Tag: Sports Radio Service

Jungle Fever: Panthers Extend Winning Streak to Five as they Win over the Rattlers, 37-24

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The Jungle is activated and lit up as the start of the second half takes away here at SAP Center, as the Panthers strive to keep the winning streak alive. (Photo by Michael Villanueva)

By: Michael Villanueva

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Bay Area Panthers (9-2) delivered a strong, all-around performance on Sunday evening at SAP Center, earning a decisive 37–24 victory over the Arizona Rattlers in a pivotal Indoor Football League (IFL) Western Conference clash.

The Panthers improved to 9-2, while the Rattlers fell to 7-5 fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Panthers are still holding onto first place in the Western Conference, while also continuing their winning streak to five games in a row.

In week 8, the Panthers fell to the Rattlers in Arizona in a game that was close to the final whistle. The final score of that game was 53-48. Led by Arizona Rattlers quarterback, Dalton Sneed going 17 for 28, 5 touchdowns, and one interception in the win over the Panthers.

This Sunday the Panthers remembered that loss in week 8 as the two teams exchanged some brutal and hard hits on each other. Both teams were unable to find the end zone throughout the first quarter, which ended in a defensive standoff. The scoreboard stayed at 0–0 after 15 minutes of play, which is an uncommon defensive display in the IFL. While the Panther secondary held firm on third down, the Bay Area front line put pressure on Arizona’s quarterbacks, forcing two punts.

Josh Jones’ short-yardage rushing score to give Bay Area the lead early in the second quarter was the Panthers’ final attempt to break the ice. Luis Aguilar scored a kick of his own to tie the game going into halftime after Arizona responded with a touchdown of their own and a field goal.

Surprisingly, both teams were tied at halftime (10–10) after scoring nearly 100 points between them in their first encounter, which the Rattlers had won 53–48. The first two quarters were characterized by strong defensive play and red zone stops, as neither team was able to establish its usual offensive rhythm.

In the second half, the Bay Area came out strong. The Panthers led 17–10 after Josh Jones again found the end zone on a planned quarterback run. The margin was increased to 24–10 a short while later when Jones came back under center and hit Tyrese Chambers in stride for a touchdown.

Axel Perez made his second field goal of the game to end the quarter after Arizona responded with a touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 24–17. The Panthers lead 27–17 at the end of three-quarters thanks to a well-balanced combination of big passing plays and ground attacks.

Heading into the final quarter here at the jungle, Arizona got off to a fast start in the fourth quarter as quarterback Dalton Sneed hooked Yo’Heinz Tyler for a touchdown pass from 19 yards out, cutting the Bay Area advantage to 27–24 and shifting the momentum back in the visitors’ way.

However, the Panthers responded right away. Joshua Tomas, a wide receiver, dashed into the end zone after quarterback Josh Jones’s wonderfully timed pitch, restoring a two-possession lead at 34–24.

When defensive back Joe Foucha jumped a route and intercepted Sneed on the next Rattlers drive, Arizona’s dreams of a comeback were gone. From there, the Panthers’ defense made many stops, resulting in turnovers on downs and preventing the Rattlers from scoring any more points.

Bay Area came alive in the jungle as they secured their victory of the season when Perez added a final field goal to put the score at 37–24. The Bay Area Panthers secured a 37–24 victory over the Arizona Rattlers on Sunday evening.

When the Panthers travel to Prescott Valley for Week 15 on Friday, June 28, to play the Northern Arizona Wranglers, they will try to continue their winning streak, which now stands at five games in a row. With a victory, Bay Area would have won six straight and would remain in a great position to earn the Western Conference’s top seed going into the season’s last stretch as the playoffs approach.

Giants ride breaks and fundamentals to 9-5 win and series win over Red Sox

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Sunday, June 22, 2025

Oracle Park

Boston Red Sox 5 (40-39)

San Francisco Giants 9 (44-34)

Win: Erik Miller (4-0)

Loss: Greg Weissert (2-2)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 40,350

San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt rounds the bases after hitting a home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito in the bottom of the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jun 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants rode some breaks and some good fundamental baseball to a wild 9-5 seesaw win to take this series over the Red Sox at Oracle Park Sunday.

After the Red Sox came back to win the series opener on Friday, the Giants held on for a 3-2 win Sunday to even the series. Sunday, the Giants would look to take the series with Robbie Ray on the mound.

