Tag: Sports Radio Service

White Sox Benintendi Solo Home Run Beats Giants 1-0 to even series 1-1

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San Francisco Giant outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (5) just misses catching the Chicago White Sox Andrew Benintendi’s home run in the bottom of the sixth inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Sat Jun 28, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Looking to take a 2-0 series lead the San Francisco Giants (45-38) didn’t get the desired result losing to the Chicago White Sox (27-56) 1-0. The White Sox had six hits in the game the crusher a solo home run in the sixth inning off the bat of Andrew Benintendi.

The Giants only managed four hits. Christian Koss had two hits and Mike Yastrzemski had a single and Brett Wisely also had a single. San Francisco starting pitcher Robbie Ray had six strikeouts allowing four hits, one earned run, and two walks. White Sox starting pitcher Adrian Houser had a great outing giving up the only four San Francisco hits along with one walk and five strikeouts.

Game recap: Through the first five innings neither team was having much offense going on at all in a pitcher’s dual. The only run in this game came in the sixth inning, a solo shot off the bat of Andrew Benintendi for a 1-0 lead and that would be the only run for either team in this game. The final was 1-0 in favor of the White Sox tying up the series at one apiece. The Giants only had four hits in the game, the White Sox had seven hits with the shot in the sixth inning at Rate Field .

This was a horrible loss for the Giants getting nothing going at the plate. Attendance at Rate Field was indicative of the miserable record the White Sox have this year. Barely over 20,000 fans saw Chicago beat one of the best teams in baseball today.

Wins have been few and far between for the White Sox. Sunday the two teams will play the rubber game of the series with San Francisco looking to put this game behind them and win the series. They need more production at the plate or else they are destined to suffer more ugly games like today. Their bats have gone stale, hits are MIA.

Game notes: Saturday afternoon the Giants were shutout by the White Sox the worst team in the American League. While San Francisco should at the very least win the series which is even at 1-1, the Giants have seen some crazy upsets throughout the season.

No team should ever be taken for granted. Saturday the Giants started Ray who has been pitching very well and gave San Francisco a great chance for a win but they didn’t get any run support: the lacked hit production at the plate. Andrew Houser who started for the ChiSox gave up only four hits and struck out five hitters.

Sunday’s game, the Giants are slightly favored which should absolutely not be the case. San Francisco’s Justin Verlander will be on the mound for the Giants still in search of his first win as a Giant. He has a 0-5 win/loss record and a 4.52 ERA. At the time of this post, the White Sox will start RHP Luis Castillo (2-7 ERA 4.66) game. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 11:10 AM PT.

Sears sets the stage in A’s shutout over Yankees 3-0 in the Bronx

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Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson (5) and Lawrence Butler (4) both greet Nick Kurtz (16) in the top of the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—After getting shutout by the New York Yankees on Friday night, the Athletics returned the favor on Saturday, beating the home team 7-0 at Yankee Stadium.

A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker hit his 17th homer of the season in the fourth inning and ended Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt’s scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay, who talked about the lacking offense in the 3-0 loss in the series opener, credited Rooker for getting the scoring streak going in game two.

“It took a big hit, right? I mean, it took it from the guy that’s the leader, the guy that we lean on for offense… is the All-Star and got a hit, with 39, 40 home runs last year,” Kotsay said of Rooker.

“So for him to get that big hit for us, you could, like he talked about, feel the deep breathe and the sigh of, ‘OK, here we go,’ and that started our offense today and I think the at-bats just got better and better.”

In the sixth, Nick Kurtz homered on a fly ball to right field and Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson scored, boosting the A’s up 4-0.

A’s starting pitcher JP Sears, who is a former Yankee, allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Kotsay said it was a “big start” for Sears and will hopefully help him bounce back and get some momentum.

Sears said, “It was fun to be out there, obviously Yankee Stadium has got a lot of good fans and a lot of good vibes and they’re a great team, so anytime you’re able to have a good outing, obviously it’s fun.”

