The day after California regulators handed driverless car companies a major victory, allowing them to expand their services without restriction in San Francisco, a herd of robotaxis decided to celebrate by breaking down in the middle of a busy street.

According to several local news reports, 10 Cruise vehicles sat paralyzed in a busy intersection near the Outside Lands Music Festival, causing a traffic jam and drawing exasperation from witnesses. The company told KPIX that the music festival caused “wireless connectivity issues” with its vehicles. In other words, festivalgoers were overwhelming the cellular networks, making it difficult for Cruise’s vehicles to send and receive information.

It was a bizarre end to a week that otherwise represented a significant milestone in the development of autonomous vehicles

It was a bizarre end to a week that otherwise represented a significant milestone in the development of autonomous vehicles. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) overrode the concerns of San Francisco’s transit and fire officials as well as several hundred local residents who testified during the six-and-a-half-hour hearing to approve a dramatic expansion of robotaxi services in the city. The orange cone protest did not achieve its desired outcome.

And it was a sign of more conflict to come, as cities that serve as ground zero for this science experiment face pushback from states that set the rules of the road for driverless cars and seek out conformity in how the technology is regulated.

“Every blocked traffic incident is going to add to degrading public opinion and enthusiasm for the technology, regardless of which company is having the problems,” said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who has conducted research on autonomous vehicle safety for decades. “When a large adverse event eventually happens, all that pent up public opinion is going to make it much more difficult for companies to deal with the situation.”

The sight of a robot traffic jam was unfortunately all too familiar in San Francisco. For months, city officials have complained about blocked roads, obstructed emergency response vehicles, and other bizarre behavior by these driverless cars. A Waymo vehicle ran over and killed a small dog — inspiring a street painting memorializing the martyred canine. And as more vehicles are deployed and the companies begin commercializing the service, more obstructions are to be expected.

“Every blocked traffic incident is going to add to degrading public opinion and enthusiasm for the technology”

Other cities will follow. Waymo has its sights set on Los Angeles and New York City, while Cruise is testing its vehicles in Miami and Austin, Texas. The companies are under enormous pressure to turn on the money spigots after their parent companies have invested tens of billions of dollars for more than a decade with very little money flowing back into their coffers.

Those cities will face similar issues as San Francisco: blocked roads, embarrassing media coverage, and populations split over the utility of robot cars versus the need to reduce car use overall.

The robotaxi dilemma is also shining a light on the divided way we regulate cars in the US. The federal government creates vehicle safety rules, leaving the states to license drivers, register vehicles, and enforce the rules of the road. All that’s left for cities to do is make minor infrastructure decisions, help direct traffic — and not much else.

The companies could do themselves a big favor by doing more outreach. Obstructing emergency vehicles, in particular, is unlikely to help win over the hearts and minds of the residents you’re hoping will become new customers, let alone not piss off the populace you’re trying to serve. Driverless car companies are required to report crashes and vehicle miles traveled to the state and federal government, but San Francisco officials say they want more data, including incidents in which robotaxis shut down in the middle of the street or block bike lanes. So far, the companies have been silent on this matter.

The companies could do themselves a big favor by doing more outreach

“More transparency and improvement on issues the public cares about are essential,” Koopman said. “This technology will not succeed without trust, and it is much easier to lose trust with a single bad event than it is to regain it afterwards.”

Cruise and Waymo say they are in constant dialogue with police, fire, and emergency services and have created training programs for first responders to “safely interact” with their vehicles. They also say that every incident is used as training data to be uploaded to the rest of the fleet to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

“This is just the beginning. It’s far from the end,” Aaron Peskin, president of the city’s Board of Supervisors, told The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday. “We need to get it right and we are trying to partner with Cruise and Waymo, which hasn’t been real smooth. They are very secretive.” Peskin said the city documented 55 incidents involving driverless cars interfering with first responders so far this year.

The next phase is likely to be highly litigious. Peskin wants the city to “slow down or walk back” the expanded rollout of robot cars. That could include requesting another hearing or another vote from the CPUC. Failing that, the city could sue the commission, which is under the authority of Governor Gavin Newsom.

Cities will always be at a disadvantage in these types of fights. California, in particular, has shown a willingness to set aside local concerns about traffic, labor, and safety for the unimpeded progress of Big Tech companies. In 2020, voters approved a ballot measure to allow companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to continue treating their workers like independent contractors rather than employees.

Cities will always be at a disadvantage in these types of fights

You can tell that many San Franciscans are sick and tired of playing guinea pig to these tech companies. First came Uber and Lyft. Then the electric scooters. Now, it’s the driverless cars. The weariness came through the testimony of dozens of people who waited hours to say their piece during the CPUC commission.

There was plenty of support, too — people who were disabled or distrustful of human drivers or didn’t want to appear to be burying their heads in the sand when new technology becomes available. After all, disruption and inconvenience tend to go hand in hand, said Raj Rajkumar, a robotics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Think of the advent of indoor plumbing or the installation of natural gas lines or building roads and highways.

“All were major societal changes and caused a lot of inconveniences and discomfort, but we cannot live without them today,” he said. “Negatives get the news headlines and strong passions attract the most attention. But day-to-day convenience and usability for many customers (assuming that this comes to pass) will begin to triumph.”

Opponents are not likely to take these major changes lying down. In the weeks leading up to the CPUC vote, several videos went viral of people placing orange cones on the hoods of the vehicles, effectively disabling them. They called it the “Week of Cone,” and it was meant to demonstrate how easy it was to confuse these supposedly high-tech vehicles.

Their message was simple: if it’s so easy to stop a driverless car dead in its tracks, why should they be trusted to operate freely in a busy city?

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NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven steady innings for his first victory in nearly six weeks and slumping rookie Francisco Álvarez hit the first of three quick homers that powered the New York Mets past the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Saturday.

Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor launched back-to-back shots as the Mets went deep three times in a span of four batters against Anthony DeSclafani (4-8) in the third.

Tommy Pham added an RBI double off Sean Manaea in the fourth, and New York (37-46) opened July with a much-needed win after going 6-19 in its previous 25 games.

The 40-year-old Verlander (3-4) gave up five hits, struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run for his 247th victory and first since May 21 against Cleveland.

The only run the Giants scored came on Thairo Estrada’s double-play grounder in the seventh following a throwing error by first baseman Pete Alonso — his second in two days.

San Francisco (46-37) fell to 14-5 in its last 19 games dating to June 11.

PHILLIES 19, NATIONALS 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm homered twice and tied his career high with six RBIs, and Philadelphia scored its most runs in five years in winning for the sixth time in eight games and for the 12th time in 16.

Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos homered, singled and doubled with three RBIs for the Phillies, who scored their most runs since beating Miami 20-1 on April 7, 2018. Philadelphia had 18 hits, including four by Bohm, who matched his career best.

Zack Wheeler (7-4) won his fourth straight decision, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bryce Harper doubled, had two hits and drove in two runs, and J.T. Realmuto also had two RBIs.

MacKenzie Gore (4-7) allowed seven runs, six hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Amos Willingham, Joe La Sorsa and Thaddeus Ward gave up four runs each. Dominic Smith homered for Washington.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 0

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies homered as part of a six-run first inning to lead Atlanta as Miami’s Luis Arraez, the major league batting leader, saw his average dip to .388.

Charlie Morton (8-6) struck out five in 5 2/3 innings and scattered four hits and one walk in winning his third consecutive start. Kirby Yates, Nick Anderson, Ben Heller, and Joe Jiménez completed the shutout for the Braves out of the bullpen.

