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That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Have the Young, Exciting Players the Giants Lack

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics are two totally different ball clubs that play on opposite sides of the Bay Area. The Giants are one of the oldest teams trying to capture the same magic with most of the same cast: Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner. Meanwhile, the A’s have a refreshing, talented bunch of young players with their best years ahead of them, like Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Chad Pinder and Khris Davis. The A’s young squad is one of the most prolific home run squads in the game, as they can score so much in order to win.

In case you need a refresher, the A’s play in the American League West, which is one of the strongest divisions in baseball. The Giants play in the National League West, which is pretty much just a bunch of teams barely above the .500 mark and trying to survive July. Yet, the Giants are still constructed to win it all, while the A’s are a couple of years away. But this season, the A’s might even finish in second place, after finishing as cellar-dwellars in the last three years.

And yes, it is a different game today, as hitters do not choke-up at the plate trying to make contact. The hit and run (and a stolen base, for that matter) is rarely seen. Also, the bunt is like a the typewriter–it is a conversational topic, but when somebody actually bunts, it is like a breaking news headline.

Let’s face it, in our Statcast world, it is all about the home run today, and there is no dishonor of striking out. Hence, the many .220 and .230 averages we have seen in every lineup. During the last few years, teams have been building bullpens and starters and have a hard time when they face the hitters for the third time around.

The A’s third baseman is Matt Chapman and the first baseman Matt Olson. They are two of the most exciting, all-around ballplayers in the game today, since they both can hit with power, and will likely win a few Gold Gloves. Moreover, Mark Canha can play in the outfield and has shown his excellent power on display. It is getting better–the more he plays. Additionally, Chad Pinder could play everyday, but he is the young super-utility player who plays six different positions for Bob Melvin’s team.

Melvin continues to be one of the best managers in the game, not because he has won two Manager of the Year awards–one with Arizona the other one with Seattle–but because of his tremendous ability and patience to manage young talent.

Davis is one of the most consistent sluggers in the MLB and obviously doesn’t get the same respect other sluggers get. In 2016, he hit 42 home runs and drove in 102 in his first season in Oakland, Calif. In 2017, he hit 43 homers and drove in 110. And, this season, he is on a pace to repeat for the third year in a row. He is a DH because he does his job–he hits and drives in runs. He is as dangerous of a hitter in a game situation as there is today.

As we get close to the All-Star Game on July 17th at Nationals Park–home of the Washington Nationals–both the A’s and Giants have the same goal to make the postseason. For the A’s, is much more difficult because among the AL super teams this year, two are in their division–the World Champion Houston Astros and the much-improved Seattle Mariners. The A’s record today would put them neck-and-neck with the Cleveland Indians, who are on top of the Central Division. And, with a 49-40 record today, the A’s would be right at the top of the NL West.

There are approximately 70 games left for most of the teams at this junction of the season. Both the A’s and Giants are still hoping for a wild card berth. I believe in the AL West, everybody is playing for second place, but only God knows in the NL West.

The Giants are probably going to go the second half with what they have on hand right now, and I do not expect to see any trades. For the Giants, the challenge will be this winter when they will have to re-direct their future.

For the A’s, they could be buyers or sellers, most likely division sellers, but they have to keep playing as good as they have been doing as of late, because I do not know if the Seattle Mariners have a collapse coming during the second half.

Samardzija looks good, despite Giants’ hard-fought 3-2 loss to Cardinals

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Photo credit: @mlbtraderumors

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — With the exception of one bad inning, it was a sufficient return for Jeff Samardzija to the San Francisco Giants’ starting rotation before game three versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carlos Martinez helped out his own cause, as he doubled in the top of the third inning, as the Cardinals defeated the Giants 3-2 before a crowd of 39,606 at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon.

Martinez’s double scored Kolten Wong, who singled to lead-off the inning, went to second on a Francisco Pena ground out and then scored on the Martinez double.

With the loss, the Giants have lost five out of their last six following the sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks from June 29 to July 1.

During this six game stretch, the Giants are hitting .167, as they are 31-for-186 at the plate against the Colorado Rockies and the Cardinals.

The Cardinals added two runs in the top of the fourth inning, as Dexter Fowler hit a sacrifice fly that scored Marcell Ozuna. After the Ozuna singled with one out in the inning, Paul DeJong then singled Ozuna to third base.

