Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz (16) is one of the leading home run hitters in baseball with 19 who meets up with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco for the final meeting of the three game series on Thu Jun 25, 2026 (AP file photo)
I-80 Series podcast Jack Loeder (KNBR 680 reporter)
#1 Although the Sacramento A’s are just up the road it really doesn’t feel quite the same without these two clubs meeting as former Bay Area rivals.
#2 The A’s are just a year and half away from moving to Las Vegas you would think from the pure business stand point and economic aspect that having two baseball teams in the Bay Area would have benefited the San Francisco Giants rather than the Giants just having a corner of the market to themselves.
#3 The A’s are a fun team to watch Nick Kurtz is going to be an All Star he can be on track to be a Hall of Famer if he can keep his numbers up through his career.
#4 The match up of pitchers on Wednesday saw a pitching duel between A’s starter Gage Jump and Giants starter Landen Roupp which ended up with the Giants coming back after trailing 1-0 with home runs from Rafeal Devers and Victor Bericoto for the 2-1 win.
Joe Loeder is a reporter for KNBR 680 San Francisco better known as The Sports Leader
Sacramento A’s starter Gage Jump pitching here against the Los Angeles Angels on Thu Jun 18, 2026. Jump made the start against the San Francisco Giants on Wed Jun 24, 2026 (AP file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Bruce Macgowan:
#1 Which rookie pitcher had the stronger outing on June 24, 2026: Athletics left-hander Gage Jump or Giants starter Tyler Mahle?
#2 How did the Giants erase a 1–0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game 2–1?
#3 Which Athletics player hit the game’s first and only Oakland home run, giving his team a late lead in the eighth inning?
#4 What defensive play by Giants rookie Victor Bericoto helped keep the game scoreless before his walk-off home run?
#5 Why was the loss particularly frustrating for the Athletics despite receiving an excellent start from Gage Jump? Consider both their missed scoring opportunities and bullpen performance.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson (5) leaps but is tagged out on the leg by San Francisco Giants catcher Eric Hasse (left) while plate umpire Ramon De Jesus (18) prepares to make the call at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jun 24, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Lincoln Juarez
SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants’ two homers in the ninth to tie and win the game earned them their 25th walk-off win since the start of the 2024 season, which is second-most in MLB over that span. Tyler Mahle came off the IL in unambiguous fashion to set the tone for a 2-1 pitchers’ duel.
Amid the disappointment and anguish surrounding the San Francisco Giants this final week of June with the team sitting 14 games under .500, there was a baseball game to be played at the corner of Third and King and an opportunity for the Orange and Black to win just their third series of the month. Despite fans lashing back at the organization, a large crowd of 37,526 settled in for game two between the A’s and the Giants.
In his first major league start since May 26th, in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tyler Mahle toed the rubber after rehabbing from a left hamstring strain. The Giants didn’t expect anything like Robbie Ray’s eight innings of one-run ball on Tuesday night and would’ve been content with three-to-four innings from Mahle. The right-hander exceeded expectations while on a 75-max pitch count and got one out shy of making it through six, shut-out innings. He only allowed two hits while striking out four through 5.2 innings.
“He sure made it hard on the coaching staff…I didn’t think we were going to get there to that spot, to where his pitch count was 75 and you get to Kurtz… he was phenomenal,” said Vitello. “I’ve seen this before, and this is more of a conspiracy theory out of me, I’ve seen that pitch count thing bring out the best in pitchers… every pitcher wants to stay out there as long as possible… he was just really really efficient and he attacked like crazy.”
The Giants’ manager couldn’t have asked for much more from the 31 year-old whose only win this season came at home. He wouldn’t qualify for Wednesday’s win as he left the ballgame with a 0-0 score but still felt satisfied with his return from the IL.
“I just felt good, I was working well with Haase back there, defense made some outstanding plays… I was making good pitches and Haase was calling some good pitches.”
The defense described by Mahle came from all over the field with a L4, E4, 7-2 put-out all in one play to keep the game scoreless with Victor Bericoto completing the odd put-out with a bullet of a throw from left field to nail Jacob Wilson at home. Jung Hoo Lee continued to make his All-Star bid with spectacular defense in right field as he made two incredible catches on his way to a collision with the wall, once in the fourth and again in the ninth to keep the Giants within a run.
