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Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s best way to beat O’s is score early and often

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Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman follows through on an RBI single against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore Sun Jul 30, 2023. Rutschman has been the key in the O’s line up as the Orioles face the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Aug 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s (34-87) will be starting Luis Medina to open the three game series against the Baltimore Orioles (74-47). Medina allowed 52 runs in 83 innings.

#2 Medina’s opponents have an .245 average, with a 11.5 walk average, Medina comes into the game with a 4.50 ERA. Can he get through the Orioles line up at least twice on Friday night.

#3 The A’s as a line up are struggling which they all have all season, they are the worst hitting team in the Majors with a .241, 19 home runs, they have 152 total bases. The A’s have got home run help from Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown combining 22 long balls.

#4 Jeremiah, talk about the job that Adley Rutschman. The Orioles have said he’s been the straw that’s been stirring the drink in Baltimore hitting .267, with 119 hits, 16 home runs and 58 RBIs he could give A’s pitching fits this weekend.

#5 The Orioles starter Kyle Gibson could have control on the A’s line up the A’s have been averaging 3.60 runs per game. Gibson has had command on opposing line ups going deep into a game and being able to hand the ball over the relievers to mop up.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson does the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chelsea Gray’s Triple Double Spurs Aces On to Win Over Liberty 88-75

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) defends against the Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Thu Aug 17, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Chelsea Gray’s Triple Double Spurs Aces On to Win Over Liberty 88-75

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (27-3) had a huge game tonight at MIchelob ULTRA Center with a 88-75 win over the New York Liberty. They were desperate to crack the code that has held them hostage in the past two meetings with the New York Liberty (24-6). New York has been able to successfully box in A’Ja Wilson and so far the Aces have been unable to counter. The Liberty seem to be the only obstacle standing between the Aces and a second championship. They were able to break through in this game.

While the Aces did beat New York back in June on the 29th, the Liberty have had it their way ever since. They stunned the Aces on August 6 99-61 and most recently on August 15 a second loss 82-63. In both of those losses A’Ja Wilson was only able to hit nine points. It was something that the Aces have not seen this entire season.

It did not start off well for Las Vegas falling behind 8-0 in the early minutes. It was not until the final two minutes of the opening quarter that the Aces had their first lead of the game 21-19. Las Vegas pushed back and had a 25-21 lead after the first quarter of play. Wilson was still looking for her first points of the game.

At 6:37 in the second quarter Wilson made her first shot of the game, a free throw. Despite rushing shots at times, the Aces did take a 53- 40 lead at the half. A’Ja Wilson already had 11 points to her credit and Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelseas Gray also had double digits for the half.

The Aces led for the entire third quarter but the Liberty had cut into the Aces lead. They went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter with the Aces still leading 68-64.

Both teams fought hard throughout the fourth quarter but the Aces had finally broken through for the win.

Chelseas Gray had the franchises first triple double, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. A’Ja Wilson had turned things around finishing with 21 points and four boards and the Aces were back on track now with a 28-3 record. The team had their 21st home win in a row.

Saturday night the Aces will take on the Los Angeles Sparks in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM. This game will be televised on ABC TV.

Oakland A’s preview: A’s open three game series against mighty Orioles at Coliseum Friday

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Oakland Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom (37) is congratulated by teammate Lawrence Butler (22) after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s had an off day on Thursday as they return to the Oakland Coliseum to start a six-game homestand. The A’s did not fare well as they were swept by the Washington Nationals and lost two out of three to the St. Louis Cardinals on the six-game road trip.

The A’s did salvage a win as they played one of their best games of the season. A’s starter Paul Blackburn gave the A’s seven innings of outstanding pitching. Reliever Austin Pruitt held the Cardinal scoreless in the last two innings of the game.

The A’s offense came through with 14 hits. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof had four hits, two of them were doubles, and the A’s defense did not commit an error. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had to be pleased with his team’s performance on Wednesday.

The A’s will be hosting the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. The Orioles are in first place in the tough American League East Division. Their record is 74-47, and they have a two-game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles, managed by Brandon Hyde, were picked by only a few of the pundits to have the best record in the American League. Hyde, who became skipper in 2019, inherited a team managed by Buck Showalter in 2018.

