Tag: Sports radio

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Will A’s be one and done again? Can they advance this time after wild card losses last two times?

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Photo credit: theathletic.com

On Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Will it be a one and done performance or an advance to the ALDS second round for the Oakland A’s? You’ve seen it before when you went to New York last season the A’s were one and done.

#2 A’s pitcher Sean Manaea he’s 4-0, 1.21 ERA. He was out for most of the season and came back and pitched some shutout ball and was impressive. How does he match up against the Rays?

#3 What kind of sendoff was it last Sunday for the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy, Pablo Sandoval and Madison Bumgarner. People we won’t see in a Giants uniform again. Maybe Bum.

#4 The Oakland Raiders just got by the Indianapolis Colts, but the win was crucial. The Raiders already have had a couple of tough games, one at home against the Kansas City Chiefs and another on the road to start this six-game out of town schedule with a loss to Minnesota, but they got a big win against the Colts Sunday.

#5 The San Jose Sharks open up their regular season against the Vegas Golden Knights Wednesday night. The Sharks will have their top featured player Erik Karlsson, who signed on for over $90 million for eight years.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Why Omar Vizquel would be a great pick for Giants managerial job

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By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO — Omar Vizquel was one of the best ever defensive shortstops in major league baseball history,winning 11 Gold Gloves(second most in history to Ozzie Smith’s 13) during a 24-year career with Seattle, Cleveland, San Francisco 2005-2008,Texas, Chicago White Sox and Toronto.

Vizquel ended with a solid .272 batting average in 2,968 games with 2,877 hits. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Detroit Tigers first-base infield and base-running coach. Vizquel was the Captain of the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic Team in 2016 and a member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame. He is 52 years old and bilingual in English and Spanish. He is a very smart baseball man who told me in the past his post-retirement goal was to manage in the major leagues.

The Giants will pick somebody to succeed Bruce Bochy, a future Hall of Fame manager that brought three World Series to San Francisco, a franchise that won their first World Series in 2010, the first for the club in 52 years since moving from New York. One of only 10 managers that have won three World Series, a sure thing for Cooperstown.

Vizquel received 182 votes in the 2019 ballot for the Hall of Fame, falling short of the 75% required for election, as he got 42.8 percent. His chances are good for membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in the next few years.

Vizquel is a good teacher and excellent communicator in two languages (Spanish, the second language in baseball), and there is little doubt in my mind that he will get a chance to manager in the major leagues. Maybe the Giants would give him the opportunity, among the many candidates that they will interview, if not, he will manage someplace, sooner than later. He was at the Bruce Bochy reunion this Sunday at Oracle Park. He loves the Bay Area and would be thrilled to be back here. He could be competing with another ex-player and also bilingual baseball man in Raúl Ibañez.

Amaury Pi-González is a pioneer in establishing baseball radio broadcast in Spanish in the Bay Area with the Oakland A’s since the the 1970’s and a longtime contributor to Sports Radio Service.

Wild Card preview: Rays and A’s at Oakland Coliseum

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2) removes his helmet after batting against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2019.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — After a long season of 162 games, the A’s and Rays will have to have a one-game playoff to determine which team will advance to the American League Division Series. The winner will then face the Houston Astros. The Astros had the best record in the AL, and the series will start in Houston.

The A’s finished the season with a record of 97-65 to earn the right to host the Wild Card game. The A’s are 52-27 at the Coliseum this season. The Rays are a good road team, and they will not be intimidated having to play in Oakland. The Rays are 48-37 away from home and that record is the second-best in the MLB.

The Rays believe that they have a slight advantage as they will send Charlie Morton to the hill Wednesday night. Morton had a career-year with a record of 16-6. He pitched 194.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.05. Also, he struck out 240 batters and was very stingy in issuing walks. Morton was effective against right-handed hitters. The A’s lineup is loaded with righties as Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, and Khris Davis will have their collective hands full trying to get to Morton. Morton limited righties to just four home runs in 351 at-bats.

The A’s have not announced their starter as of Monday afternoon. People are speculating that Bob Melvin will go with either Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea. Fiers, like Morton, had a career year. Fiers was 15-4 for the year and had an ERA of 3.90. Fiers also pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati in May. Manaea made five starts for Oakland after coming off the IL in August. Manaea was 4-0 and was quite effective. He pitched 29.2 innings. Manaea had to learn how to deal with a declining velocity on his fastball. He threw at 93-94 MPH before being shut down with a shoulder injury last summer. His fastball has been clocked around 90 MPH this year, but he has been throwing strikes and moving the ball in the zone.

