Tag: mlb

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Do the Giants have a shot at being viable this season?; Puig tries to take on the whole Pirates team in brawl; plus more

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Photo credit: @BruceBochy

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 It’s early in the season, but do the San Francisco Giants (4-8) have the players it takes to get out of the cellar and make this a viable season?

#2 The Cincinnati Reds’ Yasiel Puig wasted no time making things happen between himself and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. After Chris Archer Pirates pitcher hit the Reds’ Derek Dietrich in the backside, Dietrich took exception to getting hit and started jawing at Archer at that point both benches emptied and Reds star Yasiel Puig tried to take on the entire Pirates team.

#3 Talk about the Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant paring at the New York Knicks for next season. How will this important would a tandem like this be for the Knicks and how will it impact Golden State?

#4 The Oakland A’s, who won three of four from the Boston Red Sox, went out on the road and got swept in three games from the Houston Astros. The A’s still made the third game competitive with a one run loss. The Astros played catch up ball in order to win. The A’s lost the first game 12-4 of the four game series in Baltimore. In game two the A’s got a 13-2 win on Tuesday night.

#5 Oracle Arena is the home of many memories for fans, reporters, players and coaches Sunday. Was the last regular season game for Golden State what did you take away from 47 years of sports events at the arena in Oakland?

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez, who does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Middle infield powers A’s past Orioles 13-2

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, April 09, 2019

Oakland’s middle infield was responsible for driving in nine of its runs on Tuesday, as the Athletics hammered Baltimore 13-2 at Camden Yards. It was the A’s first road win of the season and ended a four-game losing streak.

Second baseman Jurickson Profar was 4-for-5 with a home run and a career-high five runs batted in, and shortstop Marcus Semien contributed a three-run home run in the second inning, his second of the season. Semien also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Brett Anderson (3-0) picked up the win, working 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four, walked one and gave up two earned runs on seven hits.

Lou Trivino and Liam Hendriks threw the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

John Means (1-1), making his first career start for the Orioles, gave up five runs in three innings – one earned. After Evan Phillips threw three scoreless innings for Baltimore, O’s relievers Richard Bleier and Miguel Castro were each rung up for four earned runs each over the final three innings.

Baltimore has lost five of its last six games.

Notably absent from the Orioles lineup was slumping slugger Chris Davis, who sat out Tuesday’s game a day after establishing the MLB record for longest hitless streak by a position player – 0-for-49, going back to last season.

Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini singled in the first inning to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 11 games.

On Wednesday, the A’s will start right-hander Frankie Montas (1-1, 2.45), while Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has yet to name a starter. Right-hander Alex Cobb was supposed to start for Baltimore on Wednesday, but was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to April 6 (lumbar strain).

Baltimore crushes the A’s 12-4 in game one of their four-game series

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Bal 3
Graphic: NBCS

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Baltimore Orioles (5-5) are really an afterthought in the world of baseball in 2019. If you don’t think so, just ask every baseball expert in the world and they will tell you the Orioles are irrelevant. Many even call them a Triple-A team at best.

In fact, only 6585 people bothered to show up at Camden Yards to witness the O’s as they destroyed the Oakland Athletics 12-4 on Monday night. Baltimore put together 12 runs off 15 hits, while committing two errors. Their four pitchers held the A’s to just four runs on 11 hits and they committed two errors.

Baltimore jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Trey Mancini hit his fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the first inning off Marco Estrada. The Orioles scored three more runs in the home half of the second inning aided by a throwing error committed by Jurickson Profar. The A’s were in a 4-0 hole after just two innings.

A’s catcher Josh Phegley cut the O’s lead in half when he hit his second home run of the season — a two-run shot — off Andrew Cashner. It would be as close as the A’s would come to taking the lead in the game.

Baltimore would go on to score two in the fourth, one in the sixth and five runs in the eighth inning. The five runs were charged to Ryan Buchter (2) and Fernando Rodney (3).

The A’s (6-8) have now lost four consecutive games and are in sole possession of last place in the American League Western Division. This falls far short of the promise the opening homestand gave to the loyal #RootedinOakland fans.