The Orioles record in 2018 was 47-115. A’s manager Mark Kotsay can relate to Hyde’s position as manager in 2019. The A’s are on track to have a similar record in 2023. The Orioles continued their losing ways in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The Orioles were 54-108 in 2019, 2020 was shortened due to Covid, but they still had a losing year; in 2021, Baltimore finished with a record of 52-110. They had over 100 losses in four years, from 2018 to 2021. What changed? In 2022, the Orioles brought up catcher Adley Rutschman from the minor leagues.

Rutschman was the first player picked in the 2019 Major League draft. Rutschman was a star at Oregon State University. He was the Pac-12’s player of the year. The Orioles added other players like Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander, and their fortunes began to change. In 2022, The Orioles finished fourth in the AL East with a record of 83-79.

Rutscman is the engine that drives the Orioles. Last season, Rutschman was named the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Player. This season, Rutschman made the AL All_Star team. He is hitting .267 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs. His OPS is .787.

The Orioles have a lot of other good players. Right fielder Anthony Santander leads the club with 21 homers and 65 RBIs. The Orioles use two players at first base that are also solid. Ryan O’Hearn is hitting. 300 with 10 Homers and 40 RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle is at .271, with 16 homers and 55 RBIs.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson, who s 22 years old, had added to the Orioles offense. Henderson plays shortstop and third base for the team. His numbers are .238, 19 home runs, and 56 runs batted in. Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins also contribute to the O’s offense.

Hays is hitting. 279 with 11 dingers and 46 knocked in. Mullins is at .254 with ten big flies and 50 RBIs. The Orioles will use Mountcastle or Santander as the DH. Just looking at the Oriole lineup shows how the players have contributed to the team’s overall success. There are no easy outs in this lineup.

The Orioles bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Jack Flaherty. Flaherty came to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. The other starters in the rotation include Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Kyle Gibson, and Grayson Rodriguez. Gibson will start against the A’s Friday night. Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Former A’s starter, lefty Cole Irvin, will face his old mates on Saturday. Irvin would love nothing better than sending the A’s down to defeat. The Orioles’ closer is Felix Bautista. Bautista is 7-2 with 32 saves. The setup man is Yennier Cano.

Cano is 1-2 with four saves. The only negative is Cano’s five-blown saves. Other pitchers in the bullpen include former A’s reliever Shintaro Fujinami, Michael Baumann, and Jacob Webb. The lefties in the ‘pen include Nick Vespi and Ciomel Perez.

The A’s are in the same situation as the Orioles were in 2019. 2023 will be the second season the A’s will lose over 100 games. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is trying to rebuild the team. There are bright spots on the A’s roster.

Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof looks like the real deal. Esteury Ruiz, acquired from Milwaukee in the deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, is leading the AL in steals and is second in all of baseball with 48. Ruiz is a clutch hitter, especially with men in scoring positions.

The A’s brought up Lawrence Butler to pay centerfield. Butler hit his first home run against the Cardinals Tuesday night. Let’s hope Butler can emulate Gelof’s performance. Jordan Diaz, 22 years old, found a home at third base. Diaz has played well and has some pop in his bat. Diaz and Gelof should help the A’s rebirth.

The A’s pitching staff, both starters and relievers, must improve. Paul Balckburn is a proven starter. Players like Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P.Sears, and Freddy Tarnok are learning on the job. If these four guys can improve as pitchers, the A’s, like the Orioles, can go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

The weekend series features the best team in the AL going against the worst team. The A’s would love to upset the O’s apple cart this weekend. Is it possible? Perhaps. No one knows what will happen on any given day in baseball.

Giants Face First Place Braves Friday night at Truist Field

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, left, turns a double play next to San Francisco Giants’ Joc Pederson, right, during the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Face First Place Braves Friday night at Truist Field

By Barbara Mason

We got to see history made in Wednesday’s pinch-hit, inside-the -park home run. It was however the Tampa Bay Rays who celebrated that milestone, the first in Rays history as they beat the San Francisco Giants 6-1 winning the three game series.

San Francisco has lost six or their last eight games and have lost quite a bit of ground in the NL West now trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by a full ten games. It was not so long ago that the Giants were a single game out of first place but they have really struggled recently.