In the eighth, Tyler Soderstrom went out on a sacrifice fly to left field and Rooker scored, making it 5-0 A’s. Then Austin Wynns singled on a sharp line drive to center field and Kurtz and Max Muncy scored, giving the A’s a 7-0 lead.

Clarke took his fourth loss of the season and just the second time this year that he has allowed more than three runs in a start.

The A’s (34-51) are 2-3 in their nine-game road trip and 2-5 in their last seven games. They improved to 5-13 versus the Yankees (47-35) since 2023.

The last game of the series at Yankee Stadium takes place on Sunday with A’s right-handed pitcher Luis Severino (2-8 ERA 4.83), another former Yankee, facing Yankees right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman (0-1 ERA 11.57). First pitch is at 10:35 a.m. PT.

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. 

Valkyries reached for the Sky and won, 83-78; moved up above .500

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Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese looks to shoot the ball against Golden State Valkyries’ Monique Billings in the third quarter in San Francisco on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

By Michael Roberson

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Golden State Valkyries (8-7) have a winning record after 15 games of their inaugural season, by scaling the Chicago Sky (4-11), 83-78, on a beautiful Friday Night in the City by the Bay.

The Valkyries got the evening off to a good start on two converted free throws by Kayla Thornton. However, the Sky went on a 5-0 run to take the steam out of the ninth sellout crowd in the friendly confines of the Chase Center. Golden State also had their own 6-0 run, and led by as many as 5 points in the first 10-minute block.

The initial quarter had three lead changes and two ties. A competitive beginning of the contest that continued throughout the game. After the first segment of the W battle, both teams had a player leading the way with 9 points.

Kayla Thornton parlayed that scoring effort into a career high (29) campaign, while Kia Nurse made three bombs from beyond the arc to tally her point-production. The Sky led by two after the whistle, 22-20. The unintentional polarizing Angel Reese managed to get a flagrant foul late in the quarter, but did not ruin the rest of her game.

In the second quarter, Golden State managed to lead by as high as nine points, but it still was a back and forth entanglement. By the time the first half buzzer went off, the Valkyries held a five-point lead, 39-34.

At recess, both teams only had one player in the double-figures plateau. They would be the aforementioned Thornton (15) and Nurse (12), with four 3s to her credit.

In the third quarter, it was more of lead exchange and multiple ties. Golden State went up by five, and Chicago led by three. Reece reached 10 rebounds, but was still in single-digits (5) in her point production. After 75% of the game was over, the Valkyries led by two, 56-54. There were six lead changes and six ties at that stage of the game.

In the final 10-minute time block of regulation, Golden State pushed it to a nine-point advantage, while Chicago got up by four. However, late in the quarter, the Valkyries went on a devastating 12-0 run, which cemented the win. In the interim, Reese added 8 rebounds and 12 points to her total, reaching another of her frequent double-doubles.

After 40 minutes of WNBA play in the San Francisco Bay, the home team won by five, 83-78. The latest expansion team put themselves back in a winning way, by games and percentages.

Golden State presented four players with 10+ points in their eighth victory of their first season. Thornton led the way with 29 points and six rebounds. The other three contributors were. Tiffany Hayes (13), Kate Martin (11) and Kaitlin Chen (10).

Chicago was led by Ariel Atkins with 20 points, Nurse with 17 (5 – 3s) and Reese with her double double of 17 points and 18 rebounds.

The Valkyries are next in action Sunday, June 29, hosting the Seattle Storm at 5:30 PM PT, on KMAX/KPIX+. The Sky head down to Southern California to take on the Los Angeles Sparks, on the same date, at 3:00 PM CT and 1:00PM PT on ESPN.

Five Yank pitchers combine for 3-0 shutout over A’s; Sacramento suffers second consecutive shutout

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The score says it all as the Sacramento A’s were blanked for the second consecutive game in a row this time to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx 3-0 on Fri Jun 27, 2025 (A’s X photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—The Athletics were shutout by the New York Yankees 3-0 on Friday night in the series opener at Yankee Stadium. It was the second game in a row that the A’s had been shutout. They were also shutout 8-0 on Thursday afternoon in Detroit.