Wong picked up his second hit in as many at-bats, and then Francisco Pena drove in DeJong with a sharp single of his own.

Through the first three games of the series, Wong has multi-hit games in all three games and is batting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, triple and two runs batted in.

Brandon Belt drove in the Giants’ lone run of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled off the right field wall to score Gorkys Hernandez, who led off the inning with a single.

Belt got back in on the act in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he singled off of Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks, who replaced Martinez in the bottom of the frame.

Alen Hanson singled with one out, went to second on a Hicks wild pitch and then scored on Belt’s third hit in four at-bats.

The 41 runs batted in by Belt lead the team, as he drove in both runs in the one-run loss.

Martinez went seven innings, allowing one run on six hits, while walking no one and striking out three, as he improved to 6-4 on the season.

Samardzija ended up going five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking just one and striking out three, as he fell to 1-5 on the season.

This was the first game all season that the Giants’ top three starters of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Samardzija were active at the same time. Bumgarner missed 60 games, Cueto missed 70 games and Samardzija missed 53 games.

NOTES: Bumgarner will take the mound on Sunday, as the Giants look to salvage the finale and he attempts to raise his record to 2-3 on the season. The Cardinals will look to take the series, as they will send Jack Flaherty to the mound, as he looks to improve to 4-4 on the season.

As expected, Joe Panik was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain, and the contract of Chase d’Arnaud was purchased from Triple-A Sacramento.

To make room for d’Arnaud on the 40-man roster, Hunter Strickland was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

With Samardzija coming off the disabled list, Chris Stratton was optioned to Sacramento. Prior to being optioned to Sacramento, Stratton was 8-6 on the season with a 4.93 earned run average.

Since the 2017 season, the Giants have lost six out of their last eight games against the Cardinals, and have been outscored 48-23 during that stretch.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Cardinals conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

McCutchen comes through in the clutch; Giants edge Cardinals 3-2

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Two of the veterans came through when the San Francisco Giants needed it the most, in the late innings versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hunter Pence came through in the clutch with a pinch-hit to lead-off the bottom of the seventh inning, and after a Buster Posey intentional walk, Andrew McCutchen singled to right to score Pence to give the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals before a crowd of 37,996 at AT&T Park on Friday night.

Alen Hanson sent Pence to second with a sacrifice bunt, and then eventual losing pitcher John Brebbla intentionally walked Posey and McCutchen singled to score Pence from second.

The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead off of Dereck Rodriguez in the top of the second inning, as Kolten Wong double in Paul DeJong. The inning could have been worse for the Giants, but the smart thinking of Brandon Crawford put a stop to that.

Jedd Gyorko hit a triple to right-center, but Rodriguez got DeJong to ground to Crawford, who home to Buster Posey, and who tagged Gyorko out.

The Giants tied up the game in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit, as both Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval each walked. Joe Panik then lined out to right field that sent Crawford to third base, and with Gorkys Hernandez at the plate, Jon Gant unfurled a wild pitch that allowed Crawford to score the tying run.

Panik’s single snapped a 0-for-16 streak with that single in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sandoval gave the Giants in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he launched a Gant pitch and put it into the left field bleachers for his seventh home run of the season.

The Cardinals tied up the game in the top of the seventh inning, as after Rodriguez retired the first two batters of the inning, he allowed a single to DeJong and then Wong tripled to right field to tie up the game.

That would be the last pitch that Rodriguez would throw, as Bruce Bochy replaced the rookie with Reyes Moronta, who promptly struck out Bader to end the Cardinals’ threat.

Rodriguez went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out one, but he did not fare in the decision.

Over his last three starts, Rodriguez has an earned run average of 1.35, as he has given up just three earned runs in 20 innings.

Gant went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out five for the Cardinals.

Moronta faced just one batter, as he struck out Bader to end the seventh inning and picked up his fifth win of the season.

Brebbla pitched one inning, allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out one, as his record fell to 1-2 on the season.

With his scoreless inning in the top of the eighth, Tony Watson became just the third Giants reliever in the San Francisco era to throw 19 or more scoreless at home in a single season.

Watson joins Gary Lavelle, who threw 21 scoreless innings in 1979, and Greg Minton, who threw 27 scoreless innings in 1980.

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija will make his return to the starting rotation on Saturday afternoon, and it will be his ninth start of the season. The Cardinals will send Carlos Martinez to the mound, as he will look for his sixth win of the season.

