Tag: mlb

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: A look at what turned a winning club to a struggling club

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San Francisco Giant Donovan Solano who pinched hit and played shortstop on Tue Aug 24th in his last game before going on the Covid IL against the New York Mets at Citi Park in New York will be finishing up his quarantine in a New York hotel and could be joining the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco this weekend during the Los Angeles Dodgers series (file photo from aroundthefoghorn.com)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, After losing four straight games and the first three games of the four game series to the Milwaukee Brewers the San Francisco Giants saw the Brewers on Wednesday night score in the earlier innings and the later innings meaning two in the second and two in the top of the ninth in a 5-2 three run loss.

#2 The loss also meant that after having the best winning record of 108 days since May 30th the tide has turned and the Giants who were in first in the NL West have slipped to second behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half game.

#3 Manager Gabe Kapler is not in panic mode but did say after last night’s game that he wants a change in position how concerned after going .500 losing five of their last ten does Kapler have to be.

#4 The Covid situation has snake bitten the team, could you update us on the status of the Giants Covid 19 Injured List consisting of pitcher Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto who returned on Wednesday, and Donavon Solano and hitting coach Justin Viele who are wrapping up their seven day quarantine in a New York hotel today. Also Evan Longoria took a cortisone shot how soon do you see his return?

#5 Michael if you had to put a finger on some the things that have gone wrong or what needs to be corrected for the Giants since they left the New York series last week losing two of three in Atlanta and coming back home and losing the first three games to the Brewers.

Join Michael Duca for the San Francisco Giants podcasts heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cabera and Tigers take frustrations out on A’s in 8-6 win

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Oakland A’s pitcher Frankie Montas (47) will get the start against the Detroit Tigers Thu Sep 2, 2021 at Comerica Park in Detroit (sfgate.com file photo)

#1 The Detroit Tigers (63-71) Miguel Cabrera who became baseball’s 28th player to reach the 500 home run list hit his 502nd home run on Wednesday night at Comerica Park Cabrera a worthy opponent. Cabrera’s homer help lend to the Tigers victory over the A’s on Wednesday night 8-6.

#2 Jerry, how important is it for the A’s to have called up Khris Davis from Triple A Las Vegas who joins the team who hit .157 with the Texas Rangers before joining the A’s farm team in Vegas?

#3 Davis struggled quite bit as you recall last season when he was with the A’s and hit .157 with the Rangers do you see a big difference at the Triple A level for Davis and when he was hitting with the Rangers.

#4 Davis if things work out as the A’s plan could be a shot in the arm for the A’s offensively and their looking for Davis to add punch in the middle of the line up.

#5 The A’s will be going with starter Frankie Montas (10-9 ERA) and for the Tigers Matt Manning (3-5 ERA 5.46) for the conclusion this three game series this morning.

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Tigers clobber three home runs in come back beat A’s 8-6 at Comerica

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The Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera watches the flight of his 502nd career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit against the Oakland A’s on Wed Sep 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

There was good and bad news in Wednesday night’s game between the Oakland A’s and the Detroit Tigers (63-71). The good news was the As’ offense produced ten hits and six runs. The bad news was the Tigers pounded out ten hits, including three home runs, to beat the A’s 8-6.

The Tigers’ starter Wily Peralta lasted four innings. The A’s scored an unearned run in the first inning and two more in the fourth to chase Peralta.

Starling Marte led off the fourth with his tenth dinger of the year. Matt Olson walked and scored on Jed Lowrie’s double to give the A’s the lead 3-1 midway through the fourth. The A’s starter James Kapielian went four-plus innings.

The Tigers tied the game 3-3 when they put two on the board in the third. Kaprielian walked Ronnie Grossman leading off in the bottom of the fourth. Kaprielian had to face future Hall of Fame player Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera showed the A’s his greatness when he sent a hanging changeup into the seats into the left-field seats to tie the game. It was Cabrera’s 502nd career home run and 2962nd hit.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the fifth. Josh Harrison and Starling Marte singled to put two men on with no out. Matt Olson doubled to deep center-field to drive in both. Matt Chapman was retired for the first out.

