Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Harper, Phils call it a season, eliminated at Nats Park; Giants finish up their regular season; plus more

Photo credit: wtop.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 How ironic is it that last meeting between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies in Washington against the Nationals turned out to be a loss that mathematically eliminated the Phillies in Washington DC? The Nats fans found that to be poetic justice.

#2 The San Francisco Giants end their 2019 homestand and regular season this week as they opened a three-game series with Colorado. The Giants have some young prospects and veteran players who are looking to come back next season so everyone will play hard to the final game on Sunday.

#3 The Giants’ Bruce Bochy set to retire, Pablo Sandoval out with an injury for the rest of the season and Madison Bumgarner may not be back all have been a direct force in the Giants’ more successful days.

#4 The Oakland A’s are holding a 1/2 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild card race. The A’s are finishing up their regular season on the road against the Angels and Mariners. Can they pull it off?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes, who won two out of their last seven games, faceoff against Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and on Friday, they host the Seattle Sounders. This is their best chance to put together a couple wins at home.

London does Headline Sports each Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Blackmon, Rockies win it in the 16th with a three-run home run 8-5

photo from sfgate.com: Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Hoffman leaves a baseball game on a cart with a leg injury after being hit by a ball batted by San Francisco Giants’ Alex Dickerson during the fourth inning Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in San Francisco.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Charlie Blackmon ended this long game with one swing of the bat.

Blackmon hit a three-run home run in the top of the 16th inning, helping the Colorado Rockies to an 8-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 27,870 at Oracle Park.

The Blackmon home run was the latest by a Rockies player since Nolan Arenado hit a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the 16th inning at Dodger Stadium on September 15, 2015.

Dereck Rodriguez was able to get Trevor Story to strikeout for the first out of the inning, but then Garrett Hampson and Arenado each singled prior to the Blackmon three-run home run.

Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he took a Carlos Estevez pitch and hit it into the netting over the center field wall.

It was the 20th home run of the season, and his first 20 home run as a member of the Giants and first since the 2017 season, when he 20 in his last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

While with the Rays, Longoria hit 20 or more home runs nine times out of his 10 years there. Longoria hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2009.

Garrett Hampson gave the Rockies a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning, as he took a Jandel Gustave over the wall. It was the second home run of the game for Hampson, who also hit a solo home run off of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner in the top of the first inning.

It was the first multi-home run game of Hampsons big league career.

Buster Posey gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the first inning as he hit just his seventh home run of the season and first at Oracle Park. Mike Yastrzemski walked to lead off to the inning for the Giants.

Bumgarner helped out his own cause in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit his second home run of the season.

This was the first time since June 2, 2016 that Bumgarner and Posey each hit home runs in the same game. It was the third time that the two have hit home runs in the same game.

Ian Desmond tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as he smashed a Bumgarner offering and put into the netting over The Garden in right-center field.

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Alex Dickerson smashed a line drive up the middle off of Rockies starter Jeff Hoffmans leg.

Hoffman, who attempted to walk around eventually fell to the ground, where both the training staff and manager Bud Black came out to check on the right-hander, who was eventually carted off the field.

The right-hander left the game with a right knee contusion.

The right-hander went 3.1 innings, allowing three run on three hits, walking three and striking out three.

Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking two and striking out nine.

The Rockies retook the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Trevor Story his 34th home run of the season.

Story has homered in a record six consecutive games vs. the Giants, setting the mark with a solo shot in the fifth inning. He surpassed Mike Schmidt (1979) and Rogers Hornsby (1922), who both homered in five straight vs. the Giants.

Evan Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as his sacrifice fly scored Posey from third base.

Posey singled with one out and then advanced to third on a Brandon Belt, and then scored on the Longoria sacrifice fly, as the throw by Desmond was cut off by Nolan Arenado at third base.

NOTES: Yastrzemski is only the fifth rookie in Giants history to have a 20 home run, 20 double season and the first since Orlando Cepeda in 1958.

He joins Bobby Thomson (26 2B, 29 HR) in 1947, Willie Mays (22 2B, 20 HR) in 1951, Bill White (23 2B, 22 HR) in 1956, Cepeda and Yastrzemski.

The two teams combined to use a major-league record 25 players, breaking the record of 24 set by the Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 16, 2015, also a 16-inning game.

Both teams combined for eight home runs to break an Oracle Park record. There were four games of seven home runs, September 5, 2000 versus Philadelphia, June 18, 2004 versus Boston, June 15, 2009 versus Los Angeles (AL) and August 24, 2010 versus Cincinnati.