It was another clear day for baseball at Oracle Park, but the top of the first inning would be a bit rough for Ray and the Giants. The Red Sox had runners at first and second with two outs when Patrick Bailey, on just a routine throw back to Ray, threw the ball away Rube Baker style, and Roman Anthony, the lead runner, went over to third.

Jarren Duran then hit a liner out to left-center field, which looked to be routine as left-fielder Heliot Ramos came to his left, but Ramos dropped the ball. Anthony came in to score, and the Red Sox struck first.

The Giants’ offensive doldrums continued against Red Sox’ starter Lucas Giolito, as he set down the first six men he faced. Meanwhile, Ray pitched a scoreless top of the second, and a one two three top of the third.

The Giants would have their first rally against Giolito in the bottom of the third. Casey Schmitt led off the inning with a single to left. Patrick Bailey hit a blooper to shallow left that Red Sox’ third-baseman Nate Eaton camped under, but left-fielder Jarren Duran came in, collided with Eaton and caused the ball to fall. Eaton was originally charged with the air, but it was eventually changed to an error on Duran.

The Giants had runners at first and second with nobody out, and here is where the good fundamental baseball came in. Tyler Fitzgerald laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over to second and third.

The Red Sox had their infield play in, which was surprising for a 1-0 game in the third inning. However, it paid off, Yaz hit a one-hop bullet to first for the second out, and neither runner was able to advance.

Giolito then got ahead of Devers 0-2, but Devers worked the count full to 3-2, and then walked on a pitch clock violation on Giolito. Up came Heliot Ramos, who flipped a base-hit to left, which knocked in a pair to give the Giants the lead.

Ray survived a two-out rally in the top of the fourth thanks to an incredible play by Mike Yastrzemski out in right on a double by Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela doubled down the right field line, and Yastrzemski fielded the ball perfectly and got it back into the infield. Second-baseman Tyler Fitzgerald then made a perfect relay to Bailey to cut Abraham Toro down at the plate.

Toro avoided the tag, but since he went more than three feet out of his established base path to avoid the tag from Bailey, Toro was called out by Home Plate Umpire Mike Muchlinski. Red Sox Manager Alex Cora went out to discuss the call with Muchlinski, but Muchlinski nailed it.

After the Giants went down scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox struck with a pair of home runs in the top of the fifth. First, it was Rob Refsnyder, who hit a two-run home run to center, to put the Red Sox back ahead. Then two batters with one out, Romy Gonzalez hit one of his own to left-center to make it 4-2.

The Giants would strike right back in the bottom of the fifth. Casey Schmitt led off the inning with a home run to left to make it 4-3. Then with two outs, Yaz shot one out to right for his first home run since April 22, and just like that, the game was tied.

The wind was whipping in all sorts of directions at Oracle Park. However, one thing was certain: the ball was carrying today. Major League Baseball may have told Andrew McCutchen that the baseballs were heavier this season, but you already can’t believe a word that comes from the Commissioner’s Office, and the balls were certainly flying like Rob Manfred’s patented juiced balls today.

Ray was done after five. He walked one, and struck out seven, but he was tagged for eight hits and four runs, three of them earned.

Spencer Bivens came in for the sixth. Bivens retired the first man he faced, but with one out, Rafaela put the Red Sox back ahead with a home run to left.

Giolito ended his day with a one two three inning in the bottom of the sixth. He gave up four runs and four hits. He walked two, and struck out five.

Erik Miller threw a scoreless top of the seventh for the Giants, and Cora brought in Greg Weissert for the bottom of the seventh. Willy Adames led off the inning with a base-hit to left, and then Schmitt doubled to right to put runners at second and third with nobody out.

The Giants had been able to come through on Ramos’ base-hit in the bottom of the third. The question was whether they could come through again in the bottom of the seventh.

Patrick Bailey grounded out back to Weissert, and that raised some doubts. However, Bob Melvin put on the safety squeeze with Tyler Fitzgerald at the plate, and Fitzgerald laid down the perfect sacrifice bunt to tie it.

Cora lifted Weissert for Justin Wilson, as the Red Sox looked to limit the damage to just a run and keep the game tied. Yaztrezemski was at the plate, and he hit a liner right to second-baseman Romy Gonzalez, but the ball went off Gonzalez’s glove and into right field. Schmitt scored, and the Giants retook the lead.

