Tag: mlb

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Baseball — ¿Qué Pasa?

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By; Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

I remember the old Cuban winter league in the late 1950’s as a kid. My father would take me every Sunday to watch the four teams that made that league. Leones del Habana (Havana Lions), Alacranes (Scorpions) del Almendares, Tigres (Tigers) del Marianao, and Elefantes (Elephants) del Cienfuegos.

Every Sunday, there was always a double-header. The first game Cienfuegos vs. Marianao, and then in the second game, the “eternos rivales” (eternal rivals, sort of like the Yankees and Red Sox), which was the Havana Lions vs. the Scorpions del Almendares.

There was a plethora of Cuban-born and American players: Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso, Brooks Robinson, Jackie Brandt, Lew Burdette, Bob Skinner, Bob Shaw, Miguel “Mike” Cuellar, Camino Pascual, Al Spangler, George Altman, Pedro Ramos,Sandalio “Sandy” Consuegra, Jim Bunning, Mike Fornieles, Luis Tiant, and dozens more,which I remember. After the season ended, they went to Cuba during the winter.

William “Bill” Werle a left handed Major League pitcher, born in Oakland, California, who pitched for the Pirates, Cardinals and Red Sox in the mid-1950’s. He also pitched for the Marianao Tigers in Cuba in 1956. That was the last time that team won the Cuban Professional Winter League title.

As a Major League scout later in life, Bill told me: “Most of the Major League players, we went to Cuba, not only because of the proximity to the US, but because they paid the best in all Latin America.”

Back then, players did not have the strong union like they have today, so they had other jobs to supplement their income after the regular MLB season.

Back then,there was a lot of speed and a lot of strategy deployed by managers. Pitchers went nine innings and more. The guys in the bullpen where mediocre pitchers than didn’t have the talent to be starters. There were professional pinch-hitters, stolen bases, lots of speed, hit and run, bunts galore and even the suicide squeeze was evident in close games when one run was all that you need it.When a player struck out, it was shameful and fans would boo, and yes, games were under three hours with frequency.

Today, it is 2019 and a totally different type of game.

– The game is all about power
– The Home-run is king,there is less creativity
– Strike outs are common,on way to record
– The Hit and Run is an endangered play
-A Bunt is “Breaking News”
-The Professional Pinch Hitter doesn’t exist (not even in the National League,where there is no DH)
-Intentional Walks continue to diminish each year
-The pitchers throw harder and ‘bat speed’ was replaced years ago by ‘launch angle’
-Tampa Bay was the first team to use the now popular “opener,” a guy whose mission is to pitch the first inning

As of today,we are on a pace to hit over 6.000 home-runs for first time in a season. The Oakland Athletics recently became the first team in their franchise history to have 10 players with 10 or more home runs.

If Bill Werle came back to life today, he would see this game and would not recognize it.

It is what it is. Today’s technology has replaced strategy. Baseball still a great game ,but those of us who witnessed the “old school” style of baseball, that was the way it was meant to be played. I actually miss all the strategy and gamesmanship in the greatest game ever invented by humans.

¿Que Pasa?=What’s happening? Answer: Pasa mucho.

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

Giants Avoid Series Loss; Pick Up 3-1 Win

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Philadelphia: 1 | 3 | 1

San Francisco: 3| 5 | 0|

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Giants opened their current homestand last Saturday hoping to rekindle their fleeting, flickering hopes for an NL wild-card berth. The Washington Nationals dimmed that prospect considerably, sweeping the Giants 4-0, 5-3, and 4-1, thereby putting themselves 2 games in front of the Phillies, who began play in San Francisco Thursday evening with 1/10 of a percentage point lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for a chance to duke it out in the play-in game against the eventual number one seed. The Cardinals and the Mets were but 1/2 a game behind Philadelphia and Milwaukee, four teams only 1/2 a game apart!  The Giants, separated from St. Louis and New York by the Diamondbacks, trailed those tied-up rivals by another 2 games.

