Tag: San Francisco Giants

Chapman’s walk-off single wins it for the A’s 6-5 over the Giants in extras

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Matt Chapman ended the weekend with one swing of the bat, and gave the Bay Bridge Series to the Oakland A’s.

Chapman hit a single off of Brandon Crawford’s foot and bounced into the outfield, to give the A’s a thrilling 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants in 10 innings before a sellout crowd of 44,374 at the Coliseum on Sunday.

Marcus Semien led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk off of eventual losing pitcher Ty Blach, Semien stole second with Stephen Piscotty at the plate. Piscotty then flew out for the first out and then Blach intentionally walked Khris Davis to get to Matt Olson, who flew out for the second out and then Chapman ended it with his single.

With the loss, the Giants are now just one game over .500 at 51-50, and are now five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

This game went back and forth in the later innings, as Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Giants a 5-4 lead. However, that lead was short-lived, as Davis hit his second home run of the afternoon in the bottom half of the inning to tie up the game.

Sean Manaea was outstanding for the A’s, as he did not allow a base runner until Nick Hundley singled with one out in the top of the fifth inning and then two batters later, Austin Slater broke up the shutout for Manaea, as he doubled off the right-center field wall.

Manaea went 6.2 innings, allowing just two run, while scattering four hits, not walking a batter and striking out five, but he did not fare in the decision.

Johnny Cueto went seven innings, allowing four runs, on six hits, walking two and striking out three, but did not fare in the decision.

Cueto struggled to get to seven innings pitched, as he gave up three home runs, before giving way to Melancon in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Davis hit a home run, a two-run blast and that was the first of three home runs allowed by Cueto on the afternoon, as he gave up two home runs to Matt Olson in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.

Nick Martini got the A’s first inning going, as he legged out an infield single and then three batters later, Davis hit the first pitch he saw from Cueto into the left field seats to give the A’s an early 2-0 lead.

Olson extended the lead up to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he took a Cueto offering and put it into the right field seats for his 20th home run of the season.

After the Slater double that scored Hundley in the top of the fifth inning, Olson launched his second home run of the game and 21st of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning.

It was the second two-homer game of the season for Olson, and the fourth of his career.

The Giants put together a rally in the top of the seventh inning, as Hundley picked up his second hit of the afternoon, and then two batters later, Slater followed up his second hit of the afternoon.

After Brandon Crawford made the second out of the inning, Manaea was replaced by Emilio, who immediately gave up a single to Slater and that was all for Pagan, as Leo Trivino came on to face pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval, who then cut the A’s lead down to 4-3, as he doubled off the right-center field wall.

The Giants were not done, as pinch-hitter Alen Hanson then singled to score pinch runner Steven Duggar to tie up the game.

NOTES: This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams, as they split a two-game series at AT&T Park on April 3 and 4.

UP NEXT: After an off day on Monday, the Giants continue to play the American League West on the road, as they travel to Seattle and open a brief two-game series against the Mariners on Tuesday night at 7:10 pm PDT. Andrew Suarez will take the ball in the opener, while the Mariners will send James Paxton to the mound.

A’s Offense Still on Break in 5-1 Loss to Giants

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s offense still thinks the All-Star break is ongoing. That’d be the only explanation for the A’s 5-1 loss to the Giants at home in round two of the Bay Bridge Series.

Rookie Dereck Rodriguez (5-1, 2.72 ERA) stymied the A’s hitters to just one run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings, while home runs from fellow rookie Ryder Jones and Pablo Sandoval handed starter Edwin Jackson (1-2, 2.93) the loss. Mark Canha, the hero of Saturday’s tilt at AT&T Park, knocked in the lone run for the Green and Gold.

Two of the three A’s hits of Pudge’s kid came in the top of the second. Khris Davis hit a double and scored on Canha’s sacrifice and Dustin Fowler also singled in the inning. Rodriguez struck out five batters and walked none to tie the season series at two games apiece.

Jackson pitched well, and on most nights the potent A’s offense would back his outing. He held a 1-0 lead into the fourth, and was no-hitting the Giants before Andrew McCutchen broke up the no-no with a one-out double. After Brandon Crawford pushed McCutchen to third, Buster Posey singled him in for the two-out RBI and a tie game.

