Tag: mlb

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips and Michael Duca: By trade deadline, you can expect a lot of changes to come to the Giants

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photo from nbcsports.com: San Francisco Giants pitcher Shaun Anderson during his second major league outing last Tuesday at Oracle Park. Anderson pitched five innings and gave up eight hits and two runs.

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips and Michael Duca:

The San Francisco Giants are everything you would have expected them to be the way the pitching staff has been going were not sure if manager Bruce Bochy could name the five man starting rotation. The Giants are playing to the trade deadline, you can expect a lot of changes to come to this team.

On Tuesday night, for the 27th time in their entire history, they came from behind for a win in the ninth inning and there were 12,000 more people in the ballpark than usual. The Giants were 21-27 after their loss on Wednesday night at Oracle Park. The Giants are desperate for runs they have won eight of their last 10 wins by one run and 13 of 21 wins of one run.

Michael and Morris do the Giants podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Thursday off day report: Preview of A’s-Mariners series starting Friday

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s return home after a successful 6-2 road trip. The A’s were beating the Tigers in one game that was suspended due to bad weather. That game will be completed when the Tigers play the A’s in September. The two losses on the trip happened when the A’s played the Mariners in Seattle.

The Mariners and A’s have met four times this season, and the M’s have won them all. The A’s lost the first two in Japan to open the season and the last two in Seattle on May 13th and 14th. The games in Seattle were close. The Mariners won on May 13th 6-5 even though the A’s hit five home runs in that game. They beat the A’s again on May 14th, 4-3. Since that time the A’s won three in Detroit and three in Cleveland.

The A’s have also moved up in the standings in the AL Central. Oakland ‘s record is 25-25, and they are in third place just 1/2 game behind the surprising Texas Rangers. Seattle, on the other hand, played well to start the season but have fallen on hard times. They currently reside in last place in the AL West with a record of 23-29. They have lost 3 in a row and are 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

The Mariners have placed several key players on the 10-day IL. They include second baseman Dee Gordon, first baseman Ryon Healy, pitcher King Felix Hernandez, and third baseman Kyle Seager.

The Mariners still have a potent lineup. First baseman Daniel Vogelbach, DH Edwin Encarnacion, outfielders Jay Bruce, Domingo Santana, and Mitch Haniger all have power, and all of them have hurt the A’s with their bats. Infielder Tim Beckham has also punished the A’s with his power.

The pitching matchups for the series will be the following. On Friday, Oakland will send Daniel Mengden (1-1 3.65 ERA) out to pitch. Mengden is 0-2 with an ERA of 5.89 in four career starts against the Mariners. The Mariners will counter with lefty Wade LeBlanc. LeBlanc, in his last outing against the Minnesota Twins, went 2 and 1/3rd innings and gave up seven hits and seven runs. LeBlanc missed five weeks due to a strained oblique. In two starts against the A’s last year, LeBlanc held the A’s scoreless for eleven innings.

Saturdays’ game will feature Mike Fiers (3-3, 5.05 ERA) going for his fourth win of the year. Fiers has an ERA of 2.53 over his last five starts, and that includes the no-hitter that he had against the Cincinnati Reds. Fiers is 2-2 with an ERA of 6.36 in 10 starts against Seattle. Rookie Yusei Kikuchi (3-1, ERA 3.43) will go for the M’s. Kikuchi is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.03 in his last four starts.

On Sunday, The A’s will have lefty Brett Anderson on the mound. Anderson (5-3, ERA 4.14)is returning to action after he left the game last Monday in Cleveland with a cervical strain. Anderson is 8-5 and has an ERA of 2.38 in 20 games against the M’s. Mike Leake goes for Seattle. Leake is 3-5 for the year and has an ERA of 4.73. Leake is 2-2 against Oakland in nine career starts.