That would open the floodgates for the Giants’ offense. Rafael Devers continued the rally with a base-hit to right, which moved Yastrzemski over to second. Heliot Ramos then shot a double down the line in right to knock both runners in, and the Giants now led it 8-5. For Ramos, it was his third and fourth RBIs of the game.

Tyler Rogers came in for the eighth, and he appeared headed for some drama when Duran lined a base-hit down the right field line. Yastrzemski made a perfect throw to second, and while Duran originally got in ahead of the tag, he was called out when he overslid the bag.

Replays indicated that Duran’s fingers may have been on the bag when the tag was applied. However, it was not clear and convincing evidence, and the call stood.

Duran made his displeasure known to Second Base Umpire and Crew Chief Doug Eddings, who promptly threw him out of the game. Cora came out, and he too was ejected.

Rogers got through the remainder of the inning, and Adames hit a solo home run off Zack Kelly with one out in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-5. The Red Sox made some noise in the top of the ninth against Randy Rodriguez, but Rodriguez ended up throwing a scoreless innings, and the Giants won it 9-5.

Alright, so who got the decisions in this mess? Erik Miller was the Giants’ pitcher in the top of the seventh, so he got the win. Greg Weissert gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, so he took the loss.

The Giants are back to 10 games over .500 at 44-34, and they remain in second place and three and a half games back of the Dodgers in the National League West.

The Giants will get a bit of a treat here in the last week of June in that they’re going to get to face the Marlins and the White Sox. The Giants will have a day off Monday, and then the Marlins will come into San Francisco for three games starting on Tuesday night.

Justin Verlander (0-4, 4.45 ERA) will look for his first win in what will be his 12th start of the season. The right-hander, Cal Quantrill (3-7 ERA 5.68), the son of former reliever Paul Quantrill, will take the ball for Miami.

First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants 4 run seventh powers past Red Sox 9-5

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Boston Red Sox Abraham Toro (left) is called out at home plate after being tagged out by San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (right) in the top of the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 In spite of the early outfield error, how significant was Heliot Ramos’ comeback effort today? With four RBIs, how would you rank his overall impact?
#2 What can we tell about Casey Schmitt’s growth at the plate from his 4-for-4 performance, and will he be able to maintain this level of performance in the lineup going forward?

#3 Stephen, what caught your attention the most about the Giants’ explosive seventh inning, and how did Boston’s defensive errors change the course of the game?

#4 How important is Mike Yastrzemski’s experienced leadership at the moment, with a younger lineup surrounding him, given his homer and sac fly?
#5 Is there anyone who deserves the most credit for closing the door, and how confident are you in this bullpen going forward, given that the Giants bullpen kept things steady in the latter innings?

#6 The Giants begin their next series against the Marlins Tuesday night at Oracle Park, how may that depth in the bullpen be useful? At 6:45 p.m., San Francisco’s RHP Justin Verlander (0-4 ERA 4.45) will take the mound against Miami’s RHP Cal Quantrill (3-7 ERA 5.68).

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aces Put An End To Losing Streak Beating Indiana Fever 89-81

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Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) celebrates a successful play during WNBA game against Indiana Fever on Sunday June 22 2025 in Las Vegas. Kalin Sipes – The Sporting Tribune

By Rich Perez

The Las Vegas Aces put an end to their three-game losing streak beating the Indiana Fever 89-81 Sunday. They trailed for three quarters but powered through the fourth quarter. After being shut down in the first half, A’Ja Wilson scored 20 points in the second half and finishing with 24 points. It was an amazing comeback as the Aces begin to chip away at the standings now tied for seventh place. This was the Aces 16th straight win over the Fever.

Game recap: The Aces got an early 6-2 lead but the Fever responded taking as much as a five point lead. The two teams fought hard for the rest of the quarter and after the first ten minutes of play, the Fever had a one-point lead 21-20 in a hotly contested game.

Chelsea Gray hit a buzzer beater for two points to end the quarter. The Fever’s Aliyah Boston had already shot for ten points and the Aces would need to contain her going into the second quarter. A’Ja Wilson had a slow start only hitting a single basket but had three rebounds. The Fever were doing a great job shutting her down. Gray had the high for Las Vegas with five points.

In the early minutes of the second quarter the Fever extended their lead to 26-22. The Aces answered with a Dana Evans shot from downtown to tie up the game 28-28 at 6:19. Caitlin Clark had scored only two points but she had eight assists connecting with Aliyah Boston numerous times.

