Tag: mlb

Cueto continues hot streak, Belt sets major league record in SF Giants’ 4-2 win over Angels

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Johnny Cueto continues looks amazing out of the gate, and Brandon Belt set a major-league record, and he continues to stay hot.

Cueto went six innings, allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out seven and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 at Angel Stadium Sunday.

With the victory, the Giants won their first series of the season, as they ended their road trip thru San Diego, Arizona and Anaheim with a 4-6 record.

Not only did Cueto pitch another great game, he saw his earned run average drop to a minuscule 0.35 and his consecutive game streak of allowing one run or less raise to four, he was also on the back end of a fantastic double play.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Luis Valbuena hit a grounder to Belt, who threw to Brandon Crawford for the first out and then threw to Cueto to complete the double play and you saw Cueto pump his fist and yelled in happiness.

Belt, who hit a home run for the fourth consecutive game to lead off the top of the fourth inning, set a major league record in the first inning.

After Joe Panik singled to left, Belt settled in at the plate and his duel with Angels starter Jaime Barria was one of epic proportions.

Belt fouled off 11 consecutive pitches from Barria, in the longest at-bat since records for pitches began in 1988. In all, Belt saw 21 pitches from Barria, breaking the record of 20 that was held by Ricky Gutierrez of the Houston Astros, who eventually struck out against Bartolo Colon of the Cleveland Indians.

All in all, the at-bat lasted 12 minutes and 45 seconds, as he ended up flying out to Kole Calhoun in right field.

In his three at-bats, Belt saw 38 pitches, as he singled in the top of the third inning and then launched a 410-foot home run off of Blake Palmer to lead off the fifth inning.

Cueto took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning, as he struck out Shohei Ohtani twice on the afternoon.

Ian Kinsler broke up Cueto’s chance at a no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning, then Ohtani singled to load the bases, but then Valbuena grounded into the double play that ended the threat.

Evan Longoria continues to find his hitting stroke, as he hit a two-run home run in the top of the third inning.

The Giants got on the board just prior to Longoria’s home run, as Panik scored from third base on a Buster Posey double play. Belt also scored on the Longoria home run.

Mike Trout put the Angels on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he hit his major-league leading ninth home run of the season and third of the series. Trout’s two-run home run went to the opposite field off of reliever Cory Gearrin.

The Angels put runners on the corners with two outs and with Trout in the on-deck circle, but Hunter Strickland got Kinsler to fly out to Gregor Blanco for the final out.

Barrie, who threw those 21 pitches to Belt in the top of the first inning, went just two innings, as he loaded the bases with nobody out and was replaced by Noe Ramirez.

Barria gave up two runs on six hits, walked one and also struck out one, as he retired only six batters and threw a whopping 77 pitches.

In that first inning, Barria threw 49 pitches and was able to get out of the inning without allowing a run, as he loaded the bases on three singles; however, he retired Longoria and Pablo Sandoval to get out of the inning unscathed.

NOTES: Chris Stratton opens up the Giants’ homestand on Monday night against the Washington Nationals, as he takes the mound against former Oakland A’s pitcher Gio Gonzalez.

UP NEXT: Series opener between the Giants and Nationals is scheduled for Monday, April 23 at 7:15 pm PT.

Pujols gives Angels 4-3 win over Giants

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Photo credit: @usanews2017

By Jeremy Kahn

With one swing of the bat, the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels went from being tied to giving the Angels the lead for good.

Albert Pujols hit a two-run opposite field home run off of Derek Holland in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Angels a 4-2 lead and they hung on to defeat the Giants 4-3 at Angel Stadium.

It was the 2,992nd hit of Pujols career, bringing him within eight of the magical 3,000 hit club and it was the 618th home run of his 18-year career.

The Pujols home run made a winner out of Garret Richards, who was facing the Giants for the first time in his major-league career.

Richards went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out 11, as he raised his record to 3-0 on the young season.

