Tag: Sports radio

No power, no pitching, no win for the A’s in Seattle

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (3-4) suffered their third consecutive loss on Friday night in Seattle as the Mariners won the opening game of the four-game wrap-around series 5-3. For the Mariners (4-4), it was their third consecutive victory.

Manaea was no mystery

Sean Manaea (0-2, 7.00) made his second start of the accelerated season and the results were less than spectacular. Manaea lasted just 4.1 innings allowing five runs (3 earned) on six hits while striking out four hitters.

Manaea’s ERA currently sits at 7.00 which is the kind of number that gets you sent to Triple-A or released in the normal baseball universe. In 2020, you might expect that two poor starting performances could mean a trip to San Jose to workout with the “taxi squad”, but that is not going to happen. With A.J. Puk on the Injured List, no front line starter is going to be sent anywhere.

Manaea is known as being a tenacious worker who will do everything he can do to get his “mojo” back on the mound. The fear in a situation like this is that it could be something physically wrong and not just something wrong with his pitching motion. The A’s have not given any indication that they think Manaea has any type of potential injury problem.

The bottom line is the A’s need Manaea to find a way to win games and win them right now. Each loss in this shortened season equals 2.7 losses. That means his two losses are the equivalent of 5.4 losses in a 162-game season. That many consecutive losses would cause major panic in the front office of any major league club.

The A’s need Manaea to find a way to get a win in his next start if they are to stay competitive for a playoff spot.

Three hits will not get it done

The A’s managed to collect only three hits in the game on Friday night in Seattle. Marcus Semien hit his first triple of the season in the top the eighth inning that drove in two runs for Oakland. Semien now has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .280 in those games.

Ramon Laureano hit his second double of the year in the game and Stephen Piscotty hit a single that eventually allowed him to score on Semien’s triple.

Laureano did hit a Sacrifice Fly that produced the A’s third and final run of the contest.

Oakland left four men on base. They went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left two runners in scoring position with two out.

For a team that is supposed to be known for its power, the A’s are experiencing a real power drought.

Walker was the Mariners star of the game

Taijuan Walker (1-1, 4.35) made his second start of the season for Seattle on Friday night and he was spectacular. Walker worked seven scoreless innings allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out eight Oakland hitters. He struck out the side in the fifth inning.

Taylor Walker picked up his second save of the young season in the game.

Seattle had a good night at the plate

J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 and two runs on Friday night. He now has a five-game hitting streak with multiple hits in his last three games.

Kyle Lewis extended his hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run in the win over the A’s.

Kyle Seager hit his fourth double of the season in the fourth inning which drove in two runs. It was his fifth extra-base hit of the season.

Up next

The first pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 6:10 PM on Saturday night. The A’s will send RHP Mike Fiers (0-0, 9.00) to the mound to face off against the Mariners LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 13.50).

 

 

 

 

 

 

SF Bullpen does a great job, Flores homers in Giants rout of Rangers 9-2

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The San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores is congratulated by Giants third base coach Ron Wotus in the fifth inning on Friday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco (sfgate.com photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-In what was known as a pitchers ballpark prior to this season, and for the first 20 seasons, Oracle Park is now a hitters park or so it seems thru the first four games of the home slate.

Wilmer Flores hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in a rematch of the 2010 World Series, when the Giants won their first World Championship since 1954.

Fast forward to 2020 and it is a totally different story for both teams, as both are in rebuilding stages after a terrific decade of the 2010s.

Things did not get off to a good start for the Giants, as Logan Webb gave up a first pitch home run to lead off batter Shin-Soo Choo to give the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead.

Webb ended up going third and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs (one earned), walking four and striking out four, as he did not fare in the decision.

Conor Menez replaced Webb and pitched 1.1 innings of perfect ball, as he struck out one and picked up his first win of the 2020 season. Shawn Anderson came on to replace Menez, and pitched a perfect sixth inning.

Once again, the Giants bullpen continues to impress, as Menez, Anderson, Wandy Peralta, Tony Watson and Sam Selman combined to go the final 5.1 innings, allowing zero runs, on just two hits, not walking a batter and striking out six.