Left-hander Sam Hentges came in and finished the sixth inning for Mahle recording the final out on just one pitch. The Giants’ bullpen threw a combined 3.1 innings with three strikeouts while allowing a lone hit which was a Max Muncy homer (5) in the eighth.
After being shut-out through the first eight innings by A’s starter Gage Jump (5.0 IP, 3H, BB, 9K) and members of the Athletics’ bullpen, Rafeal Devers stepped up to lead off the bottom of the ninth with the Giants trailing by one. Devers has been a hot name thrown around in the media since Sunday’s game in Miami where most took his childish plea to stay out on the bases in a one-run game in the ninth inning as a sign of disrespect toward Tony Vitello and the rest of the San Francisco coaching staff.
Devers didn’t see it as such and went on to tell the media Tuesday afternoon that it was a misunderstanding and blown out of proportion. That response to the situation was not taken well. With something to prove and the anticipation for him to return to his “Boston-self”, Devers struck a 99 mph fastball 416 feet over the center field fence to tie the game. The Oracle Park crowd erupted and proceeded to think that every other ball put in play the rest of the ninth was also going over the fence for a game-winner. Two flyouts later, the crowd got what they wished for when Victor Bericoto walked out of the batter’s box and threw his bat in excitement as he watched his 445 foot bomb leave the yard for a Giants win.
It was his first walk-off hit, RBI, and home run of his young career and the second walk-off homer by a Giants rookie this season (Bryce Eldridge on June 10). The Giants are now 10-2 over their last 12 games vs. the A’s going back to August 18, 2024 and 11-3 against them at Oracle Park since the start of the 2021 season.
Giants’ RHP Landen Roupp (5-7 ERA 4.15) will try to make it three in a row with a sweep of the A’s Thursday afternoon against LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-7 ERA 5.55) at 12:45pm at Oracle Park.
Sacramento A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (left) and pitcher Jeffery Springs (right) talk through their gloves. Springs will be the starting pitcher Wed Jun 24, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco against the San Francisco Giants (Getty file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Bridget Mulchay:
#1 How important was pitcher Robbie Ray’s eight-inning performance in the Giants’ 3-1 victory over the A’s?
#2 Did the injury to Zack Gelof change the momentum of the game or the remainder of the series for the A’s?
#3 Which offensive play had the biggest impact on the outcome: Jung Hoo Lee’s home run, Matt Chapman’s RBI hit, or another key moment?
#4 What does the result of the first game of the Bay Area “I-80 Series” suggest about the rivalry between the A’s and Giants in 2026?
#5 Before Tuesday’s game against the A’s San Francisco Giant Rafael Devers said that he thought he was being pulled out of Sunday’s game in Miami because he had a hamstring issue but Devers said he was just letting manager Tony Vitello know he was good to stay in the game. Devers said he didn’t want to come out and said he later apologized to Vitello because it’s the right thing to do.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz has been getting around on the baseball brings a .290 average with 19 home runs to Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants on Tue Jun 22, 2026 (AP News photo 6-9-26)
Sacramento A’s podcast Amaury Pi Gonzalez:
#1 Can the Sacramento A’s bounce back from their recent losing streak and improve their position in the AL West race?
#2 How will the pitching matchup between Aaron Civale (5-3 ERA 4.91) and Robbie Ray (5-6 ERA 4.07) influence the outcome of the series opener?
#3 Will A’s slugger Nick Kurtz continue his strong season and provide the offensive spark Sacramento needs?
#4 Can Giants standout Jung Hoo Lee keep up his impressive batting performance and help San Francisco snap its three-game skid?
#5 Which team will gain the upper hand in this Northern California rivalry after the Giants won two of three games in Sacramento earlier this season?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco Giants baserunner Rafael Devers waves off pinch runner Jonah Cox and manager Tony Vitello indicating there was no need for a pinch runner. Devers relented when the first base umpire signaled that Cox was coming in to pinch run. (still photo from NBC Sports Bay Area)
San Francisco Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic:
#1 How surprised were you that San Francisco Giants Rafael Devers waved off pinch runner Jonah Cox and manager Tony Vitello in the top of the ninth inning refusing to come out of the game while running at first base but relented when the first base umpire indicated that Cox was replacing Devers.