By game time today, after the Giants and Phillies had split the first two games of their series, the Nationals remained in the number one wild card spot, 1 game ahead of the Brewers. The Cardinals, Mets, and Phillies were in a three-way virtual tie, a 1/2 game behind Milwaukee. St. Louis was leading the other two by one-tenth of a percentage point. The Giants had slipped to 4 games behind Milwaukee Opening the game for the Giants was Jeff Samardzija. The Shark, whose lackluster 8-9 record and 4.70 ERA for the season was offset by his performance over his previous seven starts, in which he went 4-2, 2.11 ERA, including a six-inning, three-hit, scoreless stint against Philadelphia on July 31. Facing him for the visitors was Vince Velázquez, who brought an above-average fastball and a 4-6, 4.23 record with him to the mound. He throws the four-fingered variety of that pitch about 65% of the time.

It didn’t take the Phillies long to get to Samardzija. Corey Dickerson blasted the Giants’ pitcher’s 10th offering over the center-field fence for his seventh homer of the season, putting Philadelphia on top, 1-0. Samardzija settled down to retire the next 20 batters he faced, although Dickerson threatened to do more damage with a tremendous blast to left-center that Kevin Pillar corralled just in front of the fence in the top of the fourth. In the top of the eighth, César Hérnandez’s fly ball landed in front of Mike Yaztremski in left for Philadelphia’s second hit of the afternoon. He was wiped out Scott Kingery’s around the horn double play, capping a spectacularly dominant performance by the Giant hurler.

Meanwhile, in the Giants’ half of the second, they got back the run Saamardzija had surrendered in the first and more. Velásquez plunked Scooter Gennet with a 94 mph four seamer, brushed back Evan Longoria with another, clocked at 93 mph, and then paid for it when the  Giants’ third sacker smacked the next pitch into the left-field bleachers for his 14th round-tripper of the year and a 2-1 lead for the Giants. Pillar duplicated the feat to lead off the fifth, giving him 15 home runs for the season and a career-high 60 RBI, while upping the home team’s advantage to 3-1.

Velásquez was removed in the top of the sixth when Brad Miller pinch hit for him and struck out. The Phillies’ starter’s line was three runs, all earned, on three hits, three strikeouts, a walk, and two home runs in five innings. He threw 77 pitches, of which 53 were strikes. His replacement on the mound, José Alavarez, gave up two hits in the sixth, but escaped without giving up a run when Pillar grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Following Alvarez was Blake Parker, who pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, helped by a beautiful play by second baseman Hernández on Brandon Belt’s broken-bat grounder up the middle for the third out. Zach Eflin pitched the bottom of the eighth for Philly. He, too, escaped unscathed thanks to the pitchers’ best friend.

Will Smith took over for Samardzija in the top of the ninth. The Shark’s line for eight innings of work was one run, earned on Dickerson’s second inning dinger, two hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. 65 of his 103 pitches were strikes. He got the win.

Velásquez was the losing pitcher, and Smith, who pitched a rocky final frame, earned safe by striking out Dickerson with two on and two out to close out the game.

When the dust had settled after this afternoon’s fray, the Giants found themselves three and a half games out of a playoff spot, looking up at Arizona, Philadelphia, New York, and St. Louis in a neck and neck race.

Tomorrow’s 4:05 game will be preceded by a reunion of the 1989 Giants, a prelude to next Tuesday and Wednesday’s San Francisco half of the interleague Bay Bridge Series. The starting pitchers are slated to be right-hander Jake Arrieta (8-8, 4.41 ERA) for the Phillies and southpaw Conner Menez (0-1, 5.73 ERA).

Harper goes deep twice in Phillies’ 9-6 win over Giants

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Photo credit: inquirer.com

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Bryce Harper narrowed his free agent destinations down to two teams, and he picked the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants.

Harper hit two home runs, including a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning that gave the Phillies a 9-6 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 36,275 at Oracle Park.

It was the 18th multi-home run game of his career for Harper, and his first as a member of the Phillies. Ironically, Harper last multi-home run game came against the Phillies, while playing for the Washington Nationals on May 4, 2018.

Also, it was the first hit by Harper off of Tony Watson, as Harper was 0-for-8 versus Watson with three strikeouts prior to the home run.

This was the 39th Splash Hit by an opposing player at Oracle Park, and the second by Harper, who also hit one on October 7, 2014 in Game Four of the National League Division Series off of Hunter Strickland.

Watson took the loss for the Giants, as he did not retire a batter, facing five batters, allowing four runs on three hits and walked one.

Corey Dickerson hit a bases clearing triple to score Drew Smyly, Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins that gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Jean Segura then drove in Dickerson with a sacrifice fly of his own.

