sixth home run and 19th, 20th, and 21st RBI of the season for the A’s designated hitter.

The A’s didn’t score again the rest of the game and finished with six hits and three walks.

With the win, the Giants improved to 19-27 while the A’s fell to 23-22 in the 2026 season.

The A’s and Giants will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. PST at Sutter Health Park. Jeffrey Springs (3-3, 4.22 ERA) is slated to start for the A’s while the Giants will send Adrian Houser (1-4, 5.79 ERA) to the hill as both teams look for the series win.

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. 

MLB The Show podcast Lincoln Juarez: ChiSox with big turn around; Mets making come back sweep Tigers; plus more news

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The Chicago White Sox Randal Grichuk slugs a two run single in the bottom of the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Rate Field in Chicago on Thu May 14, 2026 (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 How are the Chicago White Sox managing their turnaround after climbing above .500 for the first time since 2023?

#2 Can the New York Mets keep their momentum going after sweeping the Tigers and powering up with multiple home runs?

#3 Will the 2026 Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets become the biggest rivalry storyline of May?

#4 Is the Milwaukee Brewers Jesús Made truly baseball’s next superstar after being named MLB’s No. 1 prospect?

#5 How important is Endy Rodriguez’s return for the Pittsburgh Pirates playoff hopes after his strong comeback performance?

Join Lincoln Juarez for MLB The Show podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s game wrap: Nick Kurtz Powers A’s Past Giants 5-2 Behind Strong Pitching Effort

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Nick Kurtz #16 of the Athletics hits a home run during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, May 15, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics were back in action on Friday night at Sutter Health Park to take on the San Francisco Giants at 6:40 p.m. PST.

The A’s were fresh off a series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals where they dropped two of the three games at home.

The Giants were coming off a split of a four-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

On Friday, A’s manager Mark Kotsay was away from the team attending his daughter’s graduation from college. In his absence, Darren Bush, the A’s bench coach, took over the managerial duties for the evening. The A’s defeated the Giants 5-2 in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,348 on Friday.

Aaron Civale got the start for the A’s in what was his ninth start of the year for the green and gold. Civale was pretty sharp overall in his outing as he went five innings of six-hit, two-run baseball. He left in line for the win and struck out two Giants hitters in his appearance that required 76 pitches.

“He did an outstanding job, made pitches all night,” Darren Bush said of Civale after the game. “They hit some balls hard, he didn’t back away from contact. He kept on going and he made the big pitch when he needed to.”

Civale came out of the game prematurely, or so it seemed to me. With just 76 pitches through five innings, it seemed he would return for the sixth. Yet, he did not and after the game spoke of his outing.

“Ideally I’d like to work longer into the game, but sometimes 76 pitches just feels like 100 and sometimes 100 feels like 50,” Civale told me after the game.

Overall, Civale was pretty happy with his outing.

“I thought I was pretty quick and efficient in the first three [innings],” Civale said in the clubhouse to the media. “I ran into some trouble in the fourth and fifth there, but was able to work through with minimal damage. Obviously the two homers are not ideal, but I felt like we were competing before and after that.”

The A’s bullpen pitched really well for the most part in the game.

Joel Kuhnel was first out of the pen for the A’s and pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the A’s while needing 14 pitches to do so. Kuhnel allowed one hit and struck out two batters in his inning of work.

Jose Suarez was next up for the A’s on the hill and tossed a scoreless seventh inning, albeit after getting into some trouble. Suarez gave up two hits, both singles, but managed to get out of it unscathed while throwing 21 pitches in his outing.

In the eighth inning, Darren Bush went with Luis Medina to protect the lead and he delivered with a scoreless inning, giving up just a walk and striking out one batter. Medina threw 19 pitches in the eighth inning.

In the ninth inning, Hogan Harris pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win for the A’s. Harris tossed 14 pitches and gave up just one hit while striking out one in a stress-free inning.

On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s recorded 10 hits and walked once en route to their five runs.

Jeff McNeil got the A’s on the board in the first inning with a ringing RBI double down the right-field line that scored Zack Gelof. However, a nice relay from Jung Hoo Lee and Luis Arraez cut down Darrell Hernaiz at the plate to keep it a one-RBI play.

The A’s next scoring came in the bottom of the fifth inning at the hands of the red-hot first baseman for the A’s, Nick Kurtz. Kurtz, with runners on the corners and one out, sent a 108 MPH line drive over the left-center-field wall to give the A’s the 4-2 lead. It was Kurtz’s third home run in as many games and it traveled 417 feet.

Later in the fifth inning, the A’s would have runners on the corners again, this time with two outs. Henry Bolte lined a ball to left field for a single to score another run and pull the A’s ahead even further and make it a 5-2 game.

That would be all the offense the A’s needed as they defeated the Giants 5-2 thanks to solid pitching and timely hitting.

With the win, the now 23-21 A’s will take on the Giants in game two of their series on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. PST. Luis Severino (2-4, 4.07 ERA) is scheduled to start for the A’s as the Giants will counter with Trevor McDonald (1-0, 2.92 ERA).

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.