Tag: mlb

No power, no pitching, no win for the A’s in Seattle

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (3-4) suffered their third consecutive loss on Friday night in Seattle as the Mariners won the opening game of the four-game wrap-around series 5-3. For the Mariners (4-4), it was their third consecutive victory.

Manaea was no mystery

Sean Manaea (0-2, 7.00) made his second start of the accelerated season and the results were less than spectacular. Manaea lasted just 4.1 innings allowing five runs (3 earned) on six hits while striking out four hitters.

Manaea’s ERA currently sits at 7.00 which is the kind of number that gets you sent to Triple-A or released in the normal baseball universe. In 2020, you might expect that two poor starting performances could mean a trip to San Jose to workout with the “taxi squad”, but that is not going to happen. With A.J. Puk on the Injured List, no front line starter is going to be sent anywhere.

Manaea is known as being a tenacious worker who will do everything he can do to get his “mojo” back on the mound. The fear in a situation like this is that it could be something physically wrong and not just something wrong with his pitching motion. The A’s have not given any indication that they think Manaea has any type of potential injury problem.

The bottom line is the A’s need Manaea to find a way to win games and win them right now. Each loss in this shortened season equals 2.7 losses. That means his two losses are the equivalent of 5.4 losses in a 162-game season. That many consecutive losses would cause major panic in the front office of any major league club.

The A’s need Manaea to find a way to get a win in his next start if they are to stay competitive for a playoff spot.

Three hits will not get it done

The A’s managed to collect only three hits in the game on Friday night in Seattle. Marcus Semien hit his first triple of the season in the top the eighth inning that drove in two runs for Oakland. Semien now has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .280 in those games.

Ramon Laureano hit his second double of the year in the game and Stephen Piscotty hit a single that eventually allowed him to score on Semien’s triple.

Laureano did hit a Sacrifice Fly that produced the A’s third and final run of the contest.

Oakland left four men on base. They went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left two runners in scoring position with two out.

For a team that is supposed to be known for its power, the A’s are experiencing a real power drought.

Walker was the Mariners star of the game

Taijuan Walker (1-1, 4.35) made his second start of the season for Seattle on Friday night and he was spectacular. Walker worked seven scoreless innings allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out eight Oakland hitters. He struck out the side in the fifth inning.

Taylor Walker picked up his second save of the young season in the game.

Seattle had a good night at the plate

J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 and two runs on Friday night. He now has a five-game hitting streak with multiple hits in his last three games.

Kyle Lewis extended his hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run in the win over the A’s.

Kyle Seager hit his fourth double of the season in the fourth inning which drove in two runs. It was his fifth extra-base hit of the season.

Up next

The first pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 6:10 PM on Saturday night. The A’s will send RHP Mike Fiers (0-0, 9.00) to the mound to face off against the Mariners LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 13.50).

 

 

 

 

 

 

SF Bullpen does a great job, Flores homers in Giants rout of Rangers 9-2

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The San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores is congratulated by Giants third base coach Ron Wotus in the fifth inning on Friday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco (sfgate.com photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-In what was known as a pitchers ballpark prior to this season, and for the first 20 seasons, Oracle Park is now a hitters park or so it seems thru the first four games of the home slate.

Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in a rematch of the 2010 World Series, when the Giants won their first World Championship since 1954.

Fast forward to 2020 and it is a totally different story for both teams, as both are in rebuilding stages after a terrific decade of the 2010s.

Things did not get off to a good start for the Giants, as Logan Webb gave up a first pitch home run to lead off batter Shin-Soo Choo to give the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead.

Webb ended up going third and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs (one earned), walking four and striking out four, as he did not fare in the decision.

Conor Menez replaced Webb and pitched 1.1 innings of perfect ball, as he struck out one and picked up his first win of the 2020 season. Shawn Anderson came on to replace Menez, and pitched a perfect sixth inning.

Once again, the Giants bullpen continues to impress, as Menez, Anderson, Wandy Peralta, Tony Watson and Sam Selman combined to go the final 5.1 innings, allowing zero runs, on just two hits, not walking a batter and striking out six.

