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Giants avoid shutout with ninth-inning double in 6-1 loss to Padres

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Photo credit: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, right, waits to face the next batter as San Diego Padres’ Xander Bogaerts, left, rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants continued their series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. The Giants lost to the Padres 6-1 at Petco Park. San Francisco fell to 70-66, while San Diego improved to 64-73.

The Giants’ starting lineup featured Austin Slater, Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores, Mitch Haniger, Patrick Bailey, J.D. Davis, Paul DeJong, Casey Schmitt, Wade Meckler, and Kyle Harrison. Harrison (1-1, 4.70 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up six hits, six earned runs, two walks, five strikeouts, and four home runs.

The Padres got on the board first. Juan Soto homered on a fly ball to center field for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Padres tripled their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Xander Bogaerts homered on a fly ball to center field for a 2-0 lead. Gary Sanchez homered on a fly ball to center field for a 3-0 lead.

The Padres doubled their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Garrett Cooper homered on a fly ball to left center field. Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts scored for a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Giants wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth inning. Austin Slater doubled on a sharp line drive to Fernando Tatis Jr. Casey Schmitt scored to cut the Padres’ lead to 6-1. Wade Meckler went to third base.

Notes
Wilmer Flores achieved a career-high 20 home runs in the Giants-Padres game Friday.

Up Next
The Giants and Padres will finish their series on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Pacific. Alex Cobb (7-5, 3.57 ERA) will start for the Giants, while Seth Lugo (5-6, 3.67 ERA) will start for the Padres.

Cal takes down North Texas 58-21 in Denton, TX

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Photo credit: @CalFootball

By: Mary Anne

The California Golden Bears started the 2023 NCAA football season against the North Texas Mean Green. Cal defeated North Texas 58-21 at DATCU Stadium and did the Texas two-step. Cal improved to 1-0, while North Texas fell to 0-1.

The Golden Bears were ready to roll in their week one uniforms and got on the board first. Jeremiah Hunter caught a 23-yard pass from Sam Jackson V for the game’s first touchdown. Michael Luckhurtst kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 12:53.

The Mean Green tied the game a little under two minutes later. Ja’Mori Maclin caught a 3-yard pass from Stone Earle for the game-tying touchdown. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point for a 7-7 tie at 11:04.

The Golden Bears responded late in the first quarter. Jaydn Ott rushed for a 4-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 14-7 lead with 1:04 left in the first.

The Golden Bears led 14-7 after the first quarter.

The Mean Green opened the second quarter with a scoring play. Ja’Mori Maclin caught a 59-yard pass from Stone Earle for the game-tying touchdown. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point for a 14-14 tie at 14:33.

The Golden Bears regained the lead with back-to-back touchdowns. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for a 26-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point to make it 21-14 with 7:30 left in the second quarter. Jaydn Ott rushed for a 66-yard touchdown. Luckhurst’s extra point kick failed, so the Golden Bears settled for a 27-14 lead with 5:42 left in the second.

The Mean Green made it a six-point game with under two minutes left in the second quarter. Xzavior Kautai caught a 12-yard pass from Stone Earle. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point and cut the Golden Bears’ lead to 27-21 with 1:47 left in the second.

The Golden Bears had the last word of the second quarter. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for an 8-yard touchdown. Jaydn Ott tried the 2-point conversion, but it was no good, and Cal settled for a 33-21 lead with seven seconds left in the second.

The Golden Bears brought a 33-21 lead to the locker room at the half.

The Golden Bears continued to dominate offensively in the third quarter. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. Jack Endries tried the 2-point conversion, which was good, and Cal took a 41-21 lead at 11:24. Taj Davis caught a 4-yard pass from Ben Finley for the touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 48-21 lead with 8:02 left in the third.

The Golden Bears had a commanding 48-21 lead after three quarters.

The Golden Bears continued their offensive dominance in the fourth quarter. Ashton Stredick rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 55-21 lead at 11:42. Luckhurst kicked a 52-yard field goal to make it 58-21 with 6:27 left in the fourth.

Notes
Cal will join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in August 2024.

Cal had a good visit with Dallas Cowboys punter Bryan Anger on Friday. Anger will start his 12 NFL season next week. He played college football for Cal and was drafted 70th overall in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Up Next
Cal will return home to Memorial Stadium to host the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.