A’s DH Jed Lowrie, one of the best hitters in baseball with men in scoring position, doubled to drive in Olson with the A’s third run of the inning. The A’s led 6-3.

The Tigers got one back in their half of the fifth. The Tigers’ left-fielder, Akil Baddoo, sent one of Kaprielian’s pitches into the right-field seats to make it 6-4. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Petit retired the next three Tiger hitters. The A’s led 6-4 after five complete. 

The Tiger bullpen held the A’s to one hit and no runs over the last four innings of the game. The A’s bullpen could not hold the Tigers down. They scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh, and one more in the eighth. The Tigers win 8-6.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-60 for the year. They remain five games behind the Houston Astros in the race for first place in the American League West. The Seattle Mariners beat Houston 1-0. The A’s now trail the Boston Red Sox by two games for the second Wild Card in the American League. The Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Wednesday.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Jed Lowrie, and Matt Olson. Harrison had a double and two singles. He has six hits in the first two games of the series. Starling Marte had a home run and a single. Jed Lowries had two doubles and two RBIs. A’s reliever A.J. Puk was the losing pitcher. 

The hitting stars for Detroit were Akil Baddoo, Miguel Cabrera, and Harold Castro. Baddoo was two for four with a home run and a single. Cabrera, as mentioned above, had two hits. Cabrera hit his 502nd of his illustrious career to go along with a single.

He has 2963 hits and needs 37 to reach the 3000 for his career. Cabrera is 28th on the all-time home run list. He needs three to pass Eddie Murray. Tigers’ reliever Joe Jimenez received credit for the win. He is 5-1 for the year. Tiger closer Gregory Soto earned his 17th save when he set the A’s down in order in the ninth.

The teams will play the rubber game Thursday. The game will start at 10:10 am. The A’s will send Frankie Montas (10-9, 3.66 ERA) to the hill as Detroit will counter with Matt Manning (3-5, 5.46 ERA).

Giants lose 6-2, lead in NL West down to a half-game

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Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Lorenzo Cain reaches up for a San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt home run ball which cleared his glove and the fence in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-It seems like the San Francisco Giants went into a rut at the wrong time, especially with the National League Central leading Milwaukee Brewers still in town for the second game of the four-game series.

Helped out by three hits and two runs in the first inning, the National League Central leading Brewers made it two in a row with a 6-2 over the Giants before a crowd of 20,897 at Oracle Park.

This was the third loss in a row for the Giants, their first losing streak of three games or more since they lost four in a row June 27-July 1.

With the loss, coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium, the Giants lead over the Dodgers in the NL West drops to a half-game, the smallest lead for the Giants since it was a half-game on July 6.

Omar Navarez drove in the only run that the Brewers would need, as he singled off of Cueto to Willy Adames, who singled off of Cueto with one out in the inning. Christian Yelich then followed Adames with a single of his own, and the Brewers second run of the inning, came when Avisail Garcia grounded out for the second out of the inning to score Yelich from third base.

The first hard hit ball of the game came when Lorenzo Cain launched a solo home run into the left field bleachers, when he led off the top of the second inning, it was the sixth home run of the season for Cain.

Rowdy Tellez got in on the RBI parade in the top of the third inning, as he tripled to the opposite field over the head of Alex Dickerson to score Garcia, who was hit by a Cueto pitch with two outs in the inning.

Cueto then walked Jace Peterson, and then Cain made it two RBIs in as many at-bats, when he singled to score Tellez easily from third base.

It looked like Cueto was going to settle down in the top of the fourth inning, especially after he retired the first two batters of the inning; however, Yelich picked up his second hit of the night and then scored all the way from first base on a Navraez single (his second of the night) and moved to second, when Cuetos throw went by Brandon Belt at first base.