The Giants then mounted a comeback in the bottom of the third inning, as Joey Rickard hit a solo home run that cut the Phillies lead in half.

Kevin Pillar drove in his second run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning that cut the lead down to one, as he hit a groundout to Segura at shortstop that scored Buster Posey from third base. Posey led off the inning with a walk, and then went to third on a Stephen Vogt. The rally came to a halt, as Vogt was thrown out at third base after J.T. Realmuto to Scott Kingery to retire Vogt.

Harper led off the top of the fifth inning with his 21st home run of the season, a home run that was measured at 421 feet.

Pillar gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as he hit his 14th home run of the season.

Stephen Vogt hit his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning that tied up the game. The Vogt home run landed in McCovey Cove, and was the 79th Splash Hit by a Giants player since the park opened on April 11, 2000. It was also the first Splash Hit by a Giants player since Brandon Belt hit one on May 15, 2018 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Tyler Beede went five innings, allowing five runs while scattering four hits, walking two and striking out seven.

Madison Bumgarner, who gave up one hit in seven innings of work on Thursday night came off the bench to pinch-hit for Beede and was promptly walked. Sundays starter Conner Menez came on to pinch hit for Bumgarner after he advanced to second base on a Donovan Solano single.

Smyly went 5.2 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits, walking three and striking out four. He also gave up three home runs just 10 days after going seven innings, allowing zero runs on four hits, walking one and striking out five in his first ever appearance against the Giants.

Pablo Sandoval came off the bench in the bottom of the eighth inning, and picked up a pinch-hit single off of Ranger Suarez. It was the 18th pinch hit of the season for Sandoval, passing Candy Maldonado, who picked up 17 in 1986 and now is tied with Ken Oberkfell for the most by a Giants player since 1974.

NOTES: Right-handed Pitcher Kyle Barraclough was claimed off of waivers from the Washington Nationals and was optioned to Sacramento. Tyler Austin, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week was out righted to Sacramento and elected free agency.

Reliever Travis Bergen returned from his rehab assignment, and was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Sam Selman was optioned to Sacramento, and Steven Duggar was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Johnny Cueto threw two scoreless innings with the Arizona League Giants-Orange, as Cueto made his second appearance since Tommy John Surgery. Cueto faced seven batters, giving up two hits, not walking a batter and striking out two.

Oberkfell picked up his 18 pinch hits for the Giants during the 1989 season, where the Giants made it all the way to the World Series before swept by the Oakland As.

Since the opening of Pacific Bell, SBC, AT&T and Oracle Park on April 11, 2000, this marked the third time that both teams recorded Splash Hits in the same game.

May 28, 2001: Giants: Felipe Crespo, Arizona Diamondbacks: Mark Grace.

May 12, 2014: Giants: Tyler Colvin, Atlanta Braves: Freddie Freeman.

This according to Bill Arnold of Sports Features Group.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija will take the mound for the Giants on Saturday afternoon, as he looks for his ninth win of the season. While the Phillies will send Vince Velasquez to the hill, as he looks for his fifth win of the season.

Fiers Dominates White Sox, A’s Keep Pace in Wild Card Chase with 7-0 Win

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Photo credit: @MLBNetwork

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s hit a pair of solo homeruns in the first two innings to stake starter Mike Fiers to a 2-0 lead, and it’d be all he needed in a stellar seven-inning performance allowing no runs to the Chicago White Sox. Of course, the A’s would add in another five runs in the top of the eighth to turn the close contest in to a rout in a 7-0 A’s win in the South Side.

Fiers twirled a gem, punching out eight Pale Hosers, while scattering just three hits and walking none to give Oakland a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild card spot with Tampa yet to play in San Diego Friday night. Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty hit solo shots in the first and second innings off former Athletic Ross Detwiler. Chad Pinder had the big blow in a five-run eighth inning, hitting a two-run homer, while Dustin Garneau knocked in a pair as well.

After Marcus Semien grounded out to open the game, Matt Chapman fell in an early 0-2 against Detwiler. He took a ball then sent an 84-mph changeup on a line over the wall in left for his 25th homer of the season. Piscotty would open the next inning working Detwiler to a 2-0 account before missing on another changeup. He took Detwiler to centerfield on the 4th pitch of the at bat, a sinker belt high for a 2-0 lead.

