Tag: Sports Radio Service

Good pitching by Reds Greene snaps SF’s 7 game win streak in 2-0 shutout

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Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene threw a gem against the San Francisco Giants and was one out away from a complete game at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Apr 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

Cincinnati (4-7)            000 000 020    2  5   0

San Francisco (8-2)     000 000 000    0  4   0

Time: 2:09             Attendance: 30,328

Monday, April 7, 2025

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Don’t look now, but your San Francisco Giants took the field this chilly Monday evening leading the National League western division. They’ve even been getting hits with runners in score position, if you’re willing to overlook that 11 inning marathon of frustration that was last Friday’s Alphonse and Gaston routine against the Mariners. 

But there weren’t all that many Giant baserunners to be stranded in Monday night’s 2-0 loss to  the Cincinnati Reds . The home team left a total of five on base for the game, three of them in the ninth, and the first of them got on with two outs. 

Logan Webb, Esef’s starting and winning pitcher in their Great American Ballpark season opener on March 27, shut out the Rhinelanders for seven innings by the shores of McCovey Cove, holding them to four hits without granting them a free pass but notching seven Ks. 66 of his pitches qualified as strikes. His performance lowered his ERA to 1.89.

Logan was followed by Camilo Doval, who promptly walked Spencer Steel and plunked Jacob Hurtubise, a last minute replacement for Jake Fraley. José Treviño laid down a sacrifice bunt,  and that was it for the Giants’ one time ballyhooed closer.

Erik Miller walked TJ Friedl to load the bases. Blake Dunn smacked a double into the right field corner, driving in Spencer and Hurtubise with what proved to be the only tallies of the game. Miller then wisely granted Elly De La Cruz an intentional walk and retired Gavin on a called third strike.  At this point, Lou Trivino replaced Miller and ended the inning by getting Christian Encarnacion-Strand to fly out to right.

San Francisco made a valiant attempt to bounce back in the home half of the ninth. LaMonte Wade, Jr., and Willy Adames went down quickly. But 이정후, known to Giant fans as Jung Hoo Lee, extended his base reaching stretch to niine games with a single to right center, which, along with  two brilliant catches, one in the first and another in the fifth, were bright spots in an otherwise disappointing night for the Gints. A walk to Matt Chapman put the potential tying run on a base, and drove the Redleg starter, Hunter Greene, from that mound. Tony Santillán retired Héctor Ramos on a line drive to left to end it all.

Greene got the well deserved win, bringing his record to 1-1,1.32. He toiled 8-2/3 frames and threw 104 pitches, 76 for strikes, allowing but four hits, one walk, and a wild pitch, while striking out seven opponents. One of those four hits was the 100th of Tyler Fitzgerald’s big league career.

Tuesday, the teams will pick up where they left off, in the second game of this three game series. Reds Southpaw Nick  Lodolow (1-1 ERA 1.42) will be on the bump for the Reds, and righty Landon Roupp (0-0,6.75) will toe the rubber for the Giants.

Sharks Let Another One Get Away Lose To Flames 3-2

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Sharks Celebrate goal over Calgary at SAP Center in San Jose on Apr 7 (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca

The losses continue to mount for the Teal team, which suffered another defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames 3-2. In this game, the team that scored first failed to take advantage of its numerical advantage.

For Calgary, it was necessary to get wins as they remain in the fight for a Wild Card playoff spot, and the Alberta team knows every point counts. For our Sharks, all that remains is to close out the year with a win, in what was their penultimate home game before closing out the season against Edmonton.

It’s also important to offer our sincere condolences to a colleague in the hockey world. During the game, it was announced the passing of Greg Millen, former NHL player and analyst for Hockey Night in Canada for the Canadian network Sportsnet where the Canadian network did not produce the game for Canadian viewers and broadcasting the Sharks’ NBC Sports broadcast instead.

During the first period, the Sharks took the lead near the end of the first period with a goal by Will Smith, assisted by Nikolai Kovalenko and Macklin Celebrini, both assisting players tried to score another goal in Calgary’s goal.

Georgie Romanov was in charge of the goaltending duties, recording 29 saves. However, the stats seem to go against him as he recorded his fourth loss in six games with the Sharks.

The Sharks tried to gain control of the puck and possession during the second period, but the period remained scoreless and still having the Teal ahead by one.