At the Plate

The A’s

  • Mark Canha had a 1-for-3 night that included his second home run of the season. Canha scored two runs, had an RBI and walked.
  • Marcus Semien went 2-for-4 in the game and scored one of the A’s four runs.
  • Matt Chapman went 3-for-5 in the game, but did not have an RBI or score a run.
  • The A’s left eight men on base.
  • Oakland went 0-for-8 with Runners In Scoring Position.

The O’s

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Martin slides in at third Photo: @Orioles
  • Trey Mancini led the charge for the O’s with the bat. He had a 3-for-3 night that included a two-run home run, two runs scored, two RBI and two walks.
  • Jonathan Villar hit his third home run of the season off Estrada. Villar picked up four RBI in the game.
  • Richie Martin went 3-for-4 with the bat. Martin hit a triple off Estrada. He scored three runs against the A’s on Monday night.
  • Cedric Mullins — the number nine hitter for the O’s — had a huge night hitting two triples off Estrada. He finished with three RBI and two runs scored.

On the Mound

A’s

  • Starter Marco Estrada had a very rough night. His start lasted only 4.0 innings. Estrada gave up six runs (all earned) off nine hits. He walked just one and struck out three batters. Estrada gave up two home runs.
  • Oakland used four relievers in the game.
  • Fernando Rodney had the toughest outing in relief as he was charged with three runs (all earned) off three hits.
  • The loss was charged to Estrada who is now 0-1 on the season.

Baltimore

  • Andrew Cashner (2-1) was credited with the win over the A’s. He gave up four runs (three earned) off nine hits. Cashner walked one and struck out one in his 5.1-innings on the hill.
  • The O’s used three relievers who pitched 3.2 scoreless innings hold the lead for Cashner.

Up Next

The A’s and Orioles will play game two of their four-game series on Tuesday at 4:05 PM PDT. LHP Brett Anderson (2-0, 2.38) will start for the A’s and LHP John Means (1-0, 1.59) will take the ball for Baltimore.

Bummed Out: Padres get to Giants’ ace and their bullpen in 6-5 comeback win

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Two contrasting themes of the early 2019 baseball season were reinforced on Monday night: the Giants are starting the season with a whimper, while the Padres are finishing games with a bang.

Kevin Pillar’s grand slam gave the Giants a 5-0 lead in the fourth, the first slam by a Giant in nearly two seasons. But it didn’t hold up. The Padres responded with a homer in each of the next three innings, and the visitors shocked the home team with a 6-5, come-from-behind, series-opening win.

“With the offense we have, we’re never out of a game,” said Padres’ starter Eric Lauer, who allowed the Pillar grand slam, but was still the pitcher of record when San Diego capped their rally in the seventh. “You know they’re going to produce at some point.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered off Bumgarner ahead of Eric Hosmer’s leadoff walk in the fifth. Will Myers also connected off Bumgarner leading off the sixth. And with the Giants clinging to a 5-4 lead, pinch hitter Franmil Reyes hit a two-run shot off Reyes Moronta in the seventh.

“I was already hyped, because what my teammates were doing. I was ready for that moment,” Reyes said.

For the Giants, Pillar’s blast was exactly what the struggling club needed, until it wasn’t all they needed. The Giants scored just 25 runs in their first 10 games, their most tepid beginning on offense since they moved West in 1958. That painfully rough start to the season prompted several roster changes. Pillar was acquired from Toronto last week, and power-hitting first baseman Tyler Austin was acquired in a trade with the Twins Monday, and immediately plugged into the starting lineup.

While Pillar’s slam represented a turnaround, the Giants’ hit total (5, three singles, double, home run) was more of the same. Lauer escaped further damage, retiring seven of the final eight batters he faced. The San Diego bullpen followed suit, retiring nine of 11. After Buster Posey doubled leading off the eighth, Brandon Crawford struck out, Evan Longoria and Yangervis Solarte grounded out. Posey’s double stood as the Giants’ only hit over the final five frames.

Bumgarner’s presence in the mid-inning collapse made it that much tougher. The Giants’ ace has made three starts, but doesn’t have a win.

“You spot him five runs, it’s a real uphill climb. Our guys made that climb today,” Padres’ manager Andy Green said. “It was really special to come back against a guy like that.”

“I feel like we played a good game,” Bumgarner said. “There was a lot of home runs. Too many home runs.”

The Padres improved to 7-4 on the season, with four of those wins against the Giants, who fell to 3-8.