While Fiers (11-3, 3.30 ERA) was near unhittable, Detwiler did settle in. He exited the game with an out in the fifth having given up only four hits and the two runs, but control was an issue. The lefty (1-3, 5.35 ERA) struck out four, but also walked a quartet. Jose Ruis pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, including stopping a pair of inherited runners from scoring to keep the game in reach.

The game was handed over to Jace Fry in the eighth inning, who struggled for the jump. He worked a full count on Mark Canha, but lost him on ball four, then surrendered Chad Pinder’s 11th homer of the year on a 3-1 count for a 4-0 A’s lead. He then walked Khris Davis and gave up a single to Jurickson Profar before being replaced by former San Francisco Giant Josh Osich without recording an out.

Jurickson Profar gave Osich a rude welcome, sending a line drive past Leury Garcia at second on the first pitch to knock in Khris Davis for a 5-0 A’s lead and a double. Dustin Garneau would also jump on the first pitch, hitting a double to left that would score Piscotty and Profar for a 7-0 lead. He bounced back to strike out Marcus Semien and coax groundouts from Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, respectively.

With the lead in hand, manager Bob Melvin tabbed trade acquisition Jake Diekman with the bottom of the eighth inning. He struck out Matt Skole and Ryan Cordell on four pitches each then forced a ground out from Garcia in his frame. Joakim Soria nailed down the win in the ninth, allowing a single to James McCann but being otherwise flawless.

The A’s and White Sox meet again on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. PT.

MadBum stifles Phillies 5-0

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Photo credit: @McCoveyChron

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO — After three straight days of famine at the plate in front of their faithful home fans, the Giants on Thursday returned to the feast that had been their calling card during their major resurgence following the All-Star break.

The bats were shut down by the Washington Nationals, but they bounced back in a big way against a pitcher who had entered the game on a real hot streak. Starter Aaron Nola (10-3) had entered the game having only given up two runs over his last three road starts, but the Giants capitalized on a third-inning rally to down the Phillies, 5-0, at Oracle Park.

Equally remarkable was Giants starter Madison Bumgarner (7-7), who blanked the Phillies’ bats with seven shutout innings and gave up only one hit in the process while striking out three, which would qualify as his best outing of the season.

His contributions were not limited to what he did on the mound, either. He also got a key hit in the third inning to help ignite the rally that would push the Giants ahead as well as drawing a pair of walks.

“He did it all tonight,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I felt good about him going tonight, because he’s so good at figuring things out when it doesn’t go well. He put in a lot of work in between starts, to get where he needs to be.”

Upon taking over for Bumgarner, the bullpen kept Philly off the scoreboard, as Trevor Gott and closer Will Smith, who picked up his 28th save of the season on Thursday with a perfect ninth, combined to surrender only a walk.

After two quiet innings, the Giants broke through in the third off Nola. Brandon Crawford and Bumgarner started the inning with back-to-back hits before Brandon Belt drove Crawford in with a single to break the scoreless tie.

Mike Yastrzemski went the other way and carried it all the way to the left-field wall, and when Jay Bruce couldn’t play the carom off the wall, Bumgarner and Belt were able to score rather easily, and the Giants had a 3-0 lead.

Bumgarner lost his no-hitter in the sixth, when Cesar Hernandez pinch-hit for Nola and promptly ripped a single up the middle.

With two out in the sixth, the Giants – particularly Kevin Pillar – took advantage of a pair of Philly mistakes to tack on another run. Pillar reached base on a fielder’s choice, and as he stole second, he forced a bad throw from catcher Andrew Knapp that sailed into center field and allowed him to scoot on to third.

After he walked Crawford, reliever Nick Pivetta uncorked a wild pitch that rolled to the backstop, which Pillar used to scamper to the plate and give the Giants a 4-0 advantage. Yastrzemski added to that lead with one mighty swing of the bat, pulverizing a Pivetta fastball and sending it into the arcade in right-center for a solo homer.

“You pull for these guys (like Yastrzemski),” Bochy said. “He spent a lot of time in the minor leagues, and finally gets called up, and he hasn’t been in awe of anything.

“He’s been like that since Day 1. He’s just a nice all-around player.”

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants suffer 7th loss in 10 games, get swept at Oracle by Nats

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sfgate.com photo: Washington Nationals’ Gerardo Parra hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019.

