Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Clippers come up with any more surprises in Game 3?; Giants get 4 runs in 9th, but still lose; plus more

Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Golden State Warriors tip off in Los Angeles Thursday night at Staples Center against the Clippers in a series that’s tied 1-1. The Warriors are coming off a loss in which the Clippers made a 31-point comeback. The Warriors are without an injured DeMarcus Cousins. Will the Warriors regroup, jell and win this one like going through butter or will the Clippers take advantage of the home floor and try to repeat a win like they did in Game 2?

#2 In Game 3 tonight, is there a possibility that the Clippers will take full advantage of the home floor and maybe have some inspiration from the Game 2 comeback? Also, it doesn’t seem like the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley is getting in the Warriors’ Kevin Durant’s head?

#3 The Giants lost a tough one on Wednesday night to the Washington Nationals 9-6 at Nationals Park on Wednesday night. The Giants got home run help from Steven Duggar and Geraldo Parra and tried to rally in ninth inning for four runs, but wound up short losing by three runs.

#4 For the first time in five games, the Oakland A’s finally got a win over the mighty Houston Astros. It was pitching that stopped the Astros’ lineup as A’s starter Frankie Montas went six and third, three hits on one earned run, and six strikeouts in the 2-1 win.

#5 The Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving scored 37 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Indiana Pacers 99-91. Irving could end up as a free agent after the NBA Championship. Could Irving end up in Los Angeles and join former teammate LeBron James?

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Thursday day off report: A’s place RHP Estrada on IL, recall Bassitt from Vegas

mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Marco Estrada (42) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list and the A’s have called up Chris Bassitt from Triple A Las Vegas Aviators.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 18, 2019

At the conclusion of Oakland’s two-game series with AL West rival Houston, the A’s announced the placement of right-handed pitcher Marco Estrada on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain.

To replace Estrada, the A’s recalled right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Estrada was on the A’s Opening Day roster and is 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA and a .242 opponents batting average in five starts. He did not have a decision over his first three starts while posting a 2.76 ERA, but he has taken the loss in each of his last two starts, allowing 13 runs on 14 hits in 7.1 innings.

Bassitt began the season on the IL with a right lower leg contusion and started a rehab assignment with Single-A Stockton on April 4. He made one start with the Ports and two more with Las Vegas on April 9 and 14 and was a combined 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA and .190 opponents batting average in three starts when he was reinstated from the IL on Tuesday and optioned to Las Vegas.

A’S vs. BLUE JAYS
The A’s start a three-game weekend series against Toronto at the Coliseum on Friday. In a matchup of right-handers, Aaron Brooks (2-1, 4.24) starts for Oakland, and faces the Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman (0-3, 1.99).

Oakland’s probables for Saturday and Sunday are Mike Fiers (2-1, 7.06 ERA) and Brett Anderson (3-0, 2.63 ERA).

Friday night is San Jose State University Night. Fans with a special ticket will receive an A’s/SJSU crew neck sweatshirt. Early arriving fans will receive a pet calendar, presented by AvoDerm Natural & Nylabone.

SENSORY ROOM
Earlier this week, the Athletics announced that as part of April’s National Autism Awareness Month, the Oakland A’s unveiled a new Sensory Room at the Oakland Coliseum.

The quiet space at East Plaza Level Suite 80 in centerfield will cater to fans of all ages with autism, Down syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, and similar conditions who can find comfort from a soothing atmosphere. The space will include “sensory bags,” filled with noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, and other tools as calming mechanisms. The Sensory Room is available for every game for all fans.

The space was created in partnership with Micah’s Voice, which helps provide community, hope, and financial resources for families affected by autism.The nonprofit is named after the son of its co-founders Sharhonda and Shawn Stockman, who is also a founding member of Boyz II Men. The Stockmans will attend the A’s game and help unveil the Sensory Room.

