Tag: San Francisco Giants

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Exhausted, old, and living in the past, the Giants better get used to last place

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from nbcbayareasports.com: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy doffs his cap to the fans at the introduction of the Giants at the home opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday afternoon vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There is no guarantee sellout at SBC, Pac Bell, AT&T or Oracle Park anymore for San Francisco Giants fans and the dream of another World Series trophy in the near future is just that — a dream.

Looking at the National League West, there is little doubt that even the Padres have much more life, youth and talent than the aging Giants. You want a good surgeon,with lots of experience to operate on you, but in today’s baseball, youth is what is driving the game, not experience. Giants tried to sign Bryce Harper to a short two-year deal, but truth be said,why would he play in San Francisco, in a ballpark that is anything but a hitting paradise, when he could and did, wound up signing a lifelong contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, who play in a park that is truly a power-hitters dream.

Most teams are getting younger and younger, but the Giants obviously never got the memo, they live on days past,not on the present. Giants are anything but exciting. Their hitting is pathetic, they have no speed, and although their pitching is not bad, they feel a tremendous amount of pressure because when they are down early in a game, they can’t come back.

The most exciting player for the Giants is a guy who is getting paid by the Red Sox. Yes, Pablo Sandoval, who has been relegated to the most difficult job in the game, a pinch-hitter, and he seems to deliver, energize and excite the fans. Sandoval has all the passion that this team lacks.

The Giants made lots of mistakes giving huge contracts to players, whose best years were in the past: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto Jeff Samardzija, and Evan Longoria. There lies most of the big money on their payroll. They did this to please their fanbase. Loyalty might be very important in politics, when when it comes to baseball? Winning three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014 recruited thousands of new Giants fans, but this is the Bay Area, and unless you are the Warriors, who just win, there comes a time where you cannot please your fans.

The Giants have a great propaganda machine in the Bay Area. When the Oakland A’s were winning titles and the Giants were not, the Giants were the favorite team to cover for the media, but I also remember when I could not give away free tickets for the Giants at Candlestick Park.

I was there to call the first ever game at what is today Oracle Park, back in the year 2000. The park was the talk of town, people were going to see the beautiful new facility, and even people that have never seen a baseball game, I remember a tourist family in SF from Italy that I met as they were walking to the park, just to be there. 10 years later, the people were going to see a championship team. The park is already 19 years old.

I looked at all the rosters in the NL West, and I just could not find a team inferior to the Giants starting this 2019 season.

It is early, yes, and although it might seem like a pessimistic look at these Giants, I am truly a realist, I like to look at the half of the glass that is full, rather than the half that is empty, but at this time, the Giants are empty. The Dodgers will win the division again, and it should not be even close, but the most interesting team in the NL West are the Padres, not only they signed Manny Machado, but Fernando Tatis Jr., the youngest player in the MLB, is truly an exciting player with great talent, an All-Star shortstop in the making. The Padres have lots of young and up and coming players, and I do not think they are a last place team anymore.

The Giants better get used to last place.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rays spoil Giants’ home opener with 5-2 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @RaysBaseball

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — After all the pomp and circumstances of Opening Day went away, there was a game to be played and it did not take long for the Tampa Bay Rays to get on the board.

Ji-Man Choi doubled, and then Brandon Lowe drove in Choi with a double of his own for the only run that the Rays would need on their way to a 5-2 over the San Francisco before a sellout crowd of 41,067 at Oracle Park.

Following the Lowe double, the Rays began to show their muscles, as Yandy Diaz hit a two-run home run that broke his bat and then Kevin Kiermaier launched a solo home run into the center field bleachers.

After that rough first inning, Dereck Rodriguez settled down, as he went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking no one and striking out five, as his record fell to 1-1 on the young season.

Buster Posey singled to lead off the second inning, went to second, when Choi was unable to make the throw on a ball hit by Brandon Crawford, then after Rays starter Tyler Glasnow retired the next two, Joe Panik walked to load the bases; however, the attempt at a rally ended, when grounded to first to end the inning.

Glasnow went six innings, giving up zero runs on just three hits, walking just and striking out six, as he won for the second time in as many starts to begin the season.

The Rays stretched their up to 5-0 in the top of the seventh inning, as Michael Perez doubled and then after a throwing error by reliever Nick Vincent, Austin Meadows doubled in Perez.

