BY J.A. SCHWARTZ In his first season as manager of the Padres, Bob Melvin recently had the very delicate task of navigating a major league locker room full of players fraught with anxiety as the trade deadline approached. General Manager A. J. Preller, who is among the most driven and …
Read More »Betts three-run shot leads LA to four game sweep of Giants
BY RICK PORCARO The Dodgers extended the Giants misery with a 5-3 win at Oracle Park Thursday afternoon, completing their second four-game sweep of San Francisco in just two weeks since the All-Star break. The outcome assured the Dodgers of their first four game sweep in San Francisco since July …
Read More »Athletics stifle Astros again to record first sweep of the season
BY RICK PORCARO The suddenly resurgent A’s completed an improbable three game sweep of the Astros behind another solid effort from Cole Irvin in a 4-2 win over Houston Wednesday afternoon at the Coliseum. Irvin (6-7, 3.05) won for the fourth time in five decisions in July as Oakland completed …
Read More »The cultural significance of sports to Martinez
BY RICK PORCARO So many of our country’s big sports stories and histories tend to focus on the East Coast, the Midwest and the South. The small states of New England have a disproportionate number of the professional sports teams in America clustered close together. The obsession with teams such …
Read More »Giants take third in a row from Brewers 9-5 to head into break
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER The Giants put an impressive cap on the first half of their season, taking their third in a row from the NL Central division leading Milwaukee Brewers 9-5 at Oracle Park Sunday afternoon. The win, their seventh in their past nine games, gave San Francisco a 48-43 …
Read More »Cal’s Korey Lee and Odorizzi lead Astros past punchless A’s 6-1
BY RICK PORCARO Houston’s Jake Odorizzi pitched seven shut out innings, and Cal alum Korey Lee got his first three major league hits as the Astros downed the Athletics 6-1 Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. Odorizzi (4-2, 3.38) had his best outing of the season, spacing out four hits while …
Read More »Irvin’s gem leads A’s past Toronto in front of holiday crowd
BY RICK PORCARO The A’s jumped on Toronto starter Alek Manoah for three first inning runs, and Cole Irvin made them stand up, pitching eight dominant innings in his best start of the year as Oakland returned home with a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays in front of a …
Read More »A’s bullpen butchers Montas gem as Mariners complete sweep
BY RICK PORCARO In a lost season that seems destined to surpass 100 losses by early September, the Athletics suffered what might be remembered as their worst loss of all Thursday afternoon, wasting 7 2/3 no-hit innings by Frankie Montas only to see their wretched bullpen gift the Seattle Mariners …
Read More »Warriors move within game of title after 104-94 win over Boston
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole stepped up big when it mattered most, leading Golden State back from a third quarter deficit to move within a game of the NBA championship with a 104-94 win over the Boston Celtics Monday night at Chase Center. The Warriors led from …
Read More »Slater and Yaz long balls back Rodón as Giants sweep Dodgers
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski jumped on Dodgers starter Julio Urias for first inning home runs to give the Giants all the offense they needed in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park. The game quickly developed into a pitchers duel, with Carlos …
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