The nightmare came in the final period, something the home team hadn’t anticipated. Calgary took a three-goal lead starting eight minutes into the third period, with Adam Kapla tying the score.

At the last minute, Jonathan Huberdeau put Calgary ahead 2-1, and then Matt Coronato closed the scoring for the visitors, leaving the Sharks at 3-1.

The game-winning goal came at the last minute, thanks to a power play by Will Smith, who left the score at 2-2 for the Sharks.

With this result, the Sharks are down to 20-47-10. The Sharks will travel on the road to Minnesota to try to avoid furthering the Wild’s playoff hopes, and then head to Canada.

The Sharks will be home on April 16 when they host the Edmonton Oilers for the final time this season, concluding the Sharks’ NHL campaign for the year.

Soderstrom hits two HRs, but A’s just short of first Sacramento win in 5-4 loss to Padres

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Sacramento A’s Lawrence Butler (4) swings for an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Mon Apr 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 7, 2025

Sutter Health Park

San Diego Padres 5 (3-7)

Sacramento Athletics 4 (8-1)

Win: Michael King (2-0)

Loss: Luis Severino (0-2)

Save: Robert Suarez (5)

Time: 2:19

Attendance: 9,502

By Stephen Ruderman

WEST SACRAMENTO–The A’s came up just short Monday night, as despite two home runs by Tyler Soderstrom, the San Diego Padres came in and beat the A’s by a final of 5-4 in the series opener at Sutter Health Park.

After getting swept in their first home series against the Cubs last week, the A’s took two out of three in Denver against the Rockies. Now they returned to their rental home looking for their first win in Sacramento with the San Diego Padres making their first trip to the state capital.

There wouldn’t be any better night for the A’s first home win. Their ace, Luis Severino, was on the mound, and it was an absolutely-gorgeous night in what is truly a major league-caliber area in Sacramento.

Things wouldn’t start easy for Severino and the A’s in the top of the first inning. Luis Arraez and Manny Machado hit back-to-back doubles with one out to give the Padres a quick 1-0 lead. Jake Croenworth then came up and hit a two-run home run, much to the delight of the Padres fans who had made the trek up north from San Diego, to make it 3-0.

Michael King made the start for San Diego, and he had to battle his way through a rocky first two innings. The A’s were unable to do anything with a pair of walks in the bottom of the first, and then they wasted an opportunity with runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the second.

Severino appeared to have settled down with a 1-2-3 top of the second, but the Padres tacked on another run off him in the top of the third. Arraez singled with one out, and then Machado shot a double into the gap in right-center to make it 4-0.

The A’s would get on the board with two outs in the bottom of the third when Tyler Soderstrom gulfed a line-drive home run to the A’s bullpen in right. After a 1-2-3 inning by Severino in the top of the fourth, the A’s were ready to do more in the bottom of the fourth.

Miguel Andujar reached on an infield hit to start the bottom of the fourth, and Jacob Wilson followed that up with a base-hit to right to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Gio Urshela flew out to right, but Max Muncy lined a double to left that scored Andujar to make it 4-2. Lawrence Butler then reached on an infield hit to third to make it a one-run game at 4-3.

The A’s had the tying run at third with one out, but they were unable to tie it. Brent Rooker was caught looking at a sinker at the knees after fouling off three-straight two-strike pitches for the second out, and Soderstrom lined out to second.

Severino pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, and then Fernando Tatis Jr. made it a 5-3 game with an absolute bomb over the top of what I assume is the A’s new clubhouse out in left. Despite giving up five runs, Severino went seven innings.

King, meanwhile, pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, and he was pulled following a two-out infield hit by Manny Machado in the bottom of the sixth. Adrian Morejon then struck Butler out on three pitches to end the inning.

Jeremiah Estrada came in for San Diego in the bottom of the seventh, and with one out, Soderstrom hit his second home run of the night to get the run right back and make it 5-4. It went almost to the same spot as his first home run back in the third. Unlike his first home run, however, this one hung up a bit higher, and it went to the grass just behind the A’s bullpen.

That would do it for the scoring. Angel Perdomo pitched a scoreless top of the eighth for the cityless team, and Jason Adam did the same for San Diego in the bottom of the eighth. Perdomo pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the ninth, and Robert Suarez came in to pick up his fifth save with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Michael King got the win, and Luis Severino, despite his valiant effort Monday night, was saddled with the loss.