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giant have now lost seven of their last three games, including getting swept at Oracle Park by the Washington Nationals. Was it a matter of the Giants facing a Nats team who were prepared, ready to conquer or the Giants are fizzling out after having such a great run?

#2 How much of an advantage was if for former Giant Gerardo Parra to have played for the Giants and to be able to hit the key three-run homer against the Giants on Wednesday for the Nats win.

#3 The Nats’ Joe Ross started against the Giants for the win, pitching six shutout innings of three-hit ball for an effective game. Was it a matter of the Giants’ lineup just didn’t have the drive or were off balance facing Ross?

#4 Former Giant second baseman Joe Panik’s departure this week — was it a surprise or was it something that had been on the mind of Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi?

#5 Giants open a four-game series Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park. For the Phillies, Aaron Nola (10-2, 3.60 ERA), and for San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner (6-7, 3.92 ERA)

Join Michael for the Giants podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Preview of the A’s and White Sox series in Chicago

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have a day off on Thursday before they begin a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field starting on Friday.

The A’s are enjoying an entire week in the Windy City as the schedule makers gave them three days with the Cubs, one day off, and three with the White Sox. The A’s finish the eight-game road trip with two against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The A’s need to continue playing well. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game in the race for the second Wild Card. The A’s swept the White Sox when they met in July at the Oakland Coliseum. They would like to continue their success against the Sox. They need to take two from the Giants as the A’s meet the AL West-leading Houston Astros for four. They then play the AL East-leading New York Yankees for three, and wrap up the homestand with two more against the Giants. The Astros have dominated the A’s this season. They improved their starting rotation at the deadline with the additions of Zach Greinke and Aaron Sanchez. Joe Biagini joined the Astros bullpen.

The A’s will send Mike Fiers to the hill Friday afternoon against the White Sox. Fiers is 10-3 and has an ERA of 3.46. He has been pitching well since early May. He faced the Sox on July 12th and did not allow a run in 7 2/3 innings of work. He will be opposed by former Athletic, Ross Detwiler. Detwiler was a member of the A’s in 2016. Detwiler is 1-2 for the year and has an ERA of 5.72. In his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies, Detwiler went 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs.

On Saturday, Tanner Roark will be making his second start as an Athletic, and his first start ever against the White Sox. Roark is 7-7 for the year and has an ERA of 4.14. Roark won his first start as an A last Sunday when he went five innings and allowed just one hit, and as a result, received credit for the win.

Meanwhile, the White Sox will have Reynaldo Lopez handling the pitching chores. Lopez is 6-9 with an ERA of 5.41. Lopez has been pitching well since the All-Star break. In his last five starts, his ERA is a respectable 2.56.

On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by the White Sox’ best pitcher, Lucas Giolito. Bassitt is 7-5 and pitched well Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Bassitt went six innings and allowed two runs. He did not figure in the decision. Giolito is 12-5 for the season. His ERA is 3.44. He beat the Detroit Tigers last Monday as he went six innings and allowed three runs.

The White Sox are 51-62 for the year and are currently in third place in the AL Central. The team is managed by Rick Renteria. Renteria is in his third season with the Sox. He and Frank Chance are the only two managers in history to have managed both the Cubs and the White Sox.

Chicago’s key players to keep an eye on are first baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Tim Anderson, left fielder Eloy Jimenez, and catcher Wellington Castillo. Abreau and Jimenez are the main power guys. Tim Anderson has 12 homers this season, and he can also do damage. Other players to watch are outfielders Leury Garcia, Ryan Cordell, Adam Engel, and the veteran John Jay.

The A’s have won seven of the last 10 games. They need Matt Chapman to break out of his slump. They still have a lot of power in the lineup. Matt Olson is second on the club with 22 home runs. Marcus Semien has 19. The A’s will have Khris Davis back at DH for the series with the Sox. Davis has 17, but his production has declined since he suffered a hip injury in Pittsburgh. Mark Canha has picked up the slack as he has hit 17 so far this year.

The A’s have 10 players on the roster with 10 or more homers. The A’s have to continue winning. It would be nice if they could take four out of five from the Sox and the Giants. They have to contend with the Astros, which is no easy task. The Astros have an outstanding starting rotation. They have a virtual All-Star team on the field. They are loaded with stars such as Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Yule Guriel, Michael Brantley, George Springer, and Josh Reddick.