While the A’s might not have the edge in the starting pitcher department, they do have a better bullpen than the Rays. If the A’s starter, whoever that may be, falters, Melvin will not hesitate to bring in the relievers. The bullpen, missing Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, has been bolstered by the additions of lefties Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, and Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo has pitched very well and can be used as a closer. Melvin will also rely on Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks. Hendriks has performed exceptionally well and went to the All-Star Game this year.

The Rays’ bullpen includes Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, and Oliver Drake. The long relievers are Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks. Current Cy Young winner Blake Snell is back and throwing well. Six-foot seven-inch Tyler Glasnow will also be available. They will be ready to shut down the A’s offense when called on.

The A’s will also have the advantage on offense and defense. The A’s have three players in the infield that hit over 30 homers each this year. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson led the team with 36 dingers each. Semien had a career-high 33 round-trippers. Chapman and Semien are candidates for AL Most Valuable Player. Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Chad Pinder, Jurickson Profar, and Josh Phegley can all drive the ball out of the park.  On defense, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are again candidates to win a Gold Glove. Marcus Semien at shortstop has worked hard to improve his defense. He worked with Ron Washington to get better and he, too, is a Gold Glove candidate.

The Rays offense is led by Austin Meadows. Meadows had 33 home runs to lead the team. The Rays’ other hitters are Jesus Aguilar, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, and Nate Lowe. Fans on the West Coast may not be familiar with these names, but they are the reason that the Rays won 96 games this season.

The A’s won the season series four games to three. The Rays are a very determined team. The A’s are also highly motivated to move to the ALDS. This will be the A’s third Wild Card game since 2014, and the first-ever in Oakland. The A’s lost a wild one 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals in 2014. They fell to the Yankees last year 7-2 in New York. The A’s believe that they can go to the World Series. The first step will be defeating the Rays. The Houston Astros are hoping the A’s win. They won the season series 11-8. The Astros have to be careful about what they wish for. The A’s won six of the last eight played. They have the confidence to do it.

The game with the Rays should be very close. The Rays do not quit. Neither do the A’s. Each team knows that they have to win or go home. The A’s will have a large crowd cheering their every move. Let’s hope the home field advantage will prove beneficial to Oakland. I think the A’s will prevail and win by a score of 5-3.

San Jose State hosts New Mexico Friday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State stunned the masses with a win over Arkansas, but was unable to finish the brief, two-game road trip with a win at Air Force. The Spartans recently returned home, where they’ll host New Mexico on Friday night.

Here are the much-needed details, folks. Mark your calendars.

Game #5
San Jose State vs. New Mexico
Friday, October 4, 2019,
CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
7:02 p.m. PT, CBS Sports Network

SJSU record
2-2, 0-1 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost their conference opener at Air Force, 41-24, on September 27.

New Mexico record
2-2, 0-0 Mountain West. The Lobos lost a non-conference game at Liberty, 17-10, on September 28.

Series history
San Jose State leads the series, 12-5-1. The teams are beginning their second two-season cycle of Mountain West home-and-home conference games this weekend.

The Lobos won the most recent meeting between these schools, 48-41, in Albuquerque, on October 11, 2016.

San Jose State’s last win in the series was a 31-21 victory at home on October 24, 2015. The Spartans have won the last four times these teams played in San Jose dating back to 1975. The last time New Mexico won in San Jose was a 27-24 decision on November 1, 1969. The 1971 game between these teams ended in a 21-21 tie.

San Jose State also has a bowl win over New Mexico winning the inaugural 2006 New Mexico Bowl, 20-12. San Jose State currently has a four-game postseason bowl winning streak dating back to 1990.

Play-by-play radio coverage
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State University football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The New Mexico broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. (PT) before game time with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

The San Jose State vs. New Mexico broadcast with Justin Allegri and Kevin Richardson calling the action also will be carried on http://www.siriusxm.com Channel 965.

KSJS (90.5 FM, San Jose) also will broadcast the San Jose State-New Mexico game starting at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Television
The CBS Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. PT. Jason Horowitz calls the play-by-play. Malik Zaire provides commentary. The CBS Sports Network is available Comcast Channel 643, DirecTV Channel 221, and DISH Network Channel 158.