Chadwick Tromp picked up his first major league hit in the bottom of the fifth inning to get the eventual game-winning rally, then Mauricio Dubon singled with one out. Austin Slater then flew out for the second out of the inning and then Flores planted a 2-2 offering from Mike Minor, and put it into the left field bleachers to give the Giants a 4- 2 lead and never looked back.

Tromp broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled to left field to score Darin Ruf for his first major league run batted in. Dubon then singled up the middle to score Tromp from second base.

The Giants tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Donovan Solano got in on the act, as he singled to right field to score Flores and then Ruf hit a double that just was out of the reach of Nick Solak in centerfield that scored Evan Longoria and Solano.

Every Giants starter picked up a hit on the evening with the exception of Hunter Pence, who is now 0-for-21 on the season.

NOTES: Pablo Sandoval is the only current Giants player remaining from the 2010 World Championship team. Elvis Andrus remains as the lone Rangers holdover from the 2010 team that won their first American League Championship in team history.

The Giants recalled Selman from their alternate site and have placed RHP Sam Coonrod on the 10-day IL with a right lat strain.

After scoring just 13 runs in their first five games of the season, the Giants have nearly doubled that total over the past three games, as they have scored 23 runs.
When Choo was hit by the pitch in the top of the 4th inning it was the 151st of his career, breaking a tie with Anthony Rizzo (150) for the most HBP among active players in MLB. It was also his 70th as a member of the Rangers, which is already a club record (next closest: Ian Kinsler-57).

UP NEXT: The Rangers will send Jordan Lyles to the mound on Saturday night, while the Giants have yet to announce their starter.

Giants’ comeback falls short in extras lose to Pads 12-7

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The San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar tagged a two run sixth inning homer against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP photo)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air, summer’s out of reach/ Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone/I’m driving by your house, though I know you’re not home.

Those lyrics, from Don Henley’s 1984 hit “Boys of Summer,” actually describe the 2020 baseball season – not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic that caused this state – pretty accurately.

The delayed fake crowd noise, the carbon-fiber cutouts – for what it’s worth, 4,712 cutouts were counted – that are concentrated behind the plate but are also dispersed along the base lines in the first two decks. The instrumental version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” during the seventh-inning stretch with no vocals to be heard, not even the synthetic crowd noise that should have followed.

For the first six-and-a-half innings Thursday, the Giants looked more like the Boys of Bummer, falling behind by five runs before rallying in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game. Unlike Wednesday night, they could not complete the comeback, as the San Diego Padres exploded for six runs in the 10th inning to come away with a 12-7 win at Oracle Park.

Starter Kevin Gausman got in trouble in the third and ultimately yielded a run when a wild pitch allowed Ty France to score. It got worse for Gausman and the Giants the very next inning. Right fielder Steven Duggar got completely turned around in the fourth inning, allowing Trent Grisham’s long fly ball to bounce off the wall in right-center for a leadoff triple.

Grisham scored when the next better, Manny Machado, singled through the right side of the infield to bring him in. Two batters later, Jurickson Profar, knocked Machado in with a single of his own to give the Padres a commanding 3-0 lead.

Gausman lasted only 4 1/3 innings and surrendered three runs on six hits, although he struck out eight and did not walk a single batter.

The Giants got a run in the fifth, but they didn’t exactly earn it. With one out, Grisham made a diving catch, and Brandon Belt, who was on first, had gotten past second base and looked like a sitting duck. However, the Padres managed to screw up the relay to first and allowed Belt to somehow slide back in safely.

This also allowed Mike Yastrzemski to tag up from third and get the Giants on the board.

That was quickly nixed when Profar, the former A’s infielder who entered Thursday’s game 1-for-15, hit a two-run homer off reliever Caleb Baragar.

The Giants got three runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to two, and then tied things up in the eighth, when Yastrzemski tripled to score Duggar and then Donovan Solano drove him in with a sac fly.

A’s Preview: A’s to open four game series with Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle

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Manager Scott Servais elbow bumps Shed Long at summer camp last week at T-Mobile Park. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros, make their first road trip starting Friday. The A’s travel to Seattle to play four against the Mariners. The A’s are 3-3 so far, and the Mariners own a 2-4 record. In his fifth year as the M’s skipper, Scott Servais has a record of 321-327 during his tenure.

