Tag: mlb

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Four lead changes ends up in Halos’ 10-9 win over A’s

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On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The A’s lead by 7-5 until the Angels came back to take a 8-7 lead, but the A’s, who never give up, scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 9-8 lead over the Angels. It ain’t over til it’s over and the Angels rallied scoring two runs to get by Oakland 10-9.

#2 Khris Davis is swing the bats like he’s never been out of the game with an hit and an RBI. Bob Melvin has to be glad Davis is back in the lineup.

#3 The Angels reliever Ty Buttrey gave up two runs to help the A’s to the lead. Buttrey pitched 1,2 innings, three hits and two runs for the loss.

#4 A big offensive night for Marcus Semien with three hits, two runs and three RBIs.

#5 A’s and Texas Rangers open their series on Friday night in Arlington. The A’s have not yet announced a starter and the Rangers have starter Lance Lynn (7-4, 4.50 ERA). It’s the A’s and Rangers Friday night at Globe Life Park.

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

Frazier homers late to give Mets a 7-3 victory over the Giants

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Photo credit: @Mets

By Jeremy Kahn

NEW YORK — Todd Frazier gave the New York Mets the win on one swing off the bat against Mark Melancon.

Frazier hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Melancon, helping the Mets to a 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 28,857 at Citi Field.

He golfed it out, he is a pretty good hitter, said Bruce Bochy.

Following the Frazier two-run home run, Melancon then gave up a single to Adeiny Hechavarria and then a double to Juan Lagares that saw Hechavarria blow through the stop of third-base coach Gary Disarcina to give the Mets a 6-3 lead.

Jeff McNeil drove in the final run of the game, as he singled to right field to score Lagares. In all, Melancon faced 10 batters in that one inning, giving up four runs on five hits, walking one and did not strike out a batter.

It was a tough no-decision for Shaun Anderson, who went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out three.

The game did not start well for Anderson, as he gave up back-to-back home runs to lead off the game to Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith.

Thats all you get, said Anderson, concerning the trip to the mound by Matt Herges following the back-to-back home runs.

The pitch to Rosario was a fastball and the pitch to Smith was a slider, according to Anderson.

Anderson joins Roger Mason and Bud Black as the only pitchers in Giants history (since 1958) to allow back-to-back home runs to start a game.

Mason did it on April 13, 1987, as he surrendered back-to-back-to-back home runs to Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk in a 13-6 Giants victory at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.

Black was the last Giants pitcher to give up back-to-back home runs to Jacob Brumfield and Bret Boone of the Cincinnati Reds on August 3, 1994, in a 17-4 Giants loss at Candlestick Park.

Former Giants farmhand Zack Wheeler retired the first eight batters he faced, but he then Anderson on the right forearm with two outs in the top of the third inning; however, he regrouped to get Joe Panik to popup to Rosario to end the inning.
Brandon Belt tied up the game with one swing of the bat, as he hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning. Mike Yastrzemski broke up Wheelers bid at a no-hitter, as he led off the inning with a single.

Pablo Sandoval gave the Giants the lead in the top of the sixth inning, as he launched a 438-foot home run into the second deck of the right field seats. It was the second longest home run of the season for the Giants, behind the 441 foot home run by Tyler Austin.

Reyes Moronta was unable to secure the victory for Anderson, as he gave up a bloop single to McNeil to score Lagares, who led off the inning by walking, then Tomas Nido singled and that was the end of Anderson.

I am pretty pissed about that leadoff walk, said Anderson.

Tony Watson came on to replace Moronta, and the only batter he faced, pinch-hitter J.D. Davis grounded into a double play that ended the inning.

What a job Waddy did, said Bochy.

NOTES: This was the first time since May 9 that the Giants gave up back-to-back home runs in a game. Nolan Arenado and Mark Reynolds turned the trick for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

As for the Mets, this was the third time in team history that they led off a game with back-to-back home runs. Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay did it on July 12, 2007 against the Cincinnati Reds, and then on August 16, 2016, Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera went to back-to-back against the Philadelphia Phillies.

UP NEXT: Following the 4-5 road trip thru Miami, Baltimore and New York, the Giants return home for an eight-game home stand beginning on Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Drew Pomeranz will take the mound in the opener for the Giants, while Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers.

Jeff Samardzija will face Rich Hill on Saturday, and on Sunday, Madison Bumgarner will face Walker Buehler before a day off on Monday.