Panik was forced to leave the game with a strained left groin after he came up limping on a double by a Gorkys Hernandez in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The second baseman will undergo an MRI on Saturday, and it could result in Panik returning to the disabled list for the second time this season.

This is the second of 34 consecutive games for the Giants in the Pacific Time zone. The next game outside of the time zone will take place on August 17, when the Giants open a three-game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark.

Outfielder Heliot Ramos (World) and Right-Handed Pitcher Shaun Anderson (United States) will represent the Giants in the Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15 in Washington, D.C.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Cardinals face off again Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s having best run of the season; Still chipping away at first place–now 8 1/2 back

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

The A’s are on a roll, playing their best ball of the season at 8-2. They finished the homestand at 4-1–an improvement over some past homestands they’ve had this year. Friday night, the A’s will start Paul Blackburn (2-2, 6.46 ERA). Blackburn has struggled in some of his outings. A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said Blackburn has improved in bullpen practices. Last Friday, Blackburn beat Cleveland, going 6.1 innings and didn’t allow a run.

A’s pitcher Edwin Jackson will get the start for Oakland on Saturday his third start of the year. Jackson is throwing well. He’s allowed two or less runs in his last two starts. The A’s are 8 1/2 games out of first place behind the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners, who just ended their eight-game win streak, are in second.

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

 

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Cueto gets lit up in return; Giants coming off sweep in Colorado and are looking for some knock from the lineup

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abc 7 file photo: San Francisco Giants starter Johnny Cueto who made his return from the DL on Thursday night against the St Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park

On the SF Giants podcast with Miguel:

The San Francisco Giants–coming off a sweep in Colorado–came back to AT&T Park on Thursday night for a 10-game homestand. Michael takes a look how much the team was looking forward to coming back after getting swept in Colorado.

The Giants faced tough pitching from the Rockies. They couldn’t solve starter Tyler Anderson. Anderson went eight innings, two hits, allowed two walks, and nine strikeouts. A great line for a pitcher who kept the Giants off balance.

The Giants’ second baseman Brandon Crawford owns the NL Central. He’s hitting .517 (15-29) against the NL Central pitching. Crawford’s .517 clip is tops for any MLB player against any MLB division.

The Giants’ Derek Rodriguez gets another turn Friday. A great outing last Saturday. going 6.1 innings, five strikeouts, two walks, six hits and 102 pitches. Rodriguez was actually a desperation choice with Jeff Samardjiza and Johnny Cueto on the disabled list. Rodriguez really panned out during Samardjiza and Cueto’s absence for the Giants’ pitching staff.

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

Giants’ Johnny Cueto gets rude awakening from Cardinals, who won 11-2 in a laugher

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By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Johnny Cueto had such a fantastic start to the 2018 season. The St. Louis Cardinals, however, made it look like it never happened.

Thursday marked starter Cueto’s return to the rotation after missing the previous two months with inflammation in his pitching elbow, and the Cardinals did not welcome him very kindly in a 11-2 drubbing of the Giants at AT&T Park on Thursday night.

It was clear from the outset that Cueto did not have his usual command, and the Cardinals capitalized. They loaded the bases off him in the first inning before they recorded an out. An RBI groundout later, Jedd Gyorko skied one the opposite way into the arcade in right field to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.

Although he got out of that inning with no further damage, the Cardinals weren’t done with him. That’s because in the second, Matt Carpenter drilled one into the stands in right-center – the deepest part of the ballpark – to extend the St. Louis lead to five.

“He got himself in trouble there, but after that, it just got better, and that’s encouraging,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “His stuff picked up, his command picked up.

“It got to a point where I thought he was comfortable out there, but we’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” he added. “You have to be encouraged that he got better as he went. He should feel pretty good about this start. Sure, you’d like to take that first inning away, but that counts, too.”

Cueto lasted three more innings and ended up surrendering 10 hits and those five runs. It was a far cry from his performance earlier in the season, as he was 3-0 with an 0.84 ERA – the fourth-lowest ERA through five starts in Giants history – prior to going on the disabled list.

Ty Blach didn’t fare any better. He relieved Cueto in the sixth and was promptly hit with a four-spot. He recorded only two outs before being yanked in favor of Derek Holland, who was moved to the bullpen to make room for Cueto in the rotation.