Matt Olson went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with two runs scored for the Braves, who have won 23 of their last 27 games and lead the second-place Marlins by eight games in the NL East.

Marlins rookie Eury Pérez (5-4) lasted just a third of an inning, giving up six runs and seven hits. He threw 35 pitches.

Arraez went 1 for 4. He is 3 for 16 over last four games and his .388 average is his lowest since June 17.

CARDINALS 11, YANKEES 4, 1ST GAME

YANKEES 6, CARDINALS 2, 2ND GAME

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader had a first-inning sacrifice fly in his return to St. Louis, rookie Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead triple as part of his fifth straight multi-hit game and New York earned a doubleheader split by winning the nightcap.

St. Louis won the rain-interrupted opener behind Paul Goldschmidt’s go-ahead, three-run homer off Luis Severino in a five-run third. Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings, Goldschmidt had four RBIs and Nolan Gorman also homered for the Cardinals, who reached double-digit runs for the first time since May 21.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits in the second game as the Yankees won for the fifth time in their last seven.

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis, which fell to a 34-48, its worst 82-game start since 1990. Nootbar hit a first-inning homer off opener Ian Hamilton as the Yankees went with a bullpen game because of Friday’s rainout.

Michael King (2-4) allowed one hit while pitching scoreless relief over a season-high 3 1/3 innings. Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes followed with an inning each.

Flaherty (5-5) won his second straight start after going 0-1 in his previous five. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two after giving up six runs in each of his previous two outings.

Severino (1-3) gave up seven runs and nine hits over four innings. Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Drew VerHagen in a three-run ninth for the Yankees, who had won four of their previous five games.

PADRES 12, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) — Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning, Manny Machado followed three pitches later with the first of his two home runs and San Diego stopped a six-game losing streak.

Soto had four RBIs and Machado and Fernando Tatis three each for the Padres, who have not lost seven in a row since Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2021.

Michael Wacha (8-2), pitching on his 32nd birthday, won his third straight decision. Wacha allowed one run and five hits in five innings in his first outing since June 19, after missing a turn because of shoulder discomfort.

San Diego (38-45) had fallen eight games below .500 for the first time since ending 2019 at 70-92. Cincinnati (44-39), which has surged into the NL Central lead, lost for just the fourth time in 19 games.

RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 6

TORONTO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 20th home run, Justin Turner homered and scored three times as Boston spoiled Canada Day celebrations in Toronto.

Right fielder Alex Verdugo threw out Bo Bichette at home plate for the final out of the game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. George Springer scored on the play, but Bichette was tagged out by catcher Caleb Hamilton. Toronto’s challenge was unsuccessful.

Devers went 3 for 5 with three RBI and scored twice. Turner finished 3 for 5 with two RBI as Boston returned to .500 at 42-42. Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the second time in three starts.

Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run, and Springer and Bichette had solo homers.

MARINERS 8, RAYS 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Jarred Kelenic hit a tiebreaking single off Tyler Glasnow in the sixth inning, Teoscar Hernández added a two-run double in a three-run seventh and Seattle beat Tampa Bay to halt a three-game skid.

George Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts, and the Mariners backed him with 13 hits. Paul Sewald earned his 15th save in 18 chances.

Yandy Díaz doubled in the sixth for the Rays’ first hit and Luke Raley homered.

Glasnow (2-2) struck out 11 and allowed seven hits and three runs with a walk.

RANGERS 5, ASTROS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings to become the American League’s second 10-game winner and AL West-leading Texas beat second-place Houston.

Eovaldi (10-3) struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles, but also had a season-high four walks.

Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run for Texas. Switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim had three hits and scored a run.

Rangers reliever Joe Barlow gave up Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith then came on to get the final out for his 15th save in 16 chances.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bailey Ober allowed two hits over seven innings, Joey Gallo homered and Minnesota extended Baltimore’s losing streak to a season-high four games.

Ober (5-4) gave up a second-inning single to Gunnar Henderson, hit Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch in the fourth and yielded a single to Anthony Santander in the seventh. Those were the only runners to reach base. as the right-hander struck out eight and did not allow a runner past first.

Griffin Jax worked the eighth and Jhoan Duran got three outs to complete the three-hitter and earn his 12th save in 14 chances.

Ober prevailed in a pitching duel with Kyle Bradish (4-4), who gave up one run and seven hits over six innings.

ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 6, 10 INNINGS

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Wade slid into home with the winning run after second baseman Elvis Andrus misplayed a 10th-inning grounder, giving Oakland a victory over Chicago.

With Wade on second as the automatic runner, former A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman (3-4) got the first two outs of the 10th. JJ Bleday hit a routine grounder to Andrus. The ball bounced off the second baseman’s glove, and he retrieved the ball and threw too late to first as Bleday slid across the base. Wade kept on running and slid across the plate to beat the throw from first baseman Gavin Sheets.

Shintaro Fujinami (4-7) worked around a hit batter in the top of the 10th, striking out two.

Seth Brown homered for the A’s and Bleday had two RBIs.

Eloy Jiménez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs for Chicago. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal added two hits each but Anderson had a grand slam erased by video review in the eighth inning. Yasmani Grandal had an RBI single and Carlos Perez added a run-scoring double.

BREWERS 11, PIRATES 8

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Corbin Burnes carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, Christian Yelich hit his 10th home run and Milwaukee survived a late rally to end Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak.

Burnes (6-5) retired the first 15 batters he faced before walking Jared Triolo leading off the sixth. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs and Jack Suwinski ended Burnes’ shot at a no-hitter with a clean two-run single to right field.

It was the only hiccup for Burnes, who struck out seven against two walks in seven innings to win for just the second time since May 12.

Yelich hit a three-run homer in the second off Johan Oviedo (3-9) to break it open. Raimel Tapia had two hits, including his third home run, for Milwaukee. Willy Adames, Blake Perkins and Brian Anderson had two hits apiece for the Brewers.

ROYALS 6, DODGERS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City rudely welcomed Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías back from the injured list by scoring five times in the first inning and holding on for a rain-delayed win over Los Angeles.

Daniel Lynch (2-3) nearly gave all his support back when he allowed three runs in the second. But the left-hander settled down, eventually throwing 108 pitches to get through five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks with four strikeouts, helping the Royals beat the Dodgers for just the second time in their last 10 meetings.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the eighth when Yonny Hernandez struck out and Freddie Freeman grounded out, and Scott Barlow got the final four outs for his 10th save while capping four innings of one-run ball by the Kansas City bullpen.

Urías (5-5) scuffled through his first game since hurting his hamstring on May 18. He lasted three innings and allowed six hits and two walks.

TIGERS 4, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

DENVER (AP) — Zach McKinstry hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the 10th inning, lifting Detroit past Colorado.

With Jonathan Schoop at second as the automatic runner, Eric Haase singled off Pierce Johnson (1-4) to put runners at the corners. McKinstry followed with his sixth homer, a 400-foot drive over the right-center fence and into the Rockies bullpen.

Kris Bryant hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom half off Alex Lange (5-2), as Detroit sealed its 21st come-from-behind win this year.

Six Tigers combined on a six-hitter as both teams went with bullpen games.

Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryne Nelson worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Dominic Fletcher and Jake McCarthy had RBIs as Arizona beat Los Angeles.

The Diamondback scored all their runs against the Angels’ bullpen and clinched first series win since taking two of three against Cleveland in mid-June.

