San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Mets-Giants to conclude 3 game series today in New York

San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada (39), Luis Matos (center), and Patrick Bailey (right) all celebrate after scoring in the against the New York Mets in the top of the tenth inning at Citi Park at New York on Sat May 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

On San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 In the top of the tenth inning on Saturday the San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski hit a three run triple that capped the Giants five run rally to help defeat the New York Mets at Citi Field 7-2 Saturday.

#2 The Giants who came back from behind in three straight games down four runs to win were tied at 2-2 with the Mets and in the top of the tenth lit up Met’s ace closer Edwin Diaz. Diaz is a reliver the Mets could count on but the Giants of late have just absolutely have been getting around on the baseball with lots of success.

#3 In the top of the 10th the Giants Brett Wisely led off with an RBI single off Mets reliever Sean Reid-Foley (1-2). Patrick Bailey walked and that set up Yastrzemski’s triple. The Giants in terms of getting timely hitting late in games has been an understatement.

#4 Bailey whose been hitting lights out and who hit a grand slam on Friday got an RBI single in sixth inning . Bailey has been the key in the Giants line up.

#5 For game 3 on Sunday the Mets will be starting Sean Manaea (3-1, 3.11) and for the Giants Logan Webb (4-4, 3.03) first pitch at 10:40am PT at Citi Field that concludes today.

Morris Phillips is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes squander chances salvage 1-1 draw against Austin FC

Austin FC forward Sebastian Driussi looks to make a play while San Jose Earthquakes forward Amahl Pellegrino closes in pursuit during the teams’ 1-1 draw at Pay Pal Park on Saturday MAY 25, 2024.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The posts and crossbar were friends of Austin FC.

The San Jose Earthquakes hit two posts late in extra time as they settled for a 1-1 draw with Austin FC on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose snapped its two-match pointless streak. Austin FC has points in three consecutive matches.

San Jose (3-10-2) drew first blood in the 10th minute. Cristian Espinoza led a rush down the right wing. The Argentine forward crossed the ball over to the left side where Jeremy Ebobisse blasted a left footed shot top-shelf into an open net for his co-leading fourth goal of the season.

The Earthquakes had a chance to double its lead twice in a two-minute span less than halfway through the opening 45 minutes. First in the 21st minute, a turnover inside the center of the box by an Austin FC defender found its way to the foot of fullback Vitor Costa but Costa’s shot attempt gobbled up by Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who made three saves in the first half.

Then two minutes later, Ebobisse found Hernán López along the right wing but López’s right footed attempt hit the right side of the net as San Jose had Austin reeling inside its own zone.

Austin (6-4-5) slowly started gaining momentum late in the first half as San Jose were issued for two yellow cards with Bruno Wilson and Espinoza being carded for fouls a minute apart in the 41st and 42nd minute.

Austin took advantage of a questionable foul by Carlos Gruezo just outside the box to the right side. Owen Wolff’s free kick was headed into the back of the net past ‘Quakes goalkeeper William Yarbrough by Brendan Hines-Ike in the 45th minute for his first goal of the season giving Austin the equalizer just before halftime.

“100 percent!” said Yarbrough when asked if the team was more angry than disappointed in not earning the extra two points at the end of the match. “I want to win every game. When you’re at home with your fans, I know it’s not cheap for families of four or five that come to watch us play. And playing the way we did tonight and not being able to give them three points, which I feel like they deserved, and we deserved, it’s a frustrating feeling.”

San Jose controlled the play in the second half generating chances as they had the pitch tilted on Austin’s side for the rest of the game. In the 61st minute, López had a scoring chance inside the box but his shot went way wide left of the net. Then in 72nd minute Espinoza dribbled inside to the center of the box before firing wide right with his shot attempt.

The Earthquakes came within inches of scoring the game winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time. The ball fell to Espinoza near the edge of the goal, but his shot hit off the right post. On the ensuing rebound, López’s attempt from hit off the crossbar.

“When we play with this urgency, and this desire to push the game and attack, I know we’ll earn points and win more games over the course of time,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

Yarbrough had one save on two shots on target to earn his second draw of the season. Stuver made six saves on seven shots on target.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with eight corner kicks. Austin FC had one.

San Jose is 2-1-6 against Austin FC in the all-time series.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out the Big Apple to take on New York City FC on Friday at 4:30pm at Yankee Stadium.

A’s win unbelievable 11-inning thriller 10-9 over Rockies to take series

Oakland A’s Daz Cameron watches the flight of his home run ball in the bottom of the ninth to tie up the ball game 5-5 at the time against the Colorado Rockies at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu May 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

Colorado Rockies 9 (16-33)

Oakland Athletics 10 (21-31)

Win: Brandon Bielak (1-0)

Loss: Peter Lambert (2-3)

Time: 3:12

Attendance: 6,886

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–The A’s fought and came out of an unbelievable 11-inning thriller on top, as they came back from two separate four-run deficits, and they scored five runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Colorado Rockies by a final of 10-9.