Tickets

• sjsuspartans.com/tickets

• ticketmaster.com

Athletics Ticket Office, 1393 S. 7th Street, San José, CA 95112, weekdays, 9:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $10.00 for a general admission seat to $58.00 for a reserved seat.

Tickers for home games at CEFCU Stadium

• Modern family plan

• Group ticket pricing starting at $12.00 per ticket

• Three-game “mini plans” starting at $59.00

Game promotions

• Brew & Vine — Greatest Tailgate Party You’ve Never Been To — $35.00/per person beginning at 5:00 p.m. includes tasting for two hours, meal voucher & game ticket • Parent & Family Weekend

A 2-2 record at the end of September: For the first time since the 2015 season, San Jose State enters an October with a 2-2 overall win-loss record. The 2019 Spartans had an opportunity to finish September with at least 3-1 overall mark for the first time since 2012, but lost at Air Force, 41-24.

Back-to-back Friday games
For the first time since 1950, San Jose State is playing football games on consecutive Fridays. This week’s game vs. New Mexico follows the Friday, September 27 conference contest at Air Force.

In 1950, San Jose State hosted Loyola (Calif.), now LMU, on Friday, October 13, losing 14-7, and traveled to the University of San Francisco on Friday, October 20, suffering a 27-0 shutout loss. After losing to USF, the Spartans, coached by first-year head coach Bob Bronzan, went 4-0-1 to finish the season with a 6-3-1 win-loss record, the program’s fifth consecutive winning season in the post World War II period.

Emphasis on a positive turnover margin paying off
A point of emphasis for this year’s San Jose State team is finishing in the top-25 in turnover margin.

After the first month of the season, San Jose State ranks tied for sixth nationally in turnover margin at +6 or 1.5 per game. The Spartans have seven interceptions, which is tied for fourth nationally, and came up with their first two fumble recoveries of the season in the Air Force contest.

For their first four games, San Jose State lost the ball only three times on two fumbles and one pass interception. Through games of September 28, the Spartans are tied for eighth nationally in fewest times losing the ball.

A year ago, San Jose State finished at +1, a significant improvement from the 2017 season when the team had a minus-26 turnover margin figure.

First blocked kick of the season
San Jose State notched its first blocked kick of the season when linebacker Hadari Darden was credited with deflecting an Air Force extra-point attempt following a Falcons’ third-quarter touchdown.

The Spartans are one of 59 FBS schools to block a punt or a kick-scoring try in games played through September 28.

A San Jose State first since 2007
In the Air Force game, freshman Nick Nash became the first San Jose State quarterback since Adam Tafralis in 2007 to have rushing and passing attempts and catch a pass thrown by a teammate in the same game.

Nash was San Jose State’s leading rusher against Air Force with 62 yards on 11 carries and had the Spartans’ longest run of the game at 19 yards. He completed 5-of-7 passes without an interception for 82 yards and two touchdowns. In the first quarter, he caught a Josh Love pass for 4 yards.

Nash joins former San Jose State quarterbacks Tafralis, Scott Rislov in a 2002 win over UTEP and current University of Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo in a 2001 NCAA record-setting victory against Nevada as Spartan signal callers to display their offensive versatility rushing, passing and receiving in the same game since the 1976 season.

Since 1976, the feat now has been accomplished 16 times. Former San Jose State running back and current Arizona Cardinals running backs coach James Saxon did it four times, three times in 1987 and once in 1986.

Sharing the wealth
Twice this season in the Northern Colorado and Air Force games, at least 10 Spartans caught had a pass reception. In the Northern Colorado victory, 10 Spartans had a pass reception. At Air Force, 11 San Jose State players were credited with a catch.

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Will Garbers be ready for Oregon this Saturday?

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from sfgate.com: Chase Garbers #7 of the California Golden Bears throws a 16 yard touchdown pass against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at California Memorial Stadium on September 27, 2019 in Berkeley, California.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Talk about how bad the shoulder is for quarterback Chase Garbers. Will he be able to play against the Oregon Ducks this Saturday?

#2 ASU head coach Herm Edwards is a miracle worker of sorts. He’s got the Sun Devils believing in themselves and they beat 15th ranked Cal 24-17 and have improved to 4-1.

#3 It’s been an improved year for Cal in spite of the loss to ASU, they lost by a touchdown, and this season, what improvements that the Bears have done have been the most impressive?

#4 It was a game that saw the score tied after each of the three quarters. The Bears had home field, was it a matter of time ran out for Cal or ASU looked like they would squeak this one out?