All in all, on the evening the Giants struck out 17 times, including three times apiece by Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford and Nick Hundley. This the second most strikeouts by the Giants in a game this season, as they struck out 18 times against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 7 in a 7-5 14-inning win on a walk-off home run by Andrew McCutchen.

Brandon Belt gave the Giants a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as he hit his fourth home run of the season.

Jefry Marte got the Angels within a run in the bottom of the second inning, as he solo home run off of Holland to get the Angels on the board.

Mike Trout tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning, as he launched a Holland pitched that landed in the Angels bullpen. It was the second home run of the series for Trout.

Sandoval got the Giants within one in the top of the eighth inning, as he drove in McCutchen, as he walked with two outs.

Mac Williamson reached on an infield single to get the top of the ninth inning started for the Giants, but Angels closer Kenyan Middleton was able to strikeout Crawford and Hundley, before he got Joe Panik to ground out to end the game. It was the fifth save of the season for Middleton, who went 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and struck out three.

Holland went six innings, allowing four runs on five hits, walking just one and striking out six, as he saw his record fall to 0-3 on the season.

NOTES: Johnny Cueto closes out the road trip on Sunday, as he takes the mound, looking for his second win of the season for the Giants. Angel Stadium will be the last of the current stadiums that Cueto will have pitched in his career.

Cueto will be opposed by Jaime Barria, who will be making his second career start and looking for his second straight win. Barria won his major-league debut against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park on April 11.

Buster Posey was a late scratch to the Giants lineup, as he was scratched due to back tightness.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Angels conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1:07 pm PT.

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Manaea’s no-hitter part of Oakland’s turn around against one of Baseball’s best Boston

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@athletics: A’s pitcher Sean Manaea soaked after getting the Gatorade treatment with Bubble Gum bucket crowning after no hitting the best team in baseball the Boston Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday night

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

Giants win over Angels; rough start for Jeff Samardzija, three SF home runs

Hunter Pence on DL with thumb injury

Tyson Ross comes within four outs of throwing Padres’ first ever no-hitter

Giancarlo Stanton finally ends home run drought, hits first dinger for Yanks

Sean Manaea’s no hitter sure to lift A’s morale after team’s first sweep and beating baseball’s best

Nats beat Dodgers in battle of Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw

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

Samardzija and Williamson make memorable season debuts as Giants down Angels 8-1

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

What a season debut for Jeff Samardzija after beginning the season on the disabled list with a pectoral strain.

Samardzija went five innings, allowing just two hits, walking four and striking out four, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-1 at Angel Stadium Friday night.

Mac Williamson, who was tearing up the Pacific Coast League was recalled earlier in the day after Hunter Pence went on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained thumb made the most of his season debut.

After striking out in his first at-bat, Williamson hit a towering two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to help the Giants in the opener of their three-game series in a rematch of the 2002 World Series that the Angels came from a 5-0 deficit to win Game Six and won their only World Championship the next evening with a 4-1 victory.

Nick Hundley got the night started, as he hit his first home run of the season in the top of the second inning. Hundley drove in another run in the top of the eighth inning, as he hit a double off the left field wall.

Andrew McCutchen hit his second three-run home run of the season in the fifth inning, as the Giants broke the game wide-open, as they scored six runs in the inning. Austin Jackson also added a run-scoring in the frame.

Todd Heaney was cruising into the top of the fifth inning, despite the Hundley home run in the top of the second inning.

Heaney let the first five batters get to him, as Williamson hit a two-run home run and his night was done, when McCutchen launched that three-run home run.

Shohei Otani picked two of the five Angels hits, including the first hit of the game off of Samardzija in the bottom of the second inning.

Albert Pujols doubled off the left-center field wall for his 2,991sthit, leaving him just nine shy of the magical 3,000 hit club. The double by Pujols was his 623rdof his career, tying him for 11thplace in Major League history with Hank Aaron.

Mike Trout broke up the shutout in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he hit his seventh home run of the season off of Pierce Johnson.

