Tag: mlb

Schoop’s grand slam send Giants to their eighth straight loss 6-3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @CarlDeff

By Jeremy Kahn

Jonathan Schoop came up with the biggest hit of the day when the Milwaukee Brewers needed it the most.

Schoop hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave the Brewers the lead for good on their way to a 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park on Sunday afternoon.

The win by the Brewers helped them sweep the Giants, who went 0-6 on the road trip and have lost eight games in a row overall.

Madison Bumgarner allowed the grand slam to Schoop just after Bumgarner hit Ryan Braun in the back that forced the Brewers players to come out of the dugout and led to the ejection of manager Craig Counsell by home plate umpire Tom Hallion.

It was a bit of sweet redemption for Schoop, who struck out in his first at-bats against Bumgarner and then in the bottom of the sixth, he launched a Bumgarner pitch over the wall to give the Brewers a 5-2. This was the fourth home run for Schoop as a member of the Brewers since July 31 from the Baltimore Orioles.

Bumgarner was looking for the Giants, as he was cruising into the sixth inning and the Giants led 2-1. Braun doubled off Bumgarner in the first inning that scored a run, but he then retired the next 15 batters before he gave up a walk to Christian Yelich with two outs in that fateful sixth inning.

After the Yelich walk, Bumgarner gave up a single to Jesus Aguilar, which allowed Braun to come to the plate. The first pitch to Braun was inside, and then Bumgarner threw another pitch inside that ended with a stare down between the two. Bumgarner then hit Braun to load the bases, and brought the Brewers players out of the dugout, and eventually led to the ejection of Counsell, who was upset that there was no warning given to Bumgarner.

With the victory, the Brewers were able to maintain their 2.5 game for the top wild card spot over the St. Louis Cardinals, who defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 at Comerica Park.

The eight straight losses for the Giants is a season-high, as they cut the Brewers lead down to two in the top of the eighth inning, as Austin Slater hit an RBI triple; however, Schoop put the finishing touches on the game, as he drove in a run with a Fielders’ Choice in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Bumgarner ended up going six innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking just one and striking out four.

Gregor Blanco gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly off of Brewers starter Zach Davies, who was not involved in the decision. Corbin Burnes picked up his fourth win of the season, as he struck out two of the four batters that he faced and Corey Knuble went 1.1 innings of perfect ball to nail down his 15th save in 18 opportunities.

Blanco gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as he hit a Davies pitch over the right field wall for his second home run of the season.

NOTES: Ryder Jones started at first base for Brandon Belt, who was scratched from the game with a sore right knee on Saturday night came on in the top of the fifth inning, to replace Jones, who was forced to leave the game with a dislocated knee after he fouled off a pitch.

UP NEXT: The Giants will return home to host the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series starting Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Dereck Rodriguez will take to the AT&T Park mound on Monday, as he looks to stop to the bleeding of this eight-game losing streak against the National League East leading Atlanta Braves, who will send Sean Newcomb to the mound.

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Ex-D-Back helps Braves to defeat old mates; New hero every day for Oakland A’s–Olson helps beat Rangers; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: theathletic.com

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel:

1 Beware of the boomerang! Ex-D-Back helps Braves defeat Arizona and its imploding bullpen.

2 Matt Olson, playing off the bench, helps A’s beat Texas.

3 Top White Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech has UCL tear, likely candidate for Tommy John surgery.

4 Tigers announcers suspended after brawl; fight started over a chair and ended with a chokehold.

Daniel Dullum does the MLB The Show podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

After 4-3 loss in Milwaukee, Giants’ losing streak now stands at seven

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that this nightmare of a road trip will never come to a close for the San Francisco Giants.

Gio Gonzalez made his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers a memorable one, as he received a standing ovation, as he allowed an unearned run on just three hits in 5.2 innings of work and the Brewers defeated the Giants 4-3 at Miller Park on Saturday.

Gonzalez, who was making his Brewers debut after being acquired from the Washington Nationals on August 31, also retired 16 of the 21 batters he faced.