The A’s are playing better as the offense has come alive and the pitching has been better. The A’s have seen improvement from Chris Bassitt, Mike Fiers, and Frankie Montas. Anderson has pitched well, and Mengden is still a work in progress.

Following the three-game series with Seattle, the A’s will face the LA Angels and then host the first-place Houston Astros.

 

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Bucks now find themselves tied with mighty Raptors; Blues-Bruins to battle in final; plus more

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The tables have turned on the Milwaukee Bucks. After winning the first two games, the Toronto Raptors have won Games 3 and 4 to tie up the series 2-2.

#2 The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo led all Bucks scorers with 25 points, but it wasn’t enough in Game 4 as the Raptors took care of business 120-102. It’s a brand new series.

#3 The San Jose Sharks, who won Game 3 on a glove-handled puck 5-4, set the St. Louis Blues on fire. The Blues came back to win three straight and win the series to move on against the Boston Bruins for the NHL Final.

#4 The New York Yankees had nearly 17 starters or key players out with injuries so the Yanks called up the reserves and they came through. The one player to admire is the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres, who has hit 10 homers in 11 games against the Baltimore Orioles.

#5 The Oakland A’s are one of the big league’s hottest teams, winning their sixth straight game and a four-game sweep over Cleveland as they head back to Oakland for a Friday night contest with the Seattle Mariners.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s flip the script, this is a road trip you want in a bottle; Team has now won 6 straight

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 With the 7-2 win over Cleveland on Wednesday night, the Oakland A’s hit the .500 mark after sweeping Cleveland and taking three straight from Detroit, going 7-2 thus far on the road trip.

#2 A’s starter Frankie Montas improved his record as the A’s got a 7-2 win over Cleveland, Montas (5-2, ERA 2.67) pitching six innings, five hits, no runs, struck out nine and walked two.

#3 Mark Canha is proving to be the right choice as designated hitter, hitting a home run, a double and three RBIs.

#4 A’s catcher Nick Hundley is also hitting the ball, going 3-4 with a home run, double and single.

#5 The A’s open a three-game series on Friday night, pitching for Oakland Daniel Mengden (1-1, 3.65 ERA), and for the Seattle Mariners, Wade LeBlanc (2-1 ERA 7.36) at the Oakland Coliseum.

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

A’s stay hot, rout Cleveland 7-2 to sweep series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their sixth in a row and improved their record to 25-25. Frankie Montas continues to be the best pitcher on the A’s staff. He went six innings, allowed five hits and no runs, struck out nine and walked two. Jefry Rodriguez (1-4) took the loss for the Cleveland Indians.

The A’s offense continued to produce. They scored two in the first, and one in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. The hitting stars were Mark Canha with a home run, and a double and three RBIs. Canha was the DH as Khris Davis was unavailable due to a hip injury. A’s backup catcher, Nick Hundley, was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and single. He had two RBI’s in the game.

Yusmeiro Petit pitched a scoreless seventh. A’s manager Bob Melvin, brought in Fernando Rodney to pitch the eighth. Rodney, who has not thrown well this year, had another rough outing. Rodney walked the first hitter Carlos Santana. Jake Bauers followed with a 450-foot home run to put two on the board for Cleveland. Rodney gave up a single to Jose Ramirez and then walked Mike Freeman. Melvin saw enough and brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino was sharp as he retired the next three hitters. Joakim Soria closed out the game for the A’s in the ninth.

Game Notes: Brett Anderson, who hurt his neck in his last start, will be able to make his next start Sunday.

The A’s finished the road trip with a 6-2 record. One game was suspended with Detroit due to rain. The game will be completed when the Tigers visit Oakland in September.

The A’s won the season series with the Indians 5-1.

The A’s remain in third place in the AL West as the Texas Rangers won their game and remain 1/2 game ahead of the A’s.

The Indians designated the 11-year veteran Carlos Gonzalez for assignment. Cargo started his career with the A’s, but was traded to the Colorado Rockies.