Stanford defeats Hawaii 37-24 in Honolulu

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Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images. Stanford running back E.J. Smith.

By: Mary Anne

The Stanford Cardinal said “Aloha” to the 2023 NCAA season with a game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors under a new head coach, Troy Taylor, also known as Stanford’s 35th head coach in program history. Stanford defeated Hawaii 37-24 at the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex on Friday night and said “Mahalo” for their first win of the season. Stanford’s now 1-0, while Hawaii’s now 0-2.

In the wake of the deadly Maui wildfires, Stanford wore Maui decals on their helmets for Friday’s game, and Hawaii initiated a Maui relief drive and collected non-perishable goods as part of a previously scheduled fan fest just days ago. A moment of silence was held to remember the Maui wildfire victims before kickoff.

After the opening kickoff, the Troy Taylor era was officially underway, and the Cardinal scored first. E.J. Smith rushed up the middle for a 1-yard gain for the rushing touchdown. Joshua Karty kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 7:25 left in the first quarter.

Just 49 seconds into the second quarter, Hawaii tied the game 7-7. Pofele Ashlock caught a 7-yard reception thrown by Brayden Schager for the passing touchdown. Matthew Shipley kicked the extra point for a 7-7 tie at 14:11.

The Cardinal responded a little over two minutes later. Benjamin Yurosek caught a 32-yard reception thrown by Ashton Daniels for the passing touchdown. Joshua Karty kicked the extra point for a 14-7 lead at 12:24.

The Cardinal extended their lead late in the second quarter. Bryce Farrell rushed for a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Joshua Karty kicked the extra point for a 21-7 lead with 4:25 left in the second.

Brayden Schager threw a 33-yard pass deep to the right to Karsyn Pupunu. The play was under review, and after further review, the ruling of a completed pass stood, and Hawaii’s 1st and 10 remained. Michael Shipley kicked a 32-yard field goal to cut the Cardinal’s lead to 21-10 at 0:00.

The Cardinal brought a 21-7 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

The Cardinal scored first to open the second half. Joshua Karty kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 24-10 lead at 11:07.

The Rainbow Warriors scored late in the third quarter. Steven McBride caught a 24-yard reception thrown by Brayden Schager for the passing touchdown. Rainbow Warriors head coach Timmy Chang attempted a two-point conversion, but it was no good. Hawaii cut Stanford’s lead to 27-16 at 14:52.

The Cardinal extended their lead midway through the fourth quarter. Joshua Karty kicked a 46-yard field goal for a 30-16 lead with 9:15 left in the fourth.

The Cardinal expanded their lead late in the fourth quarter. John Humphreys caught a 13-yard reception thrown by Ashton Daniels for the passing touchdown. Joshua Karty kicked the extra point for a 37-16 lead with 5:30 left in the fourth.

The Rainbow Warriors scored with a little over a minute left in the fourth quarter. Pofele Ashlock caught a 16-yard reception thrown by Brayden Schager for the passing touchdown. Dalen Morris rushed the football for a successful 2-point conversion and cut the Cardinal’s lead 37-24 with 1:08 left in the fourth, but it was too little, too late.

Notes
Stanford accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in August 2024.

Up Next
Stanford will take on the No. 6 USC Trojans on Saturday, September 9, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.

San Francisco Giants Lose 4-1 To Cincinnati Reds Wrap Up Six Game Homestand At Oracle

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Cincinnati Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand, right, hits a two-run home run in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In a day game coming off of Alex Cobb’s almost no-hitter, the San Francisco Giants faced the Cincinnati Reds to complete their series and the Giants are wrapping up their six game homestand. Logan Webb takes the mound for San Francisco and Hunter Greene for the Reds. This game for the Giants was to hold a spot for the NL wild card, especially after the D-Backs loss the night before. 

 A pitcher’s duel between Webb and Greene for five innings as we saw a scoreless game with seven hits total, but in the top of the sixth, the drought ended as Spencer Steer and Eddy De La Cruz got on base from singles.

Smart baserunning play got the first run as De La Cruz attempted to steal second and Patrick Bailey tried to throw him out, but was unsuccessful and as the ball left Bailey’s hand, Steer was successfully home, 1-0 Reds.

