Tag: mlb

Giants strike first, but end up losing to Rangers 7-6 in 10 innings

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Ana Kieu

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants had hoped to build their win streak when they returned to AT&T Park, where they welcomed the Texas Rangers for a three-game series that began on Friday night.

Prior to Friday’s game, Dereck Rodriguez, who missed the Giants’ last 10 games with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, was reinstated from the 10-day DL. Following Thursday’s game, Casey Kelly was optioned to triple-A Sacramento.

Speaking of Dereck, his father Pudge was in attendance to watch his rookie son play like any proud Papa would. And, of course, the Rangers’ Twitter had to sarcastically ask Pudge who he was going to root for tonight.

In case you didn’t know, Pudge played the majority of his MLB career with the Rangers as a catcher from 1991-2002. Pudge was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. in his first year of eligibility on January 18, 2017. Pudge received 76% of the votes at the time.

Nathan Aung threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Giants. Aung did a darn good job like when he last threw the first pitch at the Giants vs. Dodgers game at AT&T Park on August 22, 2013.

The Giants got on the board first, thanks to Andrew McCutchen, who hit his 15th home run of the season and 10th career leadoff homer. San Francisco had a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Giants continued to roll in the bottom of the first. Evan Longoria’s RBI single scored Joe Panik for a 2-0 lead. Then, Brandon Crawford’s sac fly allowed Buster Posey to score for a 3-0 lead. And then Alec Hanson’s sac fly that drove in Brandon Belt for a 4-0 lead.

The Giants led the Rangers 4-0 after the first. Texas had a lot of work to do in order to mount a comeback.

Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth inning, where the Giants continued pouring in the runs. Posey hit a single to score McCutchen for a 5-0 lead. Belt followed up with a single that scored Panik for a 6-0 lead.

The Giants led the Rangers 6-0 after the fourth. The Texas defense hadn’t come up with any answers to suppress the San Francisco offense yet.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Rangers proceeded to score some runs–one apiece in the seventh and eighth innings and two in the ninth inning, which forced the game into extra innings. The Giants fans were delighted to see some free baseball on a cool, cloudy night…just not the end result.

Rangers’ Robinson Chirinos walked and Jurickson Profar scored to lift the Rangers past the Giants 7-6 in 10 innings.

Notes
This weekend, MLB is celebrating Players Weekend, a joint effort between MLB and the MLBPA. Players will be wearing traditional alternate uniforms with nicknames on the back and a patch on their sleeve to pay tribute to a person or persons who aided their career.

Enter the Catch the Cure Tacoma Sweepstakes by donating at busterstacoma.com. You could win Buster’s Toyota Tacoma!

Up Next
The Giants and Rangers meet again Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT. Andrew Suarez (4-9, 4.68 ERA) will take the mound for San Francisco, while Texas will counter with Martin Perez (2-5, 6.93 ERA).

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Was Holland’s racial jokes about Japanese on MLB’s “Intentional Talk” at Giants’ massage therapist intentional?

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photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Derek Holland (45) sits in the dugout during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Washington. Holland apologized Thursday over racially insensitive jokes he made in an interview alongside the team’s massage therapist, who is Japanese. 

On the Giants podcast with Miguel:

#1 San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Holland and Giants massage therapist Haro Ogawa both appeared on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk. On the show, Holland was doing Japanese bows and yelling in pigeon Japanese-mocked accents. Holland later apologized to Ogawa, who is a native from Japan, as well as Giants’ bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu.

#2 The team issued a rather terse and deservedly so statement, “The Giants were disappointed to learn of the Derek Holland’s behavior on Intentional Talk. We do not condone that type of behavior nor does it reflect our organizational values. Derek has taken full responsibility for his actions and has made a public apology.”

#3 We asked Michael what this will do for Holland’s future on the team as the Giants returned home after concluding a four-game series against the Mets in New York on Thursday.

#4 Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is still perfect in New York at 6-0. He picked up a Thursday matinee victory over the New York Mets 3-1. Bumgarner passed former Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum on the Giants wins list with 109.

#5 The Giants open a series tonight against the Texas Rangers at AT&T Park. The Rangers are also coming off a win over the red-hot A’s 4-2 on Wednesday.

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

MadBum gets Giants out of New York with a split following 3-1 win over Mets

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Photo credit: @MLB_News247

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants desperately needed to get a win to get out of town and capture some momentum, and Madison Bumgarner made sure they got that against the New York Mets.