Up Next: The A’s flew home after Wednesday’s game with the Indians. They have an off day on Thursday and resume play against the Seattle Mariners Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s have played the M’s four times this season and lost all four. The A’s will send Daniel Mengden to pitch Friday night. Mengden is 1-1 and has a 3.65 ERA. The Mariners will counter with lefty Wade LeBlanc, who is 2-1 and owns a 7.36 ERA. The game will start at 7:07 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Warriors get some rest, wait for next opponent; Will Thornton and Karlsson stay with Sharks?; plus more

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Photo credit: @warriors

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Golden State Warriors are now waiting to see who their next opponent will be after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in a sweep.

#2 Does a sweep by Golden State in four games over the Blazers and doing it without Kevin Durant pretty much tell the power of this team?

#3 The San Jose Sharks’ loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Tuesday — is that a testament that after the hand pass win by the Sharks in Game 4 fired up the Blues towards a common goal?

#4 What would it mean for the Sharks if Joe Thornton and Erik Karlsson were to leave the team?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes are headed to Toronto this Sunday. The Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski scored four goals against the Chicago Fire last Saturday.

London Marq does Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s Canha 2-run homer proves difference in 6th straight win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Charlie:

#1 The Oakland A’s picked up their second straight win over the Cleveland Indians and sixth straight win in Cleveland on Tuesday at Progressive Field 5-3.

#2 A’s slugger Khris Davis was placed on the injured list and was replaced on Tuesday by Mark Canha, who hit a two-run homer in the third off Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer.

#3 The Davis injury, a sore hip that hasn’t recovered like they thought it would. Davis sat on Saturday and played on Sunday, but suffered with it on Tuesday and had to leave the game. Davis says he’s having a hard time swinging the bat.

#4 Bauer has struggled and Cleveland is waiting for Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger to return to the rotation. Bauer against Oakland walked four, struck out five, and hit three batters.

#5 On Wednesday’s contest, the A’s will start Frankie Montas (5-2, 2.67 ERA) and the Indians will start Jefry Rodriguez (1-3, 3.45 ERA).

Charlie O reviews the A’s on the podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Panik’s walk-off gives Giants huge 4-3 win

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Orovillemr.com photo: San Francisco Giants’ Joe Panik watches his two-run single in front of Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann during the ninth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The Giants won 4-3.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Down to his last strike on multiple occasions, Joe Panik came up huge in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Panik slapped a single to right field off of Luke Jackson that scored Kevin Pillar and Mac Williamson, as the San Francisco Giants came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 before a crowd of just 28,030 at Oracle Park.

This was the second walk-off of the season for the Giants, and the second this month, as Buster Posey hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 1.

As for Panik, this was his second career walk-off hit and first since May 1, 2015 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Jackson came on in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he looked for his team-high seventh save of the season; however, in the end it did not happen.

The closer got Evan Longoria to ground out for the first out of the inning, but Brandon Crawford singled to left, then Jackson got Steven Duggar to strike out for the second out of the inning and then Crawford advanced an additional 90 feet on defensive indifference.

Pillar then cut the Braves lead down to one, as he singled in Crawford and then Pablo Sandoval came to the plate. Pillar then stole second to get into scoring position that setup Sandoval for the possible game-tying hit.

Sandoval hit a ball into the hole at third base that Josh Donaldson dove and kept the ball from going into left field that would have tied up the game, and Pillar stayed at third base. Williamson came on to pinch run for Sandoval, and stole second that setup Paniks heroics.

Panik fell behind 0-2 and then the count went to 3-2, and finally on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Panik hit a 95 mile per hour into right field that scored both Pillar and Williamson to give the Giants an improbable victory.

The Braves got on the board in the first inning, as Dansby Swanson singled and eventually scored on a Nick Markakis double to left field.