Athletics starting pitcher Mitch Spence, a former Yankees minor leaguer, allowed three runs and three hits in five innings, but recorded his third loss of the season.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay was pleased with Spence’s performance, and said it came down to a lacking offense.

“Ultimately at the end of the day, the offense – we got shut down. We had opportunities, I think we had first and second twice and couldn’t capitalize with the bases loaded in the first,” said Kotsay.

“The moral of the story is yeah, if you don’t score you don’t win.”

Yankees starter Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a historic night, homering on the first pitch he saw in his 500th game, and putting the Yankees up 1-0 at the bottom of the second inning.

Outside of Chrisholm’s cutter, Kotsay said Spence “pitched out of the gym” and got two strikeouts when the bases were loaded to get out of the inning and keep the game at three.

At the bottom of the third, Cody Bellinger singled on a ground ball to center fielder JJ Bleday, deflected by shortstop Jacob Wilson, and Anthony Volpe scored to put New York up 2-0.

In the fourth, DJ LeMahieu singled on a ground ball to shortstop Wilson, deflected by Spence, and Paul Goldschmidt scored to boost the Yankees up 3-0.

Spence, who spent five years training in pitching with the Yankees, said it was “pretty surreal” to be back at Yankee Stadium and “probably one of the most nervous I’ve been before a game”. He credited New York for developing good pitchers and giving him “an idea of what I had to do to have long-term success”.

The A’s (33-51) lost for the fifth time in six games and are 1-3 on their nine-game road trip. They were shutout for the sixth time this season. The A’s are 4-13 versus the yankees since 2023.

Friday’s game had an attendance of 46,192 and was the 11th sellout of the season for the Yankees (47-34). Fans stayed past the end of the game to enjoy a spectacular Fireworks Night at the storied stadium.

Game two is on Saturday with Athletics left-handed pitcher JP Sears (5-7, 5.44 ERA) facing Yankees right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt (4-3, 2.84). First pitch is at 10:05 a.m. PT.

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. 

Giants Start Road Trip In Right Direction Beating Chicago White Sox 3-1

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey connects for a two run RBI triple in the top of the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago on Fri Jun 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (45-37) got their ten-game road trip going in the right direction Friday night beating the Chicago White Sox (26-56) in game one of their series 3-1. The White Sox did score first in the first inning but the Giants tied it up in the third inning 1-1.

They added a couple more runs in the sixth inning when Patrick Bailey hit a triple taking a 3-1 lead that was the final score. San Francisco only had six hits but it was enough to get the job done.

Game recap: The White Sox got up on the scoreboard in the first inning taking the early 1-0 lead. The White Sox Chase Meidroth scored on a San Francisco error for the run. Willy Adames was charged with an error, his 12th error of the season. The Sox hung onto the lead through the second inning but it was the third inning that this game took a turn and continued on that course going into the ninth inning.

The Giants scored once in the third inning when Wilmer Flores doubled driving Patrick Bailey home tying up the game 1-1.

San Francisco would add on in the sixth inning with two insurance runs. Bailey had another hit, a triple driving Willy Adames and Christian Koss home for a 3-1 lead and the Giants had some breathing room. They would take that lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Each team had gone through four pitchers in the game. Landon Roupp pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing seven hits, no earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Ryan Walker would relieve him finishing off the sixth inning. Randy Rodriguez pitched the seventh inning and Tyler Rogers the eighth inning.

Both pitchers had great innings. Camilo Doval would take the mound in the ninth inning to try and finish off this game in favor of the Giants. The Giants were three outs away from taking the first game of this series.