The Fever were making life pretty miserable for A’Ja Wilson keeping her pretty locked down. Indiana went on a run extending their lead to 37-28 prompting Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon to call a timeout before the game got out of hand.

A’Ja Wilson finally got her second basket of the game but Clark came right back shooting over the defense for her first three of the game and the Fever had taken a 40-30 lead. The Aces were struggling from the floor shooting for only 36% while the Fever were hot shooting at 54%.

Las Vegas continued to struggle on the floor trailing at the half 36-42. They would have a lot of work to do in the second half. They needed to find a way to disrupt the Clark-Boston connection which was a huge part of the Fever’s lead.

The Fever’s Aliyah Boston had the game high at the half with 18 points. The Aces struggles on the floor resulted in not a single player in double digits at halftime. The Fever had held Wilson to 1-12 field goals.

The last time the Fever had beaten the Aces was back in 2019. If the first half was any indication, Las Vegas was going to have to step up big time in the second half. It was not a huge point deficit by any means but they had to find a way to shut down Boston and start hitting those floor shots that they had been missing in the first half.

The Aces continued to trail in the third quarter, struggling from the floor, missing open shots while the Fever’s Aliyah Boston continued to dominate. With 4:09 left in the quarter Boston had hit 22 points.

The Aces continued to trail by six points throughout most of the third quarter. With 2.22 left on the clock, the Aces pulled to within four points but the Fever countered with a two point play and going into the fourth quarter the Fever were holding onto a 61-58 lead.

The final quarter got underway with the Aces pulling to within a single point 60-61. Las Vegas took the lead 63-61 for the first time since the first quarter when Aaliyah Nye hit a three. Nye had 11 points off the bench and Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young had all reached double digits.

With 7:58 left in the game the Aces were clinging to a 65-63 lead and desperately needing stops. Las Vegas got a couple of stops and made good on them pushing their lead out to 69-63 going on a 15-2 run with 6:16 left on the clock.

The Fever gobbled up the Las Vegas lead and with five minutes left in the game it was all tied up at 69. A crucial coaches challenge was won by the Aces and with under two minutes left in the game Las Vegas had a 83-75 lead.

A’Ja Wilson had hit 16 points in the second half making good on her claim at the half that she would “just keep on shooting.” With under a minute Las Vegas had established an 84-79 lead and this game was going down to the wire.

A second challenge in as many minutes was also won by the Aces and Jackie Young hit a couple of free throws giving Las Vegas an 86-81 lead with 40 ticks left on the clock. The final was 89-81.

If a team can stay close and close out the fourth quarter chances are pretty good that they will come away with a win and is exactly what Las Vegas pulled off. They had put a stop to their losing streak, and now had 6-7 season record.

Indiana’s Aliyah Boston had the game high with 26 points and 10 rebounds along with a great showing by Kelsey Mitchell with 20 and Clark finishing with 19 points and 11 assists.

The Aces really bounced back in this game finishing off the Fever in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. After a rough start, A’Ja Wilson finished with 24 points and seven rebounds. Jackie Young had 19 points and also had seven rebounds. Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd had a great finish; Gray with 18 points and Loyd with ten. Aaliyah Nye had 11 points off the bench.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the Aces played another home game at Michelob ULTRA Arena taking on the Fever. The Aces came into the game after a loss to the Seattle Storm 90-83 after leading by ten points in the third quarter last Friday. That game was A’Ja Wilson’s first appearance on the court after being out on concussion protocol.

Wilson came back into this game sharp after her first game back last Friday night. Las Vegas faced Caitlan Clark but also the Clark- Aliyah Boston combination a dangerous duo. The Arena was packed with over 18,500 fans on hand for the game with the Ace ending their three game losing streak.

Las Vegas will back on the court at Michelob ULTRA Arena welcoming the Connecticut Sun next Wednesday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM and fans can tune in for all the action on NBA TV.

Headline Sports podcast Bruce Macgowan: Suns trade Durant to Rockets; Game 7 NBA Finals deciding game tonight; plus more news

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Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks who joins the Phoenix Suns on Sun Jun 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast Bruce Macgowan:

#1 Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Who got the best end of this trade the Rockets or the Phoenix Suns.

#2 NBA Finals Sunday night game 7 Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder will to Shai Gilegous-Alexander and for the Pacers Tyrese Haliburton.