#5 Cal now heads to Oregon to face the Ducks, who defeated Stanford in their last 21-6. The Ducks have Justin Herbert at quarterback who threw 19-24 for 259 yards and three touchdowns, Herbert and the Ducks could be a handful next Saturday?

Morris does the Cal podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Finish Preseason with 5-1 Loss to Vegas

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photo from mercurynews.com: Evander Kane #9 of the San Jose Sharks shoves linesman Kiel Murchison in the third period of the Sharks’ preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on September 29, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kane received a game misconduct for an abuse of officials penalty. The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks 5-1.

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks dropped their final preseason game 5-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday in Las Vegas. Vegas goals came from William Carrier, Jimmy Shuldt, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith. Danil Yurtaykin scored the only San Jose goal, during the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 38 shots for the win, while Martin Jones stopped 17 of 21 shots during the first two periods and Aaron Dell made 10 saves on 11 shots for San Jose.

With almost all of the likely NHL lineup in the game, the Sharks managed 12 shots on net in the first period, but could not score. They did kill a penalty half way through the period, after Timo Meier was called for goaltender interference. Vegas had 14 shots and scored once at the end of the period. The Sharks had just gotten the puck out of their zone bu could not get it past the center line before Vegas carried it back in. Tomas Nosek carried the puck down along the boards while Carrier drove the net. Nosek took the shot and it went off of Carrier and in.

Early in the second period, Brenden Dillon was called for holding, putting the Golden Knights on the power play. Jimmy Schuldt scored in the second minute of that penalty. After a quick give and go along the blue line with William Karlsson, Schuldt’s shot from the point went right by Jones. Assists went to Karlsson and Reilly Smith.

A dispute between Evander Kane and Valentin Zykov at 7:31 resulted in matching roughing minors for the players and some 4-on-4 time for the teams. After almost a minute of very fast back and forth play, Jonathan Marchessault scored off the rush, making it 3-0 Vegas. Marchessault had a step on Joe Thornton coming through the neutral zone, and stayed just ahead of a charging Mario Ferraro as they bore down on the Sharks net.

Kane and Zykov went at it again at 10:17, this time receiving fighting majors.

The Sharks had a good shift in the offensive zone with about five minutes left in the period, until a quick pass from Schuldt found Max Pacioretty lurking at the Sharks blue line. Pacioretty took the puck in and made a quick pass to Mark Stone who shot the puck past Jones to make it 4-0.

On a line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane, Danil Yurtaykin scored at 1:10 of the third. Yurtaykin caught the puck behind the net, carried it to the front and put it in with a quick backhand into traffic. Assists went to Kane and Hertl.

A couple of minutes later, Reilly Smith made it 5-1 Vegas with a power play goal. Timo Meier was in the box for slashing Brayden McNabb, and it only took the Vegas power play 13 seconds to score. Assists went to William Karlsson and Marchessault.

The Sharks took 11 more penalties in the period, and Vegas took eight, but the score did not change. Among those penalties were misconducts for Evander Kane, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Max Pacioretty, Brenden Dillon, Deryk Engellund and Kevin Labanc.

Late in the first period, Logan Couture took a puck to the hand but he played through the game.

The Sharks’ lineup Sunday included new faces Lean Bergman, Danil Yurtakin and Jonny Brodzinsky up front. On defense, Dalton Prout and Mario Ferraro were in while Radim Simek and Tim Heed sat out.

The Sharks will be back in Las Vegas on Wednesday to start the regular season at 7:30 PM PT.

NCAAF podcast with Michelle Richardson: Duke piles on Virginia Tech 45-10; Benjamin carries ASU to upset win; NCAA co-chair says Ohio State won’t pay in Cali if likeness law passes

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photo from islandpacket.com: Duke quarterback Chris Katrenick (15) scores on a 9-yard touchdown run past Virginia Tech defender Alan Tisdale (34) and Jaylen Griffin (41) in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Blacksburg, Va.

On the NCAAF podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Duke Blue Devils totally dominated Virginia Tech all day on Friday. Duke quarterback Quentin Harris passed 20-27 for 163 yards and two touchdowns, Harris also carried for 100 yards and a touchdown in the 45-10 victory. The win puts Duke at 3-1.