Derek Holland and San Diego’s Joey Luchessi get starting assignments in Tuesday’s newfangled 6:45pm start.

WINNING MANAGERS SOUND COOL AFTER THE GAME: Of course, Andy Green does it. The 41-year old Padres’ manager doesn’t stray from character in sounding cool amongst his players, who aren’t that much younger than him. 63-year old Bruce Bochy does it occasionally, which points to the retiring manager maintaining a keen ear inside his clubhouse.

Colorado’s Bud Black does it. Clint Hurdle and Bob Melvin too. And the silver-tongued Joe Maddon might be the all-time best.

All these loquacious big league managers can succinctly recap a ballgame in their postgame pressers, and keep it fresh by sprinkling in descriptions using the newest, hottest phrasings.

Green was gushing Monday in recounting his club’s come-from-behind win over the Giants. Firstly, he championed in his starter, Eric Lauer, who Green said had “everything coming out hot” with the exception of the pitches in his fourth inning hiccup.

But Green was just getting warmed up, saving his best for describing his never-say-die, Padres’ offense.

“It starts very subtly sometimes with a very grind walk from Hosmer before Tatis hits that home run. And the bench production we’re getting is borderline ridiculous right now,” Green said. “Everybody who comes off that bench realizes they’re being deployed as a weapon and they’re impacting baseballs in a profound way. … So just a really good team win.”

 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: US Government cancels MLB deal with Cuba

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Photo credit: seattletimes.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Trump administration on Monday declared a December deal between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation illegal. That would have allowed Cuban athletes to play in this country without having to defect the island. This was intended to prevent Cuban players from risky escapes. Kendrys Morales, now playing with the A’s, unsuccessfully tried for nine times before he finally could escape to the US. Cuban players are sometimes with paid smugglers, and at other times on their own in home-made crafts. The deal was similar to those countries in the Major Leagues with foreign players, like Japan and other countries. The American baseball clubs would pay to those countries for the rights to acquire their players.

I believe this was the right decision because the Cuban government was trying to make money using their players as chips in a country with no freedom of movement. This deal would have only benefited the Cuban government, who for over half century has ruled the Cuban people, under a dictatorship. It was Cuba who abolished professional sports, including baseball, in 1961 when communist dictator Fidel Castro gave the order.

To this day, the average Cuban citizen still risk their life to defect the island. The deal that was abolished gave preference just to Cuban baseball players and not the regular non-baseball Cuban citizen. This is the hypocrisy of the Cuban dictatorship that was willing to use Cuban players to leave the island legally while making money from MLB, while the average Cuban citizen could not take advantage of such a thing. The difference here is that although the US has similar deals with Japan and other baseball-playing countries, these are all countries with friendly relations and commerce with the US. Cuba does not. The Cuban government still maintain the line of the old Russian/Soviet Union communist system of hostility towards the US.

As recently as late last year, US diplomats at the US Embassy in Havana were mysteriously getting sick — at least 25 of them were ill. I do not believe that government should interfere with sports, but in the case of what Cuba has been trying to do with their baseball players, I agree with the new policy. I am sure that Cuban baseball players will continue arriving in the US, because like any pro baseball player, their goal and dream is to make it to the MLB.

I never forgot the last time I sat and talk with Cuban baseball star Orestes “Minnie” Minoso in Chicago in 2007. He sat with me on the radio broadcast, as I was doing the LA Angels’ play-by-play in Spanish and when I asked him about the first time he arrived from Cuba to play in the MLB, he told me: “When I first arrived in the US in 1949 I would have played for free just for the privilege to be in the Major Leagues” Years later(in the 1950’s) Minoso signed a $25,000 contract with the Chicago White Sox, at that time one of the most lucrative contracts for a Hispanic player in baseball.

Note: In 1958 the average salary in the US was $10,000 per year, a new car $1,900 to $3,000, gas was .24 cents per gallon, bread was 0.19 cents a loaf, and a first-class postage stamp was 0.4 cents.

The dream of all Cuban baseball players is that someday their country can truly be free and allow their people to travel freely in and out of the island — therefore, giving them the opportunity to come to the US to play baseball. Minoso and many others had that opportunity, but today, Cuban players have been denied the freedom of travel since 1960. That was a law established by the Cuban dictatorship and not by an US administration.