Nelson (5-4) was catalyst for Arizona, giving up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out six.

On Sunday, the Diamondbacks will go for their first series sweep since taking three games from Detroit on June 9-11.

Anthony Rendon hit his second home run of the season for Los Angeles, which has lost four in a row. Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats and Mike Trout went 0 for 3.

GUARDIANS 6, CUBS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Tanner Bibee and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Cleveland blanked Chicago.

Bibee (5-2) tossed three-hit ball into the sixth while outpitching Marcus Stroman, and the Guardians came out on top in a game delayed 2 hours, 45 minutes at the start because of rain.

Amed Rosario lined a two-run single in the third. Andrés Giménez chased Stroman (9-6) with an RBI single in a four-run sixth, and the Guardians bounced back after getting pounded 10-1 the previous night. The Cubs had matched a season high with their five straight losses after winning 11 of 13.

Bibee went 5 2/3 innings and matched a season high with nine strikeouts while walking two. Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan combined to finish Cleveland’s seventh shutout.

Stroman lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and five hits.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Justin Verlander pitched seven steady innings for his first victory in nearly six weeks and slumping rookie Francisco Álvarez hit the first of three quick homers that powered the New York Mets past the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Saturday.

Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor launched back-to-back shots as the Mets went deep three times in a span of four batters against Anthony DeSclafani (4-8) in the third.

Tommy Pham added an RBI double off Sean Manaea in the fourth, and New York (37-46) opened July with a much-needed win after going 6-19 in its previous 25 games.

The 40-year-old Verlander (3-4) gave up five hits, struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run for his 247th victory and first since May 21 against Cleveland.

The only run the Giants scored came on Thairo Estrada’s double-play grounder in the seventh following a throwing error by first baseman Pete Alonso — his second in two days.

San Francisco (46-37) fell to 14-5 in its last 19 games dating to June 11.

PHILLIES 19, NATIONALS 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm homered twice and tied his career high with six RBIs, and Philadelphia scored its most runs in five years in winning for the sixth time in eight games and for the 12th time in 16.

Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos homered, singled and doubled with three RBIs for the Phillies, who scored their most runs since beating Miami 20-1 on April 7, 2018. Philadelphia had 18 hits, including four by Bohm, who matched his career best.

Zack Wheeler (7-4) won his fourth straight decision, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bryce Harper doubled, had two hits and drove in two runs, and J.T. Realmuto also had two RBIs.

MacKenzie Gore (4-7) allowed seven runs, six hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Amos Willingham, Joe La Sorsa and Thaddeus Ward gave up four runs each. Dominic Smith homered for Washington.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 0

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies homered as part of a six-run first inning to lead Atlanta as Miami’s Luis Arraez, the major league batting leader, saw his average dip to .388.

Charlie Morton (8-6) struck out five in 5 2/3 innings and scattered four hits and one walk in winning his third consecutive start. Kirby Yates, Nick Anderson, Ben Heller, and Joe Jiménez completed the shutout for the Braves out of the bullpen.

Matt Olson went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with two runs scored for the Braves, who have won 23 of their last 27 games and lead the second-place Marlins by eight games in the NL East.

Marlins rookie Eury Pérez (5-4) lasted just a third of an inning, giving up six runs and seven hits. He threw 35 pitches.

Arraez went 1 for 4. He is 3 for 16 over last four games and his .388 average is his lowest since June 17.

CARDINALS 11, YANKEES 4, 1ST GAME

YANKEES 6, CARDINALS 2, 2ND GAME

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader had a first-inning sacrifice fly in his return to St. Louis, rookie Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead triple as part of his fifth straight multi-hit game and New York earned a doubleheader split by winning the nightcap.

St. Louis won the rain-interrupted opener behind Paul Goldschmidt’s go-ahead, three-run homer off Luis Severino in a five-run third. Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings, Goldschmidt had four RBIs and Nolan Gorman also homered for the Cardinals, who reached double-digit runs for the first time since May 21.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits in the second game as the Yankees won for the fifth time in their last seven.

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis, which fell to a 34-48, its worst 82-game start since 1990. Nootbar hit a first-inning homer off opener Ian Hamilton as the Yankees went with a bullpen game because of Friday’s rainout.

Michael King (2-4) allowed one hit while pitching scoreless relief over a season-high 3 1/3 innings. Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes followed with an inning each.

Flaherty (5-5) won his second straight start after going 0-1 in his previous five. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two after giving up six runs in each of his previous two outings.

Severino (1-3) gave up seven runs and nine hits over four innings. Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Drew VerHagen in a three-run ninth for the Yankees, who had won four of their previous five games.

PADRES 12, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) — Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning, Manny Machado followed three pitches later with the first of his two home runs and San Diego stopped a six-game losing streak.

Soto had four RBIs and Machado and Fernando Tatis three each for the Padres, who have not lost seven in a row since Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2021.

Michael Wacha (8-2), pitching on his 32nd birthday, won his third straight decision. Wacha allowed one run and five hits in five innings in his first outing since June 19, after missing a turn because of shoulder discomfort.

San Diego (38-45) had fallen eight games below .500 for the first time since ending 2019 at 70-92. Cincinnati (44-39), which has surged into the NL Central lead, lost for just the fourth time in 19 games.

RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 6

TORONTO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 20th home run, Justin Turner homered and scored three times as Boston spoiled Canada Day celebrations in Toronto.

Right fielder Alex Verdugo threw out Bo Bichette at home plate for the final out of the game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. George Springer scored on the play, but Bichette was tagged out by catcher Caleb Hamilton. Toronto’s challenge was unsuccessful.

Devers went 3 for 5 with three RBI and scored twice. Turner finished 3 for 5 with two RBI as Boston returned to .500 at 42-42. Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the second time in three starts.

Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run, and Springer and Bichette had solo homers.

MARINERS 8, RAYS 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Jarred Kelenic hit a tiebreaking single off Tyler Glasnow in the sixth inning, Teoscar Hernández added a two-run double in a three-run seventh and Seattle beat Tampa Bay to halt a three-game skid.

George Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts, and the Mariners backed him with 13 hits. Paul Sewald earned his 15th save in 18 chances.

Yandy Díaz doubled in the sixth for the Rays’ first hit and Luke Raley homered.

Glasnow (2-2) struck out 11 and allowed seven hits and three runs with a walk.

RANGERS 5, ASTROS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings to become the American League’s second 10-game winner and AL West-leading Texas beat second-place Houston.

Eovaldi (10-3) struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles, but also had a season-high four walks.

Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run for Texas. Switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim had three hits and scored a run.

Rangers reliever Joe Barlow gave up Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith then came on to get the final out for his 15th save in 16 chances.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bailey Ober allowed two hits over seven innings, Joey Gallo homered and Minnesota extended Baltimore’s losing streak to a season-high four games.

Ober (5-4) gave up a second-inning single to Gunnar Henderson, hit Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch in the fourth and yielded a single to Anthony Santander in the seventh. Those were the only runners to reach base. as the right-hander struck out eight and did not allow a runner past first.

Griffin Jax worked the eighth and Jhoan Duran got three outs to complete the three-hitter and earn his 12th save in 14 chances.

Ober prevailed in a pitching duel with Kyle Bradish (4-4), who gave up one run and seven hits over six innings.

ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 6, 10 INNINGS

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Wade slid into home with the winning run after second baseman Elvis Andrus misplayed a 10th-inning grounder, giving Oakland a victory over Chicago.