The A’s then have a day off to catch their breath and then go up against the mighty Yankees. The A’s will have to be at their best just to keep up with the Rays. A’s manager Bob Melvin will have his team ready. This is the time of the year that the fans will be seeing great baseball.

Cubs maul the A’s 10-1 on getaway day

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Photo credit: @Cubs

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Chicago Cubs blasted three home runs on Wednesday afternoon to defeat the A’s 10-1 at Wrigley Field. Chicago won the series 2-1.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They are staying in Chicago to face the White Sox for three games starting Friday afternoon.

A’s starter Homer Bailey did not fare well on Wednesday. Bailey, who had faced the Cubs many times when he was with the Cincinnati Reds, was knocked around by the Cubs. The big hit came in the fourth inning with the score tied at one. With the bases loaded, Cubs second baseman Ian Happ blasted an opposite-field grand slam to put the Cubs ahead 5-1. The Cubs’ starter, Jose Quintana stifled the A’s bats on Wednesday. Quintana went seven innings and allowed one run and two hits. He struck out seven A’s.

The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fourth. Marcus Semien led off the frame with a double down the left-field line. He tagged and went to third when Matt Chapman flew out to right. Semien scored on Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly to center. The Cubs tallied five times in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant singled. Bailey hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to put two men on. Cubs’ shortstop Javy Baez singled to drive in Bryant to tie the game 1-1. Bailey walked Kyle Scharber to load the bases. Happ hit the grand slam to make it 5-1. It was Happ’s second homer of the year and second career grand slam.

The Cubs put four more runs on the board in the fifth. Nick Castellanos continued to torment the A’s when he doubled with one out. He went to third on Rizzo’s infield single. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino gave up a single to Baez for the Cubs’ sixth run of the afternoon. Trivino then had to face the left-handed hitter Schwarber. Trivino, who has not been effective lately, gave up a gopher ball to Schwarber. The ball made it into the stands in left field, and the Cubs now led 9-1 after five complete.

There was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth. Blake Treinen was now pitching for Oakland. Treinen retired the first two hitters he faced. He could not get by the Cubs catcher Victor Caratini. Caratini blasted his sixth big fly of the season to make it 10-1.

Game Notes: Bailey saw his record drop to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-50 for the year. They remain 1/2 game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second Wild Card slot. The Rays lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Wednesday in Tampa.

Jose Quintana improved to 10-7 for the year. Quintana is 6-0 in his last seven starts for Chicago. The Cubs improved to 62-52. The Cubs’ home record is 41-19 at Wrigley. They do not play well on the road.

The A’s line score was one run, three hits, and no errors. Marcus Semien had two of the three A’s hits in the game. The Cubs’ line was 10 runs, eleven hits, and no errors.

Time of game was two hours and 37 minutes. 41,179 fans jammed the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to see their beloved Cubs down the A’s.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Chicago White Sox Friday afternoon in Chicago. Game time is set for 12:10 pm PT.

Rally falls short in Giants’ 5-3 loss to Nationals

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Photo credit: @TSN_Sports

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On the same day when they designated one of their most popular players for assignment, the San Francisco Giants still are unable to get a win.

Kurt Suzuki singled in Anthony Rendon with the only run that the Washington Nationals would need in the top of the first inning on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 31,628 at Oracle Park.

Suzuki broke the game wide open in the top of the third inning, as he slammed a two-run home run that also scored former Giants outfielder Gerardo Parra, who singled right after Trea Turner led off the inning with a walk and went to third on the Parra single. Turner then scored when Rendon hit a sacrifice fly to Kevin Pillar.

Turner slammed his 10th home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning that helped the Nationals to their second win of the series, and secured the series win.

Anibal Sanchez pitched a great game, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three on his way to raising his record to 7-6 on the season.

Conner Menez made his second major league start, and this one was not like his major-league debut on July 21 against the New York Mets. In this outing, Menez went six innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four and lost for the first time in his major-league career.

Brandon Crawford drove in the Giants first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning, as he grounded out to first base that scored Pillar from third. Pillar got to third after he singled to lead off the inning, and raced to third on a throwing error by Sanchez.

Brandon Belt got the Giants a run closer in the bottom of the sixth inning, as his single to right field scored Pablo Sandoval, who came off the bench to pinch-hit for Menez and doubled to lead off the inning.