San Francisco took the lead in the next inning after Ryder Jones took a Jackson offering off the foul pole in right field for a solo homer. Sandoval tagged Jackson with another solo blast in the top of the seventh to send the righty to the showers down 3-1.

The Giants tacked a pair of runs off the A’s bullpen in the top of the eighth after former Giant Yusmeiro Petit allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning. He would the game with a runner on third, two out and a run in on a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. Ryan Butcher would yield an RBI single to Brandon Crawford to close the book on Petit with two earned runs. The bullpen struggles further stoke the fire of a rumored trade between the A’s and Mets for closer Jeurys Familia.

The Giants’ bullpen, minus a comeback liner that bounced off Mark Melancon’s foot, cruised with relatively little incident. Reyes Moronta, Melancon and Tony Watson combined for one hit on 2 2/3 innings of work to finish out the game.

The Bridge Trophy will now come down to the winner of Sunday’s game, thanks to a bizarre tie-breaking criterium. Both teams are tied at two wins apiece, meaning regardless of who wins Saturday’s contest, Sunday’s winner would take home the hardware. In the event of a series split, the winner of the final game gets the trophy.

Oakland feels confident for Saturday’s matchup, a showdown between Johnny Cueto and Sean Manaea, but may be trailing the series 3-2 with Saturday’s Madison Bumgarner and Brett Anderson match-up at 6:05 pm PDT.

Part 2 of the Battle of the Bay continues Friday night

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Battle of the Bay continues Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum as the Oakland A’s host the San Francisco Giants for three games. The two teams met last weekend in San Francisco, and the A’s won two out of three.

Both teams welcomed back their two All-Star players from Washington D.C. while the other 23 players on each team had a nice four-day vacation.

The A’s, playing their best baseball since the 2014 season, find themselves in the race for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They are just three games back of the Seattle Mariners for the slot. They play the M’s 10 more times this season.

The A’s are getting solid play from the position players and their DH Khris Davis. The bullpen has been one of the strengths of the team. The starting rotation has been a work in progress. Six pitchers that have started have been on the DL this year.

The A’s, if they were to make the playoffs, need another starting pitcher. The big caveat is this: Will they be able to do it without giving any key players? Do they have enough prospects to make the trade? Rumors are swirling that the A’s are looking at Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer.

The Giants are also in the thick of the race in the NL West. They are in fourth place four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. They trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by 3.5 games and are two games behind the Colorado Rockies for third place.

If the Giants are to make the playoffs, they probably will have to win the division. The Dodgers traded for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado, who will give them another potent bat. Corey Seager is on the DL for the year, and the Dodgers have missed him.

The Giants’ starting rotation has seen their share of injuries, too. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija have all missed significant playing time this tear. Samardzija is back on the 10-day DL.

The Giants own a record of 50-48 and are much improved over last season. They have brought up Steven Duggar and Austin Slater. They released veteran outfielder Austin Jackson. Hunter Pence has been relegated to a reserve role. Evan Longoria is on the DL, but Pablo Sandoval has been filling in quite nicely as his replacement. Buster Posey has been hobbled by a hip injury, but he should be able to play in Oakland as DH Nick Hundley will handle the catching chores,

The pitching matchups for the series shapes up this way. On Friday night, the A’s will send the veteran Edwin Jackson to the hill. Jackson is 1-1 with a 2.59 ERA. Jackson, whom the A’s called up in late June, has been a pleasant surprise, allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his four starts and showing no signs of age. The veteran journeyman will get the ball for the A’s to kick off the second half. He will be opposed by Dereck Rodriguez, who is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez, is 4-1 and has a 2.89 ERA. Rodriguez has been a welcoming addition to the Giants’ staff.  On Saturday, the game will start at 6:05 pm PDT.

The A’s are honoring the 1989 World Series Champions, many of whom will be on hand. Trevor Cahill will go for Oakland. Cahill is 1-2 with a 3.10 ERA. Cahill was on the DL with a strained Achilles tendon. In his return on July 12th, he lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs and three hits. The A’s need him to pitch better in the second half. Lefty Madison Bumgarner goes for the Giants. MadBum is 3-3, and has a 2.90 ERA. The Giants feel that he is not in top form yet as he is allowing 3.1 walks per nine innings of work.