Angels rally from a 7-1 deficit to win a wild one over the A’s 10-9

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Photo credit: @Angel_City_Buzz

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels played another wild one at the Big A in Anaheim. The two teams played a nine-inning game that lasted four hours and 13 minutes.

Both teams used an “opener” to start the game. The Angels used reliever Cam Bedrosian for one inning and replaced him with Felix Pena. The A’s Joakim Soria pitched the first inning and was later replaced by Daniel Mengden. This strategy was not successful for either team Wednesday night.

Angels leadoff hitter, Tommy La Stella, homered on the second pitch from Soria to give the Angels an early 1-0 lead. The A’s roughed up Pena for four runs in the second inning. The A’s had two doubles and two singles in the inning to put them ahead. Oakland scored three more in the top of the third to lead 7-1. The A’s put together four singles and a walk to get the runs on the board. The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. La Stella single to get the rally going for LA. Mike Trout hit his 15th dinger of the year to make it 7-3. Shohei Ohtani singled, and that was followed by a double off the bat of Albert Pujols. Kole Calhoun grounded out to first to drive in Ohtani with the third run of the inning. Pujols scored on David Fletcher’s single. The A’s lead was now 7-5.

The Angels plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-7 lead. With one out, second baseman Luis Rengifo singled. Mengden walked La Stella to put men on at first and second. It was at this point that A’s manager decided to remove Mengden from the game. Yusmeiro Petit was brought in to pitch. Angels DH Ohtani hit his fifth big blast of the year to put the Angels ahead.

The Angels maintained the lead until the top of the eighth. The A’s scored twice for a 9-8 lead. The A’s rally started when Marcus Semien walked with one out. Matt Chapman singled. That was followed by Matt Olson’s single to drive in Semien with the tying run. Chapman went to third, but Olson was thrown out at second. Chapman scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. The home plate umpire called Chapman out, but the call was reversed after a review. The A’s lead didn’t last long as the Angels tied the game. A’s reliever Liam Hendriks gave up two hits and an intentional walk to load the bases. Melvin brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Shohei Ohtani. Buchter walked him, and the Angels knotted the score at 9-9.

Lou Trivino, who got the final out of the eighth inning, retired the first two hitters he faced in the bottom of the ninth. Brian Goodwin then singled and stole second. The next hitter, Dustin Garneau, hit a ground rule double that went over Robbie Grossman’s head and bounced over the fence to drive in Goodwin with the winning run. The Angels won 10-9.

Game Notes: The A’s drop to 30-31. The Angels are now 30-32. LA’s line score was 10 runs, 14 hits, and no errors. Oakland’s line was nine runs, 15 hits, and no errors. Lou Trivino took the loss. Hansel Robles earned the win.

A’s hitting stars were Marcus Semien with three hits and three RBI. Jurickson Profar also had three hits and two ribbies. The Angels’ Tommy La Stella had three hits, one of with was a home run. Ohtani had two hits and four RBIs.

Daniel Mengden did not have a good outing. The A’s hurler lasted just 2 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits and six runs. The Angels’ Felix Pena went 1 2/3 innings and the A’s roughed him up for eight hits and seven runs.

Up Next: The A’s and Angels play the rubber game Thursday night in Anaheim. Game time will be at 7:07 pm.

Vargas throws complete-game shutout in Mets’ 7-0 win over Giants

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Photo credit: @genymets

By Jeremy Kahn

NEW YORK — Things got off to a rough start for Tyler Beede, and it did not improve with time, unlike a fine wine.

Jeff McNeill led off the bottom of the first inning with a double, and he scored on a Robinson Cano groundout and that would be the only run that the New York Mets would need on their way to a 7-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 23,357 at Citi Field.

It got even worse for the Giants in the bottom of the fourth inning, as the Mets broke it open with a four-run inning.

Michael Conforto led off the inning with a solo home run off of Beede, who then walked Wilson Ramos and Todd Frazier and then Amed Rosario broke the game wide open with a three-run home run.

The long ball got him, said Bruce Bochy.

Jason Vargas threw a complete game, allowing zero runs, on five hits, walking just one and striking out eight, as he raised his record up to 2-3.

It was a rough night for Beede, who went five innings, allowing six runs (five earned), on five hits, walking four and striking out five, as his record fell to 0-2 on the season.

Battled with what I had, said Beede.

After recently activated Trevor Gott gave up one hit and struck out two in his only inning of work, Derek Holland did not fare as well in his first inning of work.