After dropping a tough one in 12 innings Wednesday night, the A’s hoped to bounce back with a series win over the Rockies in what was shaping up to be a casual Thursday afternoon affair at the Oakland Coliseum. It was a beautiful day for a ballgame, as busloads of kids who are getting out of school came to take in this one.

Joey Estes would take the mound for Oakland Thursday afternoon, and he would have a rough time getting things going in the top of the first inning.

Ezequiel Tovar hit a double to left-center field to start the ballgame. Jake Cave struck out swinging, and Ryan McMahon lined out to JJ Bleday out in left-center, but when Bleday through the ball back to second base, he ended up throwing the ball all the way into the Rockies’ dugout on the first base side of the Coliseum, which allowed Tovar to score the game’s first run.

The good news for the A’s was that the bases were empty with two outs. However, the Rockies kept things going, as Elehuris Montero doubled to left, and Brenton Doyle knocked in Montero with a double of his own to make it 2-0. It was the second day in a row that the Rockies scored two runs in the top of the first inning.

Ryan Feltner made the start for Colorado and pitched a scoreless bottom of the first. The A’s threatened off Feltner in the bottom of the second, when J.D. Davis singled to start the inning and Kyle McCann doubled him to third with one out.

Daz Cameron flew out to right for the second out, but it wasn’t deep enough for Davis to try and score. However, when the throw from Rockies’ right-fielder Jake Cave sailed by catcher Jacob Stallings, fans at the Coliseum expressed their displeasure at Davis for not scoring. Max Schuemann then struck out swinging to end the inning, and the A’s came up empty handed.

As for Estes, he settled down. In fact, when he got Jacob Stallings to ground out to end the top of the first inning, that started a streak of 13-straight guys that Estes retired.

Seth Brown doubled to lead off the bottom of the fourth, and the A’s ended up loading the bases with one out. However, like the bottom of the second, the A’s would waste this opportunity as well. Cameron and Schuemann each flew out, and the Rockies kept their 2-0 lead going to the fifth.

Estes’ streak came to an end when Tovar hit his second double of the game to lead off the top of the sixth. Cave then lined a single to right to put runners at the corners with nobody out.

Things then got weird when McMahon hit a high soaring pop up to shallow center field that drew in a whole group of A’s defenders. Shortstop Max Schuemann dropped the ball, which then deflected to right-fielder Seth Brown, who threw to second-baseman Zack Gelof to get cave on the force play. Tovar came in to score to make it 3-0 Rockies.

The play was ruled a 6-9-4 fielder’s choice and an RBI for McMahon. Ironically, the fact that Cave was thrown out at second is most likely what gave McMahon an RBI, as had everybody been safe, the play would have likely been ruled an error on Schuemann, and McMahon would not have gotten an RBI.

Montero came up and also hit a pop up, this one to left, and left-fielder Daz Cameron, who initially broke back, came in and couldn’t get it on the dive. This one would be ruled a hit. Doyle hit another pop up, but this one would be caught by Schuemann at short for the second out.

Stallings then lined a base-hit to left. McMahon was waved in, and Cameron’s throw to the plate appeared as if it was going to make it a close play at the plate. The throw was cut off by third-baseman Abraham Toro, who threw to the shortstop, Schuemann, who was covering third, to nail Montero to end the inning. McMahon crossed the plate before the final put was made, so the run scored, and it was 4-0.

The weirdest part of that inning was the fact that Estes only threw 10 pitches that entire inning. No at-bat in that inning lasted more than three pitches.

Feltner responded by throwing a shutdown 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth. Estes then came back out for one last inning in the top of the seventh and threw a 1-2-3 inning.

The game was going rather quickly, as Victor Vodnik came in for Colorado in the bottom of the seventh, and the A’s finally got something going. Kyle McCann led off the inning with a double to right. Cameron reached on an infield hit to put runners at the corners, and Schuemann lined a base-hit up the middle to center to score McCann and put the A’s on the board.

Scott Alexander came in for Oakland in the eighth and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Seth Brown singled off Tyler Kinley with one out in the bottom of the eighth, and Davis hit a home run to left-center to make it a one-run game at 4-3.

Michael Kelly pitched a 1-2-3 inning for Oakland in the top of the ninth, and the A’s came up for one last shot in the bottom of the inning against Jalen Beeks.

Daz Cameron, who was called up just this morning from the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, and who heard the news this morning from Tacoma, Washington and had to catch an early morning flight from Seattle, hit a home run to left-center in his A’s debut to tie the game to start the bottom of the ninth.

“Have you ever heard of ‘snap, crackle, pop?’ That’s exactly what it feels like,” said Cameron. “Popping a ball off the really fat part of the bat…..it was a good feeling.”

