mlb – Page 555 – Sports Radio Service

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Posey to have hip surgery; McCutchen waived by club–could end up with playoff team

Published on August 22, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SInow

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko:

San Francisco catcher Buster Posey has called it a season he will have hip surgery. The Giants decided after they fell eight games back it was time to get Posey’s hip taken care of.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he wants Posey ready for next season. Posey hit .286 for this season, five home runs and 40 RBIs.

The Giants’ Andrew McCutchen was placed on waivers Tuesday night.The Giants could deal McCutchen, who is .257 and a free agent at the end of season. Teams named that could use McCutchen include Oakland, St. Louis, and New York Yankees, who are all playoff teams.

The Giants face the Mets again for game three of the series after the 6-3 loss on Tuesday night. The Giants will start Casey Kelly (0-1, 1.69 ERA) and Noah Synergaard (8-3, 3.40 ERA).

Marko Ukalovic does the Giants podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Baseball…A Hispanic World!

Published on August 22, 2018August 22, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The last national census was taken in 2010 and the next one is scheduled for 2020. As of July 1, 2016, the HIspanic population in the United States was 57.5 million. This is the largest ethnic or racial majority in the country with around 18 percent. In the Bay Area in 2010, over 1.6 million Hispanic resided in nine counties for 23.5%, which is over six million people. Today’s estimates are between 1.8 and 2 million Hispanics who have made the Bay Area their home.

Baseball is no different. According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), 27.4 percent of all players in the Major Leagues were Hispanic as of 2016.

On Sunday, September 9, the Oakland Athletics will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Day. During this season at the Club Level entrance at the Oakland Coliseum, there is big mural from the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame–a non-profit organization founded in San Francisco in 1998–dedicated to the research, history and recognition of all Hispanic players. On that mural, fans can enjoy flags of Latin American countries and some of the history of the contributions made to baseball by Latinos. On that day, the A’s will be giving a Sugar Skull Bobblehead to the first 35,000 fans.

Currently, the A’s have one position player and three pitchers of Hispanic descent. The brilliant rookie outfielder Ramón Laureano, who is 23 years old, was born in the Dominican Republic, relievers Yusmeiro Petit from Venezuela, and Jeurys Familia and Fernando Rodney from the D.R. plus Emilio Pagán, who is of Puerto Rico descent, and Lou Trivino, who is of Ecuadorian descent. Santiago Casilla was also with the A’s this season from the D.R. and young infielder Franklin Barreto, who was born in Venezuela, future A’s second baseman.

The Latino presence is palpable with upbeat salsa music playing before a game in the clubhouse. The Texas Rangers, who played a three-game series in Oakland, had a regular starting lineup featuring Ronald Guzmán, Rougned Odor, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltré, Nomar Mazara, Carlo Tocci, Robinson Chirinos and in some cases, the ageless 45 year-old Bartolo Colón or the 22-year-old rookie Ariel Jurado from Panamá.

Some of the biggest Hispanic stars in the game are J.D Martínez, José Altuve, Manny Machado, Francisco Lindor, José Ramírez, Carlos Correa and more.

The World Baseball Classic showcases to the world the great passion for this game from their biggest protagonists: Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba and México. Baseball is played more and more around the world. Latinos have some of the greatest history to go along from Cuban-born pitcher Adolfo Luqye, who in 1923 with the Cincinnati Reds finished with a 27-3 record and 1.93 ERA, pitching 322 innings to the great “Cometa de Carolina” with Roberto Clemente.

The influx of Hispanic players will continue to increase in years to come.

Listen to the A’s in Spanish on KIQI 1010 AM/990 AM, covering the Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and The Valley. Also, on the SAP on your television as NBC Sports California.

A’s shutout the Rangers again 6-0

Published on August 21, 2018August 21, 2018 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — Oakland A’s starter Brett Anderson pitched his best game of the year as he went seven innings and allowed just one hit as he won his third game of the season. The A’s DH Khris Davis tormented the Rangers’ pitching when he his 38th home run of the year and drove in three runs to pace the A’s attack. His RBI total reached to 102. It was the third season in a row that Davis has knocked in over 100 runs. It was also the first time in a while that the A’s had two starters pitch seven innings and allowed just one hit. The A’s shutout the Rangers 6-0 for their second straight shutout versus Texas.

The A’s tallied the first run of the night in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Nick Martini singled to left to get things going. He advanced to second on Matt Chapman’s groundout and scored when Jed Lowrie singled to center. The A’s lead 1-0 after one.

The A’s plated a run in the bottom of the fifth. With two out, third baseman Matt Chapman doubled. Rangers’ pitcher Ariel Jurado then walked Jed Lowrie. The next hitter, Davis, singled to center to drive in Chapman to give the A’s a 2-0 lead. For Davis, it was his 100th RBI of the year.