The A’s fall to 4-7, and are now 0-4 at their rental home in West Sac.

The A’s will have another chance to pick up their first Sacramento win on what should be another beautiful evening for baseball Tuesday night. Dylan Cease (1-0, 3.38 ERA) will take the ball for San Diego tomorrow night, and Sacramento will counter with the lefty, Jeffrey Springs (2-2, 3.27 ERA).

First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m.

NBA podcast Michael Roberson: Cavaliers Mitchell to sit out with ankle injury; Blazer GM gets contract extension; plus more NBA news

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Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell (right) passes the ball as he is defended by the San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelshvili (54) in the second half at Frost Bank Center on Fri Apr 4, 2025. Donovan injured his ankle on Sun Apr 6, 2025 against the Sacramento Kings in Cleveland. (AP News photo)

NBA podcast Michael Roberson:

#1  The Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell will miss the next game against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night. Mitchell injured his left ankle in a game in Sacramento on Sunday.

Mitchell stepped on the Sacramento King’s Keon Ellis’ foot at center court and lost his balance and rolled over on his left ankle. Mitchell was in pain and had to be escorted off the floor with the trainers to the dressing room.

#2 Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin was given a multiyear deal with the Trail Blazers on Monday. The Blazers have improved to over 14 wins compared to this time last season. Portland has 35 wins this season an have gone 22-16 since Jan 19th.

#3 New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson who was out over a month returned last Sunday to face the Phoenix Suns scoring 15 points and getting six assists to help the Knicks to a 112-98 win. While it wasn’t Brunson’s best outing he hit three out of nine from the floor and miss some of his jump shots. Brunson is trying to get his rhythm and timing back.

#4 The Denver Nuggets have been snake bitten since losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 1. The Nuggets now have lost three in row since that 140-139 loss. The loses have been piling up since losing to the San Antonio Spurs Apr 2, Golden State Warriors Apr 4, and Indiana Pacers Apr 6. You would think with all that talent they have they would have been able to snap out it by now?

#5 Some fan was getting smart with the Washington Wizards Marcus Smart and it turned into a shouting match. Smart said a fan crossed the line and was heckling the Wizards bench at TD Garden in Boston while the Wizards were playing the Boston Celtics. Smart a former Celtic said, “You never want to see that, especially for a guy who’s coming back and has given the city everything he has.”

Join Michael Roberson for the NBA podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Continue Winning Streak at 3 Beating Pistons 127-117

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Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan left dribble drives past the Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (right) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Apr 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (39-40) continue to impress beating the Detroit Pistons (43-36) 127-117. Zach LaVine had another monster game finishing with 43 points this time and DeMar DeRozan with 37. Domantas Sabonis finished with a triple double, 19 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds. The Kings had trailed by as much as 18 points in the first half. Despite the back-to-back for the Kings they pushed through the fatigue to beat the Pistons.

Game recap: The Kings had a slight lead after the first 12 minutes of play 38-37 in a high scoring quarter. Both DeRozan and LaVine finished the opening quarter with double digits although the Kings did not seem to have the same energy they had Sunday night. Fatigue could be the culprit jumping on a plane after last night’s game and heading into Detroit to play again 24 hours later. The Pistons did not play Sunday night after losing to the Grizzlies Saturday night 109-103.

The Pistons took the lead in the second quarter and five minutes into the quarter had taken a 14 point lead. Sacramento took a time out looking to get a handle on this game before it really went sideways. Detroit had taken a 56-42 lead with 7:25 left in the half. Making matters worse for the Kings, Malik Monk was forced to leave the court and it was decided that he would not return for the remainder of the game with calf tightness.

Detroit continued to maintain their lead but was unable to extend it still leading by 14 through much of the quarter. The Kings had gone flat in the second quarter after a close first quarter of basketball. Sacramento, in the final minute of the second quarter, had cut the 18 point lead that the Pistons had to ten points. At the half, the Pistons had a 72-62 lead.

In this back-to-back game for the Kings the eight turnovers were really hurting them conceding 16 points on those turnovers. DeRozan had a great first half shooting for 22 points and was looking for help from Sabonis and LaVine in the second half.