Meanwhile, the Giants could not get anything going against Cardinals starter Luke Weaver at all. In fact, the Giants didn’t get a single baserunner on. The closest they came was with two out in the fifth inning, when Pablo Sandoval was initially issued a walk before the umpiring crew realized that it was still a full count.

The momentum was short-lived, as three pitches later, Weaver got Sandoval to chase a slider out of the strike zone to end the inning.

Gorkys Hernandez, who is making a serious case for being a National League All-Star, broke up Weaver’s no-hit bid in the sixth, when he legged out an infield single. Two batters later, Weaver made a rare mistake out over the plate, and Alen Hanson sent into the right-field arcade to give the Giants a little bit of life, 9-2.

Those would be the only two hits that the Giants would get from Weaver, who went eight innings and improved his record to 5-7 with a 4.92 ERA, in the best performance of his young career.

The Giants look to bounce back against the Cardinals on Friday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

My Memories of the 2007 Futures Game

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 11 years since AT&T Park hosted their only All-Star Game.

Yes, it will be best remembered for Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners hitting the inside-the-park home run, as the American League defeated the National League 5-3 before a crowd of 43,965 at AT&T Park.

Just two days prior to the Midsummer Classic, the Minor Leaguers were on Center Stage, or the baseball field, as they showed off their skills under San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda and Dave Winfield, who was born on the same day (October 3, 1951) that Bobby Thomson hit “The Shot Heard Round the World” home run off of Ralph Branca to give the New York Giants a 5-3 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers that propelled the Giants to the World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees.

There were some notable players on the field on that Sunday afternoon in July of 2007 that have made a big splash on the game since then.

Joey Votto, who would go onto win a National Most Valuable Player Award for the Cincinnati Reds, hit a home run for the World Team off of future Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz, as the World team defeated the U.S. team 7-2.

Clayton Kershaw, a multi-time Cy Young Award winner for the Los Angeles Dodgers gave up a home run to James Van Ostrand to give the World team a commanding 6-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning.

“I took a good swing and got a good pitch to hit,” Votto said. “It was a fun day. I had a good time. I just had an awesome timeplaying with all these guys. I love playing with these guys. Playing against the U.S. team was just fun. Great stadium and thefans were awesome.”

Justin Upton put the U.S. on the board, as he hit a solo home run off of Faustino De Los Santos in the bottom of the third inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who played in six games for the Boston Red Sox prior to getting sent to the minors on the Friday prior to the game replaced Cameron Maybin of the Detroit Tigers, who was unable to play due to an injury.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Ellsbury said. “It means a lot tome to play with these guys. There are a lot of guys who will be inthe big leagues in the near future.”

There were players with Giants ties then and now, as current Giants third baseman Evan Longoria played for the U.S. team, as he represented the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez played for the World team, as he was a member of the Detroit Tigers organization and was later named the Midwest League Most Valuable Player, while playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Both Brian Bocock and Henry Sosa played in the game, as they represented the Giants’ organization. Bocock and Sosa played for San Jose that season.

ESPN.com contributed to this story.

A’s take on the Indians for a 3-game series starting Friday

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are playing their best baseball so far this the season. They went 8-2 on their last 10-game road trip and finished their five-game homestand with a 4-1 record Two of the wins came at the expense of the Cleveland Indians last weekend in Oakland. Neither Carlos Carrasco or Corey Kluber pitched last weekend, but they are getting the call as the Indians will be trying to slow down the A’s express train.

Friday’s game will feature Carrasco going against the A’s Paul Blackburn. It will be Carrasco’s first start since going on the DL after a line drive hit his throwing elbow on June 16th. The A’s will counter with Paul Blackburn, who beat Cleveland last Friday night as he went 6 1/3 innings and did not allow a run. Blackburn is 2-2 and has a 6.46 ERA. Carrasco is 8-5, and has a 4.24 ERA. Carrasco was 18-6 in 2017.

On Saturday, A’s veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson will make his third start of the season. Jackson has allowed two runs or fewer in both his starts and he recorded a win over the Tribe last Saturday in 6 2/3 innings of work. He will have to be on the top of his game as his opponent will be two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber, who is having another outstanding season as he owns a 12-4 record.