With Wade on second as the automatic runner, former A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman (3-4) got the first two outs of the 10th. JJ Bleday hit a routine grounder to Andrus. The ball bounced off the second baseman’s glove, and he retrieved the ball and threw too late to first as Bleday slid across the base. Wade kept on running and slid across the plate to beat the throw from first baseman Gavin Sheets.

Shintaro Fujinami (4-7) worked around a hit batter in the top of the 10th, striking out two.

Seth Brown homered for the A’s and Bleday had two RBIs.

Eloy Jiménez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs for Chicago. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal added two hits each but Anderson had a grand slam erased by video review in the eighth inning. Yasmani Grandal had an RBI single and Carlos Perez added a run-scoring double.

BREWERS 11, PIRATES 8

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Corbin Burnes carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, Christian Yelich hit his 10th home run and Milwaukee survived a late rally to end Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak.

Burnes (6-5) retired the first 15 batters he faced before walking Jared Triolo leading off the sixth. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs and Jack Suwinski ended Burnes’ shot at a no-hitter with a clean two-run single to right field.

It was the only hiccup for Burnes, who struck out seven against two walks in seven innings to win for just the second time since May 12.

Yelich hit a three-run homer in the second off Johan Oviedo (3-9) to break it open. Raimel Tapia had two hits, including his third home run, for Milwaukee. Willy Adames, Blake Perkins and Brian Anderson had two hits apiece for the Brewers.

ROYALS 6, DODGERS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City rudely welcomed Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías back from the injured list by scoring five times in the first inning and holding on for a rain-delayed win over Los Angeles.

Daniel Lynch (2-3) nearly gave all his support back when he allowed three runs in the second. But the left-hander settled down, eventually throwing 108 pitches to get through five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks with four strikeouts, helping the Royals beat the Dodgers for just the second time in their last 10 meetings.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the eighth when Yonny Hernandez struck out and Freddie Freeman grounded out, and Scott Barlow got the final four outs for his 10th save while capping four innings of one-run ball by the Kansas City bullpen.

Urías (5-5) scuffled through his first game since hurting his hamstring on May 18. He lasted three innings and allowed six hits and two walks.

TIGERS 4, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

DENVER (AP) — Zach McKinstry hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the 10th inning, lifting Detroit past Colorado.

With Jonathan Schoop at second as the automatic runner, Eric Haase singled off Pierce Johnson (1-4) to put runners at the corners. McKinstry followed with his sixth homer, a 400-foot drive over the right-center fence and into the Rockies bullpen.

Kris Bryant hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom half off Alex Lange (5-2), as Detroit sealed its 21st come-from-behind win this year.

Six Tigers combined on a six-hitter as both teams went with bullpen games.

Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryne Nelson worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Dominic Fletcher and Jake McCarthy had RBIs as Arizona beat Los Angeles.

The Diamondback scored all their runs against the Angels’ bullpen and clinched first series win since taking two of three against Cleveland in mid-June.

Nelson (5-4) was catalyst for Arizona, giving up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out six.

On Sunday, the Diamondbacks will go for their first series sweep since taking three games from Detroit on June 9-11.

Anthony Rendon hit his second home run of the season for Los Angeles, which has lost four in a row. Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats and Mike Trout went 0 for 3.

GUARDIANS 6, CUBS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Tanner Bibee and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Cleveland blanked Chicago.

Bibee (5-2) tossed three-hit ball into the sixth while outpitching Marcus Stroman, and the Guardians came out on top in a game delayed 2 hours, 45 minutes at the start because of rain.

Amed Rosario lined a two-run single in the third. Andrés Giménez chased Stroman (9-6) with an RBI single in a four-run sixth, and the Guardians bounced back after getting pounded 10-1 the previous night. The Cubs had matched a season high with their five straight losses after winning 11 of 13.

Bibee went 5 2/3 innings and matched a season high with nine strikeouts while walking two. Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan combined to finish Cleveland’s seventh shutout.

Stroman lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and five hits.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The post Mets slug 3 fast homers and Verlander earns 1st victory in practically 6 weeks in 4-1 win over Giants appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven steady innings for his first victory in nearly six weeks and slumping rookie Francisco Álvarez hit the first of three quick homers that powered the New York Mets past the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Saturday.

Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor launched back-to-back shots as the Mets went deep three times in a span of four batters against Anthony DeSclafani (4-8) in the third.

Tommy Pham added an RBI double off Sean Manaea in the fourth, and New York (37-46) opened July with a much-needed win after going 6-19 in its previous 25 games.

The Phillies recalled first baseman Darick Hall from Triple-A Leigh Valley and he batted eighth in Sunday’s game against Washington.

Rookie Tanner Bibee and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0.

Ryne Nelson worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Dominic Fletcher and Jake McCarthy had RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1.

Zach McKinstry hit a tiebreaking, three-run home run in the 10th inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers past the Colorado Rockies 4-2.

The 40-year-old Verlander (3-4) gave up five hits, struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run for his 247th victory and first since May 21 against Cleveland.

The only run the Giants scored came on Thairo Estrada’s double-play grounder in the seventh following a throwing error by first baseman Pete Alonso — his second in two days.

San Francisco (46-37) fell to 14-5 in its last 19 games dating to June 11.

PHILLIES 19, NATIONALS 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm homered twice and tied his career high with six RBIs, and Philadelphia scored its most runs in five years in winning for the sixth time in eight games and for the 12th time in 16.

Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos homered, singled and doubled with three RBIs for the Phillies, who scored their most runs since beating Miami 20-1 on April 7, 2018. Philadelphia had 18 hits, including four by Bohm, who matched his career best.

Zack Wheeler (7-4) won his fourth straight decision, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bryce Harper doubled, had two hits and drove in two runs, and J.T. Realmuto also had two RBIs.

MacKenzie Gore (4-7) allowed seven runs, six hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Amos Willingham, Joe La Sorsa and Thaddeus Ward gave up four runs each. Dominic Smith homered for Washington.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 0

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies homered as part of a six-run first inning to lead Atlanta as Miami’s Luis Arraez, the major league batting leader, saw his average dip to .388.

Charlie Morton (8-6) struck out five in 5 2/3 innings and scattered four hits and one walk in winning his third consecutive start. Kirby Yates, Nick Anderson, Ben Heller, and Joe Jiménez completed the shutout for the Braves out of the bullpen.

Matt Olson went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with two runs scored for the Braves, who have won 23 of their last 27 games and lead the second-place Marlins by eight games in the NL East.

Marlins rookie Eury Pérez (5-4) lasted just a third of an inning, giving up six runs and seven hits. He threw 35 pitches.

Arraez went 1 for 4. He is 3 for 16 over last four games and his .388 average is his lowest since June 17.

CARDINALS 11, YANKEES 4, 1ST GAME

YANKEES 6, CARDINALS 2, 2ND GAME

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader had a first-inning sacrifice fly in his return to St. Louis, rookie Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead triple as part of his fifth straight multi-hit game and New York earned a doubleheader split by winning the nightcap.

St. Louis won the rain-interrupted opener behind Paul Goldschmidt’s go-ahead, three-run homer off Luis Severino in a five-run third. Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings, Goldschmidt had four RBIs and Nolan Gorman also homered for the Cardinals, who reached double-digit runs for the first time since May 21.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits in the second game as the Yankees won for the fifth time in their last seven.