#2 Miami Marlins Kyle Stowers hit a home run and later scored on Otto Lopez go ahead double that was enough to get by the Giants for a 2-1 win.
#3 Marlins starter Ryan Gusto and four relief pitchers held the Giants to just four hits and the Marlins won their eight straight home game the streak leads the Majors for consecutive home wins.
#4 Giant starter Logan Webb had pitched eight innings for a complete game but allowed five hits and two runs for the loss. Webb didn’t get any run support.
#5 Next up for the Giants the Sacramento A’s at Oracle Park in Tuesday. Starting pitchers for Sacramento RHP Aaron Civale (5-3 ERA 4.91) for San Francisco LHP Robbie Ray (5-6 ERA 4.07) first pitch 6:45pm PDT.
Notes: The Giants announced that they will play a doubleheader on Sat Aug 29th at Oracle Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks the first game is at 1pm and the second game 7pm. Both Diamondbacks and Giants will have the day off Sun Aug 30th. The day off allows the Giants to travel to Atlanta for a make up game scheduled Mon Aug 31st that was rained out Thu Jun 18th.
Sacramento A’s starter Aaron Civale will make the start against the San Francisco Giants on Tue Jun 23, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason
#1 The Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto hit a two run home run and the Angels were in front against the Sacramento A’s in the ninth inning 8-7.
#2 The Angels Denzer Guzman in the eighth inning hit a three run home run and the A’s and Angels split the four game series with the Angels winning game 4 of the set 9-7.
#3 The Angels also got offense from Donavan Walton who hit a home run and got three RBIs and Nolan Schanuel and Jose Siri both had two hits that helped toward Sunday’s win. This after the Angels shutout the A’s 7-0 on Saturday
#4 A’s Nick Kurtz hit his 19th home run for 55 career home runs that ties the A’s record for the most home runs through the first two seasons for a career with the Philadelphia A’s Bob Johnson who set the record in 1933-34.
#5 The A’s head to Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tuesday to open up a road trip with the Giants. Starting pitcher for Sacramento RHP Aaron Civale (5-3 ERA 4.91) for San Francisco LHP Robbie Ray (5-6 ERA 4.07) first pitch 6:45pm PDT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Zack Gelof (20) of the Sacramento A’s takes a 24 game hitting streak into Oracle Park in San Francisco Tue Jun 23, 2026 against the San Francisco Giants (AP file photo)
By Mauricio Segura
WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento A’s built a four-run lead before fans got mustard on their hot dogs, but an early effort in Athletics baseball is never something to find comfort in. What began as a promising day for the Green and Gold turned into a 9-7 loss, as the Los Angeles Angels used three home runs, including Zach Neto’s go-ahead shot in the ninth, to take the final two games of the series and send Sacramento two games under .500.
The A’s wasted no time putting Reid Detmers in trouble. Zack Gelof opened the bottom of the first with a single to left, Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson both reached base, and Tyler Soderstrom forced in the first run. Jonah Heim followed with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in Kurtz for a 2-0 lead. Joey Meneses then lined an RBI single to left, scoring Wilson and picking up his first Major League RBI since July 1, 2024, when he was with Washington. Henry Bolte capped the inning with a ground-ball single to right, scoring Soderstrom and giving the Athletics a 4-0 lead.
It looked like the A’s had a chance to stay on top. Instead, Los Angeles answered in the second. Nolan Schanuel singled, Denzer Guzman followed with another single, and Donovan Walton turned a 2-0 pitch from Jack Perkins into a three-run homer to right. Just like that, Sacramento’s cushion was down to 4-3. Walton has now recorded an extra-base hit in six straight games, the longest active streak in the Majors and tied for the longest by any player this season.
Perkins recovered enough to keep the A’s ahead. He struck out a career-high eight batters over five innings on 78 pitches, giving the A’s some badly needed swing-and-miss. But the Angels kept making him work. In the fifth, Jose Siri singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on another wild pitch to make it 5-4. Perkins finished with four earned runs allowed on four hits and two walks, and he has allowed at least three earned runs and one home run in each of his four starts this season.