Sunday’s game will feature A’s Frankie Montas going against Indians’ Shane Bieber. Montas is 4-2, but he has given up eight hits or more in three of his last four starts and took the loss Sunday. The Indians blasted the A’s 15-3, and Montas was the losing pitcher. Bieber is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA. This will be the first time the A’s will be facing Bieber.

The Indians have a good hitting team. They are in first place in the AL Central with a 48-37 record. The hitting and starting pitching has overcome the many injuries the team has suffered. Also, the bullpen is not at it’s best as Andrew Miller and Nick Goody are on the DL.

The A’s will see some familiar faces working in the Indians’ bullpen. Former A’s relievers Dan Otero and Marc Rzepczynski, as well as former SF Giant George Kontos, probably will see action against the A’s this weekend. Other relievers are Zach McAllister and veteran lefty hurler Oliver Perez. Righty Cody Allen is the closer.

The Indians have some outstanding players in their lineup. A’s pitchers will have to deal with shortstop Francisco Lindor, third baseman Jose Ramirez, second baseman Jason Kipnis, and first baseman Yonder Alonso. Kipnis is having a down year, but if he can regain his hitting stroke, he is capable of being able to cause a lot of damage. Lindor and Ramirez are probably heading to the All-Star game. Lindor is hitting .297 with 23 homers and 55 RBIs. He has a .948 OPS. Ramirez has 24 home runs, 55 RBIs, a .294 batting average and a .998 OPS.

Left fielder Michael Brantley is also playing well. Brantley’s average is .301, and he has 48 RBI’s. Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis will see action in right and center. Indians’ DH, Edwin Encarnacion is not hitting for average, but the 35-year-old has blasted 20 homers and has driven in 58.

There is no question that the Indians can rake. The big problem will be this: Will the A’s pitching be able to shut down the Cleveland offense? The Indians play better at home. They are 27-13 at Progressive Field. So A’s manager Bob Melvin will have to figure out a way to keep the Indians from putting runs on the board.

The A’s are also playing well. Melvin has done an amazing job as his starting rotation has been decimated by injuries. Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Andrew Triggs, Daniel Mengden, Daniel Gossett all have started for the A’s, but are currently on the DL. Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk were projected to be in this season’s starting rotation, but are gone for the year as they both underwent Tommy John surgery.

The Indian pitchers will also have to be able to handle the A’s hitters. Jed Lowrie leads the A’s in hitting and runs batted in. Lowrie is having a career year and hopefully will represent the A’s in the All-Star game. Matt Olson, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Chad Pinder, and Stephen Piscotty are all capable of sending baseballs out of the stadium. The A’s can hit. The A’s have a tough trip as they go to Houston for four and San Francisco for three. It will be a difficult trip. Let’s hope the A’s will do well.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s Manaea with another strong outing–no decision, but A’s win

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry:

A’s pitcher Sean Manaea had a strong performance against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s got the 4-2 win. Manaea went seven innings, two runs, and four hits. A’s manager Bob Melvin likes what Manaea has done in the number one starting role in the rotation.

The A’s continue to roll with their eighth win out of their last nine games. The A’s have won 14 of their last 17 games. The A’s are winning games when they’re behind and A’s hitter Stephen Piscotty was clutch, hitting a two-run double to put the A’s ahead of the Padres in the eighth inning.

The A’s have the day off Thursday and head onto Progressive Field for the start of a three-game series in Cleveland. The A’s will start Paul Blackburn (2-2 ERA 6.46) against Carlos Carrasco (8-5 ERA 4.24) for Cleveland.

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

 

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca and Morris Phillips: After sweeping Arizona, Giants get swept by Colorado

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On the SF Giants podcast with Michael and Morris:

The Giants, who swept the Arizona Diamondbacks on this road trip, and who would have thought that would happen? In the month of June, the Giants were on the biggest rollercoaster there is and they swept the D-Backs and Giants’ pitcher Dereck Rodriguez has pitched great 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and it’s not a place a Giants baseball team go to win a series, let alone swept a series.

Then, the Giants went to Denver and dropped the first two games to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field and it was kind of surprising fashion that they got five hits each night. That’s not going to be enough hits. The Giants get a home run and then it’s just four hits for the rest of the ballgame.

You saw those gaps in the lineups–guys were going O-fors. It’s the biggest mystery going why a veteran baseball team can’t win road games to be this poor on the road and lose 8-1 on Tuesday night. It’s a head scratcher.

There’s much more Michael and Morris podcast on the Giants each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com