#3 The Sacramento A’s owner John Fisher is selling his MLS soccer team the San Jose Earthquakes to get the difference to pay for his Vegas stadium and yet their holding a ground breaking on Monday morning at 7:30AM PDT. Can Fisher get a deal done and get the money to pay for the construction costs.

#4 The Las Vegas Aces said they ran out of space and media credentials due to the Indiana Fever and superstar Caitlin Clark who sells out houses everywhere she goes. Clark has been playing in front of sold out arenas and the price of a ticket goes up when the Fever are in town.

Bruce Macgowan is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Augie Messenburg: Will Quakes sale be enough to cover A’s Las Vegas stadium costs?

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Construction starts on the new Athletics ballpark as crews drill caissons for the foundation and grinding rock piles on the former Tropicana site on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review Journal)  

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Augie Messenburg:

#1 Sacramento A’s and San Jose Earthquakes owner John Fisher who announced last week that the MLS Soccer Earthquakes would be up for sale for $540 to $600 million to cover the overages on the construction costs for the Las Vegas stadium.

#2 It was reported that Fisher could fall short of his asking price. If so he badly needs to cover anything outside of the first billion dollars to get his share of the construction costs covered at about 750 million dollars.

#3 According to Sprotico who does sale price evaluations the team is valued at $600 million. Fisher has hired the Galatioto Sports firm to help find investors to help toward the $500 that will make up the shortfall to pay for the construction costs. The State of Nevada through public funding bill SB1 will contribute $350 million.

#4 Fisher bought the Quakes from the Anschutz Entertainment Group. Anschutz was planning to move the Quakes in 2005 and become the Houston Dynamo. Fisher bout the team in 2007 as a expansion franchise and later built Avaya Stadium in 2015 adding to the value of the franchise.

#5 The sale of the Quakes is a race against the clock of sorts. Fisher is groundbreaking the Las Vegas location for the A’s on Monday morning at the old Tropicana location and yet questions are still being asked if he got the money to cover the construction costs.

Augie Mesenburg filled in for Daniel Dullum on the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast 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.

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O: Giants pitcher accused of abuse by wife; SF’s Devers drew an O’fer in facing his old team; plus more news

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle steps off the mound after surrendering a two run home run to the St Louis Cardinals Alec Burelson in the bottom of the sixth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Sat Jun 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:

#1 San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle’s wife Caroline has accused Hjelle of abuse on a 3:00pm Tic Tock post got 3.2 million views. Caroline said Hjelle abandoned her and his two boys saying “on Mother’s Day a week after this once I finally found out about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse so I’ve been raising two boys alone.” Hjelle pitched Friday evening after the Tick Toc post and struggled pitching one inning giving up a home run to the Boston Red Sox Ceddanne Rafaela. Hjelle said that he spoke to MLB about the issue on Saturday and had nothing to say further about it.

#2 Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers in his first game against his old team the Red Sox went 0-5 on Friday night. Devers hitless Friday night got close to getting a hit when he hit one to the left field wall and later he hit a ball that could have went for extra bases but was caught by Rafaela. It seemed the Sox were up to shut Devers down. But on Saturday Devers hit a home run for his 16th home run of the season which made a big difference as the Giants just got by the Red Sox 3-2.

#3 Milwaukee Brewers rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski has started his big league career like none other. Misiorowski last week has pitched five no hit innings in his big league debut but left after cramping up. In Misiorowski’s second start he took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins. Misiorowski has now pitch 11 straight innings of hitless baseball. Misiorowski is the first pitcher to throw ten hitless innings to start a career the overall record for hitless innings is held by Austin Cox for 11.2 innings in 2023.

#4 Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora before Friday’s game against the San Francisco Giants said that it’s nothing personal regarding the trade of Devers to the Giants last week. Cora said it’s “Clear the air? It’s a trade. It’s baseball. It’s a business,” Reports have it that it was a messy divorce between Devers and the Red Sox over his refusal to play first base and not being happy about being in the designated hitter role. Cora said he will say hello to him and that their still friends. Devers said that he didn’t want to talk about the past and that he didn’t have anything to say good or bad about Alex and that he wanted to keep everything in the past.

#5 In spite of the Sacramento Athletics loss on Saturday are coming around after suffering a number of long losing streaks they have put together six wins in their last ten games including a quality start from starter Jeffrey Springs on Friday night that resulted in a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Sacramento. The A’s still have a lot of work to do to get out of the cellar as they trail the fourth place Los Angeles Angels by six games.