The very next run came from an RBI single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand which scored De La Cruz, 2-0 Reds with one out. Webb escaped the inning with a beautiful double play where he stopped the ball on a dime, threw to second, and then a play at first, but the damage was done and in the bottom of the sixth for the first time in this game, the Giants played from behind.

They started this at bat with Casey Schmitt hitting a lead-off double and carried on with a Thairo Estrada single. This rally caused Cincinnati to make a pitching change and bring in Ian Gibaut, but the rally continued as a wild pitch, moved the lead-off Schmitt who was on third score at home and Estrada to second, 2-1 Reds. Gibaut was able to get out the inning, but the energy in the park was still high as we entered the seventh. 

The Giants decided to sit Webb down after six innings, seven hits, six strikeouts, and two runs, so they brought Ryan Walker in the seventh and he got back to back strikeouts, but after a single they switched him with Taylor Rogers to provide relief.

After the seventh inning stretch, the Reds brought in Fernando Cruz and he didn’t crack under the pressure, upholding that lead for Cincinnati. The eighth came and the Giants swapped one Rogers brother in for another as Tyler Rogers took the hill.

It looked Tyler Rogers was holding his own, but Encarnacion-Strand got his second RBI of the game with a two run shot to center field that scored De La Cruz making this game 4-1 Reds. 

The ninth inning started off with Luke Jackson shutting down the Reds to hopefully spark some type of comeback for San Francisco. Patrick Bailey was the leadoff guy and was walked, so the hopes for a comeback rally began to fill Oracle Park.

Yastrzemski popped out for the first out, but the energy was still hovering around the park. J.D. Davis grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out and that’s when fans began to try to beat the traffic. Wade Meckler being the last hope to keep this comeback alive and on a full count he was struck out and that’s the ball game, 4-1 Cincinnati. 

Even though the Giants didn’t sweep the series, they walked away with a series win and their homestand ended here. San Francisco has no time to think about this loss, because they find themselves headed to San Diego the very next day to face the Padres.

The Giants haven’t announced who will start in this four game series at Petco Park in San Diego, but they know they will face Pedro Avila (0-1, 2.63) of the San Diego Padres and hopefully the Giants can go in to the month of September with momentum to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Troy Ewers is a beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Heartbreaking Loss In Louisville; Louisville City FC Defeats Oakland Roots 2-1

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Practice makes perfect as the Oakland Roots go through some pre game drills before they battled Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville on Sat Aug 26, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, August 26th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

In the Lynn Family Stadium, the Oakland Roots faced Louisville City FC for the first time in club history and Oakland didn’t get their their third win out of the four they played this month losing in Louisville 2-1. The game started with a stalemate between both teams going back and forth with shots and saves.

We thought the stalemate was over when Louisville hits a cross to set up a header that goalie Paul Blanchette went to stop the pass and bobbled the ball into the net, but after the refs reviewed the play, no goal due to a interference that went unseen at first, because of all the fray in front of the net.

The score remained blank and the Louisville fans made their displeasure heard. That displeasure would grow louder as a minute after the goal that ended up being a no goal was called, Roots lead scorer Johnny Rodriguez grabbed his tenth league goal (11th overall) of the season when he capitalized on the lackadaisical defense of Louisville City, who were still voicing their grievances about the no goal that just happened.

1-0 Roots and Rodriguez even taunted the upset Louisville crowd as the seconds kept ticking and the whistle that signals halftime blew. The two teams went back to the locker room with two separate feelings. The Roots headed in their locker room high energy and motivated to deliver a clean sheet. Louisville City headed in their locker room deflated and on the bad side of the coin.

The second half started and wasn’t necessarily slow, but it was paced out to avoid mistakes and that was from both teams. Louisville finally got on the board in the 71st minute when Brian Ownby hit a header to the bottom left corner of the goal from an assist by Wilson Harris, 1-1.

The Roots had a major chance in stoppage time when Anuar Palaez took a confident shot, but the ball was tipped away with a beautiful save by Oliver Semmie. In the last seconds of stoppage time, Oakland stops a free kick by Louisville, but unable to clear the ball so the final whistle can sound and Louisville capitalized on this mistake.

Following a corner, Tyler Gibson got the assist with a pass to Oscar Jimenez who scored off a left footed shot for a heartbreaking end to a wild game.