The A’s had pushed their lead to 5-3 in the fourth when Gelof doubled and Kurtz singled him home, with Kurtz moving to second on Jo Adell’s fielding error. Kurtz kept his big afternoon going in the seventh. After Gelof reached on Denzer Guzman’s error, Kurtz drove a Brent Suter pitch to center for a two-run homer, stretching the Athletics’ lead to 7-4. Kurtz finished 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk, three RBIs and two runs. He also reached base safely for the 22nd straight game and tied Bob Johnson for the most home runs through the first two years of an A’s career with 55.
That seventh-inning homer should have given the A’s enough room to finish the job. It did not. Hogan Harris started the eighth by hitting pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom. Schanuel singled him to third, and Guzman tied the game with a three-run homer to center.
Guzman finished 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three RBIs and two runs, and he has now homered in three straight games, the longest streak of his career. Heim helped stop the inning from getting worse by throwing out Christian Moore trying to steal second, and Elvis Alvarado struck out Oswald Peraza after a challenge confirmed the call.
The ninth inning gave the Angels their final push. Siri singled up the middle with one out, and Neto followed by sending an 0-1 pitch from Alvarado over the wall in left. The two-run homer, Neto’s 17th of the season, gave Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 9-7. Sam Bachman then retired Gelof, Kurtz and Wilson in order in the bottom half, earning his first save.
The Angels finished with ten hits and three homers. They have now hit 22 home runs across 11 games at the Athletics’ current home park, the most by any visiting team. The A’s had seven hits, five walks and plenty of early traffic, but after Kurtz’s seventh-inning blast, their final six batters were retired. It was a game the Athletics had in their hands more than once, only to watch the Angels’ bats laugh and say, “Not today!”.
Next up, the Athletics head down I-80 for a matchup against the San Francisco Giants, with Aaron Civale (5-3, 4.91 ERA, 41 K) for Sacramento set to face San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (5-6, 4.07 ERA, 74 K) at 6:45 p.m. Pacific, giving the Green and Gold a quick chance to trade frustration for a rivalry win.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Zack Gelof scores in the bottom of the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun Jun 21, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Daniel Dullum:
#1 The Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto hit a two run home run and the Angels were in front against the Sacramento A’s in the ninth inning 8-7.
#2 The Angels Denzer Guzman in the eighth inning hit a three run home run and the A’s and Angels split the four game series with the Angels winning game 4 of the set 9-7.
#3 The Angels also got offense from Donavan Walton who hit a home run and got three RBIs and Nolan Schanuel and Jose Siri both had two hits after the Angels made it two in row after getting a shutout 7-0 Saturday
#4 A’s Nick Kurtz hit his 19th home run for 55 career home runs that ties the A’s record for the most home runs through the first two seasons for a career with the Philadelphia A’s Bob Johnson who set the record in 1933-34.
#5 The A’s head to Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tuesday to open up a road trip with the Giants. Starting pitcher for Sacramento RHP Aaron Civale (5-3 ERA 4.91) for San Francisco LHP Robbie Ray (5-6 ERA 4.07) first pitch 6:45pm PDT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Jonah Heim connects for a ninth inning home run to tie up the game 11-11 against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Jun 19, 2026 (AP News photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:
#1 The Sacramento Athletics staged one of the wildest comebacks of the season. After trailing by seven runs, they defeated the Angels 12–11 on a walk-off walk in the 10th inning. What factors typically allow a team to overcome such a large deficit in modern MLB?
#2 The Yankees blanked the Reds 5–0 behind a dominant pitching performance. Rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler struck out 13 batters. How significant is a 13-strikeout outing for a young starter, and what does it suggest about his future potential?
#3 The Dodgers continued their reputation for late-game drama. After rallying in the ninth inning, they walked off the Orioles 6–5. What makes teams with strong comeback ability especially dangerous in a playoff race?
#4 The MLB Draft Combine begins next week in Phoenix. With 334 prospects expected to participate, what aspects of a player’s game are scouts and front offices most interested in evaluating during combine events?
#5 All-Star voting and roster debates are heating up. Which players have strengthened their All-Star cases the most during June, and what statistics should voters prioritize when evaluating candidates?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
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