The Brewers now lead the National League Wild Card by 2.5 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost 4-3 to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Christian Yelich hit his 28th home run of the season, his first season with the Brewers after beginning his career with the Miami Marlins.

Travis Shaw also hit his 28th home run of the season, as he got the Brewers on the board in the bottom of the first off of eventual losing pitcher Chris Stratton.

The Brewers also got RBIs from Mike Moustakas, who drove in a run with a double and Orlando Arcia drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Austin Slater drove in the Giants first run of the game in the top of the fifth inning, as he hit a line out to Yelich, to score Chase d’Arnaud, who was originally called out by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi; however, after a review, d’Arnaud was called safe for the Giants first run of the evening.

Ryder Jones got the Giants within one run in the top of the eighth inning, as he hit a two-run pinch hit home run.

Stratton went just five innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking three and striking out six, as his record fell to 9-9 on the season and the Giants have now lost seven games in a row.

NOTES: Brandon Crawford was not in the lineup again, but did make a pinch-hit appearance in the top of the eighth inning, where he walked. Brandon Belt was a late scratch at first base, as d’Arnaud started at first in his place.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Brewers conclude their series with a Sunday finale at 11:10 am PDT.

Madison Bumgarner looks to stop the losing streak on Sunday, as he takes the mound for the Giants. Zach Davies looks for his third win of the season, as the Brewers goes for the series sweep.

MLB The Show podcast with Matt Harrington: Tigers’ announcers–will they be through after brawling?; Angels’ Ohtani and his Tommy John case; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit Detroit Free Press: Rod Allen, left, and Mario Impemba in the Fox Sports Detroit studio in 2006.(Photo: David P. Gilkey, DFP)

On the MLB The Show podcast with Matt:

#1 On Tuesday night, Detroit Tigers broadcasters Rod Allen and Mario Impemba got into a physical altercation in the broadcast booth in Chicago. The argument was over a chair. Both broadcasters have been suspended for the rest of the month.

#2 The Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani can still swing the bats with no problem it’s that he can’t pitch and it’s looking pretty apparent that Ohtani will have Tommy John surgery. Ohtani is making good contact as a hitter, but the surgery will certainly set him back.

#3 Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia won’t return for 2018 because of discomfort from surgery from last year with a cartilage replacement in the left knee. The Sox have been using Ian Kinsler for second base.

#4 How big is it to get Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who will be activated from the DL Tuesday, against the Toronto Blue Jays? Sale is on tap to be used for openers for the rest of the way.

#5 The San Francisco Giants are playing the Milwaukee Brewers. The Giants are 10 games out of first place and have lost six straight. For the Giants, will we see them using the call up or will they be trying to be spoilers in Milwaukee?

Matt does the MLB The Show each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Laureano Better Than Big Mac, Canseco in A’s 8-4 Win over Texas

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SportingGreenSF

By: Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND–Just think where the Oakland Athletics might be if they’d called Ramon Laureano up sooner. Maybe a 3.5 game division deficit is actually a division lead at this time. The 24 year old rookie has won games for the A’s with his glove, his arm, his baserunning and his bat since getting the call August 3rd and Friday night was no different.

The speedy center fielder became the first Athletic to have two multi-homer games in his first thirty big league appearances, going deep twice in the A’s 8-4 win over the Rangers at the Coliseum on Friday night. He joins the Bash Brothers, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco as the only players in A’s history to accomplish the feat in the first 50 games of their careers.

The A’s needed the win with the Astros rallying past the Red Sox and the New York Yankees dispatching of the team directly below the A’s in the Wild Card standings. A loss would have pushed Oakland 4 1/2 games back of each team. The A’s pounced on Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo, plating five runs of him in just 4 1/3 innings.