Louisville wins 2-1. Louisville City had control the majority of the game and the final score reflected it. As for Oakland, they now have their sights set on Sacramento Republic FC as the Roots go back home to the east bay September 2nd.

Oakland Roots Score A Brace Against New Mexico United 2-1 To Regain The Third Place Spot

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Lots of congratulations to go around as the Oakland Roots defeated the New Mexico United at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque NM on Wed Aug 23, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Wednesday. August 23rd, 2023

By Troy Ewers

In Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, NM, it’s a weekday edition of the USL Championship and the Oakland Roots faced New Mexico United. Oakland entered this game fourth place in the West and hoped to control their destiny to make a run in the playoffs. Last time these two battled it out was April 1st and Roots leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez won Oakland the game, 1-0.

Defense was the name of the game in the first half and Oakland fought even a sliver of a chance during the half. One of Oakland’s biggest chances came from Neveal Hackshaw with a header that almost passed the New Mexico goalkeeper who was on the ground, but still gotta hand on the ball for the save.

The Oakland Roots silenced the crowd with their pacing throughout the first half, only time they made any noise was when they booed the ref for awarding a yellow card New Mexico which set up an Oakland set piece that Oakalnd couldn’t capitalize on.

The Roots would finally take advantage of the momentum they had built up all half as Anuar Palaez would score in the 42nd minute, after receiving a pass from Daniel Barbir and hitting a roller shot past the goalkeeper to take the lead, 1-0 Roots.

Before the halftime whistle blew, New Mexico witnessed why Paul Blanchette was the League leader in saves as Moreno attempted to even up the score with what looked like a clear goal, but Blanchette made the save and Oakland was able to clear it to end the half and the Roots maintained their goal lead.

The second half, Oakland had one goal, hold the lead, so they can take back third place in the West and in the beginning of the half the Roots used their slow pace strategy to generate offense and in the 51st minute, Trayvon Reid scored a goal from that style of offense and even though there was an appeal from New Mexico over a hand ball, but there was a no call from the ref and the score was upheld, 2-0 Oakland. This was the second assist from Barbir as he is used as the conductor of this offense this game.

The rest of the second half was Oakland keeping New Mexico at arm’s reach and not with many real scoring chances. With five minutes of stoppage time, New Mexico showed that they weren’t giving up even with the rain starting to pour.

A corner set piece for New Mexico was scored on when Sergio Rivas found the ball amongst the madness and shot it past Blanchette to make the score 2-1. New Mexico was quick to try to get the equalizer, but when Hackshaw was fouled the time was ticking down as he stayed on the ground with an injury, which led to the final whistle to blow and the game ended with Noah Delgado’s Oakland Roots securing the three points with a victory against New Mexico United and momentum towards this last stretch of the season.

Oakland’s next game will be in three days on Saturday, August 26th in Louisville, Kentucky against Louisville City FC.

A Look inside the Baltimore Orioles: O’s Sweep A’s With Dominating 12-1 Victory

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg, left, throws to first base after forcing out Oakland Athletics’ Zack Gelof (20) at second on a double play hit into by Athletics’ Jonah Bride during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sunday, August 20th 2023

By Troy Ewers

Oakland, CA – At Rickey Henderson Field, it’s the final game of the series between the Oakland A’s and the Baltimore Orioles. If the A’s lose, they will officially be out of playoff contention. The Orioles on the other have the second best record in the MLB behind Atlanta.

On the hill for Oakland is JP Sears and for Baltimore is Kyle Brandish and this game started off with a bang for Baltimore. Ramon Urias grounded into a fielder’s choice which scored the leadoff man Adley Rutschman who got on base with a single. 1-0 Orioles.

When Brandish got on the mound against the A’s, he had one goal, sit them down, and sit them down fast. Brandish struck out the side in the first inning and then in the second and third inning he retired the side with ease, 1-2-3. On the other side of the coin, Baltimore’s bats were  in go mode.

Jorge Mateo hit an inside the park home run, making it 2-0 in the second inning. In the third inning the momentum didn’t end when Ryan Mountcastle and Gunnar Henderson got back to back hits to start the rally and then they scored when Austin Hays hit a single, but he was thrown out trying to take second, but the damage was done, 4-0 Baltimore.