Sunday’s game will feature Seam Manaea (9-6-3.42 ERA) going for his 10th win of the year. Manaea started strong and slumped a bit, but in his last eight starts, has given up three or fewer runs. He will be opposed by Johnny Cueto, who is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA, and has missed most of the season. Cueto has a history of starting well in the first half and them stumbling in the second half. Since he has been sidelined for most of the season, it will be interesting to see if he can return to form.

After the three-game homestand, the A’s go back on the road for four games against the Texas Rangers and three games against the the Colorado Rockies.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Jeremy Kahn and Michael Duca: He’s not vintage MadBum, but he’s been throwing pretty darn good of late

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nbcsports.com file photo: San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner is working on getting back to being vintage Mad Bum for the Giants

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael and Jeremy:

What the San Francisco Giants need to do to win this upcoming series in Oakland is to sweep, and to win it, you have to win the series and they’ve cleverly figured it out after they found out it’s a crooked number of games to do it. Maybe if it was at AT&T Park, we’ll have a quick rugby game afterwards.

Madison Bumgarner is not vintage Madison Bumgarner, but he’s been pretty darn good. He’s still not commanding of pitches in the strike zone and his breaking ball looks a little weaselly. Bum tries to shave the corner, as he was missing by two or three inches. Three quarters of a Bumgarner is equal to one of anybody else you can find from the National League’s pitching rotation.

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

Back in race, Giants face big decisions in 2nd half

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants have an uphill battle on their hands as they attempt to make their way to the playoffs after missing out last season. Their quest to win the National League West, however, just got a little tougher.

The Giants enter the second half the season only four games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and sporting a record of 50-48.

However, they have two immediate obstacles to overcome as play resumes Friday night. The Giants will head to the other side of the bay to face the A’s, who took two of three from them when the two teams saw each other at AT&T Park this past weekend, for a three-game set at the Coliseum.

Also, the Dodgers made a big move on Wednesday, trading for All-Star third baseman Manny Machado.

Now the question remains, will the Giants make a big splash before the trading deadline, or will they stand pat?

The last time the Giants made a big trade before the deadline was in 2012, when they made a move to get outfielder Hunter Pence, which helped ignite the Giants on their way to a World Series title. Ironically, Pence has been the talk of some trade rumors lately.

There are two factors that will likely prevent pence from being traded this year: Even though he is entering the final year of his contract, he has a full no-trade clause, and he also remains a fan favorite although his playing time has diminished significantly.

After their series with the A’s concludes, the Giants will head to Seattle to face the Mariners for a two-game series before going back home for a four-game set versus the Brew

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Crawford still thrilled to be at All-Star extravaganza; Giants could make a run at Dodgers, just 4 games out

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the SF Giants podcast with Marko:

#1 San Francisco Giants’ All-Star representative Brandon Crawford, who has two World Series rings, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and a Willie Mac Award, enjoyed basking at the All Star-game in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night.

#2 At 31 years old, Crawford is the oldest amongst the shortstops and this is the first time he got to start being the top vote-getter for NL shortstops.

#3 For the second half of the season for the Giants, we’ll be taking a look at the upcoming rotation–take one at a time–and tell us what’s their outlook on Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Andrew Suarez, Dereck Rodriguez Derek Holland.

#4 The Giants are four games back in the NL West behind the Rockies, Diamondbacks, and the Dodgers. Four games is not a lot of games, as the Giants can jell and make a run for first.

#5 They’re taking the tarps off Mount Davis and this is the first time the Oakland A’s will be doing that in 13 years on Saturday, as the Giants will be at the Oakland Coliseum for three games. The A’s expect a capacity crowd at the Coliseum of 56,782.

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

A’s rout Giants 6-2 in laugher, thanks to Manaea

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — This was not the way that the San Francisco Giants wanted to go into the All-Star break with back-to-back losses against a team that will face when they return from the break, the Oakland A’s.

Andrew Suarez gave up four runs in five innings of work, as the A’s took the finale of the Bay Bridge with a 6-2 victory over the Giants before a sellout crowd of 42,098 at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon.