It was quite a day for Cameron, who was playing his first major league game since Aug. 7, 2022, when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers.

“He’s been killing Triple-A,” said Manager Mark Kotsay. “[He took] a 5:30 flight from Seattle to Oakland [and was] in the lineup. I met him midway through my workout this morning, [I] told [him] he was in the lineup and he just kinda blank stared me and didn’t realize what was going on, because I was pretty intense at that moment. So it’s always that way, but for him to come through [with] a big homer to tie it in the ninth, it was great to see from him.”

Schuemann immediately followed up Cameron’s home run with a base-hit, and with two outs, he stole second. Brent Rooker then drew a walk from Justin Lawrence, but Brown softly lined out to second-baseman Alan Trejo in shallow right-center.

For the second day in a row, the A’s came back to force the game into extra innings. Mason Miller pitched in the top of the 10th, and the Rockies retook the lead on a sacrifice fly to center by Jordan Beck. The inning ended when Elias Diaz pinch-hit for Trejo and lined out to Davis, who very casually stepped on the bag to double off Kris Bryant at first to end the inning.

Lawrence stayed out for the Rockies in the bottom of the 10th. Gelof singled in Brown, the automatic runner, with one out to tie it again. McCann walked, and the A’s had another chance to win it, but Cameron grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

It was now off to the 11th, and Miller came back out for a second inning of work. Cave singled in Diaz, the automatic runner, to put the Rockies back ahead 6-5.

Things then completely fell apart for Miller and the A’s. With Cave at second and Charlie Blackmon at first with two outs, a wild pitch from Miller moved the runners to second and third. Doyle then singled deep into the hole at short to score Cave and make it 7-5. If it wasn’t for the wild pitch, Schuemann would have had an easy force play at second, but with that out of the picture, Doyle was able to beat out the long throw.

“I think [Miller] left a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate,” said Kotsay. “Even though he’s got dominant stuff, there’s going to be days when hitters [hit his stuff] when it’s over the middle…..you’re going to have days like that. Now, it’s about bouncing back for Mason.”

The Rockies continued to add on after Brandon Bielak came in for Miller. Brendan Rodgers lined a double down the left field line to score a pair and open Colorado’s lead to 9-5.

It was the exact same situation as last night. The Rockies scored two in the first inning, and the A’s came back to tie the game and force it into extra innings, but the Rockies were prepared to win another one. It seemed all but over for the A’s, but they continued to fight and refused to give in.

Matt Koch was the new pitcher for Colorado, and Cameron was the automatic runner at second. The A’s showed right away that they were indeed going to keep fighting, as Schuemann led off the inning and lined a double down the left field line to score Cameron and make it 9-6.

Toro singled on a ground ball to right to knock in Schuemann and make it 9-7, and then JJ Bleday tied the game with a home run to right-center.

What was a quick midweek afternoon affair quickly turned into a long and drawn-out thriller. Peter Lambert came in for Koch, and Brown lined an opposite-field base-hit to left with one out. Davis struck out looking for the second out, but on the third strike, Brown stole second. Gelof then hit a ground ball into the whole at short that seemed destined for left field, but Tovar dove to his right to keep it in the infield.

Rockies Manager Bud Black chose to intentionally walk McCann to load the bases, and Kotsay countered by pinch-hitting Tyler Soderstrom for Daz Cameron. It was a bold move to pinch-hit for the man who hit the ninth-inning game-tying home run in his A’s debate, but Kotsay’s move paid off, as Soderstrom walked on four pitches to end it, and the A’s someway and somehow came back with five runs in the bottom of the 11th to win this wild thriller by a final of 10-9.

“These guys in there, they don’t quit, and today’s an example of that,” said Kotsay. “The unity that they’ve stuck together, the teamwork that they’ve created [and] the culture in there came out today…..last road trip, they got together after we left Baltimore and talked about those specific things…..we got off that road trip with a day off, and I know a lot of the guys spent the day together bonding, creating friendship and that unity. I think today was a perfect example of it.”

Brandon Bielak ended up getting the win for Oakland, and Peter Lambert took the loss for Colorado.

The A’s improve to 21-31, and they have won their first series since taking two of three from the Miami Marlins two and a half weeks ago. They will welcome the Houston Astros into the Coliseum for three games starting Friday night. This will be a chance at retribution for the A’s, who were swept out of Houston in four games by the Astros when the two teams met at Minute Maid Park last week.

“We’re gonna enjoy this one,” said Kotsay. “I don’t want to look past this one yet, because it feels too good.”

“We want another opportunity to play [the Astros],” Kotsay continued. “They’ve had our number for a little while…..every series is [a] challenge, but I think [our] guys know where we’re at, and [we have an] opportunity to go out and play against the best.”