San Francisco did shut out the Rays in game two of the series 7-0 but the offense of Tampa Bay in games one and three was spectacular. They had 18 hits to the Giants six in game one and 14 in game three.

The Giants did have the bases loaded in the seventh inning with one out but could only manage the one run. Despite being an exciting addition to the bullpen San Francisco pitcher Ross Stripling had a rough outing giving up 11 hits and five runs in six innings. He relieved Ryan Walker who was relieved in the second inning after giving up one hit and one run.

So now the question remains; what can the Giants (64-57) do to get back those late inning come from behind wins and their dominating offense. Management will be discussing these and more issues currently facing the team on their day off before taking on the mighty Atlanta Braves who right now are sporting a 78-42 record and have a strangle hold on the NL East.

This three game series will begin on Friday night in Atlanta at Truist Park with first pitch schedueld for 4:20 PM. We do have probable starting pitchers for both teams. San Francisco’s Alex Cobb may get the nod with a 6-4 win/loss record and an 3.62 ERA. Spencer Strider is a good bet to start for the Braves with a 13-4 win/loss record and a 3.75 ERA.

The Giants will need some fire power against Atlanta looking to Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis to get this team back on track. They will be facing former A Matt Olson who leads the Braves with the most home runs, an unbelievable 43 scored and 107 RBIs. Another threat from Atlanta will be Ronald Acuna Jr. with a .335 batting average.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Memories of Oakland (No.10 in Series) 1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball’s

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Former Oakland A’s manager Billy Martin and the book Billy Ball (Focus and Getty file photo)

Memories of Oakland (No. 10 in Series)

1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball

By Amaury Pi-González

In 1981 the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) voted unanimously to strike. The issue was free agent compensation, and it marked the first time a work stoppage since 1972 caused regular season games to be canceled. This strike lasted from June 12 to July 31, and some 50 games were missed. The season was split in half, and a considerable controversy when various teams missed out on postseason participation.

In the American League West, the Oakland A’s were the class of that division. The Kansas City Royals were a .500 team in the first half, but they went 30-23 in the second half to better the A’s by one game. This meant there were no playoffs for the Texas Rangers (57-48) or the Chicago White Sox (54-52); in the first round, the A’s swept the Royals.

My broadcast partner Julio González and yours truly indeed called the three-game series as the Athletics won the first two games at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, then two days later as the A’s beat the Royals again for the sweep. I wanted to visit the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, just a few miles from Royal’s Stadium, but I did not have the time.

I would have to put it off for a future visit to the “City of Fountains”. The radio station was KIQI La Grande 1010AM, San Francisco, which was acquired by Cuban-born René De La Rosa from Bay Area media radio and television entrepreneur James Gabbert.

During the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees swept the Oakland A’s in three games. We traveled to New York. At the old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees beat the Athletics in the first two games, then back to Oakland, where the Yankees completed the sweep.

This was also Billy Martin’s return to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the Yankees fired him in 1979. It was sort of a tense environment in New York, as it happens with all the passion for the NY Yankee fans.

I remember as the team bus with A’s media and executives parked in front of Yankee Stadium, some kids were throwing small rocks and pebbles at us as we came out of the bus and headed to the entrance of the famous park, the House that Ruth built. Welcome to New York!

The Oakland A’s outfield was one of the best in baseball, with Rickey Henderson in left, Dwayne Murphy in center, and Tony Armas in right. Rickey in the previous season (1980) stole 100 bases. Rickey was “warming up” and stole 56 during this 1981 abbreviated season in 108 regular season games.

After 25 years in the majors, Rickey played for many teams, including different stints with the A’s, and holds the major league record with 1,406 stolen bags. Dwayne Murphy was an excellent center fielder with great range, a good bat with power, and a great attitude.

When I needed an interview, Tony Armas was always available to speak in Spanish with me, a good guy with a cannon of an arm from the right field. During that shortened season Tony Armas led the league in home runs with 22 and games played with109, and the Sporting News named Armas the American League Player of the Year.

Other well-known Athletics player at the time were Mike Davis, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Wayne Gross, and Matt Keough. But I always got a kick from Rickey, Dwayne, and Tony since they were all hanging together handling the outfield for the team.