Asides from the four runs that he allowed, Suarez also gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five in his final start prior to the All-Star break.

This was the first series loss for the Giants at home since dropping two out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks from April 9-11, as they went 10-0-2 in that span. The two series that the Giants split were with the Colorado Rockies from May 17-20, and the St. Louis Cardinals from July 5-8.

The A’s got to Suarez in the top of the fourth inning, as five straight batters reached and four of those five scored to give the A’s the only runs that they would need on the afternoon.

American League All-Star second baseman Jed Lowrie got the inning started, as he walked to lead off the inning and then scored on a Stephen Piscotty single to tie up the game for the A’s. Matt Olson then gave the A’s the lead for good, as he drove in Mark Canha with a single of his own.

Matt Chapman then made it three hits in a row, as he singled to score Piscotty with the A’s third run of the frame. Jonathan Lucroy drove in the fourth run of the inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Olson from third base.

The four-run inning made a winner of Sean Manaea, who pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking and striking out one, as his record improved to 9-6 on the season.

The Giants took an early lead 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Gorkys Hernandez doubled with one out and then scored on a Gorkys Hernandez single.

Piscotty extended the A’s up to 5-1 in the top of the sixth inning, as he took a Reyes Moronta pitch and put it into the left-field bleachers. It was the 12thhome run of the season for Piscotty.

It was the first hit allowed by Moronta since he gave up a single to Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 16 at Dodger Stadium. The last run allowed prior to Piscotty’s home run came on June 13 against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park, and it was the just the second home run he allowed this season. (April 19 at Arizona).

Chase d’Arnaud cut the A’s lead down to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he took a Manaea offering and put it into the Garden beyond the center-field fence. It was the second home run of the season for d’Arnaud.

Lucroy put the finishing touches on the scoring in the top of the ninth inning, as he singled to centerfield off of Will Smith to score Chapman, who doubled with one out in the inning.

NOTES: Dereck Rodriguez will open the second half for the Giants, as they head across the Bay Bridge to face the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum beginning on Friday night.

Following Rodriguez out of the All-Star break will be Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and then Suarez will start the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on July 24 at Safeco Field.

Steven Duggar’s major league career is only a week old and he is setting team records already. Duggar is the first Giants in the live-ball era (since 1920) to have five or more doubles in his first five games, this according to STATS, LLC.

When the Giants went to the break last season, they were 34-56, their worst record at the break since 2008, when they were 40-55. This season at the All-Star Break, the Giants are 50-48.

UP NEXT: The Giants and A’s will battle it out in round two of the Bay Bridge Series at O.co Coliseum on Friday night at 6:35 pm PDT.

They may be down, but they’re never out! A’s beat the Giants 4-3

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Celebration
A’s celebrate after beating the Giants Photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SAN FRANCISCO — The Oakland Athletics (54-42) really do not know when to quit. In the major leagues, teams that are trailing as they head into the late innings (the seventh inning and beyond) are pretty much doomed to failure the majority of the time. The goal for every big league team is to score early and often because later is usually too late.

The 2018 A’s are breaking all of those rules. The A’s are tied for second in runs scored in the seventh inning or later (173). They did it again on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants (50-47).

The A’s were trailing the Giants 3-2 as they came to bat in the top of the seventh inning. Tony Watson was the new pitcher for San Francisco. Josh Phegley led off the inning with a single to right. The pitcher’s spot was due up (National League park), so manager Bob Melvin put in Mark Canha as a pinch hitter. Canha hit a 3-2 pitch halfway up into the bleachers in left field for his 12th home run of the season and his 38th and 39th RBIs of the year.

The A’s took a 4-3 lead and never looked back. Lou Trivino worked 2.0 innings of scoreless relief for his team. All-star Blake Treinen then came on in the bottom of the ninth. Treinen struggled a bit as he walked two Giants, but he worked his way out of trouble to earn his 24th save of the season.

The win went to Yusmeiro Petit (4-2) who was pitcher of record in the top of the seventh inning. The loss goes to Tony Watson who also receives a blown save for his record.