Holland gave up a leadoff home run to Adeiny Hechavarria to lead-off the bottom of the seventh inning. Hechavarria replaced Cano, who was forced to leave the game with strained left quadricep. Cano was activated from the 10-day Injured list prior to the game with a low-grade left strain his quadricep.

The Giants got off to a quick start, as Joe Panik led off the game with a double off of Vargas, but was stranded at second base.

Got the leadoff double, but we couldnt get much going, said Bochy.

NOTES: To make room for Gott on the roster, the Giants placed Buster Posey on the 10-day injured list, retroactively to June 2 with a strained right hamstring.

With last nights six-run 10th inning, it was the first time that the Giants have accomplished that in a game since they six runs in the top of the 11th inning on July 18, 2012 against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, a game that they won 9-4 Also, the Giants have 15 extra-inning wins since the start of the 2018 season, which is second in the major leagues tied with the Oakland As and three behind the Seattle Mariners, who have 18 during that same period.

To make room for Cano, the Mets designated Aaron Altherr, who played in one game for the Giants earlier this season for assignment.

With his 1,000th win on Tuesday night, Bochy became just the 25th manager in Major League history to win 1,000 or more games with the same team.

UP NEXT: Shaun Anderson goes for his second straight win on Thursday afternoon, as the three-city, nine-game road trip comes to an end with a 12:10 (Eastern) start. Anderson is 1-1 on the season. Former Giants farm-hand Zack Wheeler will start for the Mets, as his tries to raise his record to 6-3 on the season.

Montas, Laureano help A’s snap 5-game losing streak

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s snapped their five-game losing streak Tuesday night as the beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2. It was also the start of a nine-game road trip. Frankie Montas, who has pitched very well for Oakland this season, had another outstanding outing as he went six innings and allowed four hits and two runs while improving his record to 7-2. He was cruising along until the bottom of the sixth. With one out, he had a 13-pitch battle with the Angels’ superstar, Mike Trout. Trout refused to strike out. He fouled off seven or eight pitches. With the count at 3-2, Montas drilled Trout on his left elbow. It seemed that Montas was a bit rattled by the battle that he had with Trout. He had to face Angels’ DH Shohei Ohtani, and Montas lost that battle as Ohtani blasted his fourth homer of the year to cut the deficit to two 4-2

The Angels’ starter Griffin Channing, who pitched well against Oakland last week at the Coliseum, did well except for two innings. The A’s were able to put two on the board in the second inning. With one out, Matt Chapman singled. Matt Olson walked to put men on at first and second. Khris Davis, the A’s DH, smoked a double over the head of Mike Trout that went for a double. Chapman scored. Stephen Piscotty hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Olson with the A’s second run.

The A’s made in 4-0 in the top of the sixth. Robbie Grossman singled with one out. Ramon Laureano homered into the left-field seats. The blast was measured at 403 feet. The Angels, as mentioned above, scored twice in their half of the inning.

The A’s manager Bob Melvin had Yusmeiro Petit pitch the seventh, Liam Hendriks, the eighth, and Blake Treinen the ninth. The A’s relievers did the job. They did not allow a hit in the last three innings of the game. Treinen set the Angels down in order in the ninth, and he earned his 12th save of the year.

Game Notes – With the win, the A’s improved to 30-30 while the Angels fell to 29-32. The A’s are in third place in the AL West. The A’s trail the Texas Rangers by one game in the race for second place in the division.

Ramon Laureano was the hitting star for Oakland, He had a double and home run in the game, and that extended his hitting streak to sixteen games.

The line score for Oakland was four runs, eight hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was two runs, four hits, and no errors.

Time of game was three hours and four minutes and over 36,000 fans were on hand to see the A’s take the first game of the three-game series.

Game Two will be played Wednesday night in Anaheim. The A’s will send Daniel Mengden to the mound, and Felix Pena will go for the Angels. The Angels may use an “opener’ and then have Pena come in to pitch in the second inning.

The game will start at 7:07 pm.

Bochy gets 1,000th win, becomes second Giants manager to do so

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

NEW YORK — Bruce Bochy began his major-league career just a few 100 feet away from Citi Field, and on this night, he made team history.

The San Francisco Giants scored six runs in the top of the 10th inning, to give Bochy his 1,000th win as manager of the Giants with a 9-3 victory over the New York Mets before a crowd of 24,878 at Citi Field.

Bochy joins John McGraw as the only manager to ever win 1,000 or more games with the Giants in the teams 137-year history.

What a special night with the way they played, said Bochy.