The A’s will host their annual Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 20, when they play host to the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.com/specialevents.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Can the A’s work things out with the port to get new stadium underway?; Was Game 2 win by Clippers just a fluke? plus more

sfchronicle.com photo file: The Oakland Maritime Industry says that a new Oakland A’s stadium at the port would impact shipping, cause safety concerns, and will be a economic hit to the region’s import and exports.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Oakland’s Maritime Industry is saying that building a new stadium for the Oakland A’s at Jack London Square’s Howard Terminal would be a economic hazard for the port. It would disrupt ships that provide import and export that impact Oakland’s economics and would be a safety risk for ships trying to port. Does this sound like a legitimate argument from the Maritime to stop any construction of a new park for the A’s?

#2 This is obviously number one on A’s team president David Kaval’s bucket list of things to get moving. How much opposition will the A’s face in their attempts to build at Howard Terminal and can they work things out with the port?

#3 Is the 31-point comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers to win by four in Game 2 on Monday night a fluke or is it this Clippers team up for the challenge of making this a series against Golden State?

#4 How much of a factor has the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley been in this series trying to intimidate or at least get under the skin of the Warriors’ Kevin Durant? It might be working Durant was fouled out in Game 2 and thrown out in Game 1.

#5 The San Jose Sharks are in a hole after getting shutout in Las Vegas on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Center in Vegas in Game 4. The 5-0 loss puts the Sharks down 3-1 in the series with an elimination game on Thursday night at SAP Center in San Jose.

London Marq joins Sportstalk each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Cuda battle Gulls in San Diego tonight for Game 1 of Calder Cup Playoffs

sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda share congratulations, concluding their final home game on Saturday April 6th at SAP Center in San Jose. The Barracuda prepare for Game 1 tonight in San Diego in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs.

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 First game tonight in San Diego between the Gulls and Barracuda. How did the two teams match up throughout the season?

#2 Pachenga Arena is noted for it’s sellouts, loud fan support, and one of the toughest venues to play in the AHL. Will this make much a difference to the Barracuda, who’ve played there numerous times this season?

#3 Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer prepares this team to face the Gulls. Is this expected to be an offensive series because the Gulls can play some defense?

#4 There are a number of players who finished the regular season in double figures for goals scored. Talk about the top three: Alexander True (24), Francis Perron (18) and Nick DeSimone (14) and the job they did on scoring this season.

#5 Talk about the goaltenders Antoine Bibeau and Josef Korenar. Can the Barracuda expect to start Bibeau for most of these playoff games?

#6 The Sharks, the Cuda’s parent team, are on the brink of elimination. Do you see the Cuda getting some of those fans for some home games if the Sharks do get eliminated in their first round series with the Vegas Golden Knights?

Join Marko throughout the AHL Calder Cup/San Jose Barracuda post season for exclusive coverage and podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Sharks on brink of elimination after 5-0 blanking

Photo credit: nbcsports.com 

By Pearl Allison Lo

Max Pacioretty led the Vegas Golden Knights with a four-point night over the San Jose Sharks in a Game 4 win 5-0 at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday.

Pacioretty had a goal and an assist for the third straight game, two apiece at the end. Vegas had an identical game score March 21.

The last time the Sharks were held scoreless was February 21. It was their biggest margin in a loss since November 24.

Marc-Andre Fleury made a perfect 28 saves in the victory.  

Meanwhile, San Jose used two goalies again like in Game 2, but this time, Martin Jones took the loss and Aaron Dell gave up more goals.

The Sharks were still without defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and also without Micheal Haley and Joe Thornton, who served his one-game suspension for a hit to the head in Game 3.

Vegas scored their third and fifth goals on the power play. San Jose went 0-for-4 and were outhit 54-37.

The game-winner ended up being the fourth straight goal that came within the opening two minutes of a period and involved two familiar players. The Sharks failed to keep the puck within the Knights’ zone and Mark Stone picked up the loose puck at the far blue line. He then dropped the puck back for Pacioretty before moving the defenseman, as Pacioretty shot from the top of the right faceoff circle near the slot at 1:11.

Both teams then got two penalties apiece when they committed four penalties in the span of six minutes. San Jose generated momentum on both of their power plays, with four shots during the first one and six in the second.

However, the Sharks’ enthusiasm was curbed when Shea Theodore managed to nab a 2-0 goal with less than a minute remaining.

San Jose led shots 18-7 by the end of the first period.