Servis will have his work cut out for him as the team has jettisoned many of the players from the 2019 season. Pitchers Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake, Hunter Strickland, Tommy Milone, Wade LeBlanc, have new homes. Sluggers Ryon Healy, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jay Bruce are in greener pastures. The same goes for catcher Omar Narvaez.

There will be a lot of unfamiliar names in the M’s lineup on Friday. Let’s take a look at their roster. The Mariners have three catchers on the team. Austin Nola will see the bulk of the action, and he will be backed up by rookies Joseph Odom and Joe Hudson.

Nola hit .269 last year with ten homers. Daniel Vogelbach will see time at first base. The big man hit just .208, but he hit 30 round-trippers in 2019. He will also see action as the teams’ designated hitter. Evan White and Jose Marmolejos also will see work at first.
Three players will handle the chores at second base.

In his second year, Shed Long, Jr., the veteran Dee Gordon, in his tenth, and Tim Lopes, who hit .270 in 111 at-bats in 2019.J.P.Crawford and Dylan Moore will be at shortstop. Crawford played more than Moore, but their batting averages are about the same as are their home run totals. The veteran Kyle Seager will be at third base for the tenth year. Seager hit .239 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs last year.

Rookie Jose Marmolejos will be in left field. Marmolejos can also play first base. Mallex Smith will be in centerfield. Kyle Lewis, who is off to a good start with eleven hits and a batting average of .458 will be in right field. Vogelback, Mamolejos, and Tim Lopes will see time as the designated hitter.

The M’s will use Matt Magill as their closer. Other bullpen pitchers include Dan Altavilla, Bryan Shaw, Nestor Cortes, Taylor Williams, Carl Edwards, Jr, Zac Grotz, Anthony Misiewicz, Yohan Ramirez, and Nick Margevicius.

We will now take a look at the probable pitchers for the four-game series. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland on Friday night. Taijuan Walker will oppose him. Manaea lost his first start to the Angels last Saturday.

Manaea pitched early in the game but ran out gas and didn’t make it through the fifth inning. His command was sharp as 40 of his 55 pitches were strikes. Taijuan Walker did not pitch in 2019 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Walker, back with Seattle after spending two years in Arizona, did not fare well in his first outing. In three and 1/3rd innings of work, he allowed five runs and his ERA stands at 13.50

The A’s have not announced their starting pitcher for Saturday night. Mike Fiers probably will pitch. Yusei Kikuchi will go for Seattle. Kikuchi went three and 2/3rds innings and gave up five hits, five runs, and walked four.

On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will pitch for Oakland. Kendall Graveman, the former Athletic, will face his teammates for the first time since leaving the club. Graveman also had Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in the last two years. He is 0-1 so far.

Graveman pitched four-plus innings and gave up seven runs and six hits. He would love nothing better than beating his old mates. No pitchers have been announced for Monday’s game. There is a possibility that Jesus Luzardo will make his first start for Oakland.

The A’s would like nothing better than sweeping the four-game series. A’s manager Bob Melvin wants his starters to go deeper into the game. Only one pitcher has gone at least five innings. If Melvin has to remove the pitchers too early, it will wear out the bullpen. The relievers have done their job.

The A’s hitters have to get their game going, too. Khris Davis is 0-for-15 to start the season. The team cannot get off to a so-so start. The season is only 60 games, and if they are not playing well in the early going, it won’t be easy to finish in one of the two top spots in the AL West. Let’s hope things fall into place for the Green and Gold this weekend.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s struggling to get around the baseball out pitched during Rockie series

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(San Francisco Chronicle photo) The Oakland A’s Khris Davis (right) after a fourth inning RBI sacrifice gets an elbow bump from A’s manager Bob Melvin (left) on Mon Jul 20th’s game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Angels. Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry during the A’s series with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday they scratched out only four runs how does A’s manager Bob Melvin account for the lack of run production in that two game series?

#2 Jerry talk about the Rockies German Marquez who had command on the A’s line up going six innings, four hits, giving up just a run and the vital statistic eight strikeouts.

#3 Six of the Rockies in the line came to Oakland hitting over .300 and on Tuesday they put on a run production with a five run 8-3 win they’ve got some guys in that line up that can swing the bats.