As a team, the Giants used a team record 29 players, breaking their record of 25 that set on September 17, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija will make his final start of the 2019 season for the Giants, while Tim Melville will take the ball for the Rockies one last time in 2019.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Jimmy G converts his throws and gains some yards

Photo credit: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers just got by the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 24-20 victory on Sunday. With the win, the 49ers are now 3-0 and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is gaining some of that old swagger back when he first broke in with the 49ers in his first year.

#2 Garoppolo threw for 277 yards and completed 72 percent of his passes. He did suffer two interceptions. Are the interceptions something he should be concerned with since it was a close game and turnovers could hurt a team?

Catch David Zizmor on the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast Barbara Mason: Raiders simply got ran over by Vikes’ Cook; Jimmy G puts it together even in close games; plus more

Photo credit: theathletic.com

On Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Minnesota Vikings’ Dalvin Cook, who missed the last two seasons with ACL and hamstring issues, was running for the goal posts against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday when he rushed for 110 yards.

#2 Looking at Cook, you would have never guessed he missed any action after missing two seasons, missing 19 of 34 games. Cook said he never lost any confidence and worked his way back to getting into the Vikings lineups.

#3 The San Francisco 49ers just got by the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 24-20 victory on Sunday. With the win, the 49ers are now 3-0 and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is gaining some of that old swagger back when he first broke in with the 49ers in his first year.

#4 Garoppolo threw for 277 yards and completed 72 percent of his passes. He did suffer two interceptions. Are the interceptions something he should be concerned with since it was a close game and turnovers could hurt a team?

#5 Hard to believe the NBA preseason is starting next week with the new opening of the Chase Center in San Francisco. Will the Golden State Warriors have no trouble adapting to the new building’s characteristics?

Join Barbara for Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Lynn’s command a big factor in keeping runs down against A’s

Photo credit: beyondtheboxscore.com

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 On Sunday, it was too much Lance Lynn of the Texas Rangers. Lynn struck out 12 A’s hitters, walked one and allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work as the Rangers avoided getting swept at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 Seth Brown and Khris Davis’ hitting in the five and six holes combined for seven strikeouts,.Davis was able to get a double in the eighth off the Rangers.

#3 Attendance is up for the A’s at home. The A’s increased their attendance by 88,595. They drew 38,453 to boost their season home total to 1,662,211.

#4 The Texas Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo tied the Rangers’ all-time record for leadoff home runs matching Ian Kinsler. The Rangers had five homers off the A’s on Sunday.

#5 The A’s are in Anaheim and they’ll be starting Homer Bailey (13-8). The A’s heavily depend on Bailey as every win counts at this juncture of the season.

Charlie does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Preview of the A’s final week of the season in LA and Seattle

By Jerry Feitelberg

Here we are. The A’s have just six games left in the regular season. They had an off-day on Monday as they traveled to Los Angeles to face the Angels. They have two games left with LA and then fly to Seattle to play four with the Mariners to end the season. The A’s own a record of 94-62 and lead the Tampa Bay Rays by 1 1/2 games for the first Wild Card. The Rays beat Boston on Monday to pick up 1/2 game on the A’s. The Rays play the next two games at home against the AL East champs, the New York Yankees. New York could help the A’s bt sweeping the series. The Rays then go to Toronto for three.

The A’s have to continue winning. They cannot let up as both Tampa and Cleveland have a chance to make the playoffs. The Angel and Mariners would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. The Angels and M’s will finish in fourth and fifth places in the AL West. Each team has had a season of adversity. The Angels have had to deal with the loss of Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs’ death put the Angels in a season-long funk. Also, their start centerfielder, Mike Trout, is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. The Angels have been devastated by injury and are limping to the finish. The Mariners got off to a good start. They have traded away many of their star players as they are in rebuild mode. The A’s cannot afford to take them lightly.

The A’s Will send Homer Bailey to the hill Tuesday night in Anaheim. Bailey is 13-8 with an ERA of 4.55. The Angels will counter with lefty Dillon Peters. Peters is 3-3 with an ERA of 4.81. Peters will be making his first start ever against the A’s. This is a situation where the A’s cannot afford to relax. They will be going against a pitcher they have never seen. The A’s cannot afford to lose this game. It could happen, but it will be up to manager Bob Melvin to figure out the matchups. On Wednesday, it will be a battle of lefties. Brett Anderson will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Andrew Heaney. Anderson is 12-9 with an ERA of 4.00. Heaney is 4-6 and has an ERA of 5.10. The last time Heaney faced the A’s, he went six innings and gave up five runs.