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis, which fell to a 34-48, its worst 82-game start since 1990. Nootbar hit a first-inning homer off opener Ian Hamilton as the Yankees went with a bullpen game because of Friday’s rainout.

Michael King (2-4) allowed one hit while pitching scoreless relief over a season-high 3 1/3 innings. Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes followed with an inning each.

Flaherty (5-5) won his second straight start after going 0-1 in his previous five. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two after giving up six runs in each of his previous two outings.

Severino (1-3) gave up seven runs and nine hits over four innings. Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Drew VerHagen in a three-run ninth for the Yankees, who had won four of their previous five games.

PADRES 12, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) — Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning, Manny Machado followed three pitches later with the first of his two home runs and San Diego stopped a six-game losing streak.

Soto had four RBIs and Machado and Fernando Tatis three each for the Padres, who have not lost seven in a row since Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2021.

Michael Wacha (8-2), pitching on his 32nd birthday, won his third straight decision. Wacha allowed one run and five hits in five innings in his first outing since June 19, after missing a turn because of shoulder discomfort.

San Diego (38-45) had fallen eight games below .500 for the first time since ending 2019 at 70-92. Cincinnati (44-39), which has surged into the NL Central lead, lost for just the fourth time in 19 games.

RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 6

TORONTO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 20th home run, Justin Turner homered and scored three times as Boston spoiled Canada Day celebrations in Toronto.

Right fielder Alex Verdugo threw out Bo Bichette at home plate for the final out of the game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. George Springer scored on the play, but Bichette was tagged out by catcher Caleb Hamilton. Toronto’s challenge was unsuccessful.

Devers went 3 for 5 with three RBI and scored twice. Turner finished 3 for 5 with two RBI as Boston returned to .500 at 42-42. Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the second time in three starts.

Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run, and Springer and Bichette had solo homers.

MARINERS 8, RAYS 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Jarred Kelenic hit a tiebreaking single off Tyler Glasnow in the sixth inning, Teoscar Hernández added a two-run double in a three-run seventh and Seattle beat Tampa Bay to halt a three-game skid.

George Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts, and the Mariners backed him with 13 hits. Paul Sewald earned his 15th save in 18 chances.

Yandy Díaz doubled in the sixth for the Rays’ first hit and Luke Raley homered.

Glasnow (2-2) struck out 11 and allowed seven hits and three runs with a walk.

RANGERS 5, ASTROS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings to become the American League’s second 10-game winner and AL West-leading Texas beat second-place Houston.

Eovaldi (10-3) struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles, but also had a season-high four walks.

Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run for Texas. Switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim had three hits and scored a run.

Rangers reliever Joe Barlow gave up Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith then came on to get the final out for his 15th save in 16 chances.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bailey Ober allowed two hits over seven innings, Joey Gallo homered and Minnesota extended Baltimore’s losing streak to a season-high four games.

Ober (5-4) gave up a second-inning single to Gunnar Henderson, hit Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch in the fourth and yielded a single to Anthony Santander in the seventh. Those were the only runners to reach base. as the right-hander struck out eight and did not allow a runner past first.

Griffin Jax worked the eighth and Jhoan Duran got three outs to complete the three-hitter and earn his 12th save in 14 chances.

Ober prevailed in a pitching duel with Kyle Bradish (4-4), who gave up one run and seven hits over six innings.

ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 6, 10 INNINGS

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Wade slid into home with the winning run after second baseman Elvis Andrus misplayed a 10th-inning grounder, giving Oakland a victory over Chicago.

With Wade on second as the automatic runner, former A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman (3-4) got the first two outs of the 10th. JJ Bleday hit a routine grounder to Andrus. The ball bounced off the second baseman’s glove, and he retrieved the ball and threw too late to first as Bleday slid across the base. Wade kept on running and slid across the plate to beat the throw from first baseman Gavin Sheets.

Shintaro Fujinami (4-7) worked around a hit batter in the top of the 10th, striking out two.

Seth Brown homered for the A’s and Bleday had two RBIs.

Eloy Jiménez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs for Chicago. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal added two hits each but Anderson had a grand slam erased by video review in the eighth inning. Yasmani Grandal had an RBI single and Carlos Perez added a run-scoring double.

BREWERS 11, PIRATES 8

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Corbin Burnes carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, Christian Yelich hit his 10th home run and Milwaukee survived a late rally to end Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak.

Burnes (6-5) retired the first 15 batters he faced before walking Jared Triolo leading off the sixth. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs and Jack Suwinski ended Burnes’ shot at a no-hitter with a clean two-run single to right field.

It was the only hiccup for Burnes, who struck out seven against two walks in seven innings to win for just the second time since May 12.

Yelich hit a three-run homer in the second off Johan Oviedo (3-9) to break it open. Raimel Tapia had two hits, including his third home run, for Milwaukee. Willy Adames, Blake Perkins and Brian Anderson had two hits apiece for the Brewers.

ROYALS 6, DODGERS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City rudely welcomed Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías back from the injured list by scoring five times in the first inning and holding on for a rain-delayed win over Los Angeles.

Daniel Lynch (2-3) nearly gave all his support back when he allowed three runs in the second. But the left-hander settled down, eventually throwing 108 pitches to get through five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks with four strikeouts, helping the Royals beat the Dodgers for just the second time in their last 10 meetings.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the eighth when Yonny Hernandez struck out and Freddie Freeman grounded out, and Scott Barlow got the final four outs for his 10th save while capping four innings of one-run ball by the Kansas City bullpen.

Urías (5-5) scuffled through his first game since hurting his hamstring on May 18. He lasted three innings and allowed six hits and two walks.

TIGERS 4, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

DENVER (AP) — Zach McKinstry hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the 10th inning, lifting Detroit past Colorado.

With Jonathan Schoop at second as the automatic runner, Eric Haase singled off Pierce Johnson (1-4) to put runners at the corners. McKinstry followed with his sixth homer, a 400-foot drive over the right-center fence and into the Rockies bullpen.

Kris Bryant hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom half off Alex Lange (5-2), as Detroit sealed its 21st come-from-behind win this year.

Six Tigers combined on a six-hitter as both teams went with bullpen games.

Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryne Nelson worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Dominic Fletcher and Jake McCarthy had RBIs as Arizona beat Los Angeles.

The Diamondback scored all their runs against the Angels’ bullpen and clinched first series win since taking two of three against Cleveland in mid-June.

Nelson (5-4) was catalyst for Arizona, giving up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out six.

On Sunday, the Diamondbacks will go for their first series sweep since taking three games from Detroit on June 9-11.

Anthony Rendon hit his second home run of the season for Los Angeles, which has lost four in a row. Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats and Mike Trout went 0 for 3.

GUARDIANS 6, CUBS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Tanner Bibee and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Cleveland blanked Chicago.

Bibee (5-2) tossed three-hit ball into the sixth while outpitching Marcus Stroman, and the Guardians came out on top in a game delayed 2 hours, 45 minutes at the start because of rain.

Amed Rosario lined a two-run single in the third. Andrés Giménez chased Stroman (9-6) with an RBI single in a four-run sixth, and the Guardians bounced back after getting pounded 10-1 the previous night. The Cubs had matched a season high with their five straight losses after winning 11 of 13.

Bibee went 5 2/3 innings and matched a season high with nine strikeouts while walking two. Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan combined to finish Cleveland’s seventh shutout.