With 33 seconds left in the third quarter the Kings tied the game and with 0.1 on the clock LaVine hit a 26-foot three to give Sacramento the lead 97-94.

LaVine had really come to life finishing the three quarters with 26 points. Sabonis already had a double double and was eyeing a triple double with eight assists. Jonas Valanciunas also had a double double with 11 rebounds and ten points.

The Kings got a hot start to open the fourth quarter with LaVine hitting three triples in the opening minutes. He was six of eight from beyond the arc and he had 35 points with a lot of game still left for more.

At 10:13 the Kings had a 106-102 lead. As the quarter wore on, both team were battling for this game with the Kings holding onto as much as a seven point lead. At the four minute mark Sacramento had a 117-112 lead.

Much like last night they were forced to finish the game and were looking to finish another game at the expense of Detroit in this tight ball game. With under three minutes left in the game, the Kings had a 119-112 lead.

The Pistons had gone cold; the Kings continued to extend their lead now leading 122-112. With under two minutes the Pistons finally scored and needed some stops trailing 114-125. Detroit didn’t get those stops and LaVine refused to back down continuing to play monster ball finishing with 43 points in the 127-117 win. He topped off the fourth quarter with his final three at 1:29.

The Kings cut down on their turnovers in the second half but it was (Heater) LaVine who could not miss from beyond the arc that turned the tide. He was eight of 11 and continues to have monster games as this season runs out.

DeMar DeRozan also had a great games finishing with 37 points and the fourth quarter was the dynamic duo of LaVine and DeRozan that brought this game home for the Kings third win in a row. They had erased an 18 point deficit in the first half and as Zach LaVine said “this was a do or die game.”

Game notes: Monday evening the Kings played their last road game of the 2024-2025 season taking on the Pistons in Detroit. The Kings continue to be without Keegan Murray who was a game time decision. It was decided that he was not quite ready to get back in action. Keon Ellis who was struggling with a sore hand was deemed able to rejoin the team as a starter. Trey Lyles started in the place of Keegan Murray. After a having a monster game Sunday night beating the Cavaliers, the Kings kept up the momentum and confidence they had in the Cleveland game with their win over the Pistons.

The Kings will now head home to Sacramento to finish up the season with their three final games at Golden 1. First up for the Kings will be a matchup with the Denver Nuggets with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM Wednesday night. The goal now for the Kings will be to get that ninth seed and home court advantage a very real possibility.

Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason: Kings shock the NBA world beating basketball’s best Cavaliers twice in one season

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The Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (left) drives to the basket on the Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) in first half action at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason:

#1 How shocking is that that the Sacramento Kings were able to pull off a win over the NBA’s best the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in one season?

#2 The Kings Zach LaVine scored 37 points, had 11 points in the crucial fourth quarter as the Kings defeated the Cavaliers on Sunday 120-113 at Rocket Mortgage Arena.

#3 The Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis scored 27 points and had nine rebounds as the Kings picked up their second straight win and improved their position in the Western Conference to ninth place.

#4 The Cavaliers Ty Jerome’s 20 points were the most followed up by Donovan Mitchell 19. Jerome had been out since Mar 25th after missing five games with left knee tendinitis.

#5 It’s off to Detroit and the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Pistons are sixth in the Western Conference and have won six of their last ten games. The Kings are battling to try and get a playoff spot and the Pistons are a playoff team how do you see these two teams matching up for tonight’s game?

Join Barbara Mason for the Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda looks to recover from loss to Colorado face Coachella on Wednesday

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San Jose Barracuda defenseman Luca Cagnoni (42) pursues the Colorado Eagles forward Oskar Olausson (4) who tries to get the puck past San Jose goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) at Blue CFU Arena in Loveland CO on Sat Apr 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Marko, the San Jose Barracuda never got on track as they were scrambling and trying to figure out the Colorado Eagles defense Saturday in Colorado the lack off offense hurt them as they lost by two goals 3-1 in their last game.

#2 The Eagles Oskar Olausson scored his 11th goal of the season to get the Eagles started with a 1-0 lead. He got assist from TJ Tynan and Jack Ahcan at 19:50.

#3 In the second period Scott Sabourin scored his eighth goal of the season 23 seconds into the period and it would turn out to be San Jose’s only goal of the contest making it a 1-1.