Neither starter had a great night. Brett Anderson worked just 3.1 innings for Oakland giving up three runs (all earned) on eight hits. Jeff Samardzija made the start for the Giants and he lasted just 4.0 innings. He allowed two runs (both earned) off three hits. He walked two and struck out one batter.

Steven Duggar had another good game for the Giants, going 2-for-4 at the plate while scoring two runs and adding an RBI. Buster Posey had a 2-for-4 night hitting as well.

Samardzija Swan Song?

To say that the Giants have been disappointed with the performance of Jeff Samardzija this season — may be one of the great understatements of 2018. His performance on Saturday did nothing to help his standing with the team. His 10th start lasted just 4.0 innings and saw “the Shark” give up two runs (both earned) on three hits. He walked two and struck out just one Oakland batter. The real concern was his velocity or lack of it. Samardzija had trouble breaking into the 90’s with his pitches. The Giants would love to open his spot for a younger pitcher, but they have to figure out what to do with the 33-year old veteran who will make $18-million per season through 2020.

A little bullpen irony 

In the seventh inning, the Giants’ lifted reliever Tony Watson and gave the ball to Ray Black with one out and two runners on base. The A’s had Lou Trivino warming up in their bullpen and would ultimately pitch the seventh inning for Oakland. The irony is that Trivino credits Black for his success as a pitcher. The A’s RHP said he was watching Black pitch at Class-A San Jose when he was with the Stockton Ports and he liked the way Black pitched. Trivino incorporated some of Black’s technique into his own style and now both are facing off in the major leagues.

So long Santiago and other transactions

Relief pitcher Santiago Casilla was designated for assignment (DFA) by the A’s. Casilla appeared in 26 games pitching 31.1 innings while posting a 3.16 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked 20 which lead to a WHIP of 1.213. Casilla had a poor outing on Friday night in San Francisco. If no team claims Casilla off waivers, he will have to decide if he will accept an assignment to the minors.

Ryan Dull received an airline ticket back to Nashville. Dull had a rough outing for the A’s on Friday night and has struggled to find any consistency on the mound this season. He had worked 18 innings for Oakland giving up 21 hits (3 HRs) while striking out 17 and walking five. Dull was carrying an ERA of 6.00, which will not keep you in the Major Leagues.

Franklin Barreto continues to rack up the frequent flier miles as he has returned from Nashville. His return is related to the leg contusion suffered by Jed Lowrie on Friday night. Lowrie did not play on Saturday and do not expect to see him on Sunday. Lowrie’s status for the All-Star game has not been addressed.

Good news for the starting pitching rotation

Daniel Mengden has been brought off the disabled list by the A’s. Mengden was put on the 10-day DL due to a foot sprain. The RHP is 6-6 this season in 16 starts with a 4.47 ERA in 90.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 55 and walked just 19 batters. Mengden could well see action in the Bay Bridge Series Part 2 in Oakland next weekend.

 

Canha’s pinch-hit lifts A’s past Giants 4-3

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Canha changed the outcome of game two of the Bay Bridge Series with one swing of the bat.

Canha smashed a two-run pinch hit home run off of Tony Watson in the top of the seventh inning, as the Oakland A’s came back to defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 before a sellout crowd of 41,970 at AT&T Park on Saturday night. It was the first pinch hit home run for Canha in his Major League career.

It was a tough game for Watson, who was usually lights out for the Giants, as he gave up a leadoff single to Josh Phegley, and then Canha put a Watson offering half way up the left field bleachers to give the A’s the lead for good.

Buster Posey continues his well against the A’s, as he picked up two hits in his first two at-bats on the night. This is the 11th time in his last 16 games against the A’s that has had multi-hit games against the A’s, during the stretch, Posey is 29-for-67 with a batting average of .433.

Chase d’Arnaud picked up two more hits for the Giants, and is batting .294 since being called up from Sacramento.

Giants starter Jeff Samardzija went just four innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out one, as he did not fare in the decision.

It was a tough night for A’s starter Brett Anderson, as he did not make out of the fourth inning, as he went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, not walking a batter and striking out one.

Anderson picked up his eighth career hit in the top of the second inning, and first since April 24, 2017, while a member of the Chicago Cubs against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 14-3 victory for the Cubs at PNC Park.