Garcia then singled to third base, and was able to reach safely and that was the end of the line for Cueto. Jose Quintana then made his Giants debut in an inauspicious way, as he threw a wild pitch that allowed Garcia to reach second base. Quintana then got out of the jam unscathed, as he got Tellez to ground out to end the inning.

Brandon Woodruff was outstanding for the Brewers, as he went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking three and striking out eight on his way to his ninth win of the season against seven losses.

Cueto ended up going 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits, walking two and striking out one, as he saw his record fall to 7-7 on the season.

After replacing Cueto, Quintana went 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out six and picked up an opposite field single.

LaMonte Wade, Jr., led off the bottom of the first inning with a double off of Woodruff, and asides from three walks between the first and sixth innings, the Giants next hit came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Quintana singled to right field.

Brandon Belt got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning, when he hit his 20th home run of the season and it was the 198th home run of the season for the Giants, who continue to lead the Major Leagues in home runs.

Belt joins Mike Yastrzemski as the two players who have topped the 20-home run plateau, as Yastrzemski leads the team with 21. Between the Chicago Cubs and the Giants, Kris Bryant has a total of 24; however, only six have come as a member of the Giants.

The Giants put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh inning Dickerson struck out to lead off the inning against Jake Cousins, who then walked both pinch-hitter Austin Slater and Wade; however, he got Belt to strikeout for the second out of the inning and then got out of the jam, when got Buster Posey to strikeout for the final out of the inning.

Posey went 0-for-4 on the night, striking out three times and over his 10 last games, Posey is 4-for-34, a .111 batting average.

Wilmer Flores tried to make a little bit more interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he led off the inning by hitting a solo home run into the left field seats. It was the 17th home run of the season for Flores.

NOTES: Quintana was claimed off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, was activated prior to the game and Cueto was activated from the 10-day injured list.

To make room for Quintana and Cueto on the active roster, both pitcher John Brebbia and infielder Jason Vosler were optioned to Sacramento.

In their City Connect jerseys, the Giants lost for the first time and are 6-1 in the jerseys since they debuted them against the Washington Nationals on July 9.

Ron Wotus, the longest-tenured coach in Giants history and current third base coach announced prior to the game that he will be stepping from coaching at the end of the season. This is the 34th season for Wotus in the Giants organization.

I love this game. I love this team. I love the organization, Wotus said. Im grateful that Im in a position to do this. I’m going to miss it. It was not an easy decision by no means, but I just feel its time for me.

Wotus joined the big club in 1998, when he was hired by then manager Dusty Baker to be his third base coach and then moved to be the bench coach under Baker, Felipe Alou and Bruce Bochy from 1999-2017 before he moved back to being the third base coach in 2018. He was the only holdover when Gabe Kapler replaced Bochy after he retired in 2019.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman goes for his 13th win of the season on Wednesday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants, while Brett Anderson goes to the mound for the Brewers, as he looks for his fifth win of the season.

Bob Taylor He Was A Giant? By Tony the Tiger Hayes

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Former San Francisco Giant Bob Taylor in 1970 (photo from Tony the Tiger Hayes)

Bob Taylor – OF – 1970 – # 31

He Was A Giant?

By Tony the Tiger Hayes

The anonymously named Bob Taylor is the Giants version of the tree that fell in the woods with no one around.

Though Taylor played one full season with San Francisco in 1970, it’s debatable whether anyone remembers him making a sound.

Highlights are illusive, photos are rare and memories are faded. Despite his full campaign with the G-Men, Topps didn’t even bother to issue a baseball card for Taylor.

Maybe the bubble gum card company read the tea leafs.

After hitting .190 in 63 games for the ‘70 club, Taylor would never appear in another MLB game.

Despite winning a pair of minor league hitting titles, Taylor is refreshingly not bitter about not getting a full shot at a big league career.