I once asked Billy Martin why he sympathized so much with Latino ballplayers, and he told me that they play with a lot of flair and passion, and I share that with these guys. Marketing guru Andy Dolich, an award-winning executive, spearheaded the Billy Ball campaign. It even included a song Billy Ball Baseball, Dolich understood the great asset that Billy Martin was for the team. As temperamental and controversial as Billy Martin was, in my opinion, he was an excellent baseball strategist. Hear the Billy Ball song: https://www.tiktok.com/@battingstanceguy/video/7183214326118108462

At the end of this historic 1981 shortened season, the two teams that played in the World Series were the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the A’s did not make it, I did get to send reports and interviews from Dodger Stadium, and I was lucky that after the Yankees won the first two games, I covered the last four, which took place in Los Angeles as the Dodgers won that World Series in six games.

Some of the interviews were with Dodger manager Tommy LaSorda, Fernando Valenzuela and with the Yankees, Lou Piniella and Aurelio Rodríguez. During the last four games (which they won) the LA Dodgers average over 50,000 in attendance for each game.

Note: Jeff Katz is the Mayor of Cooperstown and a NY author of baseball books, one of his best is “Split Season: 1981: Fernandomania, the Bronx Zoo, and the Strike that Saved Baseball.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Rays defeat Giants as Raley pinch hits into history books; San Francisco opens series in Atlanta

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The Tampa Bay Rays Luke Raley makes for home plate for a inside the park home run in the top of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco against the San Francisco Giants on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The Tampa Bay Rays Luke Raley pinched hit into Rays history with a top of the sixth inning inside the park home run. It was the first Rays pinch hit inside the park home run in franchise history.

#2 Rays pitcher Aaron Civale pitch six strong innings as a starter with five hits and five strikeouts it was a strong outing for Civale.

#3 After getting clobbered by the Giants on Tuesday night 7-0 the Rays turned things around in Wednesday’s matinee with a comeback win 6-1. Raley said of his contribution that the inside the park homer wasn’t designed that way and that he would have rather hit it over the wall and take a nice jog.

#4 Relief pitcher Ryan Walker who came in for starter and opener Ross Stripling in the second inning. The Rays tagged Stripling pretty good in six innings of work, giving up 11 hits, five runs and three strike outs.

#5 The Giants give it another go they open up a three game series with the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Cobb County for a 4:20pm PT first pitch. The Giants have not announced a starter for the Braves Spencer Strider (13-4 ERA 3.75).

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s take on one of baseball’s best as Orioles come calling Friday night

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The Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz dives in to score past St Louis Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner to score a top of the fourth inning run at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The A’s beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The A’s snapped a five-game losing streak and a nine-game road losing streak.

#2 A’s starter Paul Blackburn had a great outing going seven innings giving up six hits striking out eight batters.

#3 Jerry talk about Zack Gelof’s game four hits, a run scored, and two RBIs and great outing. Gelof has eight home runs and is seeing the ball well having a great series against the St Louis Cardinals.

#4 There’s no stopping Esteury Ruiz who has a Major League leading 48 stolen bases got another one last night in St Louis. With the young talent the A’s have they could see a huge improvement in the win column in their future.

#5 The Baltimore Orioles who are having a great season first place in AL East will come calling on Friday night. The Orioles will start Kyle Gibson (11-7 ERA 4.89) the A’s have not determined a starter as of yet. First pitch 6:40pm PT.

#6 Nevada teachers to push Schools over Stadiums measure in supporting A’s fans in reverse boycott this Sat Aug 19th at Oakland Coliseum.

Catch Jerry for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s beat Cardinals 8-0 to snap five game losing streak; Oakland avoids getting swept on road trip

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Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn pitching in the bottom of the seventh inning kept the St Louis Cardinals off balance at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a difference a day makes. The A’s beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The A’s snapped a five-game losing streak and a nine-game road losing streak. The A’s offense came alive, and Oakland’s starter Paul Blackburn pitched extremely well.

Blackburn, one of the few A’s starters to go seven innings, allowed six hits in no runs, winning his third game of the year. Blackburn, an All-Star pitcher in 2022, showed the form that got him that honor.