The A’s finish with four against the Mariners. On Thursday Mike Fiers (15-4, ERA 3.91) will handle the pitching chores for Oakland. The M’s will counter with the veteran righty, Felix Hernandez. King Felix is nearing the end of his illustrious career. Hernandez has beaten the A’s many times over the years, but these days, he is a shadow of his former self. His record is 1-7, and his ERA is 6.51. He would like nothing better than handing the A’s a loss. Lefty Sean Manaea (3-0, 1.14ERA) will make his fifth start of the year, and lefty Justus Sheffield (0-1, 5.81 ERA) will go for Seattle. Saturday will feature Tanner Roark and the M’s Marco Gonzalez. The Rangers sent Roark to an early shower last Sunday. Roark gave up at least four home runs early in the game, and the A’s could not recover. His opponent, lefty Marco Gonzalez, the M’s best pitcher with a record of 16-12 and 4.09 ERA) has given the A’s a tough time all season long. The final game of the year will see Homer Bailey going for Oakland and Justin Dunn pitching for Seattle. Dunn will be making his third start of the year.

The A’s know that they cannot let up for one second. Even though they are playing teams with losing records., they must not take either team lightly. If they win four of the last six, that should be enough to give them the first Wild Card. They would then host the one-game playoff in Oakland. They would later play either the Yankees or the Houston Astros in the ALDS. The A’s won the season series from the Yanks 4 games to two. The Astros won the season series from Oakland 11-8. The A’s, however, won six of the last eight games from Houston. The Yanks and the Astros know that the A’s are a good team. The A’s have solidified their starting rotation with the addition Of Bailey and Roark. The bullpen will feature Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, Jesus, Luzardo, Chris Bassitt, Blake Treinen, and closer, Liam Hendriks.

The A’s have power up and down the lineup. They have three infielders with 30 or more home runs. Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson all can change a ballgame with one swing of the bat. Outfielder Mark Canha had hit 26 bombs. Ramon Laureano is back, and he had 22 in the books before he was injured. Versatile Chad Pinder can also put the ball out of the park.  The A’s are excellent on defense, and they do not beat themselves. They have all the ingredients necessary to make a run to a championship. They can do it. No one knows what will happen. The Kansas City Royals won the 2014 Wild Card game against Oakland and went to the World Series. They won it all the following year. Anything can happen in baseball. They have to make the playoffs. Anything can happen. Baseball is unpredictable. The A’s are playing great baseball at this point in the season. They know they can win. They just have to do it.

 

Sportstalk podcast from Il Fornaio Ristorante in downtown Sacramento on Monday, September 23, 2019

Photo credit: ilfornaio.com

Cast: Charlie O Mallonee (host and Oakland A’s beat writer), Jeremiah Salmonson (Sacramento Kings reporter), Morris Phillips (Cal Bears reporter), Tony the Tiger Hayes (SF Giants columnist), London Marq (San Jose Earthquakes & Sac Kings reporter), Jeremy Harness (PGA Golf reporter), and Lee Leonard (Producer).

Podcasting from the wonderful and tasteful Il Fornaio Restorante at the Wells Fargo Center on 400 Capital Mall in downtown Sacramento. Our thanks to our host, General Manager Don McNerney, and the wonderful staff at Il Fornaio. You can cater your next event here at Il Fornaio in downtown Sacramento offering pickup and delivery catering services. Call (916) 446-4100 catering reservations within the next 24 hours. For banquets, Il Fornaio offers elegant and semi-private dining spaces with a wide range of specialized memos and services to match our authentic award winning Italian cuisine. For catering, call (916) 446-4139.

On the Sportstalk discussion, the Sacramento Kings’ Luke Walton is looking for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield, who are both vying for minutes on the floor. Walton says both players compliment each other well. Hield had led the Kings with 20.7 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists, and shot 42.7 from three-point land. Bogdanovic had offseason surgery last season missed the first 11 games of the Sacramento’s 12. Hield had 14.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds and shot 36 percent.

Vlad Divac, who was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, was noted for his flopping during his playing days and was a big man that helped the Kings during his playing days and later became the team’s general manager. Divac is hoping to bring the Kings to the postseason this year. Marvin Bagley averaged 7.6 points in 25.3 minutes and has pulled down 10.8 rebounds in 36 minutes. Bagley finished last assist percentage at 5.9.

Mumbai India will be the site of the Sacramento Kings’ preseason oasis. The Kings will open with the Indiana Pacers on Friday, October 4th and Saturday, October 5th, then on Thursday, October 10th vs. the Phoenix Suns, Monday, October 14th vs. the Utah Jazz, and in Melbourne, on Wednesday, October 16th, which closes their Mumbai road trip.

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants finish season with winning road record; Webb has good pitching performance

photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Atlanta.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 The Giants avoided getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County Sunday with a 4-1 win. The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.