Panik got the Giants rally started in the bottom of the first inning, as he singled off of Braves starter Julio Teheran, he went to second on a Buster Posey single and then over to third on a Brandon Belt fly ball to left field. Evan Longoria then tied up the game, as he doubled to left field to easily score Panik from third base; however, the rally ended, when Crawford struck out to end the inning.

Both Teheran and rookie Shawn Anderson matched each other inning for inning until the Braves finally got to Anderson in the top of the sixth inning and chased the rookie, who was making just his second major league start.

Donaldson and Markakis ended Andersons night, as they hit back-to-back singles in the top of the sixth inning and that brought on Reyes Moronta, who got Austin Riley to fly out to Duggar in centerfield; however, both Donaldson and Markakis advanced an additional 90 feet. Brian McCann broke up the tie, as he hit a sacrifice fly to Stephen Vogt in left field.

Freddie Freeman extended the Braves up to two runs in the top of the seventh inning, as he hit an opposite field single that scored Ronald Acuna, Jr., who walked with one out in the inning and went to second on a Swanson walk.

Acuna made a huge defensive play in the bottom of the third inning, as he robbed Brandon Belt of a solo home run.

If people that thought Acunas plat was huge, Crawford also came up with two huge defensive plays of his own.

The shortstop snared a Freeman line drive in the top of the third inning that looked like it was going into left field, but Crawford caught the ball to rob Freeman of a base hit.

Crawford came up huge on the defense again in the top of the ninth inning, as Acuna attempted to steal second base and was originally called safe; however, replays showed that Crawford applied the tag on the foot and the umpires went to replay and after a 44-second review, it was determined that Acuna was indeed out.

Paniks two-run walk-off base hit gave the win to Trevor Gott, who is 2-0 on the season, while Jackson falls to 2-1.

Anderson, who was making his second start of his career, went five innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, not walking a batter and striking out three, as he did not fare in the decision.

The veteran Teheran went 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits, walking three and striking out six.

Once again, the Giants helped out, as they went the final four innings, allowing one run on three hits, walking three and striking out two.

NOTES: Vogt started in left for just the second time in his major-league career, and it was his fifth appearance in left field and 17 in right field. Vogt last played in the outfield in 2017.

Sandoval picked up his 10th pinch-hit of the season, and is now 10-for-25 as a pinch-hitter this season.
In 16 career games against the Giants, Donaldson is 21-for-60, a .350 clip with seven extra base hits.

Acuna, who hit two home runs in the series opener on Monday night, has reached base in seven of his 10 plate appearances in the series, as he has walked twice and picked up five hits.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija looks for his third win of the season, as he takes the mound on Wednesday night for the Giants, while left-hander Max Fried looks to raise his record to 7-2 on the season, as he toes the rubber for the Braves.

A’s continue to roll, win their fifth in a row

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s beat the Indians at Progressive Field Tuesday night by a score of 5-3. With the win, the A’s improved their record to 24-25 and are just one game below the .500 mark.

Chris Bassitt started for Oakland. He had control issues as he walked six hitters in just 3 2/3 innings of work. Trevor Bauer went for Cleveland and he, too, had problems with control. He walked six in six innings of work. He allowed four hits and four runs.

The Indians drew first blood in the bottom of the first. The Indians’ All-Star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, led off with a solo home run to right center field. The A’s tied the score in the top of the second. With one out, Bauer walked Stephen Piscotty. Bauer then hit Jurickson Profar with a pitch to put men on at first and second. Bauer retired Robbie Grossman for the second out. Bauer then walked Ramon Laureano to load the bases. Bauer’s control issues continued as he walked Josh Phegley. Piscotty scored, and the A’s tied the game without the benefit of a hit.

The A’s scored two in the top of the third. With one out, Matt Olson singled to right field. Mark Canha, pinch-hitting for A’s DH Khris Davis, hit an opposite-field home run to put the A’s up 3-1. Davis, who was injured catching a ball in foul territory when the A’s were in Pittsburgh, started the game but was still feeling the effects of the injury. It was Canha’a third career pinch-hit homer.