Ross Stripling (1-8, ERA 5.19) will be on the mound for the A’s, and he will be up against Justin Verlander (2-2, ERA 3.97) who will be going for Houston. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

McMahon 2 run homer in 12th lifts Rockies past A’s 4-3 at Coliseum

Colorado Rockies Ryan McMahon raises a fist in celebration with teammate Jake Cave (11) after hitting a two run home run in the top of the 12th inning for the gamer at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

Colorado (16-32). 200 000 000 002. 4 12 0

Athletics (20-31). 000 100 001 001. 3. 8 0. 12 innings

Time: 3:09

Attendance: 3,617

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The A’s came close to duplicating Tuesday night’s surprising come from behind win over the foundering Colorado Rockies but fell short, losing to the visitors from the Mile High City, 4-3 in 12 innings.

The Athletics entrusted mound duties to Mitch Spence , acquired from the Yankees in the 2023 Rule 5 draft. The rookie was 3-2, 3.90) at game time. He was a workhorse last year in the minors, leading MiLB in innings pitched with 163 and was third in pitches thrown, with 2,564. In his previous start, his first as a major leaguer, the 6’2″, 185 lb. righty lasted only 4-2/3 frames but still threw 77 pitches, taking the loss even though he allowed only one run and retired 11 of the last Royals he faced.

Wednesday evening, he threw 70 pitches, 46 for strikes, before being relieved by Brandon Bielak after three innings. He allowed five hits, one of them responsible for both of the runs scored against him. He struck out four, walked three, and wasn’t involved in the decision and ending the night at 3-2, 4.09

The Rockies’ starting pitcher, four year veteran left hander Austin Gomber, came to work with an impressive record of 1-2, 3.02, He was the Cardinals’ choice in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and reached the majors with the Cards in 2018. He was on their roster during the pandemic shortened 2020 season, during which he spent 10 days on the COVID Injured List. He came to Denver in 2021 as part of the trade that sent Nolen Arenado to St. Louis. His record last year of 9-9, 5.50 hides his improvement of his first half numbers of 7-7, 6.40, to 2-2, 3.86 in the second half and his franchise record of 29-2/3 innings pitched without issuing a walk.

Gomber was in fine fettle Wednesday night. He went eight full innings and probably had it in him to hurl a complete game win, but he had to settle for an 89 pitch, eight inning no decision that lowered his ERA to 2.76.

It didn’t take long for the Blake Street Bombers to put a crooked number on the board. Catcher Elías Díaz smacked a 401 foot homer over the 388 foot sign in right center field with two down Charlie Blackmon on board to give them a 2-0 lead.

Brendan Rogers bad hop single to right and a pair of walks (with a balk thrown into the mix), the Rox loaded the bases. Spence got out of that jam with his third strikeout of the inning. The Rox loaded the sacks again in the third, and, once more, Spence wiggled out of it,once more retiring Jordan Beck for the third out.

JJ Bleday’s one ouytwallop, which took a 90 mph four seamer 392 feet into the right center field seats, narrowed the gap to 2-2 in the homeless fifth. That gave the A’s center fielder six homers and 19 RBI for the year.

Bielak allowed one hit in each of the fourth and fifth frames and left after Hunter Goodman’s liner to left hit the fence on a bounce for a two out double with the top of the order due up. TJ McFarland took over and issued a full count walk to Charlie Blackmon Ezéquiel Tovar’s fly to center ended the threat. McFarland retired McMahon in the top of the seventh and then turned the ball over to Michael Kelly, who gave up a double and a walk, but the Rockies’ lead remained 2-1 when he strolled to the dugout.

The Athletics threatened with two down in the bottom of the seventh, JD Davis legged out a single to short on which ‘Tovar made a beautiful bachand grab. Zack Gelof to center, putting the potential tying run in scoring position and the potential winning tally on base. But Tyler Nevin lined out to right to end the incipient rally.

Lucas Erceg helped himself by starting an inning ending 1-4-3 twin killing that gave the A’s one last chance to stay alive. He caught the ball in his bare hand before throwing it to second.

They got it against Jalen Beeks, who replaced Gomber to start the inning. And they took advantage of it. Bleday singled with one out. Langeliers flew out, leaving the Rockies one out away from victory, but he walked Davis and then surrendered a game tying single to the resurgent Gelof that plated pinch running Esteury Ruíz.

Erceg stayed on to pitch the first extra inning and retired the side in order. Victor Vlodnik returned the compliment in the Athletics’ 10th.

Austin Adams continued the skein of perfect innings in the top of the 11th, and Nick Mears struck out the three A’s he faced in the bottom of the frame.

It was Kyle Muller on the bump for the Athletics in the visitors’ 12th. Hunter Goodman advanced ghost runner Beck to third on a grounder to second, bringing up Ryan McMahon, who parked an 85 mph 401 feet into the right centerfield seats, taking the hopes of an A’s comeback win with him. But he didn’t allow any more scoring in spite of a double by Jacob Stallings.