For most of us who are spoiled with technology, it was until 2018 that the Cuban government allowed internet access via cell phones to their 11.2 million citizens.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants getting the pitching, but hitting stays quiet

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photo from sfgate.com: Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier, center, scores a run past San Francisco Giants catcher Erik Kratz, left, as umpire Tripp Gibson, right, watches during the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, April 7, 2019.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Giants pitching have kept what some say the Giants in some games from being a blowout.

#2 Giants pitcher Derek Rodriguez gave up two home runs early in this last start. Was this a matter of just having a rough start or do you think the hitters have picked up on how to hit him?

#3 The Giants have lost seven of their last ten games this hasn’t been much of a surprise knowing their offense average would be down.

#4 Giants first baseman Brandon Belt says the offense hasn’t clicked yet, but it’s a good opportunity for the offense to click and to look forward to.

#5 Giants starter Drew Pomeranz gave up six hits, two runs, three walks, and five strikeouts in the 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay Sunday,

Morris does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chirinos and Diaz set tone in Rays’ 3-0 win over Giants

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Photo credit: @RaysBaseball

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Yandy Diaz must have liked coming to Oracle Park for the first time in his major-league career.

Diaz, who homered in the opener of the series, hit his second home run of the series in the top of the first inning and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-0 before a crowd of 31,574 at Oracle Park.

The Diaz home run was originally ruled a single; however, Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call and after a brief review, the call was reversed and Diaz picked up his third home run of the season and first career leadoff home run.

Yonny Chirinos went five innings, allowing two hits, walking just one and striking out five and he raised his record to 2-0 on the season.

This is the first time since the 2007 season in Bruce Bochys first season as manager that the Giants have lost their first three series in a season. That season, the Giants lost two out of three against the San Diego Padres, were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and then lost two out of three against the Padres at Petco Park.

Chirinos did not give up a hit until Eric Kratz blooped a single just out of the reach of Rays second baseman Daniel Robertson.

Kratz was thrown out at second base attempting steal to end the bottom of the third for the Giants.

Tommy Pham did it again, as he reached base for the 42nd straight game, extending his own record. Pham singled in the top of the first inning, and then walked in the top of the third inning.

Evan Longoria singled off of Chirinos in the bottom of the fourth inning, and then Brandon Crawford walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth for the only Giants runners off of Chirinos in his five innings of work.

Drew Pomeranz went four innings in his Oracle Park debut for the Giants, as he gave up two runs on six hits, walking three and striking out five and lost for the first time this season.

Joe Panik barely missed a chance to reach in the bottom of the first inning, as he was originally called safe on a groundball hit to Willy Adames; however, Cash challenged the call and it was reversed after just 27 seconds.

The Rays pulled off some bizarre defensive shifts in the bottom of the seventh, as Adam Kolarek began the inning on the mound for what was to be his second inning; however, Cash moved to Diaz to third base and then Kolarek to first base and Chaz Roe went to the mound.

After a few batters, Kolarek went back to the mound, Diaz to first base and Brandon Lowe went to third base.

This was not the first time that the Rays have done this trick, as Cash and the Rays did twice last season.

Closer Jose Alvarado did it last season on June 26 against the Washington Nationals, and then former Giants closer Sergio Romo participated in the routine on July 25 against the New York Yankees. Both Alvarado and Romo moved to third base before returning to the mound.

In all, Kolarek went 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and striking out two, while Rowe went 0.1 innings, striking out one.

The Rays tacked on a run in the top of the eighth inning, as Kevin Kiermaier scored on a balk by Nick Vincent.

Kiermaier tripled to right field off Vincent with one out in the inning.

NOTES: Over the past nine seasons, the quartet of Brandon Belt, Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey have played for Bruce Bochy during that entire time.

According to STATS, LLC., this quartet is tied with the 1982-1990 Detroit Tigers (Sparky Anderson, Chet Lemon, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker) and the 1981-1989 Los Angeles Dodgers (Tommy Lasorda, Mike Marshall, Alejandro Pena, Mike Scioscia and Fernando Valenzuela).

These three teams are behind the 11 years together of the New York Yankees (Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams).

After going down in order in the bottom of the first inning, the Giants are now 1-for-31 (.032) with a hit by a pitch.