The White Sox starting pitcher Aaron Civale went only four innings allowing three hits, ine earned run, four walks and four strikeouts. Tyler Alexander would relieve him in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

After some recent struggles, Doval got the ninth inning underway dismissing Edgar Quero on a ground out and followed that up with a Mike Tauchman strike out. He would go on to strike out Chase Meidroth for the third out and that was the ball game. The Giants had a great start in this three game series as they start a ten game road trip.

Game notes: Friday night, the Giants took on the White Sox at Rate Field. The Giants are coming off a disappointing series with the Miami Marlins getting swept. The White Sox also had a rough series to start the week losing a series to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They did win game three but got stomped pretty good in game one losing 10-0 and also lost game two. San Francisco starter Landen Roupp pitched 5.1 innings, surrendering seven hits, no earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. For ChiSox starter Aaron Civale four innings pitched, three hits, one earned run, four walks, four strikeouts.

San Francisco will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in this series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM. Chicago will face Robbie Ray who will take the mound for the Giants. He has been pitching lights out and has a 8-2 win/loss record and a 2.83 ERA. The White Sox will start Adrian Houser who comes into this game with a 2-2 win/loss record and a 2.27 ERA.

San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Villanueva: Giants best chance are against dead last White Sox

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San Francisco Giants starter Landen Roupp gets the call against the Chicago White Sox on Fri Jun 27, 2025 to open a three game series at Rate Field in the Southside of Chicago (AP News file photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Villanueva:

#1 Kyle Stowers and Agustin Ramirez both hit home runs as the Miami Marlins came back from behind to beat the San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon at Oracle Park in San Francisco 12-5 to sweep the Giants.

#2 Xavier Edwards hit for a two run double adding to the run total for the Marlins it’s their fourth straight win and they have now won five of six games and have won six straight wins on the road. The Marlins played with confidence and are using the small ball to beat teams on the road.

#3 The Giants Rafael Devers has found his groove despite the loss with three hits including a home run, a double. The home run was Devers 17th of the year and the second homer in nine games since he joined the Giants since last week.

#4 The Giants are in a bad slide, they got swept by the Marlins and have lost eight of their last 11 games.

#5 Giants open up a three game series with the Chicago White Sox Friday. For the Giants RHP Landen Roupp (5-5 ERA 3.67) opposes the White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (1-4 ERA 5.03) first pitch 4:40pm PDT.

Join Michael Villanueva for the Giants podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aces Fall To Surging Mystics 94-83; Win was third straight for Washington

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Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron (22) takes a shot over the Las Vegas Aces center A’Ja Wilson (22) in first half WNBA action at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Thu Jun 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez
LAS VEGAS–The Las Vegas Aces (7-8) lost to the Washington Mystics (8-8) 94-83. The Aces Jackie Young had 13 points in the opening quarter but did not score again in the game. A’Ja Wilson had the game high with 22 points.

On the other hand the Mystics had the hot hand from outside hitting ten shots from beyond the arc. They were unstoppable. Las Vegas went on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter but they had dug such a deep hole in the third quarter trailing by 22 points. They have now fallen below .500 again at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Thursday night.

The Mystics took as much as an eight point lead in the first quarter but the Aces battled back tying the game at 22 with under two minutes left in the first ten minutes of play. As the first quarter came to an end the Mystics had a 29-25 lead. The Aces Jackie Young had a terrific start scoring 13 points. She definitely had the hot hand in the opening quarter.

The second quarter saw Washington again take as much as a nine point lead. With five minutes left in the half the Aces cut the Washington lead more than in half trailing 32-36. The Mystics Sika Kone pushed out the Washington lead hitting a three with 4:27 left in the quarter. Every time the Aces challenged, the Mystics answered and at the half Washington had their largest lead of the game 53-44.

The Mystics Sonia Citron had the first half team high with 12 points. She was the only Mystic in double digits. The Aces A’Ja Wilson had 14 points and Young had 13 at the half. Las Vegas would have to contain the Mystic offense in the second half. They already had hit six shots from downtown and the Aces would be looking to shut that down.