#2 The Giants’ away record was better than their home record away they were 42-39 and home 33-42. The bulk of the Giants’ road success came after the July 31st trade deadline and in August when they hit a speed bump and lost momentum.

#3 For San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, it was his final road game managing.  Bochy notched his 2,000 win of his career when the Giants were in Boston prior to coming to play the Braves.

#4 One of the biggest highlights on the trip was the home run hit by Mike Yastrzemski in Boston Tuesday night, which drew a standing ovation from the Boston crowd — kind of like their own homage indirectly for Mike’s grandfather Carl.

#5 The Giants conclude the 2019 season at Oracle Park on the homestand. The Giants will open against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night for three games and finish the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three starting on Friday night. Starting for Colorado, Jeff Hoffman (2-6, 2.71 ERA), and for the Giants, Madison Bumgarner (9-9, 3.86 ERA).

Morris did the Giants podcasts each Monday during the 2019 Giants season and will begin Cal Bears podcasting next Monday, September 30th at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Vikings drop Raiders to 1-2; Cook’s carries help Vikes to 34-14 win

from sfgate.com: Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, right, sacks Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Minneapolis

By Jeremy Kahn

Once again, the Oakland Raiders ran into a buzz saw and once again they were chewed up by their opponent.

Dalvin Cook carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, helping the Minnesota Vikings to a convincing 34-14 victory over the Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cook, who is in his third season in the NFL is coming off back-to-back seasons where he suffered debilitating injuries in those seasons.

In his rookie season, Cook tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and last season, he was hampered by a hamstring injury that derailed his season.

Alexander Mattison scored his first NFL touchdown, as the Vikings rushed for 211 yards as a team. Also, for the second time in two home games, the Vikings did not attempt a pass in the fourth quarter.

Kirk Cousins went 15-for-21 for 174 yards and a score to Adam Thielen on the Vikings initial series of the game.

Thielen also scored on a handoff that gave the Vikings a 28-0 lead in the second quarter, their second 28-0 lead of the season.

Derek Carr went 27-for-34 for 242 and two touchdowns to J.J. Nelson and Tyrell Wililams. Tight end Darren Waller caught 13 passes for 134 yards in the loss.

NOTES: Marquel Lee hurt his ankle in the first quarter and did not return to the game. While Vontaze Burfict missed nearly half the game with an elbow injury, but eventually returned in the third quarter.

UP NEXT: The Raiders will stay on the road, as they will face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Cambage scores 28 to help Aces stave off elimination 92-75

photo from reviewjournal.com: Las Vegas Aces guard Kayla McBride (21) high fives Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) before the start of Vegas’ WNBA semifinals game with the Washington Mystics on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas

By Jeremy Kahn

Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer was furious after he did not get a crucial timeout in the waning seconds of Game One against the Washington Mystics, but his team stepped up when it counted most.

With their back against the wall, as the Aces trailed the Mystics two games to none in the best of five semifinal series, Liz Cambage was the leader on this night.

Cambage scored 28 points, as the Aces defeated the Mystics 92-75 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

”Our focus is win our home games,” said Cambage, who finished 12 of 15 from the field. ”It would have been nice to win one in Washington, but we know coming back here we’d have our fans to lift us up, we’d have our homecourt – we just had to get the job done tonight. It’s a playoff series, that’s the beauty of it, you learn on the run and all of the mistakes we made in the first couple of games, we really focused on fixing them and getting the job done tonight.”

The loss by the Mystics stopped a eight game winning streak, as they last lost on August 23 against the Chicago Sky.

AJa Wilson scored 21 points, and Kayla McBride chipped in with 18 and the Aces forced a game four on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

WNBA MVP Elena Della Donne led the Mystics with 22 points, Kristi Tolliver scored 14 and Aerial Powers dropped in 14.

‘I thought that they got into their post game better tonight, we didn’t do as good a job,” Washington coach Mike Thibault said. ”They put more pressure on us and we didn’t shoot the ball well. The same people that made a lot of shots the other night didn’t make shots today and that was the difference. This is the first really stinker of a game we’ve had in a long time.”

The Aces took the lead for good In the second quarter, as they trailed by two; however, after a 12-0 run over a four minute period, the Aces took a 10-point lead and never gave up the lead.

Playoff Schedule:
Game 1 Mystics 97, Aces 95
Game 2 Mystics 103, Aces 91
Game 3 Sunday, September 22 Ace 92 Mystics 75
 Game 4 Tuesday, September 24 Mystics at Aces
Game 5 Thursday, September 26 Aces at Mystics (if needed)

NOTES: Kelsey Plum was in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the first two games of the series, and scored nine points and also dished off nine assists.

UP NEXT: The Aces and Mystics will meet on Tuesday night in Game Four at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Associated Press contributed to this report