Stroman lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and five hits.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The post Mets slug 3 fast homers and Verlander earns 1st victory in almost 6 weeks in 4-1 win over Giants appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven steady innings for his first victory in nearly six weeks and slumping rookie Francisco Álvarez hit the first of three quick homers that powered the New York Mets past the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Saturday.

Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor launched back-to-back shots as the Mets went deep three times in a span of four batters against Anthony DeSclafani (4-8) in the third.

Tommy Pham added an RBI double off Sean Manaea in the fourth, and New York (37-46) opened July with a much-needed win after going 6-19 in its previous 25 games.

The 40-year-old Verlander (3-4) gave up five hits, struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run for his 247th victory and first since May 21 against Cleveland.

The only run the Giants scored came on Thairo Estrada’s double-play grounder in the seventh following a throwing error by first baseman Pete Alonso — his second in two days.

San Francisco (46-37) fell to 14-5 in its last 19 games dating to June 11.

PHILLIES 19, NATIONALS 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alec Bohm homered twice and tied his career high with six RBIs, and Philadelphia scored its most runs in five years in winning for the sixth time in eight games and for the 12th time in 16.

Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos homered, singled and doubled with three RBIs for the Phillies, who scored their most runs since beating Miami 20-1 on April 7, 2018. Philadelphia had 18 hits, including four by Bohm, who matched his career best.

Zack Wheeler (7-4) won his fourth straight decision, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bryce Harper doubled, had two hits and drove in two runs, and J.T. Realmuto also had two RBIs.

MacKenzie Gore (4-7) allowed seven runs, six hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Amos Willingham, Joe La Sorsa and Thaddeus Ward gave up four runs each. Dominic Smith homered for Washington.

BRAVES 7, MARLINS 0

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies homered as part of a six-run first inning to lead Atlanta as Miami’s Luis Arraez, the major league batting leader, saw his average dip to .388.

Charlie Morton (8-6) struck out five in 5 2/3 innings and scattered four hits and one walk in winning his third consecutive start. Kirby Yates, Nick Anderson, Ben Heller, and Joe Jiménez completed the shutout for the Braves out of the bullpen.

Matt Olson went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with two runs scored for the Braves, who have won 23 of their last 27 games and lead the second-place Marlins by eight games in the NL East.

Marlins rookie Eury Pérez (5-4) lasted just a third of an inning, giving up six runs and seven hits. He threw 35 pitches.

Arraez went 1 for 4. He is 3 for 16 over last four games and his .388 average is his lowest since June 17.

CARDINALS 11, YANKEES 4, 1ST GAME

YANKEES 6, CARDINALS 2, 2ND GAME

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader had a first-inning sacrifice fly in his return to St. Louis, rookie Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead triple as part of his fifth straight multi-hit game and New York earned a doubleheader split by winning the nightcap.

St. Louis won the rain-interrupted opener behind Paul Goldschmidt’s go-ahead, three-run homer off Luis Severino in a five-run third. Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings, Goldschmidt had four RBIs and Nolan Gorman also homered for the Cardinals, who reached double-digit runs for the first time since May 21.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits in the second game as the Yankees won for the fifth time in their last seven.

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis, which fell to a 34-48, its worst 82-game start since 1990. Nootbar hit a first-inning homer off opener Ian Hamilton as the Yankees went with a bullpen game because of Friday’s rainout.

Michael King (2-4) allowed one hit while pitching scoreless relief over a season-high 3 1/3 innings. Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes followed with an inning each.

Flaherty (5-5) won his second straight start after going 0-1 in his previous five. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two after giving up six runs in each of his previous two outings.

Severino (1-3) gave up seven runs and nine hits over four innings. Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Drew VerHagen in a three-run ninth for the Yankees, who had won four of their previous five games.

PADRES 12, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) — Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning, Manny Machado followed three pitches later with the first of his two home runs and San Diego stopped a six-game losing streak.

Soto had four RBIs and Machado and Fernando Tatis three each for the Padres, who have not lost seven in a row since Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, 2021.

Michael Wacha (8-2), pitching on his 32nd birthday, won his third straight decision. Wacha allowed one run and five hits in five innings in his first outing since June 19, after missing a turn because of shoulder discomfort.

San Diego (38-45) had fallen eight games below .500 for the first time since ending 2019 at 70-92. Cincinnati (44-39), which has surged into the NL Central lead, lost for just the fourth time in 19 games.

RED SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 6

TORONTO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 20th home run, Justin Turner homered and scored three times as Boston spoiled Canada Day celebrations in Toronto.

Right fielder Alex Verdugo threw out Bo Bichette at home plate for the final out of the game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. George Springer scored on the play, but Bichette was tagged out by catcher Caleb Hamilton. Toronto’s challenge was unsuccessful.

Devers went 3 for 5 with three RBI and scored twice. Turner finished 3 for 5 with two RBI as Boston returned to .500 at 42-42. Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the second time in three starts.

Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run, and Springer and Bichette had solo homers.

MARINERS 8, RAYS 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Jarred Kelenic hit a tiebreaking single off Tyler Glasnow in the sixth inning, Teoscar Hernández added a two-run double in a three-run seventh and Seattle beat Tampa Bay to halt a three-game skid.

George Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts, and the Mariners backed him with 13 hits. Paul Sewald earned his 15th save in 18 chances.

Yandy Díaz doubled in the sixth for the Rays’ first hit and Luke Raley homered.

Glasnow (2-2) struck out 11 and allowed seven hits and three runs with a walk.

RANGERS 5, ASTROS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings to become the American League’s second 10-game winner and AL West-leading Texas beat second-place Houston.

Eovaldi (10-3) struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles, but also had a season-high four walks.

Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run for Texas. Switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim had three hits and scored a run.

Rangers reliever Joe Barlow gave up Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith then came on to get the final out for his 15th save in 16 chances.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0

BALTIMORE (AP) — Bailey Ober allowed two hits over seven innings, Joey Gallo homered and Minnesota extended Baltimore’s losing streak to a season-high four games.

Ober (5-4) gave up a second-inning single to Gunnar Henderson, hit Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch in the fourth and yielded a single to Anthony Santander in the seventh. Those were the only runners to reach base. as the right-hander struck out eight and did not allow a runner past first.

Griffin Jax worked the eighth and Jhoan Duran got three outs to complete the three-hitter and earn his 12th save in 14 chances.

Ober prevailed in a pitching duel with Kyle Bradish (4-4), who gave up one run and seven hits over six innings.

ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 6, 10 INNINGS

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Wade slid into home with the winning run after second baseman Elvis Andrus misplayed a 10th-inning grounder, giving Oakland a victory over Chicago.

With Wade on second as the automatic runner, former A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman (3-4) got the first two outs of the 10th. JJ Bleday hit a routine grounder to Andrus. The ball bounced off the second baseman’s glove, and he retrieved the ball and threw too late to first as Bleday slid across the base. Wade kept on running and slid across the plate to beat the throw from first baseman Gavin Sheets.

Shintaro Fujinami (4-7) worked around a hit batter in the top of the 10th, striking out two.

Seth Brown homered for the A’s and Bleday had two RBIs.

Eloy Jiménez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs for Chicago. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal added two hits each but Anderson had a grand slam erased by video review in the eighth inning. Yasmani Grandal had an RBI single and Carlos Perez added a run-scoring double.

BREWERS 11, PIRATES 8

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Corbin Burnes carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, Christian Yelich hit his 10th home run and Milwaukee survived a late rally to end Pittsburgh’s four-game winning streak.