A’s rookie shortstop, Zack Gelof, paced the offense with four hits, including two doubles. The young man from Delaware continues to impress. A’s fans can only imagine an infield consisting of Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Zack Gelof, and Matt Olson. The fans would be filling the Coliseum to see these guys play. 

The A’s pounced on the Cardinals’ starter Matthew Liberatore in the first inning. In Tuesday’s game, the Cardinals scored four runs in the first. The A’s turned the tables on St. Louis on Wednesday. With one out, Gelof doubled. Zack then stole third.

In his second game since coming off the IL, A’s DH Carlos Perez singled to give the A’s an earl 1-0 lead. Aledmys Diaz singled, sending Perez to third. Third baseman Jordan Diaz doubled to deep right-centerfield to drive in Perez and Aledmys Diaz. Jonah Bride walked, and Shea Langeliers followed with a single to drive in Jordan Diaz with the A’s fourth run.

The A’s added a run in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and a run in the sixth to go ahead 7-0. In the fourth, Nick Allen singled. Esteury Ruiz doubled, but Allen was thrown out at the plate trying to score. Not to worry, Zack Gelof singled to drive in Ruiz with the A’s fifth run.

Cardinal’s right fielder Jordan Walker misplayed Brent Rooker’s fly ball in the fifth. The ball bounced off Walker’s glove. Walker was charged with a three-base error. With one out, Seth Brown’s sacrifice fly brought in Rooker with Oakland’s sixth run of the night.

The A’s added another run in the sixth. Esteury Ruiz helped manufacture a run. Cardinals’ Casey Lawrence walked Ruiz. Ruiz, second in baseball in steals, did not wait long to steal the base. Gelof followed with his second double of the night to make it 7-0 A’s

Oakland added one more run in the ninth. Tyler Soderstrom entered the game as the DH, replacing Carlos Perez. Soderstrom thanked A’s manager Mark Ktsay for the honor. Soderstrom hit a monster shot that traveled 454 feet. For Soderstrom, it was his second big-league dinger. The A’s won the game 8-0.

 Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 34-87. The Cardinals are 54-67. 

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, 14 hits, and no errors. Paul Blackburn was the winning pitcher. Blackburn went seven innings allowing six hits and no runs. He struck out eight and walked one.

The line for St. Louis was no runs, nine hits, and one error. Matthew Liberatore was the losing pitcher. Liberatore’s line was four and 1/3rd innings, ten hits, and six runs, five of which were earned. 

The hitting star for Oakland was Zack Gelof. Gelof had two doubles, two singles, and two runs batted in. 

The A’s are off on Thursday. The A’s will play three games against the Baltimore Orioles starting Friday night. The O’s are first in the very powerful American League East Division. The A’s have yet to announce their starters for the Series. Kyle Gibson (11-7 ERA 4.89) will pitch on Friday for Baltimore, former A’s starter Cole Irvin will go on Saturday, and Kyle Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Oher’s conservation family is suing over blockbuster film; Rookie quarterback Richardson gets starting job with Colts; plus more

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Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy stand on a street in New Orleans, Feb. 1, 2013. Oher, the former NFL tackle known for the movie “The Blind Side,” filed a petition Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in a Tennessee probate court accusing Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of lying to him by having him sign papers making them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents nearly two decades ago. (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 Attorney Martin Singer said in statement that the Tuohy family did not trick NFL star Michael Oher into conservatorship and made claims to all the proceeds from his blockbuster film “The Blind Side.” The Tuohy family said they opened their doors to Oher and treated him like a son. A petition says that the Tuohy’s and their two birth children get paid $225,000 each plus 2.5% of the movie’s defined proceeds.

#2 It took only one pre season game for the Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to convince Colts head coach Shane Steichen that Richardson would be the Colts starter,  “The growth he’s shown, then, obviously, going into Buffalo, playing against a lot of their starters, he showed great signs of improvement. I like the things he did.” said Steichen. Richardson threw for 7-12 for 67 yards on Sat Aug 12th.