#4 The Eagles got their final two goals of the game at 4:53 in the second period Jayson Megna picked up his 18th goal of the season taking a 2-1 lead. In the third period Tye Falhaber scored his 21st goal at 19:14. and the Eagles came away with a 3-1 win. It was the Barracuda’s 25th loss of the season making them 33-25-3-2.

#5 Next up for San Jose they make the trip to face the Coachella Firebirds on Wednesday with a 7:00pm face off at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms. The Firebirds are fourth in the Pacific at 36-24-2-5. The Firebirds are playing .500 hockey having lost five of their last ten games. Marko how do you see this match up.

Marko Ukalovic does the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA G League Playoffs: Kings continue to roll in post season defeat Spurs 118-112 at Adventist Arena

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Stockton Kings with their win over the Austin Spurs are the G League Western Conference Champions in the G League Playoff action at Adventist Health in Stockton on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings hosted the Austin Spurs in the G League’s Western Conference Final on Sunday night and the Kings once again advanced for the second time in the playoffs with a 118-112 win over the Spurs.

The Spurs got out to a hot start, scoring 27 points in the first quarter while holding Stockton to just 17. A double digit lead after 12 minutes seemed like a good sign for the visiting team, and that wouldn’t change in the second quarter either.

While the Kings out scored the Spurs in the second frame, Austin still maintained a lead heading into halftime. The Kings scored 28 points, but that was only three more than the Spurs, meaning Austin maintained a seven point lead after 24 minutes.

The third quarter would be a major game changer, as the Kings’ offense exploded. They out scored the Spurs by 20 points in the third frame, 43-23.

Austin trailed 97-82 heading into the fourth quarter, as a result they’d need to recreate the performance their opposition just had if they wanted any chance of moving on to the G League Final. They’d outscore the Kings for the second time of the night, but it wouldn’t be by big enough of a margin, as Stockton would walk away victorious.

Mason Jones continued to have a strong playoff run, as he scored a game-high 38 points. Terry Taylor wasn’t far behind him though, as he scored 29 of his own. Undoubtedly, those performances were a major part of what allowed the Kings to make it to the Final for the first time in organization history.

Meanwhile for the Spurs, Malachi Flynn had a strong offensive performance, scoring a team-high 32 points in Austin’s losing effort. David Duke Jr and Kyle Mangas both eclipsed the 20 point mark as well, but it wasn’t enough for them to upset the top seed.

The Kings will face the Osceola Magic in the G League Final starting on the road Tuesday night.

Kings Pull a Second Upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113

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Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) take the ball to the hoop against the Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and guard Max Strus (1) in the first half at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Sacramento Kings (37-40) pulled off a second upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers (62-15) this season 120-113. Zach LaVine came unhinged finishing with 37 points. He was on fire hitting seven triples going 7 of 11.

Demar DeRozan scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis finished with 27. Sacramento hit 14 three’s. The Kings outscored the Cavaliers in the third quarter 35-22 setting the stage for the upset. This win will go a long way towards their fight for a playoff spot.

As this game finished up, the Phoenix Suns lost to the New York Knicks 112-98. The Suns loss gives the Kings a three-game lead for tenth place and they still have a shot to move into ninth place with a little help from the Mavericks.

Game recap: The Sacramento Kings had a great start in the opening quarter leading 31-27 after the first 12 minutes of play. Domantas Sabonis spearheaded a great start scoring 15 points with four rebounds.

Zach LaVine chipped in seven points and the Kings were waiting on DeMar DeRozan to get his engine working. It had been an excellent start for Sacramento and the true test for the Kings would be to keep the pressure on Cleveland and dictate the pace of the game going into the second quarter and beyond.

The Cavaliers took the lead throughout the second quarter and had led by as many as seven points. When the quarter came to an end, the Cavaliers had outscored Sacramento 30-25. The Kings had continued to shave the Cleveland lead and it paid off for them.

The Kings sure know what is at stake right now. and they were playing like it. At the buzzer Keon Ellis hit a triple (43-ft) to trail by a single point 56-57 as the first half came to an end. Sabonis continued to lead the scoring for Sacramento finishing the first half with 19 points and eight rebounds. Zach LaVine was following suit hitting 15 points and DeMar DeRozan was on the edge of double digits with eight points.