The A’s now had a second one last chance. Seth Brown led off against Mears with Langliers as the zombie runner on second. He conservatively stopped at third on Brown’s single to center, bringing Gelof up with a chance to complete his turnaround performance.

But he bounced into an around the horn double play. But hope springs eternal, and Nevin drew a full count base on balls, and Colorado replaced Mears with Matt Koch to face Brett Harris. Mark Kotsay’s counter move was to call on Kyle McCann as a pinch hitter, bringing up Max Schuermann, who flew out to right.

Mears, now 1-3, 6,75, was the winning pitcher. Koch got his first save. The loss was charged to Muller, whose record now stands at 0-1, 3.94.

The two weary squads will face each other again Thursday afternoon at 12:37 at the Oakland Coliseum. Joey Estes (1-1, 9.35) will start for the Rockies; Ryan Feltner (1-4, 5.69) for the Athletics

Republic storms back in extra time to upset Earthquakes 4-3 in U.S. Open Cup

Sacramento Republic FC forward Luis Felipe was the catalyst in his team’s 4-3 comeback win over the San Jose Earthquakes at Heart Health Park on Tuesday MAY 21, 2024.

by Marko Ukalovic

Never count out the Sacramento Republic.

Luis Felipe and Jean Sebastian Herrera scores a minute apart in the second half of extra to give their team a 4-3 come from behind upset victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday evening at Heart Health Park.

This will go down as one of the worse defeats in U.S. Open Cup history for San Jose as they had a 3-2 lead at the end of the first half of extra time when Hernan Lopez scores in the 100th minute to give the Earthquakes a late lead in the match.

Sacramento advances to the quarterfinals for the second time in three years as they took down San Jose in similar fashion two years ago, also in the Round of 16.

San Jose drew first blood in 11th minute when Benji Kikanovic raced down the left sideline from midfield before crossing the ball of the Preston Judd who one-timed the ball pass Republic goalkeeper Daniel Vitiello.

The Republic struck back six minutes later when Luis Felipe Rodrigues crossed the ball into the middle of the box and Keiran Phillips header beat ‘Quakes goalkeeper Jacob Jackson for Phillips’s first goal of the goal in the 17th minute.

Phillips completed his brace 21 minutes later in when Jack Gurr centered a ball into the middle of the box. Phillips right footed strike beat Jackson to the bottom right corner of the goal to give Sacramento a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute.

Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez made three changes to his lineup to start the second half as he brought in Cristian Espinoza. Bruno Wilson and Jackson Yueill to jumpstart the offense that lagged off toward the end of the first half.

Niko Tsakiris won a free kick from 25 yards out to the right hash. Espinoza took full advantage when he lasered in the free kick inside the right post for the equalizer in the 80th minute, his first goal of the contest.

Lopez regained the lead for San Jose 10 minutes into the first half of stoppage time thanks to a pretty give and go with Judd who feathered a pass back to Lopez who beat his man off the dribble and beat Vitiello with a sliding shot that went into the far corner of the net.

Sacramento regained its composure immediately as the second half of stoppage time began as the possessed the ball and put pressure on the ‘Quakes back line. Rafael Jauregui centered the ball from the right over to Luis Felipe who beat Jackson with a right footed shot to tie the game at 3-3 in the 105th minute.

Then a minute later the Republic gained possession inside the ‘Quakes zone. Luis Felipe fed a pass over to Cristian Parano who was camped out on the right wing. Parano centered the ball into the middle of the box where Herrera one-timed the ball past Jackson for the game winning goal.

San Jose failed to get the equalizer to send the match to penalty kicks in the final 13 minutes as Sacramento held their ground in their defensive zone to come away with the victory.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns to MLS action on Saturday 5/25 at they host Austin FC at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Lynn’s late goal propels Orlando City in 1-0 shutout win over Earthquakes

Orlando City FC forward Jack Lynn dribbles down the pitch against the San Jose Earthquakes during his team’s 1-0 win at Pay Pal Park on Saturday MAY 18, 2024. (Orlando City FC)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — If the San Jose Earthquakes didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck at all.

Jack Lynn scored the match’s only goal in the 89th minute to give Orlando City FC a 1-0 shutout victory over San Jose on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose has lost its past two MLS matches. Orlando City has points in its last three matches.

Orlando City used a counterattack off of a set piece by San Jose. Iván Angulo stripped the ball off of Niko Tsakiris and raced down the left wing before crossing the ball over to Martin Ojeda. Ojeda’s shot attempt took a fluky bounce over to a wide-open Lynn who tapped in the ball into an open net with a right footed shot for third goal of the season.

“We weren’t able to send the ball back to the 18 (inside the box) and at the end of the day, this is football. The team that scores is the team that’s going to win. Today we didn’t have that consistency to score, to take advantage of our opportunities and they did on their last one,” ‘Quakes forward Cristian Espinoza said.

Both teams spent the first 15 minutes of the first half feeling each other out. Neither generated many scoring chances in the beginning of the match.