Pablo Sandoval got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Pablo Sandoval doubled down the left field line off of Rays reliever Wilmer Font, who gave up a single to Kevin Pillar. It was the first hit as a member of the Giants for Pillar.

Steven Duggar then cut the Rays lead down to three, as he doubled to the left-center field gap to score Sandoval and put an end to Fonts afternoon.

Despite getting the tying run to the plate in bottom of the ninth inning, Brandon Belt struck out and then former Rays third baseman Evan Longoria flew out to Guillermo Heredia.

NOTES: Prior to the game, and during the game, the Giants paid tribute to beloved members of the Giants family who passed away during the off-season, including Hank Greenwald, Frank Robinson, Peter Magowan and Willie McCovey.

The team also honored the first responders of the California wildfires that destroyed many different parts of California this past fall and also remembered the people who perished in those fires.

This is the second year in a row that the Giants have opened the home slate against an American League team, as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Giants 6-4 to open the 2018 home season.

With the loss in the home opener, the Giants have lost back-to-back home openers for the first time since the 2007 and 2008 season, when they lost to the San Diego Padres 7-0 and then 8-4 the following season.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija takes the mound on Saturday for the Giants, while the Rays starter is yet to be determined.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants home opener hopes to bring successful homestand today

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The Giants went 2-5 on their first road trip of 2019. Anything manager Bruce Bochy should be concerned about or is this something that will chalked up as experience?

#2 The Giants’ bright spot was when first baseman Brandon Belt hit a game-winning home run on Monday night for a win.

#3 Meanwhile, the Dodgers took their opening homestand, winning five of seven. Will the Dodgers be dominant much like the last two seasons this year?

#4 How important is it for Kevin Pillar to play for the Giants and be back in the Bay Area after playing most of his major league career in Toronto?

#5 In the Pillar deal, did the Giants make a good deal in sending Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan De Paula to the Blue Jays?

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

Giants get ready for home opener vs. Rays

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: mybookie.ag

By Jeremy Harness

After opening the season with two series away from home, the Giants will make their home debut Friday afternoon when the Tampa Bay Rays visit Oracle Park.

The Rays enter this weekend series with a 5-2 record, but the Giants may have an answer for that. Dereck Rodriguez, who had a stellar rookie season in 2018, will take the ball Friday afternoon against Rays righty Tyler Glasnow.

Glasnow got his season started in the right direction when he beat the Astros, holding the vaunted Houston lineup to a run on six hits over five innings while earning the victory last Saturday. Rodriguez, meanwhile, got a win of his own against an upgraded San Diego Padres lineup, as he surrendered only a pair of runs on four hits, striking out two batters and walking none in five innings of work.

The Giants hope to pull things together at home after dropping the first two series of the season, taking only one of the four-game series with the Padres while winning one of the three-game series with the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Rays, meanwhile, have two series wins against worthy opponents. They started the season by taking three of the four-game series with the Astros, who are only one year removed from their World Series title.

Tampa Bay then followed that up by taking three of four from the Colorado Rockies, who made a serious push for the playoffs last season.

The Giants and Rays will play all afternoon games this weekend, and the Giants hope to give their fans something to cheer about, starting Friday afternoon.

Bullpen can’t hold onto lead as Giants fall to Dodgers late 5-3

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants gave a gallant effort in this three-game series against the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but in the end, they came up just a bit short, dropping the series by virtue of a 5-3 loss at the hands of their intra-state rivals at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night.

They surprised LA in the first game but dropped the second game, but they were in position to take the third – and the series – when starter Derek Holland left the game into the hands of a bullpen that has shown to be capable this young season.

The Giants held the lead into the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead when righty reliever Reyes Moronta ran into immediate trouble. He gave up a leadoff double to catcher Austin Barnes but seemed to get things back on track by punching out pinch hitter Alex Verdugo.

After a walk, he got Justin Turner to fly out and was one strike away from getting out of the inning. But that’s when David Freese, whose heroics led the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 2011, lined one off the wall in right-center to bring in two runs and give the Dodgers a 4-3 advantage.

“Reyes has been so good over the past year and this year, but give them credit,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He just mis-located a fastball in the end.

“We have a good bullpen, so that’s going to have to be out strength, holding on to those games.”

The Dodgers added another run in the eighth, when Chris Taylor’s double, which landed in the same area as Freese’s did an inning earlier, brought in Cody Bellinger.