Going into the third quarter the Cavaliers hung onto the lead throughout most of the quarter until the final two minutes when the Kings turned it all around. With 53 seconds left on the clock, the Kings had taken a 10-point lead 87-77.

At the end of three quarters, the Sacramento Kings had taken a 91-79 lead. DeMar DeRozan had really heated up finishing the quarter with 19 points. Sacramento had to hold on for one more quarter to pull their second Cleveland upset of the season.

The Kings held on in the fourth quarter but the Cavaliers started to chip away at the Sacramento lead and at 7:47 it was a tie game at 96. The Kings were holding onto their lead but not extending it and they paid for it when the Cavaliers took the lead at 7:04 101-100.

For nearly the next two minutes this was a one-point game or tied with both teams trading the lead. At 6:06 the Kings had pushed back their lead to 105-101 and this game was going down to the wire. With under two minutes left in the game the Kings had taken a 116-111 lead in this nail-biter. As time expired, the Sacramento Kings had beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time this season.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the Kings took on the hottest team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers and shocked the NBA world with a second win of the season over the Cavaliers .

The Kings finally got a win on Friday in Charlotte beating the lowly Hornets 125-102 and face a major challenge against the giants of the NBA. While the Kings were hardly favored in this game, they did beat Cleveland last month March 19 by the score of 123-119 in a thriller.

Sacramento were without the services of Keegan Murray who is out with a back issue. The Kings relied on Trey Lyles who had seven points and Doug McDermott who did not play but were around to pick up the slack in the front court.

While this game doesn’t have huge meaning for the Cavs a win would have meant a home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs. For the Kings this win means a whole lot more as they are fighting to retain their tenth place position in the Western Conference.

After this wild win, the Sacramento Kings will jump on a plane and head into Detroit to take on the Pistons on Monday night, their final road game of the regular season. Tipoff for the Detroit matchup is scheduled for 4:00 PM PDT at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Wilmer and Giants sweep Mariners and are in first place and off to 8-1 start with 5-4 walk-off win

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San Francisco Giants hitter Wilmer Flores (right) swings for walk off single in the bottom of the ninth inning as Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (left) looks on at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 6, 2025

Oracle Park

Seattle Mariners 4 (3-7)

San Francisco Giants 5 (8-1)

Win: Camilo Doval (1-0)

Loss: Gregory Santos (0-1)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 41,060

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants won their seventh their seventh in a row and swept the Mariners with a 5-4 win, as Wilmer Flores pinch-hit and won the game with a walk-off base-hit to right-center field, which staked the Giants to an 8-1 start and first place in the National League West.

Aaron Hicks, who is back in the rotation for the start of this season, took the mound for his second start. Hicks got Victor Robles to ground out to Willy Adames at short to start the game. However, with one out, Julio Rodriguez came to the plate, and just as he did with one out in the top of the first inning Friday, J-Rod hit a home run to give the Mariners an early 1-0 lead. However, this one was a no-doubter, unlike the cheapie he hit in the first inning on Friday.

Bryan Woo took the mound for the Mariners, and the Giants were unable to make anything of a two-out, two-strike double by Jung Hoo Lee in the bottom of the first. Aaron Hicks had to wiggle his way out of a two-out rally in the top of the second, and Woo threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second.

Cal Raleigh hit a home run of his own in the top of the third to make it 2-0, and after another 1-2-3 inning by Woo in the bottom of the third, there were some people who thought it was going to be one of those days for the Giants. However, these are the 2025 Giants, and as they would quickly see, today would not be one of those days.

Hicks finally settled down with a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, and Willy Adames led off the bottom of the fourth with a base-hit to left-center. You could definitely feel that the Giants were a-coming. after Adames’ base-hit. Lee took another nice two-strike swing for a base-hit to left, and the Giants were in business with runners at first and second with nobody out.

Matt Chapman flew out to right, but Heliot Ramos lined a base-hit to right that knocked in Adames and put the Giants on the board. Mike Yastrzemski came up and hit a home run to left-center, and just like that, the Giants were ahead 4-2.

Hicks followed that up with a scoreless top of the fifth. Adames helped with an incredible play to his left to take away a base-hit from J-Rod with one out.