Laureano put the Rangers on the ropes in his first at bat of the game, working his way into the leadoff spot after earning manager Bob Melvin’s trust over a first cup of coffee that includes a .309 batting average in 81 at-bats. Laureano rewarded his manager with a solo shot to center field, his 4th homer of the year already, to give the A’s a 1-0 lead just one batter into their licks at the dish.

Marcus Semien hit his 12th long ball of the season with a runner on in the bottom of the 2nd inning, then the rally continued till Matt Chapman’s two-run single made it 5-0 A’s.

Joey Gallo did what he does best, crushing two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the top of the 4th. Bassitt, the second man out of the pen after Liam Hendriks served as “opener” once again, allowed three runs over his three innings of work.

Yusmeiro Petit was credited with the win for his work pitching the fifth and sixth innings despite the A’s already being up 5-2. He got some major run support when Laureano blasted another solo shot, this time off reliever Adrian Sampson. Sampson would get tagged for another pair after an error and three straight singles put Oakland up 8-3.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the A’s. Fernando Rodney labored for his appearance in the seventh inning. He gave up one run, his fourth of September in just 2 2/3 innings and it could have been much worse. Ronald Guzman hit a ball that appeared to hit the top of the wall in right, but was ruled a double and scored only one run. Rodney walked the bases loaded with two outs, but Ryan Buchter came in and got the deep fly out from Rougned Odor to escape the big inning.

Jeurys Familia also struggled in his inning of work after getting one out, but giving up a hit to Nomar Mazara, a walk to Adrian Beltre and an RBI double to  Gallo to pull Texas within four at 8-4. He’d get the final to outs and turn the game over to the closer Blake Treinen. Treinen, a dark horse Cy Young candidate, finished off the ninth in his usual dominant fashion to give the A’s the final 8-4 lead.

The A’s and Rangers will continue their series with game two on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

The A’s will send one of their few true starters to the hill, Edwin Jackson, a journeyman with a 5-3 record and 2.91 ERA. He’s locked in a battle with Mike Fiers to determine who will pitch in the one-game playoff come October if needed. He’ll be opposed by Yohander Mendez, a southpaw with a 1-1 record and 5.59 ERA.

Jesus Aguilar sends the Giants to their sixth straight loss 4-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @INDeporteVE

By Jeremy Kahn

Jesus Aguilar usually hits the ball very far, but the Milwaukee Brewers power hitter kept the ball in the ballpark and it helped his team in a huge way.

Aguilar hit a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning off of Tony Watson, as the Brewers defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2 at Miller Park on Friday night.

Losing pitcher Hunter Strickland started the seventh inning, but after walking back-to-back pinch hitters in, Curtis Granderson and Eric Thames, Strickland was replaced by Watson, who gave up the eventual game-winning double to Aguilar.

With the victory, the Brewers increased their lead in the wild card race to a 1.5 games over the charging St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the Detroit Tigers on a walk-off home run by Jose Castellanos in the bottom of the ninth inning at Comerica Park, by the final score of 5-3.

On the other side of things, it could not have gotten any worse for the Giants, who have lost six games in a row and are now a season-high six games under .500.

Josh Hader pitched two strong innings to pick-up his fifth win of the season, Joakim Soria got through the Giants in the top of the eighth and then Jeremy Jeffress closed it out to notch his ninth save of the season.

Bruce Bochy was not around to see the end of the game, as the Giants manager was ejected in the top of the ninth inning after arguing the strike zone with home plate umpire Adam Hamari. Bochy was ejected from the game after Nick Hundley was called out on a low strike call, and then Bochy came out to add his two cents before he got the heave-ho from Hamari.

Derek Holland once again pitched a great game, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on just two hits, walking five and striking out a season-high tying eight. It was the fourth time this season that Holland notched eight strikeouts in a game.

The Brewers got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when they got their only hits off of Holland, as Lorenzo Cain singled and then after then two outs later, Ryan Braun hit his 15th home run of the season.

Chris Shaw got the Giants on the board in the top of the fourth inning, as his groundout scored Evan Longoria, who hit back-to-back singles with Brandon Belt and the two advanced an additional 90 feet on a Chase Anderson wild pitch and then Longoria scored the first run of the night on the Shaw groundout.