Chadwick Tromp picked up his first major league hit in the bottom of the fifth inning to get the eventual game-winning rally, then Mauricio Dubon singled with one out. Austin Slater then flew out for the second out of the inning and then Flores planted a 2-2 offering from Mike Minor, and put it into the left field bleachers to give the Giants a 4- 2 lead and never looked back.

Tromp broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled to left field to score Darin Ruf for his first major league run batted in. Dubon then singled up the middle to score Tromp from second base.

The Giants tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Donovan Solano got in on the act, as he singled to right field to score Flores and then Ruf hit a double that just was out of the reach of Nick Solak in centerfield that scored Evan Longoria and Solano.

Every Giants starter picked up a hit on the evening with the exception of Hunter Pence, who is now 0-for-21 on the season.

NOTES: Pablo Sandoval is the only current Giants player remaining from the 2010 World Championship team. Elvis Andrus remains as the lone Rangers holdover from the 2010 team that won their first American League Championship in team history.

The Giants recalled Selman from their alternate site and have placed RHP Sam Coonrod on the 10-day IL with a right lat strain.

After scoring just 13 runs in their first five games of the season, the Giants have nearly doubled that total over the past three games, as they have scored 23 runs.
When Choo was hit by the pitch in the top of the 4th inning it was the 151st of his career, breaking a tie with Anthony Rizzo (150) for the most HBP among active players in MLB. It was also his 70th as a member of the Rangers, which is already a club record (next closest: Ian Kinsler-57).

UP NEXT: The Rangers will send Jordan Lyles to the mound on Saturday night, while the Giants have yet to announce their starter.

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings get their bubble burst in re-start season opener 129-120

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(@NBCSKings photo) The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) who lays one in had 29 points for Friday night but it wasn’t enough as the San Antonio Spurs took the first game of the eight game re-start season at ESPN World Wide of Sports Arena in Orlando

By Barbara Mason

As the NBA at long last opened their 2019-2020 season we saw something that is making history and we are all here to witness it. Against all odds there is a change brewing across this nation and across the world. Watching entire teams, coaches, trainers all kneeling during the national anthem is a sight that few of us will ever forget.

The fight for equality is alive and we are all causing “good trouble” to quote the late Congressman, activist and American hero John Lewis. This is such a powerful image as each of these teams open their seasons and it will continue to impact throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.

The Sacramento Kings took on the San Antonio Spurs in a must win game. Every game is crucial for the Kings as they vie for the eighth playoff spot. The only lead that the Kings had in the first quarter was a three point lead while the Spurs at one time held a 16 point lead. At the end of the first quarter San Antonio led 43-30. The Kings De’Aaron Fox led the scoring in the opening quarter with 11 points.

The Kings would pull closer in the second quarter. Fox had remained silent and at 8:26 into the quarter the Kings trailed by seven points 49-42. Harrison Barnes had seven points through 1 1/2 quarters. The bench had turned in ten points as the Kings continued to nip at the heels of the Spurs pulling closer as the quarter wore on.

Fox would finish the first half with an impressive 20 points. The Kings had taken the slimmest of leads 65-64 erasing the 13 point deficit in the first quarter. Both teams had two players in double digits in the first half; Fox and Nemanja Bjelica for the Kings and Derrick White and Dejounte Murray for the Spurs. A nice performance off the bench for 11 points was the Spurs small forward Rudy Gay. The Kings would have every opportunity to extend their lead going into the third quarter.

The third quarter could not have been closer. Both teams would trade leads by a single point in the final minutes of the quarter. The Spurs had pulled ahead as the teams headed into the fourth quarter leading 96-92. Fox finished the quarter with 30 points with four Kings in double digits and Bazemore leading with seven rebounds. The Spurs had five players in double digits and impressive defense.

The fourth quarter was another tug of war much like the third. In the later minutes of this game the two teams were tied much of the time. With under four minutes left in the game the two teams were tied at 112.