The fourth inning was no different for the O’s where a leadoff double by Jordan Westburg got the spark going, then after two ground outs and a Rutschman walk, Mountcastle hit a two out, three run home run and the game was blown wide open 7-0 Baltimore.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson hit a triple to follow up the homer, but it looked like a home run that would’ve been his 21st of the season, but after umpire review the ball hit the fence and resulted in a triple. Bradish finally got a hit knocked off of him when Zack Gelof got a one out single, but Seth Brown struck out and Brent Rooker grounded out, so Gelof’s hit didn’t turn into anything.

The A’s took Sears out and put Zach Neal on the mound in the fifth inning and he was able to retire the Orioles side for the first time all game.

The Orioles offense slowed down once Neal got in the game and in the sixth inning A’s first baseman Seth Brown got all three outs. Brown caught a line drive and tagged Ryan McKenna out at first for the double play, then grabbed a grounder from Rutschman to end the inning.

Henderson broke the two inning run drought with a loud dinger of a home run and there was no review with this one, it went 396 feet to deep right field, 8-0 Orioles. The insurance runs didn’t stop for Baltimore after Westburg singled to right and scored Ramon Urias, 9-0 Orioles.

In the seventh inning the O’s changed pitchers from Bradish to Nick Vespi and it didn’t start out well for him after Brent Rooker hit his 20th homer of the season to lead off the inning for Oakland and give the A’s their first run of the game. 9-1.

Jorge Mateo led off the eighth inning with a double and then was brought home by a Rutschman double, 10-1 Baltimore. Gunnar Henderson hit his second double and third hit of the game, but this one counted for an RBI as he scored Rutschman making the game a runaway 11-1 and then Henderson got across home plate when Urias hit a two out single. 12-1.

To close out the game Baltimore brings in former Oakland A’s pitcher Shintaro Fujinami. Even though Fujinami let a leadoff single get past him, a double play followed, and then struck Brent Rooker out looking.

The game ends with Baltimore winning decisively 12-1 with 17 hits and they recorded their eighth sweep of the season and they continue their streak of not being swept. Kyle Bradish walks away with the win (8-6) and JP Sears walks away with the loss (2-10).

The O’s go home with a day off then the following day it’s a series against Toronto. The current record for the Orioles is 77-47 and they maintain their position as the second best record in baseball.

The A’s host the Kansas City Royals at the Oakland Coliseum. The Royals have not decided on a starter yet and the A’s will be going with Paul Blackburn (3-3 ERA 4.09) for a 6:40pm PT first pitch.

Oakland Roots Lose 3-2 To Colorado Springs Switchbacks After Two Weeks Off

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Saturday, August 19th 2023

By Troy Ewers 

Hayward, Ca – After a two week break the Oakland Roots face the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in a league match up. The Roots came into this game in third place and wanted to keep their spot in the table with only 56 days left in the regular season.

In the last six games the Roots are unbeaten after a stretch of wins and losses and coach Noah Delgado gave the team five straight days off, because the team was banged up after the consecutive games they played before the two week break.

Colorado came into the game with a lot of energy hoping to stop Oakland’s hot streak and that energy translated to a fifth minute goal by Maalique Foster with an assist from Devon Williams. 1-0 Colorado and this woke up the Roots, but when you’re facing the Roots you need insurance goals and you need them fast to really keep them out of the mix.

In the 25th minute, Memo Diaz hit a big time goal past the goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky and celebrated with an even more beautiful backflip to even up the score at 1-1. In the 30th minute, Roots player Joseph Nane signaled for a sub, but before getting a dead ball to sub off he made two stops that denied the Switchbacks attack that possibly could have given them the lead and seconds after his valiant effort, Nane was subbed out.

The Roots continued their press style defense that gave them the win against Vegas and this rattled the Switchbacks in the first half, but they weren’t rattled enough to stop their attack and get a goal past Roots goalie Paul Blanchette.

The goal came in the 40th minute when Tyreek Magee hit a shot that Blanchette didn’t even dive for, because he knew it was too late and Colorado took the lead 2-1. For the first half of the game Colorado had three shots and they were all on goal with two that found the back of the net.

The Roots had a big chance to take the lead that missed the post by Jeciel Cedeno before stoppage time, but kept the pressure on Colorado. Two minutes into stoppage time that pressure Cedeno kept on Colorado drew a penalty and resulted in a penalty shot that was taken by Anuar Palaez and capitalized on to even the score. 2-2.