The two-run cushion was more than enough for closer Kenley Jansen, who nailed down his third save of the season with a perfect ninth inning, as the Dodgers took the three-game series.

Derek Holland had a solid outing against the Dodgers Wednesday night. The crafty left-hander went five innings and surrendered only a pair of runs on three hits, walking four and striking out seven in taking the tough no-decision.

The Giants will return to Oracle Park to host its home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday afternoon at 1:35 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Ice meltdown in Vancouver–Sharks can’t answer Canucks’ 3 goals in third period; Quakes’ best game in 0-0 draw against Colorado so far; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In one that you can call just a big meltdown, the San Jose Sharks started a two-game road trip in Vancouver Tuesday night, had a 2-1 lead and looked like they might actually win this one against the Canucks, but all for not as the Canucks scored three unanswered goals to hand San Jose its ninth loss in 10 games 4-2.

#2 The San Jose Earthquakes are a team that is all shook up. They have not won one a game yet this season and have played six games and their best game was against Colorado in a 0-0 draw. London tells us from he has seen of the Quakes what the problem is?

#3 The San Francisco Giants have shown some improvement on the current road trip taking the first game against the Dodgers on Monday night 4-2, thanks to Brandon Belt’s home run to help pace the win. On Tuesday night, the Giants lost by a run, but it’s been something to look forward to after they struggled in San Diego losing three out four.

#4 The Oakland A’s are getting plenty of pitching they got a 7-0 shutout over the World Champion Red Sox on Monday and then on Tuesday they got a 1-0 shutout with great A’s starting pitcher Mike Fiers and A’s reliever Blake Treinen.

#5 The Sacramento Kings just couldn’t do anything with James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night in Golden One Center. Harden put away 36 points and he was again a scoring machine in a 130-105 win.

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bellinger hits grand slam in Dodgers’ 6-5 win over Giants

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: brobible.com

By Jeremy Kahn

With a chance to possibly tie up the game, Pablo Sandoval ended the game with one swing of the bat.

Cody Bellinger hit a towering grand slam in the bottom of the third inning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers hung on to defeat the San Francisco Giants 6-5 at Dodger Stadium.

Madison Bumgarner committed a throwing error on a Russell Martin come backer that Brandon Belt was unable to dig out.

Bumgarner then walked Hyun-Jin Ryu on four pitches, and then Enrique Hernandez singled in Martin and then Bumgarner regrouped to get Justin Turner and Corey Seager; however, Bumgarner then gave up a single to A.J. Pollock and then Bellinger launched a Bumgarner offering over the center-field wall to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.

Ryu was cruising along until he gave up a single to Gerardo Parra in the top of the sixth inning and then Bumgarner hit his first home run of the season, a two-run blast into the left field bleachers.

Despite allowing the home run to Bumgarner, Ryu went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits, not allowing a walk and striking out five, as he won for the second time in as many starts on the season.

It was the 18th career home run for Bumgarner, tying him for 20th place all-time for home runs by a pitcher.

Those five runs allowed by Bumgarner were unearned, as he went six innings, allowing five hits, walking two and striking out four; however, he saw his record fall to 0-2 on the season.

Turner gave the Dodgers what proved to be the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Martin, who doubled to lead off the inning and went to third on a throwing error by Steven Duggar on a pinch-hit single by Alex Verdugo.

Things began to get interesting in the top of the ninth inning, as Evan Longoria doubled to lead off the inning against Yimi Garcia, then Buster Posey walked and that would be the end of the night for Garcia, as closer Kenley Jansen came on to face Brandon Crawford, who reached on a throwing error by Jansen that loaded the bases with nobody out.

Jansen then walked Yangervis Solarte to narrow the Dodgers lead down to 6-3, and then after Joe Panik struck out for the first out of the inning, Parra hit a two-run single to cut the lead down to 6-5 and put the tying run on third base.

Unfortunately, Sandoval grounded into a double play to end the game and even up the three-game series.

NOTES: Kevin Pillar was acquired by the Giants from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Alen Hanson, Derek Law and Juan De Paula.

Pillar, 30, spent the first seven seasons with the Blue Jays. This season, Pillar is 1-for-16 in his first five games this season.

To make room for Pillar on the roster, the Giants designated outfielder Michael Reed for assignment.

Pillar, who grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of West Hills in the San Fernando Valley struck out in the top of the eighth inning.

UP NEXT: Derek Holland makes his second start of the season on Wednesday night, as he takes the ball against Ross Stripling, who is also making his second start of the season.