The start of the second period marked a change in goalies as Dell came in for Jones.

Vegas’s William Karlsson hit the goal post.

Dell lost his immunity in the game when he made an initial save versus Pacioretty and then inadvertently transferred the puck over to the right for a long rebound back to Pacioretty. Stone made a long pass across the ice past four San Jose players right before.

The Sharks’ Kevin Labanc hit the goal post with one minute to go.

Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault had their first goals of the playoffs at 6:37 and 16:24 of the third, respectively.

San Jose was outshot 13-2 in the final period.  

Up Next: The Sharks face the Knights with their backs against the wall. Game 5 is Thursday in San Jose at 7 pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Tiger’s Masters win is confidence-building, could he win another one?; How Walton will fit in in Sacramento; plus more

Photo credit: @Neo_Ungasabi

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 On Sunday, Tiger Woods made a comeback and won the Masters for the first time in 11 years. What made this day so unbelievable?

#2 How do you see Luke Walton fitting in at the Sacramento Kings organization as head coach?

#3 It was a true battle between the Warriors and Clippers on Monday night as the Clips erased a 31 point deficit for a 135-131 win.

#4 After the San Francisco Giants got nearly no hit by the Colorado Rockies pitcher German Marquez, is this alarm that offense has to do something and very soon?

#5 The Oakland A’s got clobbered by the Houston Astros on Tuesday night and the A’s struggled with the Astros on the road trip earlier this month.

Barbara Mason is a freelance sports reporter for Area Grande Spanish Newspapers and is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for News and Commentary.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: The KD-Beverley battle heads to LA for game 3

Photo credit: @losangelesinfor

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Will the Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley and the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant keep up their feud? It’s been an entertaining series.

#2 The series moves back to Los Angeles. Will that be some kind of advantage for the Clippers as they know anytime they play Golden State they have a lot to go up against?

David does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Multiple home runs and hits have A’s leading the A.L.

mlbpick.com photo file photo: Alex Bergman of the Houston Astros takes a hack as he and the Astros open up a two game series against a very offensive potent Oakland A’s team at the Oakland Coliseum starting tonight.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The A’s, despite losing by a run on Sunday to the Rangers, are leading the American League in multiple home run games. Sunday’s game was their eighth consecutive multiple home run game with Stephen Piscotty and Matt Chapman belting home runs against the Texas Rangers.

#2 The A’s, who had their second day off in four days after playing everyday since March 28th, still show consistency, but with more rest.

#3 The A’s also set a mark for the second time in franchise history. They hit five home runs in back-to-back games. The second time the A’s have done it in franchise history.

#4 The A’s at their current pace have a shot at setting the all-time season mark for home runs for a team. The A’s are on a pace of hitting 307 home runs, which would break the New York Yankee’s all-time mark from last season of 267.

#5 Charlie talks about how things look at the Las Vegas Aviators, the A’s triple A affiliate, and if their are any prospects of anyone getting promoted.

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

Hold off from pressing the panic button on the Warriors

bleacherreport.com photo: The Los Angeles Clippers routed Golden State Warriors, erasing a 31-point deficit in Game 2 at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Monday night. The series moves to Staples Center in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday night. 

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors were riding high, leading the Los Angeles Clippers 73-50 at halftime.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry led all scorers with 22 points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, 4-of-7 from three, and 6-for-6 from the foul line. But in the second half, Curry scored just seven points.

Then the roof caved in.

Golden State couldn’t hold on to its 31-point lead that they built up in the third quarter after starting the frame scoring 21 points on 9-for-9 shooting off eight assists, and saw the Los Angeles Clippers complete the largest postseason comeback in NBA history by shocking the Warriors, 135-131, to take Game 2 of their first-round series to even the best-of-7 series at one game apiece.

Rookie Landry Shamet hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds remaining to complete the Clippers’ historic comeback over the Warriors.

The Clippers outscored Golden State 85-58 in the second half. In the third quarter alone, Los Angeles outscored Golden State 44-35. The 44 points were the most in a postseason quarter for Los Angeles.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 this Thursday night from Staple Center.