#4 The A’s Khris Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Rockies after going hitless in 15 at bats has this been a matter of not seeing the pitches that he wants to hit or as Melvin said he’s struggling right now.

#5 The A’s now hit the road to face the Seattle Mariners at Safeco for a four game series on Friday night in Seattle. The Mariners are struggling in their own right and have lost four of their last five games as of Tuesday night could series give the A’s a chance to take advantage of the Mariners recent struggles and get back in the win column?

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

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Broadcasting Road Games from Home

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(@JessieSanchezMLB file photo 2012)  Oakland A’s Spanish broadcaster and author of That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary Amaury Pi Gonzalez (left) and Manolo Hernandez Douen bring you live A’s action from the Oakland Coliseum on 1010 KIQI San Francisco

Broadcasting Road Games from Home

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–This season the major league teams will not travel, all 30 of them. The road games will be broadcasted from the city where the visiting team resides, i.e. if the A’s are playing in Seattle, the A’s radio and television announcers are calling the game from Oakland. It could be from the park, or from the radio or television studios. Maybe a new experience for some of my younger colleagues.

Through the years I have done many games from home when my team was on the road. Sometimes at the baseball park inside the booth where the home games are done, many other times, (years ago) from the main radio studios.

Nowadays, it is probably easier, because of social media, you can have the lineups and all the stats you need to call a game in the palm of your hands on your smart-phone. But that was not the case before social media.

I remember if the team was away and I was at home (and I do not mean my house) but the park where my team played or at the radio station of my team. I would have to call the city where the team was playing and talk to a team media-relations person who would dictate to me the lineups, and some of the information I needed. Later when FAX machines ‘came about’, it became easier for me, since I would call the media person and request he/she fax me the game’s lineups as well as the team notes.

Imagine yourself sitting in front of your television, with a microphone that goes directly to the radio and it is live. This is what announcers do when they are “recreating” from the studio when they are not traveling with a team.

Here is a memory from years ago….a broadcast of the Oakland A’s from the Oakland Coliseum when the club was playing the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida. I remember that there was a delay during that game, due to a lighting strike that hit Tropicana Field. The lights went out. I was doing the game from our regular broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum. The television went black, my partner and I keep talking baseball explaining to the radio audience what had happened.

It was a coincidence that during that game Carl Stewart from the Bay Area News Group was writing a story about our production, and he was in awe as Manolo Hernández-Douen and yours truly, who kept talking baseball during blackout in Tampa. Many minutes later, the game was back on our screen and we continued the regular play by play and commentary coverage of the game.

Today, when the Athletics are at home and the game is on local television, you can go to the SAP channel and watch the game while you listen to our broadcast in Spanish. Today we have all the technology, but I understand what my colleagues, who used to travel all the time, will be going through, by calling these road games from the city where the team is from a television screen. It is not easy, even for the most experienced broadcasters, because there is nothing, like calling the game where the game is taking place, in the same stadium, the normal way.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the radio play by play Spanish voice for Oakland A’s baseball on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rockies’ pitchers keep A’s bats quiet 5-1; A’s swept in two-game series

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Rocked out: The Colorado Rockies form a congratulatory conga line after taking the two game set from the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon (sfgate.com photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland-The Colorado Rockies’ pitcher held the A’s to just five hits to win 5-1 and sweep the short two-game series. Matt Chapman had the A’s only extra-base hit as he hit a solo dinger in the first inning. The A’s managed just four hits in the next eight innings.

As mentioned above, the A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first when Chapman took Rockies’ starter, German Marquez, deep. The Rockies tied the game in the top of the second. A’s starter, Frankie Montas, walked Daniel Murphy, gave up a single to Ryan McMahon, and walked Garrett Hampson to load the bases. Tony Walters singled off the right-field wall to drive in Murphy. Montas retired the next two hitters to get out of the jam.

The Rockies added a run in the fourth. McMahon and Sam Hilliard singled to put men on at first and third with no out. Garrett Hanson drove in McMahon with a sacrifice fly to left. Wolters hit into a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the A’s had men on at second and third with two out. Stephen Piscotty hit a sharp ground ball to the third baseman, Nolan Arenado. All Arenado had to do was throw to first, and the inning would be over.