Charlie O does the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Frustration Mounts as A’s Come Up Short 4-2 Despite Late Push

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Cleveland Guardians right hand pitcher LL Ortiz pitches into the second inning against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat June 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

Frustration Mounts as A’s Come Up Short 4-2 Despite Late Push

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Athletics’ recent surge was put on ice Saturday night as a slow start and early defensive miscues led to a 4–2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park. After winning six of their last eight games, the A’s were looking to build momentum, but a costly second inning and an anemic offense through most of the night left them chasing a game that was all but decided before the sun set.

Right-hander Mitch Spence took the mound for Sacramento riding a string of impressive outings, having allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts. But this one unraveled quickly. The trouble started in the top of the second when Daniel Schneemann lined out to right, followed by a walk to Nolan Jones.

Then came a sharp double to center off the bat of Bo Naylor, who not only drove in the game’s first run but advanced to third on a wild throw from Luis Urías. That error opened the floodgates. Johnathan Rodríguez followed with an RBI double, Angel Martínez grounded out to move him to third, and Steven Kwan singled him home.

By the time José Ramírez notched his 900th career RBI with a single to center, Cleveland had built a 4-0 lead before Spence could escape the inning.

Spence managed to hold Cleveland scoreless over his final three innings and finished with five innings pitched, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out three. It was a gritty performance, but the damage had been done. His effort was backed by a strong showing from the bullpen as T.J. McFarland, Sean Newcomb, and Hogan Harris combined for four shutout innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

The A’s, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Guardians starter Luis Ortiz, who baffled hitters for six innings, striking out ten while scattering just four hits and two walks. Sacramento’s best chance came early in the second when Max Muncy reached on a throwing error and Tyler Soderstrom singled to move him to third. But a strikeout from JJ Bleday, a lineout by Urías, and a flyout from Austin Wynns ended the inning with no damage.

Tensions boiled over in the sixth when Lawrence Butler, who had already struck out twice, was called out looking again and was promptly ejected after voicing his frustration. His exit triggered a chain of defensive shuffles. Denzel Clarke took over in center field, JJ Bleday moved to left, and Brent Rooker slid over to right. Butler’s absence was felt, especially as the A’s tried to rally late.

Sacramento finally broke through in the seventh. After a walk by Bleday and a single by Urías, Austin Wynns roped a double to right that brought in Bleday and gave the A’s a flicker of hope. But it was quickly doused when Clarke struck out and Wilson lined out to end the inning. Rooker brought the crowd to life again in the eighth with a triple to deep center, and Muncy followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two. Still, the rally fell short as Soderstrom lined out to end the frame.

Emmanuel Clase came in to close things out for Cleveland in the ninth and made quick work of the A’s. Bleday grounded out, Urías lined out sharply to left, and Wynns grounded out to third to seal the loss. The A’s finished the night with just two runs on seven hits, going one for nine with runners in scoring position and leaving six men stranded.

With the loss, Sacramento dropped to 32 and 47 on the season and missed a chance to gain ground in the AL West. While they remain just one game behind the fourth-place Angels, the frustration of yet another game lost due to early defensive lapses and late offensive sputtering was clear. The team is now four and 24 when being out-homered and continues to struggle in close games decided by two runs or fewer.

The A’s will look to avoid losing the series and get back on track Sunday afternoon as lefty JP Sears (5-6 ERA 5.45) takes the hill against Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (2-3 ERA 4.15). With a nine-game road trip looming, including stops in Detroit, New York, and Tampa Bay, the A’s need to rediscover the rhythm that briefly gave fans hope they could crawl out of the AL West cellar.

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.

Oakland Ballers game wrap: Ballers five run fifth puts away Riders in 10-6 win

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Oakland Ballers pitcher Brody Eglite picked up his second win of the season against the Glacier Range Riders at Rickey Henderson Field in Oakland on Fri June 20, 2025 (Oakland Ballers photo)

Glacier (11-17) 200 003 100 6 7 4

Oakland (19-9) 104 050 00x 10 8 0

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 2,005

Friday, June 20, 2925

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–In spite of their Mid-Summer Night cum Juneteenth’s 5-2 loss on Thursday to the visitors from the Glacier National Park, your Oakland Ballers entered Friday evening’s version of the Friday Night Fights at 18-9, with only one game standing between them and the league leading Missoula Paddle Heads.