Orlando City (4-5-4) suffered a big loss to their offensive attack in the 16th minute. Leading goal scorer Duncan McGuire went up for a headed near midfield and landed awkwardly on his arm that looked scary. He laid on the ground for five minutes before walking off the field under his own power. OC head coached Oscar Pareja replaced McGuire with Lynn.

San Jose (3-10-1) controlled the possession for the majority of the first half and dominated play in the last 15 minutes of the opening half. Espinoza crossed the ball from right to left inside the box over to Rodrigues whose point-blank shot was knocked away by Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in the 30th minute.

Then seven minutes later Rodrigues had another attempt to put the Quakes on the board when he received a cross off the foot of Hernán López, but he shot sailed just to the right of the net.

López was a force for San Jose whenever he touched the ball as he led attacks inside Orlando City’s zone as he played mainly on the right side of the pitch alongside Espinoza. Orlando City did their best to contain the Argentine striker using more than one player to mark him throughout the half.

‘Quakes goalkeeper William Yarbrough only had to deal with one shot on target in the first 45 minutes. Orlando City had two quality scoring attempts shoot just wide of the net. Dagur Thorhallsson’s right footed shot just missed to the right of the net in the 35th minute and then Nicolás Lodeiro’s left footed shot from the middle of the box went wide left in the 42nd minute.

“Orlando is a very good team,” said head coach Luchi Gonzalez regarding another tough luck finish for his team. “They have a good away record. Oscar (Parejas) does a great job with this team, and they are savvy. They punched us today in transition (after our) set piece. It was a disappointing goal to give away.”

San Jose had two chances, one in the 86th and the other in the 88th minute to score the winning goal. Espinoza glided in from the right wing, but his shot attempt sailed high over the net. Then two minutes later, Jack Skahan’s, who came into the match as a sub in the 83rd minute for Vito Costa, right footed attempt from the middle of the box was saved by Gallese.

Gallese finished the match with four saves to earn his third clean sheet of the season, including in back-to-back games. Yarbrough made three saves on four shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with six corner kicks. Orlando City had five.

San Jose has lost back-to-back matches against Orlando City and are now 1-3-3 in the all-time series.

The announced attendance of the match was 14,127.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its quest for its first U.S. Open Cup championship when they take on the Sacramento Republic in the Round of 16 on Tuesday 5/21 at 7:00pm at Heart Health Park.

Oakland Stagnate in Third Loss to the Houston Astros 3-0

The Houston Astros Framber Valdez throws to the Oakland A’s line up in the top of the first inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Wed May 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There was nothing going on for the Oakland A’s (19-26) in their third game against the Houston Astros (18-25). They generated next to zero offense. The bright spot in this game was Aaron Brooks who took the mound for Oakland. He had a nice game but the caveat in this game was the lack of offense The bats were silent partially due to the excellent pitching of Houston’s Framber Valdez but they only managed 2 hits in the 3-0 loss.

Game recap: The first inning was a rough way to start for the A’s. The Astros scored their first two runs in the bottom of the first due to a throwing error by second baseman Zach Gelof. The Astros Jose Altuve scored off that error for a 1-0 lead.

Alex Bregman sacrificed and Kyle Tucker scored from second giving Houston a 2-0 lead going into the second inning. The Astros extended their lead in the fourth inning when Dubon sacrificed and Pena scored from third base clocking their third run of the game. The Astros had six hits through four innings while Oakland had a single hit through five innings.

Through five innings the A’s had a litany of strike outs and ground outs. Astros pitcher Framber Valdez had struck out six A’s and he was showing little signs of letting down. He had only allowed the one hit, no runs and six strikeouts through five innings.

Oakland had so far shown a real lack-luster performance and were behind the eight ball trailing 3-0. A’s starting pitcher Aaron Brooks had allowed six hits and three runs through the first five innings with four strikeouts. Houston was dominating Oakland at every turn threatening to take a 3-0 series lead.

Oakland had runners on first and second in the seventh inning but left them stranded when Tyler Nevin grounded out to end the inning. Valdez went seven innings in this game finishing with two hits, no runs and eight strikeouts. After a solid seven innings, Valdez was relieved by Seth Martinez in the eighth inning.

It was an uneventful eighth inning for Oakland. Max Schuemann struck out and Seth Brown grounded into a double play. Oakland pitcher Aaron Brooks was relieved in the bottom of the eighth by T.J. McFarland. Brooks had a good outing going seven innings finishing with seven hits, three runs and five strikeouts. He was one of the bright spots in this game.

Oakland got a couple of runners on base in the ninth inning with one out but Shea Langeliers grounded into a double play and that was the ball game 3-0. Houston will be going for the sweep in Thursday’s game. Should the Astros win game four, they will be tied for third place with the A’s in the American League West.