NOTES: Derek Holland will try again for his first win of the season on Saturday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants, while Garrett Richards will make his first ever start against the Giants.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Angels will face each other in Game 2 Saturday night at 6:07 pm PT.

Moreland’s Grand Slam Continues Graveman’s Not-So-Grand 2018, A’s Fall to Red-Hot Red Sox 7-3

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kendall Graveman’s woes continued Friday night at the Coliseum. The Oakland A’s opening day starter failed to record an out deeper than the fifth inning for the fifth time in as many 2018 starts. Graveman gave up six runs to the Majors’ best offense, the Boston Red Sox, in a 7-3 A’s loss. The Red Sox (17-2) continue to hold the best record in baseball.

The A’s (9-11) took a three-run lead off former Athletic Drew Pomeranz, who was making his 2018 debut in the first inning, but the Red Sox rode a three-run Jackie Bradley Jr. homer and a Mitch Moreland grand slam to continue an eight-game win streak. Jed Lowrie went 4-5, adding to his American League lead in RBIs with 22.

Graveman (0-4, 10.07 ERA) entered play with a 9.87 ERA, more than a run an inning, and somehow managed to see it rise to 10.07. He lasted longer Friday night than he had in his previous two starts. The sinkerballer went four innings in a 10-8 loss to the Mariners April 14th and lasted just 3 1/3 innings in a 6-1 defeat to the Angels on April 8th. He departed the game Friday with the bases loaded after coughing up four straight hits with no outs in the 6th after retiring 11 straight batters to enter the inning.

Manager Bob Melvin called for reliever Emilio Pagan with the score tied 3-3 and Graveman responsible for the three runners on base. It didn’t take long for Graveman to learn his fate on the night, with Pagan grooving an 83 miles per hour slider that Mitch Moreland crushed to the right field bleachers for a 7-3 Red Sox lead. The Red Sox lead the majors with five grand slams after hitting zero in 2017.

The Red Sox found it easy to string together hits off Graveman, using a trio of hits in consecutive bats to erase their early 3-0 deficit. After Graveman got Mitch Moreland out on strikes to open the second, Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez hit back-to-back singles. Bradley Jr. then squared up on a 2-2 cutter, taking the righty to right field for his second long ball of the year.

The A’s had Pomeranz on the ropes early, with the lefty looking like he wasn’t going to last more than an inning in his first start after returning from a mild flexor strain that sidelined him since mid-Spring Training. Stephen Piscotty scored on Jed Lowrie’s RBI double, Matt Chapman knocked in Lowrie with a single and Mark Canha singled home Chapman for a 3-0 lead.

Pomeranz returned to form too late to factor into the outcome, finishing the game with 3 2/3 innings in the books and seven strikeouts. He gave way to eventual winner Hector Velazquez (3-0, 2.70), the Red Sox starter turned long man. Oakland wouldn’t score again the rest of the game despite loading the bases in the seventh inning off the right hander from Mexico. Matt Barnes came in to the inning with two outs, striking out pinch-hitter Matt Joyce to end the threat. The A’s wouldn’t pose a threat the rest of the night.

Oakland’s best shot at taking a piece out of the league’s best team standings-wise comes Saturday night at the Coliseum. Lefty Sean Manaea takes the bump for the Green and Gold. The Throwin’ Samoan enters play with a scant 1.63 ERA after a brilliant start to the year and an early delivery on the promise that made him the center piece of the Ben Zobrist trade. He’ll draw up against early Cy Young contender Chris Sale. Sale has a 1-0 record and a 1.23 ERA.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: No hitting, no offense for Giants in loss to Diamondbacks

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giants continue to flounder on offense as they lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 on Thursday night at Chase Field.

#2 Up and down, the San Francisco line up the hitters. You expect to connect have struggled against Arizona pitching namely Thursday starter Zach Greinke, who went seven innings, three hits and gave up a run kept the Giants’ lineup off balance.