“How could I complain, when I got to have my locker next to Willie McCovey? When I got to play with and against a bunch of Hall of Famers. Hey, a whole lot of people never had the chance to do what I did,” Taylor told Garry Brown of Springfield (MA) Republican in a 2018 interview “Play in the big leagues, play the game I loved. Live the dreams I had when I was a 6-year-old kid in Dade City, Florida. Playing with my heroes like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Jim Ray Hart, Juan Marichal. You can’t beat that. Majors or minors, I was playing ball. Long bus rides? No problem.”

Why Was He a Giant?

With 40 -year -old Willie Mays looking weary after a subpar 1969 season – the Giants were scrambling for a contingency plan and plucked the 26 -year -old Taylor out the minors as an insurance policy.

Taylor had a great season in 1969, hitting .331 for Triple-A Phoenix. That performance earned him an invitation to the major league training camp in the spring of 1970.

Then he battered Cactus League pitching – earning a spot on the Orange & Black’s opening day roster.

“I’m proud of the fact that I made the opening day roster. I had a real good spring, hit .400. At the time, there were 600 jobs available on major league 25-man rosters, and I had one of them,” Taylor told the Republican.

But after his down ‘69 season, Mays kicked Father Time in the shins and played the ‘70 season with a burst of rejuvenation, producing his best hitting numbers in years.

Bobby Bonds and Ken Henderson rounded out a solid San Francisco outfield, leaving Taylor and fellow reserve Frank Johnson settling for scraps.

Before & After

The diminutive 5-foot-9, 170 pound left-handed batter signed with the Giants organization in 1962. Though he was a high percentage batter in the minors- he won the 1964 California League and 1968 Texas League batting crowns – Taylor apparently did not hit with enough pop to become a serious threat to crack the big league club’s power-laden lineup.

But the contact hitter saw his opportunity in the spring of ‘70 and pounced on it.

“I’ve had to wait eight years to get a chance with the Giants and I just hope I can make it,” Taylor told the San Francisco Examiner that spring. “You know the Giants have a lot of talent and are a tough outfit to break into.”

With outfielders such as Ollie Brown, Jesus Alou, and Dave Marshall having moved on from the Giants – there was a clear need for a backup role player/pinch hitter.

While the Mississippi native could not claim the same awe-inspiring five-tool talents that blossoming star RF Bonds possessed, Taylor publicized his one curious hidden attribute.

His hands, he claimed, were tailor made for Candlestick Park’s chilly climates.

“You know when I was playing in Northwest I always hit really well,” Taylor told the San Francisco Examiner in the spring of ‘70. “My hands sweat a lot in warm weather, but in cold climate I seem to get a better grip on the bat and hit the ball harder.”

Taylor would bat just .220 in limited action at the ‘Stick, but he did sock his only two big league home runs in the park known for stiff winds.

After his lone season in San Francisco, Taylor returned to Triple-A with the Giants before heading to Japan for three campaigns. He closed out his pro career back in the Giants organization in 1977-78.

He Never Had A Bobblehead Day. But…

Taylor made the Giants starting lineup just 14 times in 1970, so most of his impact would have to come off the bench.

In his best game, Taylor led the Giants to a 11-3 Candlestick Park stomping of the Dodgers (5/27/70). Taylor whacked his first MLB HR, a two-run shot to left-center field off Jose Pena, and added two more hits in the victory.

For his first big league long ball, Taylor borrowed a bat belonging to Mays.

Taylor’s only other long ball also came against the hated rivals from the Southland when he ripped a thrilling three-run, pinch hit blast off future Hall of Famer Don Sutton in a mid- summer home contest – giving the Giants the lead in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, the Dodgers would come back to win 8-6. (7/3/70).

Giant Footprint

Though he had no prior professional catching experience, Taylor mysteriously appeared behind the plate as a late inning defensive replacement in a early season game at Atlanta.