It was on July 19, 1978 that Bochy made his major-league debut for the Houston Astros as a 23-year old catcher.

This is a special place, and I played here as well, said Bochy, who played in 17 games for the Mets during the 1982 under manager George Bamberger.

McGraw won 2,583 games between 1902-1932, which included like Bochy, three World Championships in 1905, 1921 and 1922.

This was the fourth win in five games for the Giants, who lost seven in a row prior to their win on Wednesday night against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. With the victory, the Giants are now 4-1 in extra inning games this season.

Tyler Austin got the rally going in the top of the 10th inning as he singled off of losing pitcher Robert Gsellman, who allowed five runs on three hits and walked two in 1/3 of an inning.

Following the Austin single, Brandon Belt walked and then both Austin and Belt, advanced an additional 90 feet, when Gsellman uncorked a wild pitch with Stephen Vogt at the plate. Vogt then gave the Giants the lead for good, as he lashed a double into right field that scored both Austin and Belt.

After a Kevin Pillar ground out for the first out of the inning, Brandon Crawford was intentionally walked; however, the strategy backfired on the Mets, as Steven Duggar doubled off of Gsellmans shoulder into short left field that scored Vogt and sent Crawford to third base. That was the end of the line for Gsellman, and Hector Santiago replaced Gsellman, who left to a chorus of boos from the Citi Field faithful.

Special night for Boch, and it was an honor to be back there like that, said Vogt. Admired him from across the Bay in Oakland, and I want what they have a World Championship, Vogt added.

This is the franchise I grew up loving, said Vogt, who grew up in Visalia.

Pablo Sandoval then greeted Santiago rather rudely, as he doubled to left field to score both Crawford and Duggar. Joe Panik then popped out for the second out of the inning, and then Mike Yastrzemski singled to right field and when the ball skipped by Michael Conforto all the way to the wall, Sandoval scored and Yastrzemski ended up on third with a single and two-base error. The bleeding finally came to an end, when Austin, who was batting for the second time in the inning, struck out to end the frame.

Madison Bumgarner was cruising into the bottom of the sixth inning until he gave two home runs in the frame. It was the second home run of the inning, as Pete Alonso led off the sixth inning with a solo home run on the first pitch thrown by Bumgarner in the inning. It was the 20th home run of the season for Alonso.

Wilson Ramos gave the Mets a brief 3-2 lead, as he hit a two-run home run three batters after Alonso.

J.D. Davis walked with one out just prior to the Ramos home run, his seventh of the season that made a winner out of Noah Syndergaard, who was replaced by Mets manager Mickey Callaway with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Bumgarner went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out five and did not fare in the decision.

I love that man, its been an honor to manage this man, help him jell and he is one of my all-time favorites, said Bochy.

Syndergaard, who left with a 3-2 lead also did not fare in the decision, as he went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out four. This was the 100th career appearance for Syndergaard and 99th start.

The Giants got to Syndergaard in the top of the fourth inning, as Evan Longoria led off the inning with a walk, then Belt singled and after a Vogt fly out for the first out of the inning, Kevin Pillar gave the Giants the lead, as he singled off of Syndergaard to score Longoria.

Duggar then made it 2-0, as he singled to score Belt.

After the Mets took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Giants came back to tie it in the top of the seventh inning with some clutch hitting.

Sandoval came on to pinch-hit for Bumgarner, but was then forced out by Mike Yastrzemski at second base for the second out of the inning. With Yastrzemski running on the pitch, Evan Longoria lined a single to left field off of reliever Seth Lugo, who came on to replace Syndergaard after the Yastrzemski fielders choice.

Belt then tied up the game, as he doubled to right field to easily score Yastrzemski from third base; however, Longoria was thrown out at the plate, when Michael Conforto threw to Adeiny Hechavarria, who threw to Ramos at the plate to end the inning.

Coming into the game, Bumgarner was a perfect 6-0 in six starts and two complete games all-time at Citi Field with two complete games, if you include the 2016 Wild Card Game.

In his career, Bumgarner is 6-0 in seven starts and the Mets are the only team to never defeat him.

Glad to see him get that, pretty cool, I actually did not know that, said Bumgarner. He is one of my best friends in the game, Bumgarner added.

NOTES: With the 2019 draft taking place across the Hudson River in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Giants drafted Hunter Bishop out of Arizona State with the 10th pick in the first round. Bishop, who went to Serra High School in San Mateo hit a team-high 22 home runs for the Sun Devils this past season.