The whistle blew signaling halftime and Oakland was pleased with an even score going into the next half, but with plenty of soccer to be played they knew if they didn’t keep up the pace and pressure they had in the first, they would be lucky to walk away with a draw.

The second half started at a slower pace and that was initiated by Colorado as a way to counter the press that Oakland started with and this strategy worked for Colorado in the 58th minute when Magee went past the Oakland back line and shot a bullet past Blanchette to take the lead, 3-2 Colorado Springs.

This game went similar to the way these two had two months ago, only difference is more goals actually scored unlike the last game where Oakland won 1-0.

No major scoring chances came for the majority of the second half,but in stoppage time Oakland had various chances at an equalizer, but Kuzminksky and the Switchbacks held off the Roots all the way to the final whistle and secured the three points.

Not the outcome Oakland was looking for, but there’s no two week break to get some rest as their next game four days later August 23rd in New Mexico against New Mexico United.

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

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Oakland A’s Secure Back To Back Wins Against Their Bay Area Rivals With A 8-6 Victory

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San Francisco Giants’ Thairo Estrada hits an RBI single on a bunt during the fifth inning against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sunday, August 6th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Oakland, California – On a beautiful Sunday in Oakland Coliseum in front of 27,381 people, the battle of the Bay part 2 took place as the San Francisco Giants faced the Oakland A’s. The final game of this series for the two teams and it’s coming off the heels of an Athletics win 8-6. Alex Cobb took the mound for San Francisco and Luis Medina on the mound for Oakland, this ball game was all about the bats.

From the opening inning, the offense was on display. Giants struck first, after a J.D. Davis single scores Lamonte Wade Jr. 1-0 Giants. The A’s put up one on the board when it was their turn in the 1st as Seth Brown tripled to center and scored Zack Gelof to tie everything up.

Second inning saw more back and forth, this time Wade Jr. singled and Brandon Crawford scored, but in the bottom of the second ‘s took the lead when Nick Allen hit a two run bomb. This home run scored Tyler Soderstrom and the score became 3-2 Oakland.

The third inning was where San Francisco took momentum back in their hands. Patrick Bailey hit a single and Joc Pederson scored the tying run. 3-3. The Giants took the lead in the same inning when Crawford hit into a fielder’s choice which allowed Davis to score, 4-3 Giants.

The Giants kept their foot on the pedal in the fifth inning when Wade Jr. got his second RBI by hitting a single and Michael Conforto scored, 5-3 Giants, but they weren’t done. Estrada dropped a bunt for a single and Patrick Bailey crossed the plate, 6-3 Giants.

The A’s fought back in the fifth and sixth innings to take a one run lead. In the fifth Nick Allen hit his second home run of the day and that got the place riled up. In the sixth inning with bases loaded, Soderstrom was walked and Brown scored, but right after that Shea Langeliers hit a deep double and scored both Diaz and Rooker to take the lead, 7-6 Oakland.

This onslaught of offense didn’t stop for Oakland after the seventh inning stretch when Gelof, who got on base from a single, scored off a Tony Kemp sacrifice fly. 8-6 A’s. The Giants would get out this inning after Ryan Walker would pick off Diaz and this seemed like the sigh of relief San Francisco needed to generate a comeback.

In the eighth the Giants couldn’t get a rally started, because Angel Felipe struck out the side and the A’s had the momentum in their hands. Jakob Junis retired the side when he checked in the eighth inning, but now it was up to the Giants offense to make things pop one last time before they lose the Oakland leg of the battle of the Bay.

A’s closer Trevor May came in and delivered three straight outs to secure the victory for Oakland with the final score being 8-6 Oakland and a series sweep.

The winning pitcher is Kirby Snead, losing pitcher is Luke Jackson, and Trevor May locks in the save. Alex Cobb clocked in 5.1 innings and record seven hits, four runs, and three strikeouts, with two home runs.

The Giants have to flush this series out of their system, because the next day Monday, August 6th, they will be in Anaheim to face the Angels with Patrick Sandoval (6-8, 4.11) on the mound for the halos and Logan Webb (9-9, 3.45) taking the hill for the Giants.