Apparently, regular backup Russ Gibson was not available, so Taylor was called on to catch the bottom of the 8th in place of starter Dick Dietz. Pitcher Ron Bryant retired the side in order without any noticeable miscues by Taylor in the 9-3 loss (4/13/70).

After Bryant retired the Braves Sonny Jackson on a pop out and fanned Felix Milan, Taylor peered up from his catcher’s crouch and saw the great Hank Aaron taking a few warm up swings.

The great slugger soon grounded out routinely to third.

“They told me not to call for a fastball against Hank,” said Taylor in ‘19. “But I did anyway, and it worked out.”

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall Fame September Inductions

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The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame will be inducting on Sat Sep 11th at Progressive Field, Cleveland, Candido (Candy) Maldonado, Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga. On Sunday Sep 19th at Fenway Park in Boston Juan Santiago former Red Sox pitcher all players were born in Puerto Rico (logo image from hhbmhof.com)

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame: September Inductions

By Amaury Pi-González

September is Hispanic Heritage month as designated officially by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30 day period starting September 15 and ending October 15. Originally the observation started under President Lyndon Johnson and was later extended by Reagan. The Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, was 62.1 million in 2020.

The Hispanic or Latino population grew 23%, the largest ethnic minority in the country. Many publications have emphasized that there are at least 11 to 15 million Hispanics who are undocumented, today in the country. For obvious reasons, if those numbers are accurate, they were not included in the recent US Census.

The official US Government Census only uses Hispanic or Latino, not LATINX to classify the largest minority. The term LATINX, is used mostly by academia and activists.

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame, founded in 1999 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization in San Francisco, announces inductions in the month of September. The following players will be inducted this September.

Saturday, September 11 at Progressive Field, Cleveland. Candido (Candy) Maldonado, Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga

Sunday, September 19 at Fenway Park, Boston. José Santiago. All these inductees were born in Puerto Rico.

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame have 78 members which include the above inductees. http://www.hhbmhof.com

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chapman’s two home runs help propel A’s 9-3 win over Tigers at Comerica Park

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Oakland A’s Matt Chapman hits a top of the third inning home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit in the first of a three game series on Tue Aug 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (73-59) started a six-game road trip beating the Detroit Tigers (62-71) at Comerica Park in Detroit 9-3. The A’s swept the Tigers four straight when they met in Oakland in April. The Tigers started the season 8-19. A.J.Hinch, who won a World Series title in 2017 with Houston, helped turn the Tigers’ ship around.

The Tigers, entering Tuesday night’s game, were 54-51 since the slow start. The A’s knew the Tigers would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. 

The A’s won their last two games against the Yankees over the weekend. The offense was still in the doldrums, but they were able to eke out two wins. They beat the Yanks 3-2 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

Oakland’s skipper Bob Melvin was hoping the offense would come to life against Detroit. He got his wish as the A’s offense produce nine runs and 12 hits. Three of the hits were home runs.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Robbie Grossman, who was with Oakland the previous two seasons, slammed his 20th big fly of the year to give the Tigers the advantage. Grossman set a career-high with the blast. 

The A’s put three runs on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Starling Marte doubled to right field. Matt Olson followed with a double to drive in Marte with Oakland’s first run. Tiger starter, Tarik Skubal, retired Yan Gomes for the second out.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman sent Skubal’s pitch over the fence in left field to give the A’s a 3-1 lead. It was Chappie’s 22nd homer of the year.

In the fifth, the A’s put three more on the board. Singles by Marte and Olson put men on at first and third with no out. Yan Gomes drove in Marte with Oakland’s fourth run on a sacrifice fly. Mark Canha hit an opposite-field dinger to put the A’s in the driver’s seat 6-1.

Cole Irvin ran into difficulty in the bottom of the fifth. Tigers’ catcher, Dustin Garneau, another former Athletic, led off the frame with his first homer of the season. Cole retired shortstop Zack Short for the first out. Tiger centerfielder Derek Hill homered to make it 6-3.