The final score was 129-120 with the Kings falling to the Spurs. Despite Fox having a 39 point game the Kings were unable to get past the San Antonio. With the Grizzlies losing to Portland, Sacramento had a great opportunity to make up some ground but it just wasn’t to be. In an eight game season losing is not an option. Sunday the Kings will take on the Magic: tipoff at 3:00 pm.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Lynch and Shanahan locked in new contracts; Stubblefield looking at life for rape charge

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch enjoys the preparation of getting into the NFC Championship in this Jan 19th 2020 photo as the 49ers get ready to host the Green Bay Packers. Lynch signed a five year deal with the 49ers keeping him with the team until 2024. (AP file photo)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The 49ers have signed John Lynch to a five year deal this week that keeps him at the 49ers front offices until 2024. The 49ers also secured head coach Kyle Shanahan with a new six year deal replacing the old contract.

#2 Former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield is looking at a 15 years to life sentence for the forcible rape of a developmentally disabled woman while using a gun in April 2015. The woman came to Stubblefield’s Morgan Hills home thinking she was going to be interviewed for a babysitting job. Stubblefield led the 49ers in sacks with 10.5 in his rookie year and played for San Francisco from 1993-97 and returned with the team for two seasons 2001 and 2002.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

MLS is Back Tournament podcast with London Marq: How the game has stayed safe in the Orlando bubble; Quarterfinals start on Saturday

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Real Salt Lake defender Marcelo Silva, left, and San Jose Earthquakes forward Andres Rios (25) compete for the ball during the first half of the MLS Is Back knockout game Monday. (AP photo)

MLS podcast with London:

#1 Since playing in the bubble for the MLS is Back Tournament there hasn’t been any major outbreak since FC Dallas and FC Nashville had dropped out.

#2 London their are eight teams left in the MLS quarterfinals and amongst them are the heavily favorites LAFC and Sporting KC which had strong outings to get here.

#3 The San Jose Earthquakes have been the biggest surprise going 3-0-1 beating some real odds playing to a 0-0 draw to start the tournament against Seattle, then coming back from behind on the Vancouver Whitecaps for a  4-3 win, then shutting out the Chicago Fire 2-0 and then a huge win 5-2 over Real Salt Lake to go the quarterfinals with momentum.

#4 The Quakes go into the quarterfinals this Saturday as underdogs and no one would have expected them to get this far and the way they have played since the MLS is Back has folks the games asking “who are these guys”

#5 Chris Wondolowski always a key player in the Quakes success and the 86th minute of Monday night’s game against RSL was no exception with Wondolowski scoring on a rebound. Wondolowski who leads the MLS as the all time scorer scored in his third straight game.

London Marq podcasts each Friday and does analysis on the San Jose Earthquakes at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ comeback falls short in extras lose to Pads 12-7

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The San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar tagged a two run sixth inning homer against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP photo)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air, summer’s out of reach/ Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone/I’m driving by your house, though I know you’re not home.

Those lyrics, from Don Henley’s 1984 hit “Boys of Summer,” actually describe the 2020 baseball season – not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic that caused this state – pretty accurately.

The delayed fake crowd noise, the carbon-fiber cutouts – for what it’s worth, 4,712 cutouts were counted – that are concentrated behind the plate but are also dispersed along the base lines in the first two decks. The instrumental version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” during the seventh-inning stretch with no vocals to be heard, not even the synthetic crowd noise that should have followed.

For the first six-and-a-half innings Thursday, the Giants looked more like the Boys of Bummer, falling behind by five runs before rallying in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game. Unlike Wednesday night, they could not complete the comeback, as the San Diego Padres exploded for six runs in the 10th inning to come away with a 12-7 win at Oracle Park.

Starter Kevin Gausman got in trouble in the third and ultimately yielded a run when a wild pitch allowed Ty France to score. It got worse for Gausman and the Giants the very next inning. Right fielder Steven Duggar got completely turned around in the fourth inning, allowing Trent Grisham’s long fly ball to bounce off the wall in right-center for a leadoff triple.

Grisham scored when the next better, Manny Machado, singled through the right side of the infield to bring him in. Two batters later, Jurickson Profar, knocked Machado in with a single of his own to give the Padres a commanding 3-0 lead.

Gausman lasted only 4 1/3 innings and surrendered three runs on six hits, although he struck out eight and did not walk a single batter.