Arenado, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, made a rare mental error. Instead of throwing to first, he threw home to get Matt Olson at the plate. The play was close. The umpire called Olson out. The A’s asked for a review. The replay showed that Olson appeared to have reached home safely. However, the call was upheld, and the inning ended with the Rockies still leading 2-1.

The Rockies added a run in the eighth. Rockies’ shortstop singled and then scored on Charlie Blackmon’s double into the left-field corner. The A’s had an opportunity to put some runs on the board in their half of the frame.

Marcus Semien led off with a single. Rockies’ reliever, Jairo Diaz, walked Ramon Laureano. Diaz retired Chapman and Olson. He hit Mark Canha with a pitch to load the bases. The next hitter, Robbie Grossman, who had a single and a double, struck out to end the threat.

The Rockies scored two unearned runs in the ninth to make it a 5-1 game. The A’s went down 1-2-3, and the game ended.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are now 3-3 for the year. The Rockies improved to 4-1. German Marquez was the winner, and the loss went to Frankie Montas. Montas was the first A’s pitcher to go at least five innings this year. He allowed two runs and five hits in his five innings of work. He threw 77 pitches. Jesus Luzardo replaced him to start the sixth inning. The young leftie went three and 2/3rds innings. He gave up four hits and three runs. Only one run was earned. He threw 67 pitches.

The A’s managed just five hits. The big blow was Chappie’s dinger in the first. Robbie Grossman had a single and a double. The A’s were o-for- 14 with men in scoring position. The A’s need to get their offense going. They are off on Thursday. They travel to Seattle for a four-game series with the Mariners beginning Friday night.

Rockies pound out 13 hits to down A’s 8-3

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Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, left, scores against Oakland Athletics catcher Austin Allen in the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

 The visiting Colorado Rockies pounded out 13 hits to defeat the A’s 8-3. The Rockies’ manager, Bud Black, loaded his lineup with seven left-handed hitters. The A’s starter, Daniel Mengden, had trouble last year with the lefties. The lefties hit over .300 against him. Mengden went just four innings. He threw 87 pitches and allowed five hits and three runs.

The Rockies put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Trevor Story singled. Charlie Blackmon followed with a single to send Story to third. Nolan Arenado hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Story.

The A’s tied the game in their half of the third. With one out, Ramon Laureano singled. Rockies’ starter Anthony Senzatela walked Matt Chapman and Matt Olson to load the bases. Mark Canha hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Laureano with the tying run. Khris Davis struck out to end the inning.

In the fourth, the Rockies scored twice to take the lead 3-1. Designated hitter Ramiel Tapia singled with one out. Left-fielder Sam Hilliard hit a hanging curve into the seats in rightfield.

Jordan Weems made his Major League and A’s debut when he took the mound to start the fifth. He struck out the first hitter, Trevor Story, that he faced. Things did not go well for him after that. He gave up four straight singles and a sacrifice fly.

The Rockies own a 5-1 lead. The A’s got one back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Laureano singled. Matt Olson singled to send him to third. Laureano scored on Nolan Arenado’s error to make it a 5-2 game.

The Rockies plated three more in the eighth to put the game out of reach. A’s reliever Lou Trivino did not have a good outing. Hoping to regain the magic he had in 2018, Trivino allowed three runs, a walk, and three hits. The A’s plated their third run of the night in the bottom half of the eighth. The A’s lose 8-3.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are now 3-2 for the season. The Rockies improved to 3-1. The winning pitcher was Anthony Senzatela. He threw 40 pitches in the first inning, but settled down and finished five innings of work. Tyler Kinley, Daniel Bard, and Carlos Estevez ended the game for the Rockies. The story of the night was Daniel Bard. Bard had not pitched in the Majors since 2013.

He left due to a severe case of the “yips.” Baseball is a mental game. He had lost his confidence and couldn’t get his pitches over the plate. He regained his confidence and pitched and allowed just one run in two innings of work Tuesday night.

The A’s designated hitter, Khris Davis, had opportunities to do some damage but failed. Davis has not had a hit so far this year. The fans know that he is a streaky hitter. Tonight would have been an excellent time to get it going. He left nine men stranded. In the first inning with the bases loaded, he popped out. In the third with two men on, he struck out. In the fifth with two men on, he hit into an inning-ending double play. In the eighth, with a man on third, he struck out.