Post game notes: Tuesday, the A’s came close in their second game of a four game series with the Astros but fell short in the tenth inning losing 2-1. This was Oakland’s third loss in a row and they have shown a steady decline for awhile now.

There is trouble in the bullpen and that has hurt the team. Yes they do have a number of excellent starting pitchers, relief pitchers and closers but they are not deep in that department. They have also struggled offensively lately leaving runners stranded as well as not being able to string hits together or even get hits at all for that matter.

The A’s have been managing defensively but they have fallen off considerably since their six game winning streak that began last April 28 and ran through May 4th. They have lost eight of their last ten games so something is very wrong right now.

The A’s had been playing well, in fact exceeding expectations, and then it all came to a screeching halt. They were either beating or keeping pace with some very good teams earlier which included splitting a four game series with the Yankees.

This team needs to recover the success they were having; the magic that was bringing so much success earlier in the season or they will, much as last year, be left behind. This is a critical juncture for the Oakland A’s right now.

The Oakland A’s will try to avoid the sweep in game four of this series. First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 PM. Joey Estes (1-0 ERA 1.80) will take the mound for Oakland and Cristian Javier (2-1 ERA 4.01) will be on the hill for the Astros.

Bouda’s late goal propels in Earthquakes 1-0 shutout win over Roots in U.S. Open Cup

San Jose Earthquakes forwards Ousseni Bouda (#17) and Benji Kinkanovic (#28) celebrate Bouda’s game winning goal over the Oakland Roots during the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 match at Pay Pal Park on Tuesday MAY 7, 2024. (San Jose Earthquakes)

SAN JOSE — Ousseni Bouda scored the game’s only goal as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Oakland Roots in 1-0 shutout win in the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose advanced to the Round of 16 and will play the Sacramento Republic FC, who beat Monterey Bay FC 2-0 later in the evening, on either May 21st or 22nd. Oakland bowed out of the tournament as they return to USL Championship play.

Niko Tsakaris found Bouda along the right wing inside the Roots zone. Bouda made a move inside and rifled a right footed shot that pinballed off the far post into the back of the net for the eventual game winning goal.

‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez starting XI consisted mainly of his bench players. 2024 Super Draft first round pick Jamar Ricketts earned his first start of the season at left back and played impressive throughout the opening 45 minutes. Hernan Lopez also made his first start in a ‘Quakes kit, in his second appearance for San Jose. Also, Emi Ochoa made his debut for the first team with his first start in goal.

San Jose played a sluggish first half as they didn’t manage many quality shots on target. Oakland played aggressive in the first half and made a surge late thanks to the Earthquakes lackadaisical play in their own end.

A give and go between Bryan Tamacas and Jeciel Cedeno resulted in a shot inside the right of the box that ‘Quakes goalkeeper Emi Ochoa had to make a save in the 41st minute. Then in the 44th minute Edwin Rodriguez’ shot attempt deflected off a ‘Quakes defender that went wide left barely missing the back of the net.

Ochoa came up with a huge save to start the second half. A header into the box went high up near the crossbar, Ochoa leaped high into the air with one hand and hit the ball off of the crossbar and cleared the ball out of danger.

Jack Skahan chance in the 63rd minute cruised across the middle of the box his shot was saved by Roots goalkeeper Paul Blanchette.

Ouesseni Bouda scored a goal with a rifle of a right footed shot pinballed off the far post into the back of the net for his first goal of the tournament in the 77th minute.

Rodriguez received a red card and automatic ejection from the match in the 82nd minute when he elbowed Bouda in the head while the ball was in the air and Bouda heading it down.

Ochoa finished the match with his first clean slate of his pro career and the first one for San Jose this season.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns to MLS action on Saturday 5/11 against the Colorado Rapids at 6:30pm at Dick’s Sporting Good Park.

Earthquakes snap winless streak with 3-1 beatdown of LAFC at Levi’s Stadium

The San Jose Earthquakes celebrate one of their three goals against LAFC at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday MAY 4, 2024. (San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

There’s something about playing at Levi’s Stadium.

The San Jose Earthquakes scored three unanswered goals en route to a 3-1 dominant victory over the Los Angeles Football Club on Saturday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

San Jose snapped a five-match winless streak and have points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. LAFC had its four-match unbeaten streak snapped and have lost back-to-back games at Levi’s Stadium against San Jose.

The match featured the Earthquakes debut of Argentine midfielder sensation Hernán López who came in as a substitute for Jack Skahan to start the second half. López, who is the nephew of Argentine legend Diego Maradona, was acquired last week from Argentine Primera Division side Godoy Cruz for a club-record transfer fee of $6 million to become the ‘Quakes new Designated Player.

“It felt really good being able to get on the field and being able to get situated with my teammates. I felt good. … I have a lot of mutual friends with Cristian. We didn’t know each other beforehand, but I got his [phone] number when I knew that playing for San Jose was an option. I spoke to him and just like Luchi was a reason that I came, just like [general manager] Chris Leitch was a reason that I came, so was Cristian and the way that he took me under his wing to bring me into this area,” López said.