Burnes (6-5) retired the first 15 batters he faced before walking Jared Triolo leading off the sixth. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs and Jack Suwinski ended Burnes’ shot at a no-hitter with a clean two-run single to right field.

It was the only hiccup for Burnes, who struck out seven against two walks in seven innings to win for just the second time since May 12.

Yelich hit a three-run homer in the second off Johan Oviedo (3-9) to break it open. Raimel Tapia had two hits, including his third home run, for Milwaukee. Willy Adames, Blake Perkins and Brian Anderson had two hits apiece for the Brewers.

ROYALS 6, DODGERS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City rudely welcomed Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías back from the injured list by scoring five times in the first inning and holding on for a rain-delayed win over Los Angeles.

Daniel Lynch (2-3) nearly gave all his support back when he allowed three runs in the second. But the left-hander settled down, eventually throwing 108 pitches to get through five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks with four strikeouts, helping the Royals beat the Dodgers for just the second time in their last 10 meetings.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the eighth when Yonny Hernandez struck out and Freddie Freeman grounded out, and Scott Barlow got the final four outs for his 10th save while capping four innings of one-run ball by the Kansas City bullpen.

Urías (5-5) scuffled through his first game since hurting his hamstring on May 18. He lasted three innings and allowed six hits and two walks.

TIGERS 4, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

DENVER (AP) — Zach McKinstry hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the 10th inning, lifting Detroit past Colorado.

With Jonathan Schoop at second as the automatic runner, Eric Haase singled off Pierce Johnson (1-4) to put runners at the corners. McKinstry followed with his sixth homer, a 400-foot drive over the right-center fence and into the Rockies bullpen.

Kris Bryant hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom half off Alex Lange (5-2), as Detroit sealed its 21st come-from-behind win this year.

Six Tigers combined on a six-hitter as both teams went with bullpen games.

Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryne Nelson worked 7 1/3 strong innings and Dominic Fletcher and Jake McCarthy had RBIs as Arizona beat Los Angeles.

The Diamondback scored all their runs against the Angels’ bullpen and clinched first series win since taking two of three against Cleveland in mid-June.

Nelson (5-4) was catalyst for Arizona, giving up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out six.

On Sunday, the Diamondbacks will go for their first series sweep since taking three games from Detroit on June 9-11.

Anthony Rendon hit his second home run of the season for Los Angeles, which has lost four in a row. Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats and Mike Trout went 0 for 3.

GUARDIANS 6, CUBS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Tanner Bibee and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Cleveland blanked Chicago.

Bibee (5-2) tossed three-hit ball into the sixth while outpitching Marcus Stroman, and the Guardians came out on top in a game delayed 2 hours, 45 minutes at the start because of rain.

Amed Rosario lined a two-run single in the third. Andrés Giménez chased Stroman (9-6) with an RBI single in a four-run sixth, and the Guardians bounced back after getting pounded 10-1 the previous night. The Cubs had matched a season high with their five straight losses after winning 11 of 13.

Bibee went 5 2/3 innings and matched a season high with nine strikeouts while walking two. Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan combined to finish Cleveland’s seventh shutout.

Stroman lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and five hits.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The post Mets slug 3 fast homers and Verlander earns 1st victory in practically 6 weeks in 4-1 win over Giants | Sports activities appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Cardinals got off to their worst start since 1973, losing seven of their last nine games before tonight’s game and trailing the first-seeded Pittsburgh Pirates by 8.5 games. To win an escape day, St. Louis was tasked with beating right-hander Logan Webb, who finished last season with a 2.90 ERA and won 15 games.

Here’s the St. Louis line-up without Willson Contreras.

1. Lars Nootbaar, CF
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
3. Nolan Gorman, DH
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Alec Burleson, RF
6. Paul DeJong, SS
7. Tyler O’Neill, LF
8. Andreas Knizner, C
9. Tommy Edman, 2B

Miles Mikolas – SP

And for the giants:

1. LaMonte Wade Jr., L.F
2. Thairo Estrada, 2B
3. Joc Pederson, DH
4. Michael Comfort, RF
5. Wilmer Flores, 1B
6. Mike Yastrzemski, CF
7. Blake Sabol, C
8. David Villar, 3B
9. Brandon Crawford, S.S

Logan Webb SP

The Cardinals won a baseball game against the odds Thursday afternoon, led by Miles Mikolas’ best start to the season. The offense was boosted by Alec Burleson’s solo home run in the seventh inning, which came close to splashing into the bay.

The Cardinals hit all six runs starting in the seventh inning. The win improves the Cardinals’ series finals record to 6-2 this season. The Cardinals are 4-14 in games that aren’t the last game of a series.

But about the win…

1st inning

Easy first inning for Webb, who only throws 12 pitches to set up a zero. Strikeouts from Nootbaar and Gorman were pinched by Goldschmidt around a deep flyout to midfield.

Mikolas knocked out Wade to start the ballgame, but Estrada stabbed a one-out single into right field. However, Miles was able to pull Pederson back with a flyout and Conforto with a groundout to get out of the inning.

2nd inning

Arenado led the inning to left field with a line drive single. Burleson followed and ripped a sharp ground ball straight at Flores, which kept Arenado at first base. Flores stepped on the pocket for the first out and then tagged Arenado, who attempted to dunk back into the first for the second out of the inning (once the first out was made, Arenado was no longer forced to go for second, and tried to dive back first for sure). DeJong landed for our number three.

Flores made a full count against Mikolas and eventually pulled a leadoff walk. He was stuck there, however, with strikeouts from Yastrzemski and Sabol, followed by a right flyout from Villar.

3rd inning

After a groundout by Tyler O’Neill, Knizner hit the middle (actually putting him 3-9 in his last 9 at-bats). Edman struck, but Nootbaar achieved an infield single perfectly placed between the postponed Crawford and Estrada. Goldschmidt pulled a two-out walk to load the bases, but Gorman flapped out at the knees after a perfectly placed changeup to kill the Cardinal threat.

Brandon Crawford led at the bottom of the third and hit a flyball towards foul territory on which O’Neill made a fine sliding play for the first out. Wade landed just ahead of DeJong for our number two, but then Mikolas slammed Estrada right in the ribs with a 95-mile fastball. After standing by the coaches for a few minutes, he was finally able to go down first and stayed in the game. Pederson showed up in the infield, Edman made the catch and finished the third inning.

4th inning

A nine-pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Webb in the fourth. Arenado batted on three pitches (his ninth strikeout in his last 19 at bat), Burleson landed right back at Webb, and DeJong landed in second place.

It was also a fast inning for Mikolas, who retired Conforto (groundout), Flores (strikeout) and Yastrzemski (flyout) in 11 places.

5th inning

Leading from fifth, O’Neill put a good swing on a 2-2 shifter and sent it 384 feet into midfield, where Yastrzemski ran it down a foot or two short of the Warnbahn. Knizner ended up in first place and Edman in second place for outs two and three.

Sabol at-batted Mikolas on the second pitch and slammed Edman in flat right field. Villar chased Mikolas’ first pitch and took a knee-high fastball into right field for a base knock. Crawford followed with a base goal in midfield, Villar went from first to third.

While Wade was batting, Crawford stole second base (his third steal of the season) and put two runners in goal position for the Giants left fielder. Wade took a stroll to recharge them – and set up the doubles game if you’re one of those optimistic fans. Estrada swung and hit a dead helicopter about six feet from the plate — trouble is, both Knizner and Mikolas tried without both being on home plate to get the leading runner. Because of this, Knizner grabbed the ball and dove back towards home plate, knocking out a headfirst diving Villar before he could touch the plate.