The teams meet again to complete the short two-game series. Frankie Montas goes for Oakland, and German Marquez will take the hill for Colorado.

Tatis, Jr., and Myers go deep in Padres 5-3 win

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Fernando Tatis Jr (23) of the San Diego Padres hits a three run bomb in the top of the third inning as San Francisco Giants catcher Tyler Heineman (43) watches the flight of the ball on Tuesday Jul 28th at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-In what will most likely be the norm in this shortened 60-game season, the starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants did not last four innings.

Jeff Samardzija went four innings, allowing five runs on four hits, walking one and striking out two; however, the two mistake pitches were long home runs and the San Diego Padres defeated the Giants 5-3 spoiling the 2020 home opener.

“We didn’t have the game we wanted tonight,” said Samardzija.

Fernando Tatis, Jr., launched an opposite three-run home run onto the arcade in right field that gave the Padres the lead for good in the top of the third inning.

“He’s an impressive hitter,” said Samardzjia.

The Tatis, Jr., home run after Samardzija gave up a leadoff hit to Wil Myers that nearly was a fantastic diving catch by Jaylin Davis in right field; however, Padres manager Jayce Tingler challenged the call and after a brief 42 second review, Myers was on first base with a single.

Following a Francisco Mejia walk, and after Josh Naylor popped out for the first out of the inning, Tatis, Jr., hit his first home run of the season.

Myers, who loves hitting at Oracle Park, became the first player to hit a home into the new Giants bullpen over the left-center wall that increased the Padres up to 5-1 in the top of the fourth inning. Eric Hosmer scored just in front of Myers, as he singled with one out to center field.

“Wil Myers has tremendous power to all parts of the ballpark,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler.

The Giants got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as Yastrzemski singled to right field to lead-off the inning and went to second on a Pablo Sandoval ground out to Padres starter Zach Davies. Wilmer Flores then singled to left field, and when Tommy Pham could not field the ball for an error, Flores went to second and Yastrzemski scored from second.

Davies went five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five to pick up his first win of the season.

Conor Menez continues to impress early on this season, as he went three innings, striking out three and nothing else.

The Giants attempted to get back in the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as they scored two runs, when Flores hit into a force play that allowed Mauricio Dubon to score and then Tyler Heineman singled to centerfield to score Yastrzemski.

Former Giants pitcher Drew Pomeranz struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning to pick-up his first save of the 2020 season.

NOTES: Chadwick Tromp was selected to the Major League roster, and to make room for Tromp, Rob Brantly was designated for assignment.

In this, the 21st season of Oracle Park, the Giants are now 14-7 in home openers since the opening of the ballpark on April 11, 2000.

UP NEXT: Johnny Cueto will make his second start of the season for the Giants, while Chris Paddack will look for his second straight win to open the season for the Padres.

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Reds reported outbreak has Tigers concerned; Will individual teams decide to shut it down?; plus more

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Cincinnati Reds second baseman Mike Moustakas throws a runner out in the fourth inning of Fri Jul 24th’s game against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Ball Park. Moustakas reportedly is sick no confirmation if he is positive with Covid-19 (USA Today photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Cincinnati Reds third baseman Mike Moustakas has reportedly come up sick  and after the breaking story on Monday morning regarding the Miami Marlins having at least 17 players and two coaches that came down with Covid-19 will this outbreak force MLB to shut down the season?

#2 How irresponsible will it be if MLB was to continue playing on after all these reports of new outbreaks.

#3  The Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend hosted the Marlins and now are very concerned about playing on and the New York Yankees worried are in Philadelphia as they take on the Phillies a series which was schedule to start on Monday night.

#4 Detroit Tigers manager Rob Gardenhire says he’s become nervous about the Reds situation since the Tigers are in the same division as the Reds and have to face them with Moustakas out and now Reds outfielder Nick Senzel sick, Gardenhire says he knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

#5 Although the idea of shutting down the season would be a practical one from the stand point of safety do you see MLB teams independently deciding for the common good just like two MLS teams did in soccer by just shutting it down.

Barbara Mason does Headline Sports podcasting each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com