#3 Pitcher Jeff Samardzija is scheduled to come back and pitch his first game of the season. Manager Bruce Bochy says Samardzija is on schedule and his rehab has been going smoothly.

#4 Madison Bumgarner had three pins removed for his pinky finger, which was fractured four weeks ago in spring training. Doctors say Bumgarner could be throwing in two weeks.

#5 Giants outfielder Hunter Pence said his thumb injury is preventing him from getting some good swings at the plate and holding him back. Pence has only one hit and 12 strikeouts in his last 20 at-bats.

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

 

Belt homers, but Giants fall to Diamondbacks 3-1

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

Brandon Belt picked up where he left off on Thursday. Unfortunately, the rest of his teammates did not.

The San Francisco Giants could not follow up on their dramatic extra-innings win from the night before, and the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to claim the three-game series with a 3-1 win over the Giants inside of Chase Field Thursday night.

The solo home run that Belt hit in the top of the second inning would be the only real mistake that Arizona starter Zack Greinke made. The right-hander gave up only that one on three hits over seven solid innings.

Meanwhile, Ty Blach had a solid outing himself, but it was not enough to offset Greinke’s. The lefty went six innings and surrendered a pair of run on six runs, walking three and striking out four.

The Diamondbacks tied the game when Davis Peralta’s single scored Jeff Mathis in the third, and then they took the lead for good three innings later, when A.J. Pollock launched a solo homer into the stands in left-center off Blach.

After Blach exited the game, Ketel Marte took reliever Reyes Moronta deep with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.

The Giants’ bullpen was otherwise solid, as Moronta and Sam Dyson combined to give up only that one hit over two innings. Unfortunately, the G9iants could not come through at the plate, as Arizona’s bullpen picked up where Greinke left off.

Two Diamondbacks relievers gave up only a pair of hits over the last two innings and struck out four hitters.

The Giants begin a new three-game set Friday night. Game 1 between the Giants and Angels is scheduled for 7:07 pm PT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s open series Friday against Red Sox (15-2) toughest team in the AL

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Boston.com Boston News file photo: April 12th photo shows Rick Porcello throwing a no hitter going into the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have one of the most successful pitching staff in MLB and have lost only two games this season

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 Down 9-4 Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum the Oakland A’s came back from the five run deficit to defeat the Chicago White Sox in 14 innings 12-11. The A’s Jed Lowrie got a late inning homer that helped keep the A’s in the ball game and they later tied up the ball game.

#2 The A’s through the first of the two games defeated the Sox by scores of 8-1 and 10-1 but in the third game the A’s had to work to get the sweep past the White Sox batting the Sox in 14 innings for the third longest game in A’s history and went 5:48 long.

#3 The White Sox have now lost eight of their last nine games they were a club that came in that cured the A’s ills

#4 The A’s have got good pitching in recent outings from starter Sean Manaea they will really be defending on to get some good starts.

#5 The A’s now host the Boston Red Sox the hottest team in baseball coming in at 15-2 Jerry takes a look at how the A’s match up for the series starting Friday night.

Jerry will have a preview of the Red Sox and A’s series and podcasts every Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Red Sox, Hottest Team in Baseball, Head to Oakland to Take on the A’s

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Red Sox are the hottest team in baseball and they’re coming to Oakland this weekend to take on the Oakland A’s.

The Red Sox won last night at Anaheim, they have won six games in a row and have the best record in baseball of 15-2. That is the best start of a season for the Red Sox in their 118-year history.  They are first team in baseball to begin a season 15-3 since the 2003 San Francisco Giants. Red Sox rookie manager is 42-year-old Alex Cora, who was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The Red Sox will play one more game against the Angels at Anaheim tonight before coming to Oakland for a big weekend series and only visit of the Red Sox to Oakland.

The A’s just ended a sweep of the woeful Chicago White Sox. They scored a total of 30 runs on those three games. Yesterday a 14 inning 12-11 slugfest victory took 5 hours and 48 minutes.  Today, on a day off, they have an 9-10 record and are in fourth place 4.5 games behind the leading LA Angels.