The Giants got a run in the fifth, but they didn’t exactly earn it. With one out, Grisham made a diving catch, and Brandon Belt, who was on first, had gotten past second base and looked like a sitting duck. However, the Padres managed to screw up the relay to first and allowed Belt to somehow slide back in safely.

This also allowed Mike Yastrzemski to tag up from third and get the Giants on the board.

That was quickly nixed when Profar, the former A’s infielder who entered Thursday’s game 1-for-15, hit a two-run homer off reliever Caleb Baragar.

The Giants got three runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to two, and then tied things up in the eighth, when Yastrzemski tripled to score Duggar and then Donovan Solano drove him in with a sac fly.

A’s Preview: A’s to open four game series with Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle

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Manager Scott Servais elbow bumps Shed Long at summer camp last week at T-Mobile Park. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros, make their first road trip starting Friday. The A’s travel to Seattle to play four against the Mariners. The A’s are 3-3 so far, and the Mariners own a 2-4 record. In his fifth year as the M’s skipper, Scott Servais has a record of 321-327 during his tenure.

Servis will have his work cut out for him as the team has jettisoned many of the players from the 2019 season. Pitchers Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake, Hunter Strickland, Tommy Milone, Wade LeBlanc, have new homes. Sluggers Ryon Healy, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jay Bruce are in greener pastures. The same goes for catcher Omar Narvaez.

There will be a lot of unfamiliar names in the M’s lineup on Friday. Let’s take a look at their roster. The Mariners have three catchers on the team. Austin Nola will see the bulk of the action, and he will be backed up by rookies Joseph Odom and Joe Hudson.

Nola hit .269 last year with ten homers. Daniel Vogelbach will see time at first base. The big man hit just .208, but he hit 30 round-trippers in 2019. He will also see action as the teams’ designated hitter. Evan White and Jose Marmolejos also will see work at first.
Three players will handle the chores at second base.

In his second year, Shed Long, Jr., the veteran Dee Gordon, in his tenth, and Tim Lopes, who hit .270 in 111 at-bats in 2019.J.P.Crawford and Dylan Moore will be at shortstop. Crawford played more than Moore, but their batting averages are about the same as are their home run totals. The veteran Kyle Seager will be at third base for the tenth year. Seager hit .239 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs last year.

Rookie Jose Marmolejos will be in left field. Marmolejos can also play first base. Mallex Smith will be in centerfield. Kyle Lewis, who is off to a good start with eleven hits and a batting average of .458 will be in right field. Vogelback, Mamolejos, and Tim Lopes will see time as the designated hitter.

The M’s will use Matt Magill as their closer. Other bullpen pitchers include Dan Altavilla, Bryan Shaw, Nestor Cortes, Taylor Williams, Carl Edwards, Jr, Zac Grotz, Anthony Misiewicz, Yohan Ramirez, and Nick Margevicius.

We will now take a look at the probable pitchers for the four-game series. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland on Friday night. Taijuan Walker will oppose him. Manaea lost his first start to the Angels last Saturday.

Manaea pitched early in the game but ran out gas and didn’t make it through the fifth inning. His command was sharp as 40 of his 55 pitches were strikes. Taijuan Walker did not pitch in 2019 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Walker, back with Seattle after spending two years in Arizona, did not fare well in his first outing. In three and 1/3rd innings of work, he allowed five runs and his ERA stands at 13.50

The A’s have not announced their starting pitcher for Saturday night. Mike Fiers probably will pitch. Yusei Kikuchi will go for Seattle. Kikuchi went three and 2/3rds innings and gave up five hits, five runs, and walked four.

On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will pitch for Oakland. Kendall Graveman, the former Athletic, will face his teammates for the first time since leaving the club. Graveman also had Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in the last two years. He is 0-1 so far.

Graveman pitched four-plus innings and gave up seven runs and six hits. He would love nothing better than beating his old mates. No pitchers have been announced for Monday’s game. There is a possibility that Jesus Luzardo will make his first start for Oakland.

The A’s would like nothing better than sweeping the four-game series. A’s manager Bob Melvin wants his starters to go deeper into the game. Only one pitcher has gone at least five innings. If Melvin has to remove the pitchers too early, it will wear out the bullpen. The relievers have done their job.