The Mariners got runners to first and second with one out against Hicks in the top of the sixth, and Bob Melvin went to Randy Rodriguez. Ryan Bliss came up and lined a base-hit to left, and Luke Raley scored to make it 4-3. Unfortunately, to compound matters, the throw from left-fielder Luis Matos skipped off the glove of Patrick Bailey, which put the tying and go-ahead runs both in scoring position with just one out.

However, Rodriguez was not fazed, as he got out of the inning with the Giants still ahead. As for Hicks, he went five and a third, while giving up three runs and six hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Woo ended his day with a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. He gave up four runs and five hits, and he walked one and struck out six.

Tyler Rogers came in for the seventh, which was a bit surprising considering all five of his previous appearances came in the eighth inning. However, it was no problem for Rogers, who threw a 1-2-3 inning.

After Carlos Vargas pitched a scoreless inning for Seattle in the bottom of the seventh, the lefty, Erik Miller, was summoned by Melvin for the top of the eighth. Former Giant Donovan Solano and Mitch Garver both hit base-hits to start the inning, and the Mariners were in business right away Not to worry, however, as an infield fly and a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Bliss took Miller out of the inning unscathed.

Eduard Bazardo threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and with the fact that Giants closer Ryan Walker had pitched the last two days, it was old closer Camilo Doval who got the ball for the ninth.

Victor Robles singled the other way to left with one out, and he got to second on a ground out by J-Rod. Melvin elected to intentionally walk Raleigh to get to the 2-for-13 Randy Arozarena. Doval got Arozarena to a 2-2 count, but Arozarena was able to beat a good slider at the bottom of the zone and line a double down the left field line to tie the game.

Doval got beat on a good pitch, and after the rough outings he had last season that led him to lose the closer’s job, it wasn’t unreasonable to fear that a big inning would be coming from the Mariners, especially after a walk to Miles Mastrobuoni. Doval then got Mitch Garver to pop out to third, and the game stayed tied 4-4 going to the bottom of the ninth, where the Giants were in a perfect position for another walk-off win.

Mariners Manager Dan Wilson brought in Gregory Santos for the bottom of the ninth. Santos walked Yastrzemski on four pitches to start the inning, and he fell behind 2-0 to Matos. After taking a strike, Matos reached on a fielder’s choice.

Patrick Bailey came up, and things were about to go nuts. Bailey hit a towering fly ball down the right field line that this writer thought was going to be a walk-off bomb into the water from his view in the press box. While it came close to clearing the 24-foot-high Willie Mays wall in right, Mariners’ right-fielder Victor Robles ran like the wind to his left to make a spectacular catch, as he went hard up against the netting and tumbled back into play.

Robles was down and in severe pain. He rolled the ball back towards the infield, which allowed Matos to advance 180 feet all the way to third. Trainers from both teams came out to check on Robles, who held his left arm in agony as he was carted off the field on a stretcher.

While Robles was being tended to, Melvin challenged whether it was a catch, but it was confirmed that Robles’ feet were over the field of play as he caught the ball. The Mariners then challenged that Robles had gone out of play after the catch, which was quite clear. As a result, Ramos was sent back to second, as a fielder going out of play after a catch is only a one-base award.

The loss of 90 feet would not be an issue. Wilmer Flores pinch-hit for Christian Koss, and he lined a base-hit to right-center that easily scored Matos to win it.

The Giants are now off to just their fifth 8-1 start in franchise history, and their second in San Francisco. The other was their wire-to-wire 100-win season of 2003, a season that ended quite painfully might I add.

Camilo Doval should have been rewarded for his slider with a strikeout and the save, but Arozarena had other plans. Instead, Doval was rewarded with his first win of the year, Gregory Santos took the loss.

Terry Francona’s Cincinnati Reds will come into town for three games starting tomorrow night. The Giants took two out of three from the Redlegs to start the season in Cincinnati, and they will hope for the same magic and success this week in their own ballpark.

It will be an opening day rematch on the mound in the series opener tomorrow night. Giants’ ace Logan Webb (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will get the start, and he will be opposed by Reds’ right-hander Hunter Greene (0-1, 2.25 ERA). First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m., which has been the custom for night games on mondays through thursdays at Oracle Park since 2019, but six years later, I am still not used to it.

Oh yeah, before I forget, the Giants are first place. Have a good day, folks!