Belt keys Giants’ late rally in 4-2 win over the Dodgers

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Somehow, Dodgers’ home runs didn’t destroy the Giants. And Julio Urias couldn’t pitch the Giants into submission for a full nine innings.

Instead, Brandon Belt did the most with his final two at-bats of the evening, and the Giants rallied for an unlikely 4-2 win.

“We had a tough series in San Diego,” Belt said. “We wanted to change the tide when we came over here.”

Clearly, the tide was rising on the Giants by just entering the ballpark of the two-time National League champions on Monday. In just four games, the Dodgers hit 14 home runs and scored 42 runs in taking three of four from the Diamondbacks. Seven of those homers came in one game.

Then on Monday, Urias took control on the mound, and the Dodgers’ home run total swelled to 16 as they built a 2-0 lead after five innings.

The Giants–with just home run over their first, four-plus games–needed a response. Frankly, it wasn’t apparent that they had one.

Belt homered leading off the sixth to trim the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1. But Joe Kelly, on in relief of Urias, retired Evan Longoria, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford in succession. The Giants have scored twice face five pitchers from the opposition in 26 1/3 innings and all were starters Urias although it wouldn’t happened pitched well enough to complete the game although he pitched his five innings, giving up three hits and seven strikeouts.

Meanwhile San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said that his pitching staff put his mind at ease with keeping the Dodgers line up off balance after the Giants came back from behind with relievers Trevor Gott, Mark Malancon, Tony Watson, and Will Smith closing.

Giants starter Drew Pomeranz pitched for five innings giving up six hits, two runs, two earned, one walk, and six strikeouts. The Dodgers scored all their runs in the bottom of the fifth.

The Giants face the Dodgers in game two of the series tonight Madison Bumgarner (0-1) goes for the Giants and for the Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-0).

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants must depend on young outfield and hitting in Dodgers series

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Four games amount to three loses as the Giants scored only five runs.

#2 The Giants utility players Conner Joe and Michael Reed started in the opening series in San Diego. Reed went 0-7 and Joe went 0-4. The Giants will really be depending on Joe and Reed to come off the bench and help with the hit production.

#3 The Padres got some decent pitching out of starter Chris Paddock, who went five innings, two hits, one run, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

#4 Giants starter Jeff Samardzija went five innings, three hits, one run, four walks, and two strikeouts in a 3-1 loss.

#5 The Giants open up with the Dodgers tonight in L.A. The Dodgers already have scored 14 runs in three games and lead the NL West with a 3-1 record.

Morris does the Giants podcasts and game recaps each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Paddack, Machado lead the Padres to 3-1 win over the Giants

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sportingnewsca

By Jeremy Kahn

Even though he did not get the win in his major league debut, this will be a game that Chris Paddack will never forget.

Paddack retired the first 10 batters he faced, and struck out seven in five innings of work, as the San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-1 to win the opening series of the season three games to one.

Not all things went well for Paddack, as he blew a chance to get his first major league run batted in, when Giants right fielder Gerardo Parra threw Paddack out at first base to end the bottom of the second inning.

Manny Machado, who signed a lucrative contract with the Padres after finishing the 2018 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles drove in the eventual game-winning run with a ground out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Giants got to Paddack in the top of the fifth inning, as Brandon Crawford singled and then Pablo Sandoval doubled him Crawford for what was the Giants only run of the afternoon.

Unfortunately, that lead would last until the bottom of the inning, as Franchy Cordero waked as a pinch hitter for Paddack, when to second on a Sandoval throwing error and then scored the tying on a Eric Hosmer single.

The Padres took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Nick Vincent walked Hosmer to load the bases; however, Machado beat the throw on a ground ball from Joe Panik that allowed Hunter Renfroe to score from third base.

Austin Hedges drove in the final run of the game, as he singled in the bottom of the eighth inning.

San Diego native Vincent, who grew up in Ramona, allowed one run on three hits in 1.1 innings in relief of Giants starter Jeff Samardzija.

It was a tough no-decision for Samardzija, who went five innings, allowing an unearned run on three hits, walking four and striking out two.

Adam Warren pitched two strong innings to notch his first win as a member of the Padres.

NOTES: Evan Longoria sat out the finale after fouling a pitch off his calf in his second at-bat on Saturday night.

UP NEXT: Drew Pomeranz will make his Giants debut on Monday night, as the Giants open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.