The Giants’ big lefty took the ball Thursday afternoon and threw eight solid innings at the Mets, and as a result, the Giants came away from New York with a 3-1 win at Citi Field, and the two teams ended up splitting the four-game series.

Bumgarner surrendered a single run on five hits, striking out eight and not walking a single batter. Not only did Bumgarner get it done on the mound, but he also helped his own cause at the plate, as his double in the fourth inning gave the Giants a 2-0 lead and gave the team the momentum that they sorely needed and would not relinquish.

However, the double almost did not happen, and maybe it should not have happened, either. That’s because the batter before Bumgarner, catcher Nick Hundley, took a ball that looked like it should have been a third strike that would have ended the inning.

Hundley ended up coaxing a walk out of Mets starter Jacob DeGrom, who saw his record drop to 8-8 after giving up a pair of runs on four hits, walking four and striking out 10.

The Mets put some major heat on Bumgarner in the seventh inning, after Todd Frazier led off the inning with a solo homer, and then used a hit batsman and a single to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

However, Bumgarner got out of the jam flawlessly, as he forced Kevin Plawecki into a double play before striking out Michael Conforto to keep the Giants up one run.

The Giants got that run right back in the eighth, when Evan Longoria tattooed an inside fastball and sent into the left-field seats to increase the lead to 3-1.

The Giants return home to AT&T Park to host the Rangers for a three-game series starting Friday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Twins get past the A’s 6-4

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland A’s 6-4 in the opener of a four-game series at Target Field on Thursday night. It was the A’s second consecutive loss and just the second time in the last two months. A’s Trevor Cahill has trouble pitching on the road as he went five innings and allowed eight hits and five runs. His record dropped to 5-3.

In the second inning, the A’s scored twice for an early 2-0 lead. Khris Davis led off the inning with a 396-foot blast to right center field. For Davis, it was his 39th big fly of the year. With one more homer, he will tie Jimmy Foxx as the only two A’s sluggers to have hit 40 homers in three consecutive seasons. Mark McGwire hit 40 three times (1987, 1992-96). After Davis’ homer, Matt Olson doubled. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

The Twins scored two in the third and three in the fourth to take a commanding 5-2 lead. The A’s plated a run in the fifth when Matt Chapman doubled. He, too, went to third on a groundout and also scored on another wild pitch to make it a 5-3 game.

The Twins added an insurance run in the eighth when Max Kepler homered off Blake Treinen. The Twins’ bullpen held the A’s scoreless until the top of the ninth. With two out and closer Trevor Hildenberger pitching, A’s second baseman Jed Lowrie homered. That was it for the A’s as they fell to the Twins 6-4.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s dropped to 76-52. The A’s are now 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros, who were off on Thursday. The A’s lead over the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card slot is now four games.

Up Next: Sean Manaea (11-9, 3.70 ERA) goes for the A’s Friday night at 5:10 pm PDT, and the Twins’ Jake Odorizzi (5-7, 4.55 ERA) will try to hand the A’s another loss.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Jackson couldn’t figure out Rangers’ lineup Wednesday; Melvin pleased with 6-3 homestand

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 The A’s had the Texas Rangers down on the mat for the final count, but just couldn’t pin the Rangers down for a win in game three of the three-game series and saw some good pitching from Rangers’ starter Mike Minor on Wednesday afternoon. Minor went six innings, one hit, four strikeouts, and one walk.

#2 The Rangers also struck early with runs in the top of the first and the third. Shin-Soo Choo set the tone early with a first pitch of the game, a home run off A’s starter Edwin Jackson. For Choo, it was his 21st home run of the season, a blast in the left field bleachers.

#3 A’s starter Edwin Jackson struggled going four-plus, seven hits, four runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Jackson, who had been going well before Wednesday, just couldn’t get tracked against the Rangers’ lineup.

#4 Despite the loss, A’s manager Bob Melvin said during the postgame presser he was happy with the homestand as the A’s won series meetings with the Mariners, Astros, and Rangers, going 6-3 at home.

#5 The A’s open a seven-game road trip starting tonight in Minnesota then head to Houston on Monday in crucial games as the A’s are just one game behind the Astros in the AL West.