Alen Hanson tied up the game, as he led off the top of the fifth inning with his eighth home run of the season off of Anderson, who gave up his National League leading 29th home run of the season. Anderson, who like Holland, did not fare in the decision, went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out five.

NOTES: Once again, Brandon Crawford was out of the starting lineup for the Giants, but he was available to pinch-hit for the Giants. Crawford last started for the Giants on Monday after missing the previous three games with a sore left knee. Crawford last played on Tuesday, but sat out Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field and with the off-day on Thursday, Bochy said that he is listed as day-to-day.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Brewers play in game two of the series on Saturday at 4:10 pm PDT.

Chris Stratton will go for his 10th win for the Giants, while the Brewers will send Gio Gonzalez to the mound. This will be the first start as a member of the Brewers for Gonzalez, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals on August 31.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s need every win in this Rangers series starting tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 The Houston Astros never quit. They’re just 3 1/2 games ahead of the A’s with five straight wins and a convincing win over the Minnesota Twins 9-1 on Wednesday at Minute Maid Field.

#2 Alex Bergman hit for five RBIs on Wednesday as the Astros have some different player to come through every other day and they manage to stay ahead of the A’s in what can be called a real race in the AL West.

#3 The A’s meanwhile beat the New York Yankees two out of three and they out foxed and outbombed the Bronx Bombers’ best pitcher Luis Severino 8-2 with some early hitting.

#4 The A’s go up against the Texas Rangers tonight. The Rangers are 26 games out of first place. The season is finished for the Rangers, but as they say in the show, anything can happen on any given day and the A’s need every game of this series.

#5 The A’s need this series if they want to continue to chip away at the Astros. It starts Friday night at the Coliseum, the Rangers will start Yovani Gallardo (8-3) and the A’s will start Chris Bassitt (2-3).

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants expecting big things from new second baseman Abiatal Avelino

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 In the Andrew McCutchen deal that sent him to the New York Yankees, it gave the Giants a young prospect that’s maybe the key to this deal in acquiring Abiatal Avelino a promising second baseman.

#2 Avelino thought that when he got the call to go the show. He thought he was going to New York to replace injured second baseman Greyber Torres, but he found out he was being traded to San Francisco for Andrew McCutchen.

#3 Avelino wasn’t disappointed about coming to SF realizing he’ll have a better chance at starting in the Giants’ rebuild. Also, what does that mean for second baseman Joe Panik’s future with the Giants?

#4 The Giants take a five-game losing streak into Milwaukee tonight. The Brewers are in the hunt. Is this going to be a series on what the call ups can do or can they get up for this game and take it to the Brew Crew and play spoilers?

#5 Also, talk about the Rockies’ Trevor Story, who hit three home runs Wednesday night and 31 for the year, and how Giants pitcher Andrew Suarez just couldn’t contain him.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Exclusive Interview With WFAN’s Suzyn Waldman

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NYDNSports

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The New York Yankees paid their recent visit to the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. Prior to the last game of the three-game series, I spoke with WFAN’s Suzyn Waldman, who handles commentary on all Yankee games with play-by-play man John Sterling.

Suzyn has been broadcasting sports for 32 years. This interview was conducted inside her broadcast booth at the Coliseum a good three hours prior to the game that night.

Q: Suzyn, how did you got started in sports broadcasting after 30 years of doing this?

A: Oh boy, well when I started I was in theater before I did this and musical theater it was changing and the only other thing I knew was sports, because I had my own season-tickets at baseball games with my grandfather when I was three and I was a sports person, but it was always my avocation, because little girls didn’t do that, and I was on Broadway and I sang and dance did all that and I go to ballgames, and…a friend of mine who used to be the announcer for the Boston Red Sox, Ken Coleman–we were very very close friends he said, “you know I have a friend and this next year they are starting this thing in New York it’s going to be called WFAN…and I told him he’s going to meet you, because you know more about sports than anybody I know and you’re female and they’re going to need a woman so I made a tape.