The Mystics continued to push their lead out leading 59-44 two minutes into the third quarter. The Aces shooting percentage continued to dip and turnovers continued to hamper Las Vegas. The Aces had conceded 17 points on eight turnovers. With 7:33 left in the quarter Head Coach Becky Hammon called a time out before this game got completely out of hand.

Washington had built a 62-46 lead at 6:47. The Mystics were on fire from beyond the arc hitting 8 already in 2 1/2 quarters. The Mystics success from beyond the arc was the tipping point in this game. With two minutes left in the quarter Washington had built a 22-point lead 79-57. Going into the fourth quarter Washington had a 79-61 lead.

As the final quarter got underway Las Vegas was not finished going on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. The Aces got as close as seven points but they could not overcome the outside shooting that the Mystics brought in this game. The Aces had dug too deep of a hole in the third quarter. In an 11 point loss for the Aces and the win in favor of Washington.

This coming Sunday the Aces will head out on the road for another very tough matchup with the third place Phoenix Mercury. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 3:00 PM and can be viewed on NBA TV.

A wild buzzkill ends with Marlins’ 12-5 win and sweep of Giants at Oracle Park

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San Francisco Giant Brett Wisely takes off after hitting a two run double in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Miami Marlins 12 (34-45)

San Francisco Giants 5 (44-37)

Win: Josh Simpson (1-0)

Loss: Hayden Birdsong (3-2)

Time: 2:48

Attendance: 33,804

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Thursday’s game was both a wild one and an absolute buzzkill, as tempers flared, and the Giants came back from down 5-0 to tie the game, but at the end, the Marlins smoked the Giants 12-5 to complete the three-game sweep at Oracle Park.

The Giants’ offense appeared to finally be back on track after their epic 9-5 win over the Red Sox on Sunday. However, the offense went stagnant again in the first two games of this three-game series against the Marlins. The Giants dropped both games against a young team that they should have beaten, and Friday, they faced the potential embarrassment of being swept by that team.

Hayden Birdsong got off to a great start after being added to the Giants’ rotation last month, but he was hit around by the Red Sox in his last start last Friday. Thursday, Birdsong would take the ball and hope to help the Giants avoid an embarrassing sweep. 

Some housecleaning notes. Three Giants were hit Wednesday night, and the last one hit Casey Schmitt on his left hand. Schmitt was in obvious pain and unable to play Thursday. The Giants were understandably sore about it. Birdsong retired the first two men he faced, but decided to hit Otto Lopez.

It was obvious what the intent was. Home Plate Umpire and Crew Chief Alfonso Marquez gathered his crew together, as has been the procedure for issuing warnings since 2020, and Marquez put out warnings. Predictably, Marlins Manager Clayton McCullogh came out to argue, and was promptly tossed.

The Giants wanted to send a message, but it would completely backfire. Agustin Ramirez lined a double down the right field line to put runners at second and third, and Kyle Stowers hit an absolute bomb more than half-way up the bleachers in right-center field.

I don’t know if I have ever seen a home run hit that deep to that part of this ballpark. Once thing was for sure though: the wind was blowing out, and the ball was certainly jumping today. Stowers’ blast would not be the last bomb hit Thursday.

Janson Junk took the ball for the Marlins, and with a name like that, you’d expect him to be a finesse guy who throws literal junk. Unfortunately, they’re really clamping down on that these days, and Junk is actually a fire-baller, whose fastball generally tops out at 96 miles per hour. Buzzkill!!! 

That was just the first buzzkill of the day. The Giants went down scoreless against Junk in the first two innings. Agustin Ramirez then hit a mammoth blast to the back of the bleachers in left in the top of the third to give the Marlins a 5-0 lead.

If you think about it, it seems like whenever the Giants trail 5-0 at home, they tend to come back. Especially if they’re on a losing streak, or on the verge of getting swept. 

The Giants came back from down 5-0 to beat the Reds on April 9 to avert a sweep. They then came back from down 5-0 to beat the Padres on the fourth of this very month when they were on the verge of being just four games over .500. 