Sandoval seemed to be a spark for the Giants in the latter parts of the game, as he doubled again in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Pillar.

Jandel Gustave continues impress the team, as he once again went two innings for the third time since joining the team. In his three appearances, Gustave scattered four hits, walked two and struck out one.

Pillar went 3-for-4 on the night, and it was the fourth time this season he picked up at least three hits in a game.

Joe Panik, who was part of the 2014 World Series Champion Giants team was designated for assignment to make for Menez.

Panik, who will be best remembered for that dazzling diving stop of an Eric Hosmer hit in Game Seven of the 2014 World Series that eventually turned into a double play saw his playing time diminish with the recent acquisition of Scooter Gennett and the improvement at the plate of Donovan Solano.

“Nothing has driven me more than winning here in San Francisco,” Panik said in a statement. “I am forever grateful for the Giants taking the chance on me and allowing me to live out my life long dream. It is time for me to start the next chapter in my career. But in my heart I will always be a Giant.”

Bruce Bochy got a little emotional when talking about Panik prior to the game, as “one of the most difficult conversations I had in my life.”

Panik also came up big in the opening weekend at Dodger Stadium in 2018, when he hit home runs in the first two games of the season off of Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen that led to back-to-back wins for the Giants.

NOTES: Sandovals 17 pinch hits are the most in the major leagues and is now tied with Candy Maldonado with the second most in San Francisco Giants history.

His eight pinch-hit doubles breaks the season record he shared with Fred Lewis in the San Francisco era.

Sam Selman optioned to Sacramento after Mondays loss and Menez along with Williams Jerez were recalled from Sacramento.

Three Giants players throughout the minor leagues took home Player of the Month Awards for the month of July. Jaylin Davis, Seth Corry and Franklin Labour.

UP NEXT: Shaun Anderson will look to end the Giants three-game losing streak on Wednesday afternoon, as he takes the mound against Joe Ross, who is the younger brother of former Oakland As pitcher Tyson Ross and like his brother, went to Bishop O’Dowd High in Oakland.

A’s rout Lester, Cubs 11-4

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s came back from a tough 6-5 loss Monday night to pummel the Chicago Cubs and their ace, Jon Lester, 11-4 at Wrigley Field. Lester, who pitched for the A’s in 2014, suffered his worst loss since July 22, 2012, when he was with Boston and was trounced by the Toronto Blue Jays. The A’s sent Brett Anderson to the mound, and Anderson won his first game in a month. Anderson went six innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. Cubs third baseman rocked Anderson for a home run in the sixth.

The A’s put eight runs on the board in the top of the second. Mark Canha started the onslaught with a leadoff triple. Lester struck out Chad Pinder for the first out. Stephen Piscotty singled to drive in Canha with the A’s first run. Robbie Grossman singled to put two men on with one out. A’s catcher Dustin Garneau hit a blast that traveled 413 feet to the last row in the left-field seats to up the lead to 4-0. Brett Anderson followed with a single. Lester walked Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman to load the bases. Matt Olson singled to drive in Anderson and Semien. Chapman advanced to third on the play. Canha then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Chapman scored when the Cubs’ catcher Victor Caratini mishandled the throw from Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Olson went to third and scored on Chad Pinder’s ground out to second. The A’s led 8-0.

The A’s added three more in the top of the fourth. Matt Chapman worked Lester for a walk. Lester then struck out Olson and Canha. Pinder singled to put two men on with two out. Stephen Piscotty blasted his 10th round-tripper of the season to give the A’s a commanding 11-0 lead.

The Cubs scored two in the sixth and two in the ninth. It was too little and too late. The A’s won a laugher 11-4.

Game Notes; Brett Anderson improved to 10-7 for the season. Lester dropped to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-49 for the ear. They still trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game for the second Wild Card Slot in the American League. The Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 in 10 innings to maintain their 1/2 game lead over the A’s.

Bob Melvin used Lou Trivino in the seventh, and Wei-Chung Wang pitched the eighth and ninth. Trivino pitched a scoreless seventh. Wang gave up four hits and two runs in his two innings of work.

Up Next: The A’s finish the three-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday. Homer Bailey (9-7) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by lefty Jose Quintana (9-7). Game time is at 11:00 am.