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

Giants keep yucking it up on road trip as they lose to Mets 5-3

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants appear to be running out of gas at the wrong time. They were swept this past weekend in Cincinnati, and things are not looking very good against a team that they are clearly better than in the New York Mets. They committed a couple of costly errors and gave up more than their fair share of home runs in a 5-3 loss at Citi Field Wednesday night.

The Giants have dropped two of the first three of this four-game series to the Mets.

Starter Casey Kelly surrendered a pair of solo homers while closer Hunter Strickland gave up one of his own, and as a result, the Giants have slid all the way to 9 ½ games back of the National League West lead, as they now sport a 62-66 record.

The Mets got two of those longballs in the first inning to shoot out to a 3-0 lead, and the Giants could not recover from that.

Kelly gave up four runs–two of those earned because of the two errors the Giants made during the course of the game–on seven hits over six innings. He struck out four hitters while not walking anyone, but the two homers proved to be his undoing.

Meanwhile, Noah Syndergaard was solid over six innings, as he gave up a pair of runs on five hits, striking out six while walking only one. In the process, he ran his season record to 9-3.

Austin Slater and Joe Panik each had a pair of hits for the Giants apiece, with Slater hitting a solo homer in the seventh to narrow the Mets’ lead to only a run.

Things seem to be getting worse for the Giants off the field as well. Catcher Buster Posey, who went 0-for-4 on Wednesday and now has a batting average of .284, is reportedly heading toward having hip surgery that would put an end to his season.

The Giants and Mets wrap up their four-game series Thursday at 10:10 am PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s win homestand, start seven-game road trip Thursday

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Photo credit: @MLB

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie said the 12 games from August 10th to 22nd were the most important games of the season. In Charlie’s opinion, how did the A’s do in those games?

#2 What does the schedule look like for the next two weeks for the A’s?

#3 The 2019 season schedule was released today. Any thoughts on next year’s schedule?

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Don’t mess with Texas: Rangers halt A’s potential sweep with 4-2 win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s were going for a sweep of the three-game series with the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon. But, Rangers’ starter Mike Minor had other thoughts as he shot down the potent A’s offense with just one hit in six innings of work.

The Rangers, who had been shutout in the previous two games, gave Minor support as they scored four runs off A’s starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson had pitched very well before his outing on Wednesday but did not have it. In his 4 1/3 innings of work, he threw 80 pitches, and two of those pitches were sent into the stands by Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Gallo.

The A’s were hoping to eventually get back in the ballgame. The Rangers’ bullpen gave up two runs, giving the A’s a chance to tie it in the ninth, but Nick Martini struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Rangers’ left fielder Shin-Soo Choo ended 18 innings of Texas futility when he hit the first pitch of the game into the left field bleachers. The Rangers failed to score in the first two games of the series. The Rangers led 1-0 after one inning of play.

The Rangers plated another run in the top of the third. Jackson walked the first two hitters he faced. With one out, Rangers’ right fielder Nomar Mazara flew out to center. Ramon Laureano slipped as he caught the ball and that allowed Choo to tag up and advance to third. Adrian Beltre singled to give the Rangers a 2-0 advantage in the middle of the third.

Gallo took Jackson deep to start the fourth inning. The big left-handed slugger blasted his 33rd homer of the year to increase the lead to 3-0. A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano helped out his pitcher with a leaping catch against the wall with a man on first. Choo almost had his second homer of the day, but Laureano’s catch kept at least one more run off the board.

Minor had the A’s mesmerized for the first four innings of the contest. He has allowed one hit and walked one batter so far, and both were erased on double plays. He has faced just 12 hitters in  four innings of work.

It was obvious to most of the fans in the park that Jackson was not as sharp as he could be. The Rangers were able to solve his slants as they put another run on the board in the top of the fifth. Shortstop Elvis Andrus led off with a single. Jackson struck out Mazara on a wild pitch. Andrus went to second on the play. Adrian Beltre, who has a spot reserved for him in Cooperstown after his playing days are over, singled to center to drive in Andrus with the Rangers’ fourth run.

A’s manager Bob Melvin had seen enough, and he brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Jacksons’ pitched 4 1/3 innings and he allowed seven hits and four runs. He also was tagged for two solo home runs. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning and now trailed the Rangers 4-0.