#3 Despite the Tampa Bay Rays big scoring extravaganza on Monday night in San Francisco the Rays are down three key players starting with Franco Wander who is on the restriction list for the rest of the Rays road trip for having a social media relationship with a 14 year old girl, then the Rays have seen injuries to Shane McClanahan who will have Tommy John surgery and outfielder Manuel Margot who will have surgery to remove bone chips in his right elbow. Margot is expected to miss up to a month and could be back during the last two weeks of the regular season.

#4 Mookiemania took a whole new twist when fan Giuseppe Mancuso said to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Wilson that he was going to give his daughter the name Mookie as her middle name. Mookie tried to tell Mancuso several times not to name his daughter Mookie and that his wife wouldn’t like that. Two weeks later Wilson saw that Mancuso in fact named his daughter Mookie as a middle name saying someday he would have to meet Francesca Mookie Mancuso saying “that’s my girl.”

#5 In last Sunday’s first pre season game in Las Vegas there were more red shirted fans for the San Francisco 49ers than there were Las Vegas Raiders fans. This was something that Raiders owner Mark Davis remarked about last season saying where were his Las Vegas fan base. Seems like the Raiders have been drawing more visiting team fans than the home town fans.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Lose Rubber Match Against Rays 6-1 at Oracle

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Tampa Bay Rays Christian Bethancourt (left) congratulates Luke Raley (right) at home plate after scoring the first pinch hit inside the park home run in Rays history in the top of the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Wednesday, August 16 2023

By Troy Ewers

San Francisco, Ca – In Oracle Park, the San Francisco Giants play the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of this 3 game series. The Giants are 5-8 in rubber games this season and hope to make it six wins at the end of this game.

On the hill for the Giants was Ryan Walker for his 10th start of the game against Aaron Civale for the Rays and they got on the board in the first inning when a single hit by Isaac Paredes scored Brandon Lowe, 1-0 Tampa Bay.

The Giants replaced Walker in the second inning and called in Ross Stripling. The Rays didn’t stop the pressure in the fourth inning when Josh Lowe hit a lead off home run to right center field, giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.

The next inning the Rays weren’t done getting on Stripling. Brandon Lowe hit a 2 run home run to center field and it scored Yandy Diaz, making it a 4-0 lead, but the Rays weren’t done. Randy Arozarena hit a double and then scored off a Paredes single to extend it to 5-0 for Tampa Bay.

After five innings, the Giants only had four hits and no runs and the air deflated out of the park. The scoring avalanche kept rolling in the sixth inning when Luke Raley came in to pinch hit and hit the ball off the triples alley wall and it bounced off the top of the wall in right center, Meckler slipped trying to get the ball, and Raley goes all the way around for an inside the park home run, 6-0 Rays.

As the Giants entered the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rays made a pitching change and called Hector Perez to the hill. Civale put together a scoreless six innings with five hits and five strikeouts.

The Giants take advantage of the pitching change and finally get on the board when Sabol, who got on from a fielder’s choice and Estrada & Camargo hit back to back singles to load the bases. With the bases loaded, Lamonte Wade Jr. pinch hit for Heliot Ramos and got walked, giving San Francisco their first run of the game. 6-1 going into the eighth inning.

The Rays took out Perez after 17 pitches and put in Colin Poche who escaped the inning when Meckler grounded into a double play. The Giants replaced Stripling after six innings and allowed five runs with Scott Alexander and he got the first three up, three down inning since the third for SF.

The eighth inning for the Giants was where fans decided enough was enough, where the Giants grounded into their fourth double play of the game and struck out for the sixth time.

Alex Wood was the pitcher for the Giants in the ninth, but the damage was done, San Francisco had to comeback from five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Pete Fairbanks, the closer for the Rays, retired the side on 12 pitches and the game ended 6-1 Rays and they also took the series.

The winning pitcher for today was Aaron Civale (6-3) and the losing pitcher was Ryan Walker (4-2). The Giants have a needed off day before their next series on Friday, August 18th as they shake off this high scoring series.

The Giants open a three game series Friday night at Truist Park in Cobb County against the Atlanta Braves for a 4:20pm PT first pitch. Starter for San Francisco has not been announced and going for Atlanta Spencer Strider (13-4 ERA 3.75).

Troy Ewers is a beat writer and podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com