Oh yeah, the Warriors lost center DeMarcus Cousins with what is being reported as a “significant” quad injury for an “extended period of time.”

Cousins injured his left quad muscle after diving to the floor following a steal in the first quarter. Cousins immediately grabbed his left side and limped off the floor and into the locker room.

An MRI for Cousins is scheduled for Tuesday, but it is feared that Cousins will miss the rest of the series if not, the remainder of the Warriors’ playoff run.

Before Warriors fans hit the panic button, let me put you at ease: the Warriors will still win this series. I know that’s not nothing new, but its just reassurance from me.

Sure, the top-seeded Warriors were punched in the mouth by the eighth-seeded Clippers on Monday night behind a career-high 36 points and 11 assists from Lou Williams and 25 points from Montrezl Harrell, but it did take a herculean effort for Los Angeles to take down the two-time defending NBA champions in front of a frenzied, sold out Oracle Arena crowd.

Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley, who continues to be the team’s biggest mouthpiece, has clearly made life difficult for Kevin Durant in this series. Beverley has been irritating (in a good way) Durant at every point, and even gotten the two of them ejected from Game 1.

You expect Durant, who had 21 points, five rebound and five assists in Game 2 before fouling out, to bounce back in Game 3. Durant finished with more turnovers (9) than shot attempts (8), but shot 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson scored 17 points and Draymond Green had 14 points with nine assists.

Golden State committed 21 turnovers in Game 1, then follow up with 22 more on Monday night. The Warriors have been flat out sloppy in protecting the basketball.

When the Warriors protect the basketball and limit the turnovers, they are nearly unbeatable. Golden State got away with that in Game 1, but got caught with their hand in the cookie jar in Game 2.

The Clippers made Golden State pay this time around.

Even in the defeat, one positive the Warriors can take from this loss was the game that backup center Kevon Looney had. After Cousins left the game, Looney played big, finishing with a career-high 19 points and making all six shot attempts.

Looney will most certainly start Game 3 in Cousins’ absence. Looney did make 24 starts this season for the Warriors and will look to build off his breakout performance.

Instead of the projected four-game sweep that everyone penciled for Golden State, the Warriors will end the series in five or six games.

The Clippers exasperated all their energy in securing Game 2 and after stealing a game that they had no business of winning, Los Angeles has gotten the Warriors’ full attention and are beaming with confidence.

That’s not a good thing.

Sportstalk podcast at Diplomat Steakhouse in downtown Sacramento — Monday, April 15, 2019

Photo credit: diplomat.com

Cast: Michael Duca (mlb.com and host), Jeremy Kahn (SF Giants reporter), Jeremy Harness (SF Giants and PGA reporter), London Marq (Sacramento Kings and SJ Earthquakes reporter), Jeremiah Salmonson (Sacramento Kings reporter), Charlie O (Oakland A’s and Sacramento Kings reporter), Lee Leonard (producer). Sportstalk is proud to podcast at The Diplomat Steakhouse at 1117 11th Street in downtown Sacramento. Our thanks to our hosts: Owner Ramesh Prasad,  Pa Vang Executive Vice President, Brianna Blaschke Event Concierge and Executive Chef Chris Manning.

On the podcast, discussions of the recent Sacramento Kings season and their new head coach for the 2019-20 season, progress reports on the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants along with the San Jose Sharks and Golden State Warriors in the playoff hunt.

The Diplomat’s statement is as follows: Being diplomatic is our brand’s core binding. We are intuitive when in conducting your dining experience, and can achieve peaceful resolutions to any quandary while facilitating intriguing discussion with anyone on the map. We broadened the scope and magnified the habitual steakhouse fare. We resolve differences by implementing international fusion cuisine to please any and all palates. We strive to achieve a peaceful atmosphere, and our ingenuity gives us the edge to connect to any guest.

Restaurateur, Ramesh Prasad, has dined worldwide in the vast-ever occurring steakhouse and knows the ins and outs of traditional fine dining concepts. Complacent with their predictability, he manifested his vision into reality. Sacramento is in the prime of revitalization, and developing a signature steakhouse is pioneering the industries’ cravings.