The American League West is a tough division, with Astros, the 2017 World Champions, much improved LA Angels, the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers. The A’s are trying to finish at least .500 this month.

Last year on the 1st of June, the A’s were already 14.5 games out of the first place Astros, who went on to beat everybody the rest of the way to capture their first ever title.

The Boston Red Sox, just like the New York Yankees, traditionally bring lots of fans to the Coliseum every time they visit.  It should be a fun place to be with perfect weather this weekend at the O.co. Coliseum.

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Saturday April 21
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Preview of the weekend series between the A’s and Red Sox

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, winners of four straight and owners of a season record of 9-10, will have their work cut out for them this weekend when they host the rampaging Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball 15-2. They have won six straight and 15 of the last 16. They are playing the Los Angeles Angels Thursday night and will arrive in Oakland after the game. The Red Sox beat Angels’ pitcher Shohei Ohtani Tuesday night in Anaheim. Ohtani beat the A’s twice in the two games and was dominant.

The A’s are playing better. The hitting is starting to come around as they are second in the league with home runs hit. Jed Lowrie, who came up with the Red Sox, leads the club with six homers and the league with 21 RBIs. Khris Davis and Matt Chapman have also hit five home runs to pace the A’s attack. Matt Joyce, Marcus Semien, Matt Olson, Chad Pinder, and Mark Canha have also provided punch to the A’s offense. The A’s, however, are ranked just 22nd in the Power Rankings. Number one honor goes to the Red Sox. The Red Sox have scored 108 runs this year, and the pitching has allowed just 48 for a plus-60 ranking. The A’s have produced 104 runs, but the pitching has given up 99 for a plus-five margin.

The A’s will be facing three left-handed hurlers this weekend. On Friday, Boston will send Drew Pomeranz to the mound. Pomeranz will be making his season debut on Friday. Pomeranz, a former Oakland Athletic, won 17 games last year for Boston. He will be opposed by Kendall Graveman. Graveman will be making his fifth start of the year, and things have not gone well for him so far. Graveman’s ERA is 9.87 and has given up six home runs so far. He did not make it past the fourth inning in his last start nor has he made it past the fifth inning in any game this season. The A’s need him to regain the promise he showed two years ago, but he has a tough task facing him as he tries to shut down the Boston offense. The game on Saturday will feature two lefthanders at the top of their game. The A’s Sean Manaea ( 2-2, ERA 1.63) has been superb for Oakland. He could be 4-0 if he had some run support in the two games he lost. He has pitched past the seventh inning in all four games that he started. He will be opposed by the ace of the Boston staff, Chris Sale. Sale( 1-0, ERA 1.23) has been outstanding and will be a contender for the Cy Young award again. On Sunday, Daniel Mengden will go for Oakland. Mengden is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.50, but he pitched 8 plus innings last Monday against the White Sox and gave up just one run and six hits. The Red Sox will counter will send former Cy Young winner David Price to the hill. Price is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.25.

The Red Sox have a formidable lineup. They won the AL East last year with a record of 93-69. They were last in home runs in the Al but this year they added a tremendous power hitter, J.D.Martinez, and so far the early results are good as the Red Sox have been sensational. They are led by Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley, Junior, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, Mitch Moreland, Hanley Ramirez, Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt. Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts are on the DL and will not play this weekend.

Hopefully, the stands will be full of fans to see the teams play. The A’s have talent on the field. They can hit. The pitching, however, is suspect. If the A’s hope to move up in the AL West standings, the will need more consistency from their starter. Manaea has done his job. Mengden pitched will his last time out, and Trevor Cahill looked sharp as he defeated the White Sox. Andrew Triggs had two good starts, but he was pounded by the White Sox Wednesday and did not last past the second inning. The A’s will have to be at their best this weekend as the Red Sox are blistering hot right now. Let’s see if the A’s can rise to the occasion.