Crawford extended his hitting streak up to eight games, when he singled in the bottom of the seventh inning. During the streak, Crawford is 9-for-27 (.333).

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner makes his 2019 home debut on Monday night, as he looks for his first win of the season, while Eric Lauer looks for his second win of the season, as he takes the mound for the San Diego Padres.

Astros use five pitchers to shutout the A’s 6-0 on Saturday night in Houston

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stros 1
Graphic: @athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (6-6) lost their second consecutive game to the Houston Astros on Saturday as they were shutout by a combination of five Houston pitchers. The managed to pick up six hits off the Astros pitching, but only one of those hits was for extra bases.

Oakland went 0-for-5 with RISP and left a total of nine men on base. They struck out seven times and picked up four walks. It was a classic night where strong pitching dominated professional hitting.

Houston Hurlers

stros - wade
Wade Miley on the mound Photo: @Astros

Wade Miley made the start for the Astros and worked 5.2-innings. Miley gave up no runs on four hits. He struck out four A’s batters and walked two hitters. Miley threw 95 pitches (56 strikes). He was credited with the win, which was his first for the season.

Will Harris, Josh James, Chris Devenski, and Framber Valdez combined to work 3.1-innings of scoreless relief for the Astros. The four relievers gave up just two hits and walked no Oakland hitters. The relief corps combined for three strikeouts.

Houston Offense (4-5)

Free-agent addition Michael Brantley led the Astros attack with the bat by going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. Brantley hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning which was his second HR of the season.

Yuli Gurriel had a 3-for-4 day with the bat. He added one RBI to his season total.

George Springer went 2-for-4 in the game versus A’s pitching. Springer hit his third home run of the young season off Aaron Brooks in the fifth inning. The round-tripper was a two-run shot.

The Astros scored six runs off 11 hits while leaving six runners on base.

A’s Pitching

Aaron Brooks really struggled in innings four, five and six. Brooks gave up five runs on nine hits. All five runs were earned. Brooks struck out two and walked out one. He also gave up two home runs.

The A’s used three relief pitchers–Yusmeiro Petit, Liam Hendricks, and Ryan Buchter, combined–to work the final three innings. They gave up no runs off just two hits. The relievers walked one and struck out two Astro hitters.

Brooks was charged with the loss – his first of the season. Brooks record is now 1-1 on the year.

Oakland hitting

Stephen Piscotty was the A’s leader with the bat. He went 2-for-3 at the plate and picked up the only Oakland extra-base hit. Piscotty also reached base via a walk.

Khris Davis, Chad Pinder, Kendrys Morales, and Mark Canha each picked up a base hit off Houston pitching.

Unfortunately for A’s fans, the Oakland hitters were unable to put those hits together to produce runs.

BoMel’s Thoughts

Manager Bob Melvin reaction after the game was that his team ran up against some great pitching and that is sometimes just too much to overcome. In other words, tomorrow is another day.

Up Next

The A’s and Astros will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday with a game that is scheduled to begin at 11:10 AM on Sunday morning. RHP Mike Fiers will make his fourth start of the season. His record is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

RHP Brad Peacock will make the start for the Astros. It will be his second start of the season. Peacock is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA.

Bergen gets first win and Joe gets first hit in Giants’ 6-4 win over Rays

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — With another loss looming on the horizon, Brandon Belt put a stop to that with one swing of the bat.

Belt hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays before a crowd of 31,828 at Oracle Park.

In their first nine games this season, seven of the nine games have been decided two runs or less.

The big fifth inning made a winner out of Travis Bergen, who faced one batter in the top of the fifth inning.

It was the first major league victory for Bergen, in his fifth major league appearance out of the bullpen.

Not only did Belt make a big play with his bat, but he also made one with his glove in the top of the sixth inning, as he made diving stab on a Daniel Robertson hit ball that Belt snared and threw to Sam Dyson, who ran over to cover at first base.

That was the second best defensive play of the day, as Kevin Pillar made a diving catch in the top of the fifth inning that saved a run.

Joe Panik got the eventual game-winning rally started in the bottom of the fifth inning, then Connor Joe picked up his major league hit and then Steven Duggar hit a two-run double that gave the Giants the lead for good.