The Indians got a run back in their half of the third. With one out, Carlos Santana hit his eighth of the year. The A’s still led 3-2.

The A’s increased their advantage to 4-2 in the fourth on the strength of back to back doubles by Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman. The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, Bassitt walked Leonys Martin. Left-fielder Oscar Mercado doubled to left-center to drive in Martin with the Indians’ third run. Bassitt walked the next hitter, and that brought out A’s manager Bob Melvin. Melvin removed Bassitt from the game and replaced him with Liam Hendriks. Hendriks got the last out of the inning.

The A’s bullpen held the innings scoreless and allowed just one hit the rest of the way. The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth when Profar slammed his seventh of the year to put Oakland up 5-3.

Game Notes: Stephen Piscotty reached base for the 21st game in a row. The A’s Liam Hendriks pitched two innings and allowed one hit.  Hendriks was credited with the win, and he is now 2-0 for the year. Ryan Buchter, Joakim Soria, and Blake Treinen all pitched for the A’s. Treinen earned his ninth save of the season.

The Indians’ Trevor Bauer saw his record drop to 4-3. He went six innings and allowed four hits, four runs, and six walks.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Indians in the finale of the three-game set Wednesday. Frankie Montas (5-2, 2.67 ERA) goes for the A’s. Montas went 8 2/3 innings in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers. Montas struck out 10 in that game. He will be opposed by Jefry Rodriguez (1-3, 3.45 ERA). Game time will be at 10 am.

A’s down the Indians 6-4 to win fourth in a row

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their fourth game in a row downing the Cleveland Indians 6-4 on Monday in Cleveland. The A’s offense was paced by solo home runs by Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson. Matt Chapman hit a two-run blast in the ninth to give the A’s a three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s scored one run in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth take a 3-0 lead. Profar homered in the second, Olson in the third, and doubles by Robbie Grossman and Josh Phegley produced the A’s third run in the fourth.

The Indians put one on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Indians’ third baseman Jose Martinez doubled leading off the frame. He went to third on a ground out and scored on Omar Mercado’s single. The A’s still lead 3-1 after five.

In the bottom of the sixth, Indians’ second baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a double. Anderson retired Carlos Santana for the first out. It was at this point that Bob Melvin came out of the dugout and after a short conference with Anderson, removed him from the game. Yusmeiro Petit relieved him and retired the next two hitters.

The A’s added a run in the seventh. Shortstop Marcus Semien doubled down the left field line, and when Mercado misplayed the ball, he went to third. Matt Chapman singled to drive him in with the fourth run of the game for Oakland. The Indians got the run back in their half of the seventh when the Indians’ catcher Roberto Perez led off with a home run. Ryan Buchter came in to pitch, and he retired the next three Cleveland hitters.

The Indians made it a 4-3 game in the eighth. Lou Trivino had control issues. With one out, Trivino walked Kipnis and Santana. He struck out Jake Bauers for the second out. Ramirez singled to drive in Kipnis. Trivino walked Perez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin made his decision. He brought in closer Blake Treinen to get a four-out save. Treinen got Martinez to ground out to end the inning.

The A’s added two insurance runs in the ninth when Matt Olson homered with a man on to make it 6-3. Treinen retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth. He did not get by Francisco Lindor. Lindor homered to make it 6-4. Treinen got Kipnis to ground out to preserve the win.

Game Notes- Brett Anderson improved his season record to 5-3. He was diagnosed with a cervical strain. It is nor known at this time if he will have to go on the 10-day IL. Blake Treinen earned his 8th save of the season.

The A’s are now 23-25 are in third place in the AL West just 1/2 game behind the second-place Texas Rangers.

The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill Tuesday night. Bassitt is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.93, and he will be opposed by the Indians’ Trevor Bauer. Bauer is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.76. Game time will be at 3pm.