Appropriately enough, public transit was the theme for the meeting, and the visitors’ moniker is Range Riders. When the post game dust had settled, the Ballers had ridden over the Riders, 10-6, in a game that featured abrupt and extreme changes of fortune and an act of exemplary stoicism. After all the Pioneer Baseball League action had ended, the Ballers, at 19-9, were the sole occupants of first place in the entire circuit.

As is their wont, the B’s quickly found themselves looking up at their adversaries; Brody Eglite went to a full count to Glacier’s leadoff hitter, TJ Clarkson, who entered the fray batting .409 before driving the ball over the right center field fence.

The Oakland righty then went to a full count on Logan Beard (BA .452) before walking him. Before you could say “line out to third” and “bunt single,” Kingston Liniak smacked the pitch to deep right center, where center fielder Darryl Bugs II caught it for the inning’s second out, and Beard scored on the sac fly to put the Range Riders up, 2-0.

The Ballers cut Glacier’s advantage in half with Davis Drewek’s two out four bagger in the bottom of the inning and went ahead in the fifth by the seemingly insurmountable margin of 10-2. Darryl Buggs II opened hostilities with a leadoff single to right.

Tremayne Cobb, Jr., who did some nifty defensive work at short, sent him to third with a single to left. DH Esai Santos fanned. Drewek’s single and an error by Glacier’s first sacker brought in Buggs and gave the B’s two runners in scoring position with one down.

It also took the Range Riders starter. Rayne Supple out of the game. He would be charged with the loss after having thrown 92 pitches in his 4-1/3 inning stint. Nine runs would be charged to him, but only (!) four would be earned.

His successor, Jacob Hasty, would close out the frame on ten pitches and be charged with one, unearned run before giving way to Noah Cole (1-1/3 perfect innings), and Cam Cowan (1-2/3 shutout innings of one hit, two walk baseball).

Christian Almanza’s single to right plated Cobb and Drewek. Harris was next to cross the plate, on a ground out by Lou Hemig, and Almanza came in on a wild pitch by Hasty.

You’d think that the Ballers had nothing to worry about after this outburst, but you’d be forgetting one of the Pioneer League’s primary precepts, no lead is safe, and not just at high altitudes. Yogi Berra is said to have said it best, “It ain’t over ….” You know the rest of it.

In the bottom of the sixth, a foul ball off Almanza’s bat bounced up into Glacier catcher Angel Mendoza’s crotch, causing him extreme pain that kept him on his hands and knees, fighting for breath for several minutes. When he finally was able to stand upright, he received loud applause from the crowd, which immediately afterwards was stunned by the backstop’s decision to remain in the game.

To make a long story somewhat shorter, the visitors answered their hosts’ five run fifth with a three run seventh, ending speculation that Eglite might go 100 pitches. He ended up throwing 91 of them and getting the win, his second in two decisions.

Four of the five runs he allowed were earned. He gave up five hits, including Clarkson’s homer in the first,and the one Jack Lynch hit in Glacier’s comeback rally in the sixth. Eglite also struck out five of the 22 batters he faced and walked two of them.

Saturday, Rickey Henderson Field will replace Ernie Raimondi Park. It will be Rickey Henderson Day. Starting at 4:35, we’ll see if Rickey can give the Range Riders a run for their money.

San Francisco Giants podcast Augie Mesenburg: Giants get some key home runs to edge Red Sox at Oracle on Saturday; Hjelle the subject of spousal abuse accusations

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Sean Hjelle of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sun Jun 15, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie, on Friday Rafael Devers went 0-5 and today got his first home run as a San Francisco Giant.

#2 Heliot Ramos got a hold of one for his 13th home run of the season. Ramos has been very reliable in the lead off role and has been on a tear.

#3 The Giants got some pitching holding off the Boston Red Sox on Saturday with starter Landen Roupp pitching six innings and allowing three hits with seven strikeouts.

#4 Sean Hjelle made some headlines that he didn’t need. Hjlle’s wife Caroline posted on Tiktok Friday afternoon that Hjelle was an abusive husband, that he abandoned his wife and two sons on Mothers Day, and he was cheating on her. Hjelle was asked about the Tiktok posts before Saturday’s game and said he didn’t want to talk about it.

#5 It was Camilo Doval in relief who got into a ninth inning jam allowing two runs that allowed the Sox to close it within one run but the Giants held onto win it 3-2.

Augie Mesenburg is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a sports reporter for 1080 KWAI Honolulu