Oakland put two more runs on the board in the sixth. With one out, Marcus Semien doubled to left. Ramon Laureno singled to end Semien to third. Lurean then stole second. With the infield drawn in, A’s catcher Josh Phegley hit a sharp grounder to Rangers’ third baseman Jurickon Profar. Profar bobbled the ball, and his only play was to first base. Semien scored the A’s third run of the night. A’s left fielder Nick Martini then singled to drive in Laureano, and the A’s had a 4-0 lead after six.

Davis hit his 38th home run of the year with a man on to put the A’s ahead 6-0 after seven innings of play. Davis is just one home run behind Boston’s J.D.Martinez for the lead in that department. He is also second in the AL with 102 RBIs.

The A’s used Jeurys Familia in the eighth and Lou Trivino in the ninth as they kept the Rangers scoreless the last two innings of the game. The A’s won 6-0.

Make that 16-1-2 in our last 19 series.#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/vVWVZsG3ru

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 22, 2018

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s are now 76-50 for the year and will remain in first place in the AL West. The A’s are a season-high 26 games over the .500 mark. They are 6-2 on the current homestand. They will go for a sweep of the three-game series Wednesday afternoon.

Brett Anderson went seven innings and allowed one and gave up just one walk. It was the first time in Oakland history that this has happened and it was the third time in the last four games. Before Tuesday night, Anderson had not allowed a run in two of his last three starts He is now 3-3 for the year. He has walked one batter or fewer in his last seven starts.

A’s DH Khris Davis has hit nine homers and knocked in 24 in 15 games with Texas this year. For his career, he has hit 27 dingers and batted in 62 in 52 games. Davis has 100 RBIs for the third year in a row, and it was the first time for an A’s hitter since Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada from 2001 to 2003.

The A’s line score was six runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The Rangers’ line was no runs, two hits, and one error.

Time of game was two hours and 26 minutes and 11,579 fans in attendance were delighted with the outcome.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Rangers again Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 pm PDT.

Edwin Jackson will pitch for Oakland, and Texas will send lefty Mike Minor to the mound in an attempt to salvage one game of the series.

Giants unable to hold lead; lose to Mets 6-3

Published on August 21, 2018August 21, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Chris Stratton was cruising, but then the seventh inning came and the New York Mets tied up the game with the help from a former San Francisco Giants outfielder.

Michael Conforto hit a sacrifice fly to score Jeff McNeill, who went 4-for-4 on the night, and then Austin Jackson tied up the game with a single to score Wilmer Flores. The Mets then added four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to even up the four-game series with a 6-3 victory over the Giants at Citi Field on Tuesday night.

McNeil picked up his fourth hit of the night to score Jose Reyes to give the Mets the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth. Two batters later, Conforto launched a three-run home run to put the final runs on the board for the Mets.

Evan Longoria hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, and it looked like it would hold up until Stratton got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Stratton, who was recalled from Double-A Richmond earlier in the day, and Derek Law was optioned to Sacramento to make room for Stratton. In all, Stratton went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, not walking a batter and struck out four.

Tony Watson got into trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning, and was unable to keep the Mets off the board in the fateful frame, as he went one inning, allowing four runs on three hits, walking one and striking out one and fell to 4-5 on the season.

McNeill equaled his career-high with those four hits that included that double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

This was the second time since he was recalled that McNeill picked up four hits in the same game.

McNeill was not the only Mets player to have a big game, as Conforto hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs on the night.

The rookie picked up singles in his first three at-bats, and scored the Mets’ first run of the game on Conforto’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Longoria’s home run off of Steven Matz in the top of the first inning was the first home run by the Giants since Andrew McCutchen hit one on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

It looked like Matz was in line for a loss, but ended up with a no-decision, as he went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits in his second start since returning from a strained pitching forearm.

Hunter Pence made the defensive play of the night, as he made an over-the-shoulder basket catch with his back to the field, a la Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series not too far from Citi Field at the Polo Grounds, which happened to the Mets first home in their first two seasons of 1962-1963 before moving into Shea Stadium in 1964.

Austin Slater drove in the Giants final run of the evening, as he singled in the top of the ninth inning in the top of the ninth inning.

NOTES: Buster Posey sat out the game, and according to reports, Posey may hip surgery that would end his season. Dereck Rodriguez, who is currently on the 10-day disabled list with hamstring issues ran prior to the game, and will go through pitcher’s drill tomorrow. Rodriguez is set to be activated from the disabled list on Friday, and scheduled to start that night against the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Mets will meet again Wednesday at 4:10 pm PDT.