Cole retired Jonathan Schoop for the second out. Cole gave up a single to Grossman and walked Miguel Cabrera. Bob Melvin had seen enough. He brought in Deolis Guerra to pitch. Guerra retired Jeimer Candelario for the third out. 

The A’s added two more in the eighth. Chad Pinder started the frame with a single. Elvis Andrus’ double sent Pinder to third. Josh Harrison’s third hit of the night plated both of them. In the ninth, Matt Chapman sent Tigers’ reliever Derek Holland’s pitch over the wall in centerfield with two out. The A’s led 9-3.

The A’s bullpen of Guerra, Yusmeiro Petit, Andrew Chafin, and A.J. Puk gave up four hits and no runs to secure the win for Oakland.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-59 for the year with the win. They picked a game on the Boston Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Sox 8-5. The A’s are now one game behind Boston in the race for the second American League Wild Card slot. The Tigers are 62-71 for 2021.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison with a double, two singles, and two RBIs. Starling Marte had a double and a single. Matt Olson also had a double, single, and an RBI. Matt Chapman had two hits, both home runs. He drove in three with the two bombs. Chappie has 23 for the year. Mark Canha hit his 13th of the year and drove in two.

Cole Irvin went four and 2/3rds innings. He gave up seven hits and three runs. The Tigers hit three solo homers. Cole did not go the necessary five innings to get the win. Deolis Guerra was the winning pitcher. He went one and innings.

Derek Hill led the Tiger attack with three hits. He was three-for-five with a home run, double, and single. Former A’s players Robbie Grossman and Dustin Garneau each homered to torment their former mates. 

The A’s brought up Skye Bolt from Las Vegas to replace Mitch Moreland on the roster. Moreland is out with a sore wrist.

The second game of the series will start at 4:10 pm. The A’s will send righty, James Kaprielian, to the hill. Wily Peralta will pitch for Detroit.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s need to get hot to catch Yanks and Sox in AL Wild Card; Giants Covid problems continue Wood positive, Cueto flu symptoms

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Oakland A’s Mark Canha was dropped from the leadoff spot to the seventh position of the A’s line up after hitting for a .151 average after the New York Yankees series over last weekend (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, how much work do the Oakland A’s have in front of them after splitting the four game series with the New York Yankees over the weekend in their bid to sniff post season.

#2 The A’s are 5 1/2 games behind first place Houston Astros in the AL West and in the AL Wild Card they are 2 1/2 game back behind the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees with a month left in the regular season the A’s have a huge task in front of them if they plan to get back into post season hunt.

#3 A’s leftfielder Mark Canha has been moved from the leadoff spot to the seven hole of the line up because his numbers have dwindled Canha is hitting .151 and said that when he’s off and getting o-fers it’s not a fun place to be. Canha said he needs to relax a little bit easier mentally.

#4 On other baseball news the San Francisco Giants had to switch out pitchers Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto Monday night because it was revealed that Wood had come down positive with Covid 19 and Cueto has the flu symptoms. Giants Donavon Solano and hitting coach Justin Viele are still back in a New York hotel quarantined after testing positive for Coronavirus.

#5 Cueto was scheduled to pitch on Monday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and with Wood out for Tuesday. Giants pitcher Jose Alvarez started on Monday for the Giants a big task after the Giants lost last Sunday in Atlanta 9-0 and opening up for four home games against another first place team like the Brewers.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead Spanish play by play announcer on flagship station 1010 KIQI La Grande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ bats silent in 3-1 loss to the Brewers

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The playoff atmosphere was present at Oracle Park on Monday night, but the Giants were minus a few, key pieces.

For the first time in 28 years, the Giants are exceptional, and so are their opponents. The Giants, Brewers and Dodgers are all more than 25 games above .500, setting up a week of playoff preview showdowns. Now, the dinged up Giants have to show they’re ready to answer the bell.