The A’s took an early 1-0 lead on Samardzija in the top of the second inning, as Matt Chapman walked and then scored on a Phegley sacrifice fly.

That would be the score for a half inning, as Steven Duggar led off the inning with a double, then scored on a Alen Hanson.

Khris Davis then gave the A’s their second lead of the night, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Stephen Piscotty, who led off the inning with a double off of Samardzija.

Duggar continued his hot hitting, as he double in the bottom of the fourth inning to score Hernandez, who doubled just before Duggar.

Over his last two games, Duggar has four doubles against A’s pitching and is hitting .320 since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.

Two batters later, Austin Slater gave the Giants the lead once again, as he singled in Duggar from second base.

“d’Arnaud and Duggar had great games tonight,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

Derek Holland came on to replace Samardzija, and he did an outstanding job, as he struck out the first five batters he faced, but then gave up a long single to Chad Pinder off of Levi’s Landing in right field. Holland then regrouped to get Dustin Fowler to ground into a force play to end the threat.

Holland is the eighth National League pitcher this season to strikeout five or more in two innings.

Watson lasted just 0.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking one and striking out one, as he lost for the third time this season against two wins.

Rookie Ray Black came on to replace Watson, and he responded by striking out Davis and Chapman to end the inning.

Brandon Belt was ejected from the game in the between the fifth and sixth innings by third base umpire Greg Gibson for arguing a third strike call. Belt was ejected after he struck out in the bottom of the fifth inning on a check swing.

“I have not looked at it to be honest,” said Bochy.

The Giants put the winning run on first base, as Andrew McCutchen and Posey each walked with two outs off of A’s closer Blake Treinen, but Treinen was able to strikeout Crawford to end the game.

Crawford was intentionally walked in the bottom of the seventh inning by A’s reliever Leo Trivino, and it was the 11thintentional walk of the season for Crawford, a new career high and the second most in the National League.

NOTES: With the Giants and A’s playing in six straight games prior to and after the All-Star break, this is the first time since July 3-6, 1969 against the Atlanta Braves that the Giants have played the same opponent in six straight games. Both July 4 and July 6 were doubleheaders against the Braves, this according to Stats, LLC.

On this day in 2005, the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3, and the Giants became the first team in major league history to win 10,000 games. The Giants, who were founded as the Gothams in 1883 were 10,000-8511 after their win over their longtime rivals.

UP NEXT: The Giants and A’s will battle it out in Sunday afternoon’s rubber game at 1:05 pm PDT.

Giants rookie Andrew Suarez will close out the first half, as he looks for his fourth win of the season. The A’s will send eight-game winner Sean Manaea to the mound.

MLB The Show with Matt Harrington: Is A’s Lowrie injury enough to keep him out of All-Star game?; Red Sox win streak ends at 10; plus more MLB news

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sfgate.com photo: Oakland A’s second baseman Jed Lowrie (8) collides with rightfielder Stephen Piscotty (25) which resulted in Lowrie getting a leg contusion. Lowrie is questionable for the All Star game this Tuesday it would have been his first All Star game of his career.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Matt:

The Oakland A’s announced that second baseman Jed Lowrie has a leg contusion after colliding with the rightfielder Stephen Piscotty, Matt talks about Lowrie and if he can make it to the All Star game on Tuesday in Washington.

The Boston Red Sox 10-game win streak ended on Friday night after the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Pillar got four hits and Justin Smoak three hits, which included two homers.

With the A’s loss on Friday, they couldn’t gain any ground on the Seattle Mariners, who also lost to the Colorado Rockies 10-7. The A’s remain nine games out of first place and five games behind second place Seattle.

The A’s will be hosting the Giants next Friday at the Oakland Coliseum next weekend for the Bay Bridge Series. Will the A’s security do what they did the last time the Giants played in Oakland during the preseason Bay Bridge Series last March and charge Giants fans $50 to park and reduce it to $30 if the Giants fans say “Go A’s” or throw their Giants cap in a garbage can?

Cleveland continues to roll picking up a win over the New York Yankees 6-5. Cleveland got great pitching from Shane Beiber for eight innings. The Yankees scored a run in the top of the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t close the gap as Cleveland came away with a one-run win.

Matt Harrington does the MLB The Show podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com