Logan Wyatt, a first baseman from the University of Louisville was drafted in the second round to complete the first day.

Eight more players were drafted on the second day. Third-round pick Grant McCray, Tyler Fitzgerald, Garrett Frechette, Dilan Rosario, Armani Smith, who went to De La Salle High School in Concord, Caleb Kilian, Simon Whiteman and Jeff Houghtby to round out the second day.

Yastrzemski became just the sixth Giants player since they moved to San Francisco in 1958 to get at seven hits and seven runs in his first eight games, this according to STATS, LLC.

Alonso reached the 20 home run plateau faster than any Mets player in team history, as he did it in 59 games. Also, is the seventh player since 1908 with 20 or more home runs in his first 59 games.

Only Darryl Strawberry in 1983 with 26 hit more home runs as a rookie than Alonso in Mets history.

UP NEXT: Tyler Beede looks for his first major league win, as he takes the mound on Wednesday night, while the Mets will send Jason Vargas to the mound, as he looks for second win of the season.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s try to figure how to snap out of funk; Keuchel’s the hot commodity as free agent; plus more

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Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The A’s are in the middle of a five-game losing streak. They took Monday off and open up a road trip in Anaheim and Texas after getting swept by Houston. Is this a laundry list of things that manager Bob Melvin has to be concerned about?

#2 Frankie Montas will start on Tuesday night and has pretty much been the bright note in the A’s pitching rotation at 6-2, 2.81 ERA. Sometimes, it takes a spark to get things going again and Montas has had some games where he has been lights out.

#3 Free agent Dallas Keuchel is still up for grabs. He hasn’t pitched all season. Once signed, could he jump right in and help a ball club right away?

#4 Another free agent is the former Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Kimbrel, who can also help a club. He hasn’t thrown a pitch since the World Series. Could Kimbrel be ready once he’s called on.

#5 The Giants are playing on the road this past week against two last place clubs, including the Baltimore Orioles. What does getting a couple win off the Orioles mean for the Giants after struggling much of this season and opened up the series in New York with a 9-3 win over the Mets ?

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez this week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Baseball in Latin America Is Risky Business

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

In Latin America, the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico,Cuba,Venezuela,Mexico, Colombia, and Curacao (Dutch Caribbean island) are the main producers of baseball talent in the major leagues.

Cuba was the pioneer in Latin America. From Esteban (Steve) Bellán, who in 1871 became the first Latin-born player to compete in a top professional baseball league, to Hall of Famer Tony Perez to Minnie “Mr. White Sox” Minoso, Cuban-born players have been big-league pioneers since the game’s earliest days. Cubans like Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman, Jose Iglesias and others have been keeping up with the great Cuban tradition.

My friend Roberto González Echevarría is a Cuban-born critic of Latin American literature and culture. He is the Sterling Professor of Hispanic and Comparative Literature at Yale University. Back in 1998, I introduced him to Giants manager  Dusty Baker. In his book, The Pride of Havana, he depicted the career of Cuban-born pitcher Adolfo “Dolf” Luque, whom in 1923 with the Cincinnati Reds had a record of 27-8 with 1.93 ERA, pitched in 41 games, started 37 games and completed 28 games with a total of 322 innings pitched. He was a Cuban pioneer of fair skin, so he was able to pitch in the majors in the 1920’s. The Castro brothers have ruled communist Cuba during 12 different US Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Donald Trump, and the politics of all these leaders didn’t matter, the Cuban government has never opened to free Democratic elections and still consider the US as an enemy. However, they welcome American tourism because they need the money. When Fidel Castro died (he earlier said he wanted a socialist society where all Cubans were the same) died with about $1 billion dollars in the bank, according to Forbes.

Today, Dominican Republic and Venezuela have the majority of players in the major leagues among all Latin American countries. Most of these countries are not rich countries and some are in dire economic situations. Cuba has been a communist dictatorship since 1960. Many players had to escape in home-made rafts (balsas) across the treacherous Florida straights to make it to freedom in the US. Some defected while playing tournaments outside the island. Yasiel Puig, among others, had to entangle with human traffickers to complete his journey, while the Yankees’ Kendrys Morales tried eight times to escape and succeeded in his ninth attempt. All baseball in Cuba is centralized and ran by the Cuban government, like everything else in that country. There are no diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba.