Following the Duggar double, Belt launched a two-run home run to the opposite field for his third home run of the season.

The Rays got on the board in the top of the first inning, as Ji-Man Choi doubled in Tommy Pham, who walked with one out in the inning.

Duggar tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning , when he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Pillar and then Belt singled in Panik.

Giants starter Jeff Samardzija went 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking just one and striking out four.

Rays opener Ryne Stanek went two innings, and striking out two before giving way to Jalen Beeks, who also pitched two innings.

Ryan Yarbrough pitched three innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking one and striking two.

NOTES: This was the smallest crowd to see a Giants game at home since September 1, 2010, when the Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 2-1 before just 31,186.

Also, it was the smallest crowd at a Giants game in the month of April since April 27, 2010 against the Philadelphia Phillies, a game that the Giants won 6-2 in front of 31,792.

The Giants are now 8-6 all-time versus the Rays, and 3-2 at Oracle Park. This is the Rays first trip to San Francisco since the 2002 season, when the Giants swept the Rays.

As for the Rays, this was the 1,700th road game in team history, and they are now 718-982 all-time away from Tropicana Field since the team was founded in 1998.

UP NEXT: Drew Pomeranz makes his Giants debut as a starter at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, while the Rays will send Yonny Chirinos to the bump in the series finale.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Exhausted, old, and living in the past, the Giants better get used to last place

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photo from nbcbayareasports.com: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy doffs his cap to the fans at the introduction of the Giants at the home opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday afternoon vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There is no guarantee sellout at SBC, Pac Bell, AT&T or Oracle Park anymore for San Francisco Giants fans and the dream of another World Series trophy in the near future is just that — a dream.

Looking at the National League West, there is little doubt that even the Padres have much more life, youth and talent than the aging Giants. You want a good surgeon,with lots of experience to operate on you, but in today’s baseball, youth is what is driving the game, not experience. Giants tried to sign Bryce Harper to a short two-year deal, but truth be said,why would he play in San Francisco, in a ballpark that is anything but a hitting paradise, when he could and did, wound up signing a lifelong contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, who play in a park that is truly a power-hitters dream.

Most teams are getting younger and younger, but the Giants obviously never got the memo, they live on days past,not on the present. Giants are anything but exciting. Their hitting is pathetic, they have no speed, and although their pitching is not bad, they feel a tremendous amount of pressure because when they are down early in a game, they can’t come back.

The most exciting player for the Giants is a guy who is getting paid by the Red Sox. Yes, Pablo Sandoval, who has been relegated to the most difficult job in the game, a pinch-hitter, and he seems to deliver, energize and excite the fans. Sandoval has all the passion that this team lacks.

The Giants made lots of mistakes giving huge contracts to players, whose best years were in the past: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto Jeff Samardzija, and Evan Longoria. There lies most of the big money on their payroll. They did this to please their fanbase. Loyalty might be very important in politics, when when it comes to baseball? Winning three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014 recruited thousands of new Giants fans, but this is the Bay Area, and unless you are the Warriors, who just win, there comes a time where you cannot please your fans.

The Giants have a great propaganda machine in the Bay Area. When the Oakland A’s were winning titles and the Giants were not, the Giants were the favorite team to cover for the media, but I also remember when I could not give away free tickets for the Giants at Candlestick Park.

I was there to call the first ever game at what is today Oracle Park, back in the year 2000. The park was the talk of town, people were going to see the beautiful new facility, and even people that have never seen a baseball game, I remember a tourist family in SF from Italy that I met as they were walking to the park, just to be there. 10 years later, the people were going to see a championship team. The park is already 19 years old.

I looked at all the rosters in the NL West, and I just could not find a team inferior to the Giants starting this 2019 season.

It is early, yes, and although it might seem like a pessimistic look at these Giants, I am truly a realist, I like to look at the half of the glass that is full, rather than the half that is empty, but at this time, the Giants are empty. The Dodgers will win the division again, and it should not be even close, but the most interesting team in the NL West are the Padres, not only they signed Manny Machado, but Fernando Tatis Jr., the youngest player in the MLB, is truly an exciting player with great talent, an All-Star shortstop in the making. The Padres have lots of young and up and coming players, and I do not think they are a last place team anymore.

The Giants better get used to last place.

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