The A’s, after being dazzled by Minor for six innings, finally put a run on the board. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister brought in former Giant Cory Gearrin to face the A’s in the seventh. Gearrin retired the first two hitters he faced. Matt Chapman reached on a walk. A’s DH Khris Davis was hit in the back by a Gearrin pitch to put two men on. Stephen Piscotty followed with a double to drive in Chapman with the A’s first run. It was the A’s second hit of the day. With the left-handed hitter Matt Olson at the plate, Banister brought in lefty Alex Claudio to pitch. Claudio did the job as he was able to strike out Olson for the third out and the A’s left two men stranded. The Rangers are in control 4-1 after seven.

The A’s crept a little closer in the bottom of the eighth. Chad Pinder led off the frame with a single. He went to second a scored on double to right by Jed Lowrie, who was pinch-hitting for Jonathan Lucroy. Rangers’ reliever Chris Martin retired Semien and Loreano to end the threat. The Rangers led 4-2 after eight.

The A’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth without the benefit of a hit. Rangers’ closer Jose Leclerc walked the first hitter Matt Chapman to start the inning. Chapman went to third on a wild pitch. LeClerc then struck out Khris Davis and got Piscotty to fly out to right. He walked Matt Olson and hit Chad Pinder with a pitch to load the bases. The game was on the line as Martini came to the plate. Martini had the chance to tie the game with a hit, but LeClerc had enough gas in his tank as he was able to strike out Martini for the final out to preserve the 4-2 win for the Rangers.

Game Notes: A’s Edwin Jackson tied a season-low with just 4 1/3 innings of work and matched a season-high in hits allowed with seven. His record is now 4-3.

Stephen Piscotty tied a career-high with his 35th double.

Despite the loss, the A’s still have the best record in baseball since June 16th (42-15). They have not lost a series to an AL West opponent since June 12th to June 14th at Houston. They finished the homestand with a 6-3 record.

The Rangers’ Mike Minor improved to 10-6, and it was his third quality start in his last four games.

The A’s line score was two runs, four hits, and no errors.

The Rangers’ line was four runs, nine hits, and no errors.

The A’s drop to 76-51.

Time of game was three hours and three minutes and 13,139 people stopped by to watch the A’s lose the finale of the three-game series.

Up Next: The A’s head to Minneapolis to take on the Twins for a three-game series starting Thursday at 5:10 pm PDT.

The A’s will send Trevor Cahill (5-2, 3.12 ERA) to the hill and Kohl Stewart (0-1, 7.71 ERA) will go for the Twins.

Is the A’s magical season just a fluke?

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — To a non-A’s fan, the A’s magical season may be just a fluke. To a A’s fan, this season may be the real deal. But, before all of us jump to conclusions about whether or not the A’s are going to win it all, let me remind that history may repeat itself. Just take a look at the 2012 and 2014 seasons in that order.

In case you need a refresher, the 2012 A’s won the AL West by one game, but then lost to the Detroit Tigers in five games in the ALDS. That was six years ago, but the A’s had an over .500 season but were unable to get past the Tigers. Moreover, the 2014 A’s merely clinched the AL Wild Card berth on the final day of the season and faced the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild Card Game, only to lose to the Royals in one of the most disappointing ways possible–a walk-off for a 9-8 win in the 12th inning. The Royals got their first playoff win in 29 years, but were ultimately ousted by the Giants in seven games in the 2014 World Series. That was depressing news for the A’s fans, but it was an even year for the Giants, so y’all should give credit to your cross-town rivals.

Anyways, it almost seems surreal that the 2018 A’s displayed character, grit and relentless all of a sudden. Of course, the naysayers were proved wrong, and the Oakland-based reporters and fans are confident in this team…but are they accurate?

Let’s take a look at five reasons why the A’s aren’t all that, shall we?

1. It comes down to money
The A’s ownership has constantly demonstrated that money is a priority as opposed to the Green and Gold fanbase. Since the Moneyball days, the A’s ownership has always took the bargain-basement approach to every aspect of the game.

This is obviously not good for the fans nor the team, as the A’s continue to be known as a small-market team even though they’re one of the hottest teams in baseball and DH Khris Davis is having himself a season. Davis’ current stats are .311/.373/.786 over 103 at-bats with 32 hits, 4 doubles, 15 home runs, 35 RBI, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts. And, despite being the other KD in the Bay Area, no one is talking about Davis.