Casey Kelly will make his second start of the season in the third game against the Mets in place of Rodriguez. Kelly went 4.1 innings on Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, while the Mets will send Noah Syndergaard to the mound, who went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Khris Davis puts on a show as the A’s roll over the Rangers 9-0

Published on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — Oakland A’s Mike Fiers was magnificent as he dominated the Texas Rangers and won his ninth game of the year. The A’s trounced the Rangers 9-0 at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday night. The A’s pounded Rangers’ starter Bartolo Colon for seven runs, and as a result, Colon’s record dropped to 7-11.

The A’s scored three times in the bottom of the second. Stephen Piscotty started the rally off Colon, with a double to left. Marcus Semien followed with another double to drive in Piscotty with the A’s first run. A’s rookie Ramon Laureano, facing Colon for the first time in his short Major League career, hit his first home run as a Big Leaguer to put the A’s ahead 3-0. Laureano took Colon’s 89 MPH fastball over the wall in right-center field.

A’s manager Bob Melvin signaled for the ball to be returned to the dugout so that Laureano could put it in his trophy case at home. Jonathan Lucroy continued the hit parade with another double, but Colon settled down and was able to get out of the inning with no further damage.

The A’s DH, Khris Davis, led off the bottom of the third with his 37th round-tripper of the year. The ball left his bat traveling at 111 MPH and went an estimated 439 feet. The ball hit the concrete just below the glass that protects the fans in the suites in left field.

The A’s sent Colon to the showers in the bottom of the sixth. Piscotty led off the inning with a single. Semien also singled to put men on at first and second with no out. The next hitter, Laureano, who hit the first home run of his career in the second inning, did it again as he slammed Colon’s pitch into the seats in the seats in left field to put the A’s in the driver’s seat with a formidable 7-0 lead. Piscotty homered in the seventh to make it 8-0, and the A’s tacked on another run in the eighth to win by a final score of 9-0.

“I thought about him around the bases.”
Khris reflects on meeting Anthony, his @SFWish friend that signed his jersey before tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/bA7T4WRsJW

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 21, 2018

Game Notes: A’s Mike Fiers was magnificent as he dominated the Rangers Monday night. Fiers gave up just one hit, one walk and hit a batter in his seven innings of work. He retired the last 18 batters he faced for his ninth win of the year.

The A’s hitting stars of the night were Stephen Piscotty, Marcus Semien, Ramon Laureano, and Jonathan Lucroy. Piscotty had a single, double and home run. Semien had two singles and a double. Laureano had two home runs and five runs batted in. Jonathan Lucroy had two singles and a double.

The A’s hit four home runs Monday.

With the win, the A’s are now 75-50 and were back in first place following the Houston Astros’ 7-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Time of game was two hours and 48 minutes and 9,341 fans went home happy.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be played Tuesday night at 7:05 pm PDT. The A’s will send Brett Anderson (2-3. 3.90 ERA) to the mound and the Rangers will counter with Ariel Jurado (2-2, 6.41 ERA)

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Davis getting close to setting some home run records

Published on August 20, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @numberFire

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s Khris Davis hit two home runs on Sunday and both of them coming off Houston Astros’ starter Justin Verlander. Davis needs five more to break Mark McGwire’s record for home runs in three consecutive seasons at 125 through 1995-97.

#2 Davis is also in position to join former Philadelphia Athletic Jimmie Foxx (1932-34) to hit 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons. Davis needs four more home runs to achieve that status.

#3 Verlander pitching against the A’s got the win (12-8) going five plus innings, seven hits, four earned runs, one walk and six strikeouts. We ask Amaury was it a matter of Verlander being dominate or were the A’s hitters just a little off on Sunday.

#4 It’s an A’s lineup that has everybody doing something: Nick Martini .300, Matt Chapman .276, Jed Lowrie .270, and Khris Davis .259.

#5 The A’s will start pitcher Mike Fiers (8-6) to open the three-game series against the Texas Rangers tonight at the Coliseum.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio play-by-play and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Cracks showing as the Giants fall eight off the pace with a dimming postseason

Published on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @KNBR

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris:

The last time the Giants used a position player to pitch was 27 years ago. Utility man Chase d’Arnaud pitched a scoreless eighth. The Reds, who swept the series, started three pitchers with 4.46, 5.19. 5.04 ERAs and the Giants could only get four runs to the Reds’ 11.

The Giants’ Joe Panik, who has six hits in two games, is one of the few Giants hitting. The Giants open a four-game series against the Mets Monday night at Citi Field. The Mets are 14 1/2 out of first in the NL East. The Giants are now eight games out of first and their chances are sinking for their playoff hopes.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: This Week in 1980, Charlie O. Finley Sold the A’s for $12.7 Million

Published on August 19, 2018August 20, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: thesportsesquires.com

By: Amaury Pi-González

On August 21, 1980, Athletics owner Charlie Finley announced at a news conference that he has sold his A’s to Walter A. Haas, Jr., the chairman of the board of the Levi Strauss clothing empire, Haas’s son Walter Jr., and son-in-law Roy Eisenhardt for $12.7 million.