With the Giants in danger of being swept by the Marlins and trailing 5-0 going to the bottom of the third, did the Giants have another comeback in them?

Well, Andrew Knizner led off the bottom of the third with a little fist job to right. Mike Yastrzemski struck out looking, but Rafael Devers put the Giants on the board with a home run to right-center, his second as a Giant, and it was 5-2.

Birdsong threw his first and only one two three inning of the day in the top of the fourth, and the Giants were ready to get to work in the bottom of the fourth. Jung Hoo Lee led off the inning with a triple, and Willy Adames got him in with a base-hit to make it 5-3. 

Christian Koss doubled to right to put runners at second and third. Up came Brett Wisely, who hit a double off the wall in right, and just like that, the game was tied.

The Giants were playing good fundamental baseball, but they had to be buzzkills. Koss was standing at second with nobody out, but the Giants were unable to get him in and take the lead.

Birdsong walked Jesus Sanchez and Otto Lopez to start the fifth, and he was done. Spencer Bivens came in and struck out the next two, and it looked like he would get out of the inning with the momentum still on the Giants’ side.

Unfortunately, Eric Wagaman doubled into the gap in left-center, and both runners scored to put the Marlins back ahead. Connor Norby followed that up with a base-hit to left to knock in Wagaman, and the Marlins bounced right back with a three-spot to take an 8-5 lead.

Though there was an entertaining end to the top of the fifth. Dane Meyers struck out swinging, and then he snapped his bat in half over his leg and slammed the handle of his bat and his helmet to the ground. To say the least, the crowd of 33,804 here at Oracle Park did not like it, and they let Mr. Meyers know it. Me? I found it entertaining.

The Giants’ offense of course went stagnant the rest of the way. The only drama was when Wilmer Flores got into it with Marlins’ pitcher Cade Gibson after he struck Wilmer out to end the bottom of the seventh. The benches cleared, and nobody was tossed, but Gibson must have done or said something that set Wilmer off.

A small little skirmish like that can fire up a team. Unfortunately, that team was the Marlins, who tagged Sean Hjelle for four runs in the top of the eighth to turn this game into a laugher. 

The Marlins went on to win 12-5, and the Giants suffered the greatest buzzkill of the day: being swept at home by the Marlins. I am not knocking on the Marlins, but this was a series the Giants had to take at least two out of three in, and getting swept by a team like the Marlins is never good.

Josh Simpson finished off the bottom of the fourth for the Marlins. Simpson only faced two guys, but since the Marlins scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a lead that they would hold the rest of the game, the kid got his first big league win. Hayden Birdsong took the loss.

The Giants fall to 44-37, and they are now six and a half games back of the Dodgers in the National League West. Believe it or not, today was game number 81 for the Giants, which means they are exactly half-way through their regular season schedule.

However, the first half doesn’t officially end until the All-Star Break. That means the Giants have 97 games in the first half, and will have just 65 games in the second half. That’s how this works, folks!

I really jinxed it when I said on Sunday that the Giants playing the Marlins and White Sox was a treat. Now, the Giants really need to take at least two out of three when they go to the South Side of Chicago to take on the White Sox this weekend.

Friday’s game at Rate Field will also be the opener of a 10-game, three-city road trip. It will be three in Chicago, followed by four in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, and three against the A’s in Sacramento.

Another problem the Giants have is that their bullpen was taxed in this series against the Marlins, and today was just day three of 16-straight days of games. In fact, the Giants only have one day off between now and the All-Star Break. Dave Flemming hinted on Thursday’s radio broadcast on KNBR that the Giants may have to make some roster moves as a result.

Landen Roupp (5-5, 3.67 ERA) will take the ball in the series opener at Rate Field Friday night. Aaron Civale (1-4, 5.03 ERA) will take the ball for the South Siders.

First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. in Chicago, 4:40 p.m in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

  • There is no official word, but rumor has it that the x-rays on Casey Schmitt’s left hand were negative. A little piece of good news for the Giants on this rough afternoon, as Schmitt has been one of their hottest hitters as of late.