Instead of focusing in on the challenge of facing one of the NL’s premiere starters in Corbin Burnes, the Giants were preoccupied with making themselves whole heading up to the first pitch. Starting pitchers Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto were placed on the injured list with COVID complications, and both players saying they were likely experiencing effects from the virus. Reliever John Brebbia and Jason Vosler were recalled from Sacramento, and Jose Quintana, the 2016 All-Star with the Cubs was claimed off waivers from the Angels.

So for the second, straight game, the Giants were forced to turn to their bullpen from the start with Jose Alvarez as the starter, and Jarlin Garcia seeing the most activity. In all, seven Giants relievers took a turn and the Brewers essentially picked the group apart, scoring single runs in the first, second and eighth innings to pull out a 3-1 win.

Afterwards manager Gabe Kapler was philosophical, feeling that his bullpen group did what they could under difficult circumstances. He singled out Garcia, who went 3 2/3 innings, needing just 40 pitches to complete the stretch and keep the Giants within striking distance, down 2-0.

“It was a pretty impressive performance by Jarlin and the expectation is when he comes in after Alvarez, we need him to throw up zeroes,” Kapler said. “Alvarez, we expect him to throw up zeroes too. He wasn’t able to do that so you really need to stretch the next few guys in a bullpen game and Jarlin did just that for us.”

The Brewers won for the 80th time on the season, and the anticipation of what matchups may materialize in October were present in their minds throughout the evening.

“That was definitely a playoff atmosphere and something that could be foreshadowing of what we see in the postseason,” said Burnes, who cruised through six innings to pick up the win. “It’s always good to get the first one of the series. That was definitely a big one tonight.”

Burnes allowed just four hits and no walks. His first taste of adversity didn’t come until the seventh when he let the first two batters reach. But manager Craig Counsell turned to his bullpen and they shut the door after Brandon Crawford’s RBI single pulled the Giants within 2-1.

Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth and picked up his 28th save.

The Giants saw their cushion in the NL West shrink to 1 1/2 games as the Dodgers handled the Braves in Los Angeles. Also, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers or Giants will finish with the NL’s best record, not with the Brewers in the mix, and holding a commanding lead in the NL Central. That possibility gives pause to the playoff matchups that seem to have the two West Coast rivals on a collision course for October.

On Tuesday, the Giants are hopeful they will have Cueto available to start in a matchup with Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff.

Brewers Burnes silences Giants bats in 3-1 win at Oracle

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Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes throws to the San Francisco Giants line up in the bottom of the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The NL West first place San Francisco Giants (84-47) owners of the best record in baseball have been slowly in meltdown they lost two out of three in Atlanta and opened Monday’s four game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers (80-52) with a 3-1 loss at Oracle Park.

The Giants ran into Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes who pitched into the seventh inning and had a shutout going until Brandon Belt doubled and Kris Bryant hit a single to get the Giants on the scoreboard and Burnes was lifted for reliever Brad Boxberger. At the time the run cut the Brewers lead in half 2-1.

Boxberger gave up a double to Brandon Crawford in the bottom of the seventh inning but that would be all the scoring the Giants would get for the rest of the game. In the bottom of the ninth Bryant hit a double off Brewers closer Josh Hader who pitched for his tenth scoreless appearance and picked up is 28th save.

The Giants had to scramble before Monday’s game, scheduled starter Johnny Cueto was a scratch because of flu like symptoms. Jose Alvarez started for the Giants. Alvarez lasted only 1.2 innings four hits and two runs. Giants pitcher Alex Wood who says he was experiencing headaches and a sore throat tested positive for the Coronavirus with no need to be hospitalized.

Starting pitchers for Tuesday night’s game for the Brewers Brandon Woodruff (8-7 ERA 2.38) and the Giants have have not announced a starter yet.