In 1980, Finley agreed in principle to sell to businessman Marvin Davis, who was planning to move the A’s to Denver, but before that, Finley and Davis were to sign a contract, as the NFL’s Oakland Raiders announced they were moving to Los Angeles in 1982. The City of Oakland and Alameda County officials didn’t wanted to be held responsible for losing Oakland status as a big league city and refused to let the A’s out of their lease with the Coliseum. So the A’s were sold and stayed.

Although they have changed ownership a few times since, today’s A’s are in solid ground to continue playing in Oakland. These days, the last thing in mind for the A’s is to move out of Oakland, because soon they will be the only professional team left, after the Warriors move to San Francisco and the Raiders to Las Vegas. That is the good news. Plus, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has said it all along, “the Bay Area is a two-team market.”

However, there is presently a group called Protect Oakland’s Shoreline Economy that is questioning the A’s proposed move to their favorite location of the Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Here in the greater Bay Area, there is never a shortage of groups that oppose construction of sports facilities. and this one is the most recent. This is the second chapter of this novela. In December of last year, the A’s plans to build a 35,000 seat ballpark near Lake Merritt was stopped cold, when the community college refused to start negotiations about the proposed park.

All these recent concerns have been rather silenced by the A’s current play on the field, as they have been shocking the baseball world. They just took two out of three from the Mariners and two out of three from the Astros–two of their biggest rivals. This Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at the Coliseum and then the A’s go on a six-game road-trip to Minnesota and Houston. They return the 30th of this month to say adios to August and welcome September with a four-game series against the M’s, three against the contending Yankees and the Rangers again. I do not believe the A’s bandwagon is close to capacity yet, as there are still a lot of folks who are not 100 percent certain they are going to see postseason play at the Coliseum. But I think they will.

By then, we will see how are the Atléticos de Oakland doing, with two very possible scenarios: 1) winning the division or 2) advancing as one of the two Wild Card teams.

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010am/990am, covering the Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley, and on the SAP Channel on NBC Sports California.

Reds rout Giants 11-4 to break out brooms at home

Published on August 19, 2018August 19, 2018 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Reds

By Jeremy Kahn

After losing the first two of the series, the San Francisco Giants were looking to the salvage the finale against the Cincinnati Reds with rookie Andrew Suarez on the mound.

Unfortunately, the rookie could not get of the third inning, as the Reds scored seven runs in the inning on their way to a 11-4 win over the Giants at Great American Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.

Eugenio Suarez hit a two-run home run helping the Reds to their second consecutive sweep over the Giants in the City of Cincinnati.

Jose Peraza added a two-run run home run for the Reds, who took the season series 4-2 over the Giants, who have lost four in a row.

The seven runs allowed by the Giants were the most they gave up in an inning this season. During the 2017 season, the Giants gave up seven or more runs in an inning on five different occasions.

Over the final two games of the series, the Reds outscored the Giants 18-5 after the Reds defeated the Giants 2-1 in 10 innings in the opener on Friday night.

Suarez ended up going a season-low 2.2 innings, allowing seven runs (five earned), and seven hits.

Scooter Gennett continued his hot hitting, as he hit a two-run triple in that fateful third inning that also saw Suarez hit his career-high 27thhome run of the season.

Curt Casali also picked up two hits and drove in two runs in that third inning.

Luis Castillo went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs and six hits, while striking out nine, as he won for the seventh time on the season.

Brandon Belt hit leadoff for the Giants, as it was the first time that a first baseman hit leadoff since David Bell did so on July 6, 2002 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at then Bank One Ballpark.

The last left-handed first baseman to hit leadoff was Mike Aldrete against the Atlanta Braves on May 4, 1987 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Will Clark leads all Giants first baseman with 28 starts from the leadoff position.

Chase d’Arnaud pitched the bottom of the eighth inning for the Giants, becoming the second Giants position player to pitch this season. Pablo Sandoval pitched the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on April 28.

d’Arnaud is just the fifth Giants position player to pitch since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958. He joins Sandoval, Greg Litton, Dave Kingman and Matty Alou.

Despite allowing a hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, d’Arnaud is the third to not allow any runs, joining Alou and Sandoval.

UP NEXT: The Giants take on the New York Mets for a four-game series starting Monday at 4:10 pm PDT.

Derek Holland looks to get the Giants back into the win column on Monday, as he makes just his second ever start against the Mets, who will send Zach Wheeler to the mound.