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s offense sputters Tigers Enns effective shutting down A’s hitting

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Sacramento A’s pitcher JT Ginn (70) deals to the Detroit Tigers line up in the bottom of the sixth inning on Thu Jun 26, 2025 at Comerica Park in Detroit (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Detroit Tigers starter Dietrich Enns threw five innings of shutout ball against the Sacramento A’s for a 8-0 win. It was Enns return to the big leagues on Thursday at Comerica Park.

#2 Enns now 1-0 allowed a base hit and two base on balls in his first game back since Sep 24, 2021 when he pitched two shutout innings against the Miami Marlins when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays.

#3 A’s pitcher Jeffrey Springs now 5-6 had a tough afternoon surrendering three runs and five hits, two walks in five innings of work. As the Tigers demolished A’s pitching.

#4 The closest the A’s came to scoring was when they had runners at first and second in the top of the third with one down. Enns got Jacob Wilson to fly to right and Brent Rooker hit into a double play.

#5 The A’s are off to the Bronx and the New York Yankees on Friday for the first of three games. Starting pitcher for Sacramento RHP Mitch Spence (2-2 ERA 3.84) for New York RHP Will Warren (4-4 ERA 4.56) first pitch 4:05pm PDT.

Jeremiah Salmonson is a Sacramento A’s beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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. 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Candidate for Treasurer in Nevada not Optimistic about A’s ballpark

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Drew Johnson candidate for the State of Nevada Treasurer said that the A’s Las Vegas ballpark will not be ready by 2028 and that it is wrong to force the taxpayers to pay for a multi billion dollar stadium (Las Vegas Review Journal photo)

Candidate for Treasurer in Nevada not Optimistic about the A’s

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Since we have listened to everybody, except Pope Leo XIV on the A’s, we should listen now to a future Treasurer. His name is Drew Johnson, and he is running for the office of Nevada State Treasurer. This is what he posted recently on X — “I’m excited to have the A’s in Vegas, but let’s get real: -It’s WRONG to force taxpayers to subsidize a stadium for a billionaire -It has NO CHANCE of being ready for opening day 2028 -I’ll be SHOCKED if it’s built at this location -The A’s will ask for MORE tax dollars.”

Johnson seems to side with the voting public. In this long story, so far, taxpayers have not been excited about the A’s moving to Sin City; in fact, polls taken in Nevada seem to favor those who prefer an expansion team over the now-maligned A’s franchise.

I believe by now in the world of baseball, the Athletics franchise does not have a good reputation, and I do not think you are going to see the A’s owner appear on one of those late-night television shows, smiling and having fun.

When Mr. Johnson stated, “It’s wrong to force taxpayers to subsidize a stadium for a billionaire.” It’s because he believes that is the consensus around the country, though there might be pockets that likely wouldn’t agree.

Drew Johnson makes sense, he is running for Treasurer of the State of Nevada, and in my mind, the people who have to deal with money are always more candid and realistic than, for example, entrepreneurs, politicians, and team owners and dreamers.

It is possible that if the A’s move to Sin City, Las Vegas will finally have one team from each of the main professional leagues. For the NBA, it would be more feasible to have a team, maybe even before the A’s play there.. NBA games are indoor, smaller capacity, and all at night, in a city that rocks at night, basketball is indeed perfecto for Las Vegas. Baseball? ay…ay…ay.

A’s ownership and representatives told the public that in Las Vegas, they were projecting sellout crowds of 33,000 per game for 81 games for the next 30 seasons. John Fisher wanted to leave Oakland, and the Commissioner Mr. Rob Manfred is a supporter, so basically we are just spectators.

We do not count here. But, we live in a free country and we all have opinions. Mine is below. Selling out a baseball park for 30 years in a town with little baseball tradition? Well, as a famous burlesque comedian once said in a punchline of a blue joke: “That I have to see.”

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

@Central Park Fremont – Fremont CA

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