The A’s hitters have to get their game going, too. Khris Davis is 0-for-15 to start the season. The team cannot get off to a so-so start. The season is only 60 games, and if they are not playing well in the early going, it won’t be easy to finish in one of the two top spots in the AL West. Let’s hope things fall into place for the Green and Gold this weekend.

NFL podcast with Tony Renteria: NY Giants Solder opts out; Eagles Johnson tests positive for Covid-19; plus more

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New York Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder (76) otped out of playing this season after concerns for his family and not taking any chances of bringing the virus home with him (Newday file photo)

On the NFL podcast with Tony R:

#1 The New York Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder has opted out of playing this season because of family concerns he said he had been praying to God and wrestling with the concerns of playing this season and came to the conclusion it was a family decision to opt out.

#2 Three time lineman and Philadelphia right tackle Lane Johnson has tested positive for Coronavirus and will be sidelined on the reserve/Covid-19 list. Johnson said that he will follow the team and NFL protocols and looks forward to coming back after being quarantined.

#3 Tony San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that despite a 2021 salary cap floor of $175 million which is $40 million less that was anticipated before the Covid-19 epidemic the 49ers feel like they can get a deal done with tight end George Kittle who is expected to make $2.1 million this season which is the last year remaining on his contract.

#4 Tony talk about Los Angeles Charger defensive end Joey Bosa who had agreed to a five year extension with the Chargers at a price tag of $135 million. This season is the last year on Bosa five year rookie contract with the Chargers.

#5 Jamal Adams who is a All Pro safety who was dealt from the New York Jets to the Seattle Seahawks was also sought by the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Adams deal was to make $9.86 million in his last year of his contract with the Jets.

Tony Renteia does the NFL podcasts every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s struggling to get around the baseball out pitched during Rockie series

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(San Francisco Chronicle photo) The Oakland A’s Khris Davis (right) after a fourth inning RBI sacrifice gets an elbow bump from A’s manager Bob Melvin (left) on Mon Jul 20th’s game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Angels. Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry during the A’s series with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday they scratched out only four runs how does A’s manager Bob Melvin account for the lack of run production in that two game series?

#2 Jerry talk about the Rockies German Marquez who had command on the A’s line up going six innings, four hits, giving up just a run and the vital statistic eight strikeouts.

#3 Six of the Rockies in the line came to Oakland hitting over .300 and on Tuesday they put on a run production with a five run 8-3 win they’ve got some guys in that line up that can swing the bats.

#4 The A’s Khris Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Rockies after going hitless in 15 at bats has this been a matter of not seeing the pitches that he wants to hit or as Melvin said he’s struggling right now.

#5 The A’s now hit the road to face the Seattle Mariners at Safeco for a four game series on Friday night in Seattle. The Mariners are struggling in their own right and have lost four of their last five games as of Tuesday night could series give the A’s a chance to take advantage of the Mariners recent struggles and get back in the win column?

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioervice.com

 

 

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Quakes roll to quarterfinals this Saturday with a perfect 3-0-1 record

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The San Jose Earthquakes Carlos Fierro has a lot to be happy about as he’s been a big offensive contributor in the MLS is Back Tournament as the Quakes defeated Real Salt Lake in a come back match on Monday night in Orlando (@SJEarthquakes photo)

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko:

#1 The San Jose Earthquakes once again played another come back from behind contest at the MLS is Back tournament scoring four goals in the second half to turn it around on Real Salt Lake for a three goal 5-2 win last Monday in Orlando.

#2 Marko talk about the point you had brought up in your column on Monday night San Jose had five different players tally either a goal or an assist and two players that recorded both a goal and an assist.

#3 The Earthquakes have now scored 11 goals in their last three matches of the MLS is Back Tournament, including at least four in two of the last three games.

#4 San Jose controlled the majority of play in the first half. They won the possession battle 66%-34% against Real Salt Lake.

#5 Marko talk about the upcoming game against  Minnesota FC the Quakes have this Saturday Aug 1st as they head to the quarterfinals.

Join Marko as he takes you through the excitement of San Jose Earthquakes soccer from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.