#2 Arizona State improved their record to 4-1 with a win over the Cal Bears on Friday night. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 174 yards, the Sun Devils running back Eno Benjamin literally carried the game for ASU scoring three touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards. ASU head coach Herm Edwards has really got this school moving forward. The Sun Devils have won four of their last five games.

#3 Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith who co-chairs on the NCAA group on the likeness, endorsement, and sponsorship money said that if the California bill goes into effect that will allow student athletes to get paid for playing and for likeness endorsements. Ohio State will not participate in any games against any California teams. Smith said those schools will not be NCAA members.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Join Michelle each week for NCAAF podcast and commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Carr throws two touchdowns in Raiders’ 31-24 win

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photo from sfgate.com: Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis (37) breaks up a pass intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams (16) during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 29

By Jeremy Kahn

In the midst of their road trip, the Oakland Raiders road swing headed to Americas Heartland, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Derek Carr went 21-for-31 for 189 yards and 189, helping the Raiders break their two-game losing streak with a 31-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Carr took the Raiders down the field on their first series of the game, as he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau that ended a 16-play 75-yard drive to give the Raiders an early 7-0 lead.

After the Colts were forced were forced to punt after going three-and-out on their first series of the drive, Trevor Davis quickly made it 14-0, when he took a Carr handoff and scampered 60 yards to the end zone just 10 seconds after taking the punt to the Raiders 40-yard line.

Jacoby Brissett, who was forced into the Colts number 1 position at quarterback when Andrew Luck abruptly retired during the preseason cut the Raiders down to 14-7, as he found tight end Jack Doyle for a five-yard touchdown pass.

Despite the loss, Brissett went 24-for-46 for 265 yards, throwing three touchdowns and was intercepted once.

After the Brissett to Doyle connection for a touchdown, Carr once again gave the Raiders a 14-point lead, as he found Tyrell Williams for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

Veteran Adam Vinatieri then cut the Raiders lead to 21-10 nearly half way thru the second quarter, as he connected for a 26-yard field goal.

On their first series of the third quarter, Daniel Carlson kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 14-point lead for the third time on the afternoon.

Like before, the Raiders, could not put the Colts away, as Brissett found Chester Rogers for a four-yard touchdown pass to cut the Raiders down to seven once again.

It looked like the Raiders put the game away, when Erik Harris picked off a Brissett pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown with just 2:09 remaining in the game.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, that was not the case, as Eric Ebron caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Brissett with 70 seconds in the game.

Following a failed onside kick, Carr kneeled to end the game and the Raiders escaped with a seven-point victory.

Rookie Josh Jacobs led the Raiders in rushing with 79 yards rushing on 17 carries.

NOTES: Vontez Burfict was ejected from the second quarter, as he was called for unnecessary roughness for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Doyle. Burficts ejection came after the officials reviewed the penalty.

UP NEXT: Even though it is a home game for the Raiders, the game will be played in London, as the Raiders will face the Chicago Bears and former teammate Khalil Mack on October 6.

MLB The Show Postseason 2019 podcast with Daniel Dullum: Taking a look at wild card matchups; Bochy gets ready for retirement; plus more

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photo from the olympian.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano makes his way through the dugout after hitting a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners’ Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Playoff pairings are almost set: A’s to host AL Wild Card vs. Tampa Bay

2 Giants hope to give Bochy a good sendoff against Dodgers

3 Verlander gets 3,000th K, Astros clinch home field; Mets’ Pete Alonso sets MLB rookie HR mark

4 Look for managerial changes in the next few days

5 After 72 seasons, Cubs play final game on WGN-9

The MLB The Show podcast with Daniel is heard every Sunday and through the postseason on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s ready to begin workouts at Coliseum and host Tampa Bay for wild card Wednesday

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano hits a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the A’s podcast with Joey F

#1 The Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays will workout at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the AL wild card game on Wednesday it will give both teams some time to adjust to two days off and getting ready for the contest.

#2 There’s no doubt that having home field advantage is huge for the Oakland A’s for a one and done wild card game.

#3 Talk about Wednesday’s starting pitcher for Oakland Sean Manaea since returning recovering from Tommy John surgery he’s gone 4-0 with an ERA of 1.21.

#4 The Rays come into the Coliseum with a winning 96-65 the A’s 97-64 both are evenly matched the Rays have players to look for Travis d’Arnaud, Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe, and Tommy Pham.

#5 The A’s have some big boppers Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, and Mark Canha all have home run success this season and they might apply that for post season.

Joey Friedman does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com