A’s manager Bob Melvin recently told the local media, “I’ve been hearing some talk on some of the national broadcasts on MVPs. His name’s not even brought up. I mean, how could you not?”

With that said, it’s likely going to be difficult for Melvin to put together a playoff team in spite of massive budget restrictions. Sure, the current A’s roster is incredible, but how much longer are the regulars going to stay in Oakland?

2. The 2012 A’s caught some breaks
Remember when the Texas Rangers were in first place with a 35-26 record on June 10, 2012, while the A’s were in last place at the opposite inverse with a 26-35 record?

Also, Josh Hamilton dropped the ball in center field during Game 162.

The possible factor of outside help was able to weave its way into the A’s then-success, but it’s something that may not have a significant influence in 2018. Yeah, the Mariners were surging in May and June, but now, they can’t seem to find their groove right now. Additionally, the Astros can’t seem to catch a break on injuries. So it’s unclear how everything will work out, but in the meantime, it’s quite interesting to follow.

3. The 2012 A’s had more swag
Okay, I admit I use the word “swag” more often that not, but the 2012 A’s had more swag in its lineup.

Obviously, this group of veteran spark plugs may not be great anymore, but man, they had Brandon Inge, Coco Crisp, Grant Balfour and Jonny Gomes. And, of course, they did the Bernie Lean.

Right now, Matt Chapman’s defense, Khris Davis’ bat and Blake Treinen’s sinker are notable mentions, but the entire team isn’t always in sync–and therefore, they don’t regularly take the field with large peps in their steps.

4. The 2012 season had a lot of flaws
Of course, there were many things in the right direction in the 2012 season, but at the same time, there were plenty of things that worsened the overall quality of the teams that year. Bartolo Colon was suspended on August 22. Brandon McCarthy got hit in the skull by a line drive on September 5. Moreover, the A’s lost six out of eight games in the second half of September.

The 2018 season has pretty much been the same, just a different year. Four A’s pitchers are currently out of order due to Tommy John surgeries. And, at some point, Matt Chapman injured his thumb while Khris Davis suffered a groin injury.

As of now, the A’s are over .500, but they’re sort of going back and forth with the injury-plagued Astros for first place in the AL West.

5. The 2011 season didn’t show a lot of promise
The 2011 season, especially the final weeks, didn’t show a lot of promise. A’s manager Bob Melvin just arrived in Oakland that mid-season, but his new team also parted ways with several players after their 77-84 finish in the Winter Meetings.

The 2017 A’s obviously didn’t receive a new manager, but they did undergo quite a few changes during the season, yet wrapped up the second half of the season just one game below .500.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “History repeats itself.” And, that could happen, so don’t be surprised if the A’s magical season turns out to be a fluke. There’s always next year.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Machado–if he stays–will get a big fat contract with Dodgers; Ravens Smith to be suspended four games for domestic abuse; Nats start the fire sale deals–Murphy and Adams: plus more

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Photo credit: @Cut4

On the Headline Sports with London:

#1 Will the Los Angeles Dodgers re-sign Manny Machado? Would it have an impact on the club and will other players start to ask for more dough if Machado ends up being the highest-priced player on the club?

#2 The Baltimore Ravens’ top cornerback Jimmy Smith has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s domestic abuse policy for making “threatening and emotionally abusive behaviors” according to a league statement towards his girlfriend. Marlon Humphrey, a 2017 first round draft pick, will start at corner with 10-year veteran Brandon Carr.

#3 The Washington Nationals, who moved into the .500 position 63-63 by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in a laugher on Tuesday night 10-4, after the club dealt Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and Matt Adams was traded St Louis Cardinals.

#4 It’s quite the way that Indianapolis Colts’ play-by-play announcer Bob Lamey wanted to go out, but he was in the studio with an black employee at WTRH radio in Indianapolis–the flagship station of the Colts–and had used the N-word (not on the air). Lamey is a legend in the annals of Colts broadcasting calling games since 1984. The employee was talking with Lamey when Lamey used the word when he was retelling a story the employee was offended and later reported it to human resources Lamey retired last Sunday after team members spoke with him about using the word.

#5 The Oakland A’s continue to tear it up and this homestand is no different. They rolled over the first-place Houston Astros, taking two out of three, then they took the first two games of the three-game series against the Texas Rangers. With the win Tuesday night, the A’s moved into first place for the first time this season by a 1/2 game.

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