Venezuela, the land of the great Hall of Famer shortstop Luis Aparicio and many others like Miguel Cabrera, is going through an ugly part in their history. According to the United Nations, and reported by AP and Reuters, three million Venezuelans have fled economic and political crisis in their homeland since 2015. In that country, proven oil reserves are recognized as the largest in the world. Since the Hugo Chavez regime and now Nicolas Maduro, that country has collapsed with the highest inflation in the word. It is incredible that in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, people line in the streets searching for food from garbage cans and stand in line to get a bucket of clean drinking water. That is the legacy for Venezuela since they were tutored by Cuba’s communist dictator Fidel Castro. Most Venezuelan players, who usually went back to their homeland to play winter ball, have now left to live in the United States.

Mexico might have the most stable baseball leagues today in Latin America. It is another country full of riches, but mismanaged by governments for many decades. Mexico’s Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla, Fernando Valenzuela and many others in the past. Currently, Dodgers’ Julio Urias and A’s Joakim Soria and Marco Estrada, just to mention a few.

Puerto Rico was hurt by Hurricane Maria, but prior to that, they were in bankruptcy due to poor political leadership. It has been a US territory since 1898 and a “Estado Libre Asociado” (Free Associated State) commonwealth since 1952, but they can’t decide if they want to be a US state or remain as they are due to profound ideological divisions. They have three different political parties with different ideas. Puerto Rico has been a mess way before Hurricane Maria devastated most of that island. Baseball was also hurt by Hurricane Maria. For many years, they didn’t send much talent to the major leagues, but in the last few years, some star players like Astros’ Carlos Correa, Indians’ Francisco Lindor and others have been enjoying great success. The one and only Roberto Clemente along with Orlando Cepeda were both born in Puerto Rico and made it to Cooperstown.

Still, with all those bad governments, Latin American baseball talent will keep growing in the major leagues, just like the population of the US, which is approximately 50-plus million Hispanics.

Adios, amigos!

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s try to end 5-game skid as they open 5-game road trip Tuesday

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On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The A’s are in the midst of a six-game skid. The Houston Astros will do that for a club after the A’s took a three-game sweep.

#2 The series with the Astros saw two ejections on Saturday as the A’s Marcus Seimen was thrown out for arguing that a ball he hit was fair, but ruled foul, then on Sunday, the A’s Stephen Piscotty took a third strike that he protested and was thrown out arguing balls and strikes.

#3 The A’s got through a 10-game win streak and now have gone the other way. What does manager Bob Melvin tell the club at this point?

#4  The A’s Matt Chapman said after Sunday’s game that the Astros have had the A’s number all season long.

#5 The A’s open up a road trip in Los Angeles and Texas for Tuesday night in Anaheim. The A’s will start Frankie Montas (6-2, 2.81 ERA) vs. the Angels Griffin Canning (2-1, 3.06 ERA).

Charlie O does the Oakland A’s podcasts for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Local kid Hunter Bishop drafted by Giants

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By Jeremy Kahn

Hunter Bishop and Barry Bonds may have been born decades apart, but the two have a lot in common already.

Bishop, like Bonds went to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo and then onto Arizona State is now a member of the San Francisco Giants organization.

The 20-year old Bishop was drafted by the Giants with the 10th pick in the annual Major League Baseball Draft in Secaucus, New Jersey.

I definitely know its a big ballpark, but you see guys like Barry hit hit it out all the time, Bishop said. If you’ve got power, you can hit it out anywhere. I’m looking forward to one day playing at that ballpark, but I’ve got a lot of work to do until I get there.

Bishop joins a team that he grew up watching his father Randy, and his brother Braden, who is currently with the Seattle Mariners. The trio went to games at now Oracle Park, and now he will have a chance to play there in the future.

Growing up, I went to so many different Giants games with my brother and my dad and its just a dream come true and I’m so grateful to be a Giant.

This past season for the Sun Devils, Bishop hit 22 home runs and finished with an on-base percentage of 1.239, a team high.

The Bishop brothers have started a foundation called 4MOM Foundation after it was discovered that their mother, Suzy, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers.

I grew up going to games there with my family, so to be able to put on that Giants uniform and play at Oracle Park, it would be such a dream come true and such an awesome moment, Bishop said.

Bishop is the third player picked by the Giants with the 10th pick since the 2006 drafted. In the 2006 draft, the Giants drafted a lanky right-hander out of University of Washington named Tim Lincecum and then the following year, they drafted a left-hander out of South Caldwell High School in Hudson, North Carolina named Madison Bumgarner.

The following season, the Giants picked number five and drafted a catcher out of Florida State to go along with Lincecum and Bumgarner, his name Buster Posey.