I didn’t know what I was doing and I was hired to do updates, I was actually the first voice on WFAN in 1987 so that’s the beginning, but then I realized that nobody wanted me there because I was female, so then it became something else and it became don’t you dare to talk to me like that, and don’t you tell me I don’t know because I am female…and so that’s how that started with people saying “no.”

Q: How do you feel being a pioneer? Actually there still not that many women in sports broadcasting in baseball like, say Jessica Mendoza, anymore.

A: Well I wasn’t trying to be a pioneer, I was just trying to make a living and I didn’t like being told I didn’t know anything…to tell you the truth I expected there to be a lot more women, it is just me in the broadcast booth, I know Jessica does ESPN, but it is only one game a week … it is just me and I am waiting for someone else to do this I know there are women down in the minor leagues trying to to this to get a chance or whether or not they give up, I think there is no failures. It’s just people that give up too soon.

Q: Is this more fun that playing Dulcinea in Man of LaMancha?

A: Nothing is more fun that being Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha. You know I did get over theater, although I miss it everyday, but I am still on stage. This a different stage, but I’m still performing. I don’t sing and dance anymore and I don’t get applause … Yeah, I miss theater everyday … but this is important and this is where I should be”

Q: Your best message for a young female that aspires to be in sports broadcasting like you maybe in baseball.

A: Think of what you can do that’s difference from everybody else go and look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I have a different way of looking at this, and I am going to do this, don’t let anybody stop you, because people are going to say no, you do commercials on television, you’ll get 200 no, before you get a commercial, but don’t let people tell you ‘no.'” You will know … and don’t want to be me, don’t want to be Jessica, just be you, because if you take my job is just one, but if it’s you, then there are two of us. Don’t let anybody stop you.

It was truly a pleasure to interview Suzyn for the first time, despite the fact we’ve known each other for decades during baseball games at many parks across the country.

Amaury Pi-González is the Spanish voice of the A’s and since 2016, he’s in the Advisory Board of the American Sportscasters Association in New York City.

Giants starting to play out the string in upcoming series against the Brewers

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

It’s quite evident that the Giants are not going to make the playoffs – Buster Posey having season-ending surgery and the team trading Andrew McCutchen after a little more than half a season more than showed they have waved the right flag – so they might as well mess things up for teams that are still contending.

They can start with this weekend’s three-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, which starts Friday night at Miller Park. The Giants just got finished getting their heads handed to them by the Rockies in Colorado (what else is new?) in getting swept in a three-game series at Coors Field.

So if they are going to play spoiler–or if they think they actually have a chance in grabbing a wild-card spot in the National League–they will need to get things back on track very quickly.

The Giants’ Derek Holland (7-8, 3.56 ERA) will take the ball Friday night against the Brewers’ Chase Anderson (9-7, 3.96 ERA).

Anderson has won each of his last three decisions, and in his last outing, he went five innings and gave up only a run on four hits in a loss to Washington, although he got a no-decision. Holland, meanwhile, has won each of his last two decisions, while he has spent some time in the bullpen this season.

The left-hander went six innings in a loss to the Mets at home–he got a no-decision–and he also gave up only a run and surrendered only four hits in the process.

Chris Stratton (9-8, 4.90 ERA), who has spent some time in Triple-A Sacramento this year, will go Saturday afternoon, and he will face Milwaukee lefty–and former Nationals and A’s standout–Gio Gonzalez.

Stratton has been stellar in his past two starts, although he lost his last outing in a 4-1 loss to the Mets four days ago, when he gave up only a pair of runs on three hits over six innings. The outing before, he shut out the Diamondbacks over eight innings, giving up only five hits and striking out six in a 2-0 win.

On Sunday, Madison Bumgarner (5-5, 3.07 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants and opposite the Brewers’ Zach Davies (2-5, 4.88 ERA).