The Earthquakes (2-8-1) drew first blood early in the first half off of a set piece. Cristian Espinoza centered the ball into the middle of the box off of a corner kick. Rodrigues flew in from the right side and headed the ball into the near post past LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for the fullback’s second goal of the season in the fifth minute sending the boisterous Levi’s crowd into a frenzy.

“This is a soccer-crazy region. We have three major cities and have all the supporting communities,” said Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez regarding the 43,774 announced attendance. “This is one of the top cities in the country for the game. To see them come out tonight in big number and support the team, on the 50th anniversary, Hernán’s [debut] game, it gave us a lot of momentum and it makes a difference and give us the extra energy to honor that and give it back to them.”

In the 23rd minute, San Jose looked to repeat what it did in the fifth minute, score off a corner kick. Once again Espinoza centered the ball into the middle, but Vítor Costa header was blocked by Ilie Sánchez and cleared out of danger for LAFC.

Two minutes later Maxime Chanot was issued a yellow card for a bad foul he committed against Jeremy Ebobisse resulting in a free kick. Ebobisse’s left footed attempt from just outside the box sailed wide left.

LAFC’s (4-4-3) best chances to get on the scoreboard came late in the opening 45 minutes. First int he 37th minute, Eduard Atuesta’s right footed shot from just outside the box in the middle was saved by ‘Quakes goalkeeper William Yarbrough. Then Yarbrough snatched up a shot from Mateusz Bogusz in the 44th minute.

San Jose doubled its lead in the 55th minute. A turnover by LAFC led to a quick counterattack. Espinoza curled in a long ball from just beyond midfield out to Amahl Pellegrino who received the ball just outside the D for a breakaway chance. Pellegrino made a move around Lloris before he buried a left footed shot into an empty net for his second goal in a ‘Quakes kit.

“I know Cristian (Espinoza) has one of the best right (feet) in the league. I like to go behind the defender to attack that space and when I saw he got the ball, I just hoped he would swing it to me, and he did it. It was a fantastic ball and made my job easy. To get the right touch and go past the goalkeeper. It went in and it was a good feeling. I hope we can keep doing what we’ve doing the last two games and build on this,” Pellegrino said.

The Earthquakes scored its third unanswered goal off of its second set piece in the 59th minute. Espinoza’s corner kick sailed into the middle and was deflected off the foot by Denis Bouanga and into the back of the net that was too hot to handle for Lloris for an own goal.

“I know he’s (Espinoza) a leading assister not only on the team, but in the league, and has been consistent over the seasons. He’s lethal and relentless, he trains like that and it is great to reward him and his teammates. I’m really happy to have two set pieces scored tonight and not concede and give up zero defensively,” Gonzalez said.

LAFC spoiled Yarbrough’s shutout bit in the 69th minute after a turnover inside the ‘Quakes zone. Christian Olivera intercepted a passing attempt by Costa. After a give and go with Kei Kamara, Olivera delivered a right footed shot into the back corner of the net for his second goal of the season.

Yarbrough finished the match with six saves, including three quality chances from LAFC in the final 10 minutes, on seven shots for his second victory of the season. Lloris made just one save on three shots on target in the losing effort.

“It was a great night for him (Yarbrough). I thought he was dominant in crosses and shot blocking. We’ve had our challenges in goal … It is why we brought in William for this type of experience,” Gonzalez noted.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished four corner kicks. LAFC had seven.

Espinoza’s second assist of the match on Pellegrino’s goal, tied a club record with Richard Mulrooney with his 14th game winning assist for the most in club history.

San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was flanked by Mexican National Team legend Oswaldo Sánchez and boxing world title contender Ruben Villa as he fired the siren before the match.

The Quakes are 7-8-1 against LAFC in MLS play overall with a 6-2-0 record at home, including six straight victories across PayPal Park and Levi’s Stadium.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Oakland Roots of the USL Championship in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday 5/7 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

NBA Playoffs podcast with David Zizmor: Mavericks tie up series with Clippers at 1-1; Doncic and Irving turn up the offense for Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic (77) takes a shot against the Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George (13) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Apr 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Playoffs podcast with David:

#1 David, the Dallas Mavericks came back and tied the series with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night 96-93. As Mavericks forward PJ Washington said following the game “everybody was locked in.”

#2 Huge credit to high scorers Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Doncic scoring 32 points and Irving 23 points the Mavericks figured out the Clippers defense after losing to them 109-97 in game one at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday.

#3 The Clippers Kawhi Leonard made returned to his first game since March 31st since having surgery for his inflamed right knee. Leonard said he felt good and despite the loss the Clippers have more time and more games to play. How important is it for Leonard to return to the Clippers line up?

Join David for the NBA Playoffs podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com