Estrada made first base in the previous game, so Joc Pederson’s bases were still loaded. He hit a 109-mph line drive right at Burleson in right field for the final of the fifth inning – Mikolas escapes the jam.

6th inning

Nootbaar struck for the second time in the game, Goldschmidt’s 108.8 mph line drive was intercepted on Conforto’s right field wall and Gorman struck for the third time in the game – his first hat-trick of the year!

Conforto led at the end of the sixth, hitting a bouncer right back to Mikolas, who took his time with a flip to make the out for the first time. Flores hit a low ball into midfield which Edman repelled to catch the second out. With two outs, Yastrzemski hit a rocket off right fieldwall for a double, with Burleson’s throw hitting his leg at second base, giving DeJong no opportunity for a tag. Mikolas hit Sabol with a slider to end the inning and set the game’s potential on the first run in the second.

7th inning

After an Arenado groundout, Alec Burleson hammered a high fastball (like very high…no hit high) high and low into the San Francisco sky for his third homer of the year, overcoming the 24-foot wall on right field to take it 1-0 to make the Cardinals in the seventh.

DeJong followed up with a base hit into right field, which put him 7-for-16 since his return to the Cardinals. O’Neill hit essentially the same spot, putting on two for Knizner with an out. The Cardinals catcher hit a deep fly ball into left midfield, with Wade making the catch off the warning lane. Both runners moved up, with DeJong third and O’Neill second.

With two outs, Edman hit a ground ball down the middle. Estrada reached to his right, gloved it and made a two-hop throw to first base, calling Edman out on a bang-bang play. However, the Cardinals initially challenged the call and it was nullified — Edman had an infield hit and the Cardinals had another run on the board that saw DeJong cross the plate.

Gabe Kapler went to the bullpen and brought in former Cardinal John Brebbia against Nootbaar, who flew into midfield for our number three.

Mikolas hit Villar with a big curveball for the first out in the bottom of the seventh, and Oli Marmol went for the bullpen. When the left-hander struck Crawford and Wade, it was time for Genesis Cabrera.

Cabrera defeated Crawford, gave Wade a one-out double, but got Estrada to hit a groundball straight back to him to end the seventh inning.

Mikola’s closing line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (95 pitches)
Webb’s last line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (102 pitches)

8th inning

Goldschmidt worked a 12-pitch at-bat against Brebbia, including six fouls, but eventually landed. Gorman jumped on a 1-1 slider and put it into right field for a one-out hit, but was cleared on second base when Arenado scored in an easy 4-6-3 double play. However, Crawford’s throw back to first base was high and down the line, allowing Arenado to reach first.

Dylan Carlson, who came on as Burleson’s defensive back-up, hit a ground ball where the third baseman would have been had he not been shadowed to the right. The ball rolled all the way down the third baseline until it was finally picked up by Wade, and the relay didn’t make it home in time to reach Arenado, who scored to make it 3-0. Carlson ended up in second place with a double.

Kapler went into the bullpen again and brought in right-hander Tristan Beck for his third appearance of the season. DeJong greeted him with a bombshell and slammed a hanging breaking ball 369 feet into left field seats for a two-run homer — his second homer in five games since he was recalled. 5-0 Cardinals.

O’Neill pulled a two-out walk, but Knizner was called out on strikes for the number three.

Mitch Haniger pinched for Pederson and hit a 51 mph swinging bunt toward third base that Arenado simply picked up and pocketed for a leadoff single. Cabrera finished out Conforto with a flyout and Flores with a pop out before defeating Yastrzemski with two outs. He knocked out Sabol to strand both runners and send that play to ninth place.

9th inning

A double from Tommy Edman and a single from Nootbaar got Goldschmidt out with runners in the corners and nobody to start the ninth inning. He hit a ground ball to Villar in third, who went for second for the force out, but they initially failed to complete the doubles play. Edman scored to make it 6-0.

Gorman picked up a gold sombrero on that beautiful Thursday and Arenado landed on second base.

Drew VerHagen threw a clean ninth-place floor with two strikeouts to end the game. The Cardinals avoid the four-game sweep.

FINALS: Cardinals 6, Giants 0

Next

The West Coast road trip from Hell continues tomorrow for the Cardinals (10-16) when they fly a few hours south to face the Dodgers (13-13) in Los Angeles.

Redhead fireballer Dustin May (2-1, 3.07 ERA) will start for the Dodgers while Jack Flaherty (2-2, 3.29 ERA) will go for St. Louis. May earned a win over the Cubs on his last outing by hitting the sixth inning and giving up two earned runs. Flaherty beat the Mariners last weekend, giving up three earned runs over six innings while striking out nine.

The first pitch is scheduled for 9:10 p.m

around the headquarters

Pirates 6, Dodgers 2

Boy 5, Padre’s 2

Today’s pickle

MLB Pickle #414 – 5/9

Continue reading

The post A slight reprieve: Sharp Mikolas, Burly bomb finish Cardinals shedding streak with 6-0 victory over Giants appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Ace Hardware Corp. won its first court battle with a San Antonio handyman who had sued the retail chain for trademark infringement.

State District Judge Karen Pozza ruled Friday that Ace Hardware may use the Ace Hardware Handyman Services name to advertise its startup repair, maintenance and improvement services company in Bexar and the surrounding counties.

San Antonio handyman John Allen, who owns Ace Handyman Services Inc., rejected the name on the grounds that it was too similar to his company name.

“I think Ace Hardware Handyman Services is fine,” Pozza said of granting the request. She did not elaborate on her decision.

On ExpressNews.com: Ace Hardware gets in trouble with a San Antonio handyman

Last summer, Illinois-based Ace Hardware completed the acquisition of Handyman Matters, a home improvement franchisor. This month, Ace Hardware rebranded the “Ace Handyman Services” franchise across the country.

However, shortly before the transition, San Antonio’s Ace Handyman Services sued Ace Hardware and obtained an injunction preventing the chain from using the name “Ace Handyman Services or a confusingly similar trademark” in Bexar and the seven adjacent counties.

As a result, the two San Antonio-area franchisees in Ace Hardware’s Ace Handyman Services network are not identified on a website that lists 57 other franchisees in 29 states.

Allen, 50, who founded his company in 2015, was visibly disappointed by Pozza’s verdict. His attorney, Nick Guinn, declined to comment after the hearing and did not respond to an email Monday.

“Trademark infringement depends heavily on whether there is likelihood of confusion,” Guinn told the judge. “In this particular case, we have identical brands. Not just similar brands, but identical brands. Ace Handyman Services, Ace Handyman Services. The services are identical.”

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A restraining order hearing was scheduled for Friday to consider whether the restraining order should remain in effect substantially pending the outcome of a trial.

However, prior to Friday’s court hearing, Ace Hardware filed a motion to have the restraining order dismissed and the restraining order hearing postponed to a later date.

The TRO remains in effect and the restraining order has been reset for April 17.

Arthur Gollwitzer III, an Austin attorney representing Ace Hardware and its two local Handyman franchisees, argued that there is no evidence of confusion with Allen’s Ace Handyman Services because the local franchisees used the Ace Handyman Services name, the Ace Hardware used in other areas have not adopted.

It is clear, however, that Ace Hardware ultimately wants to use the name Ace Handyman Services here.

“Every day this case goes on … (the defendants) suffer various types of harm,” Gollwitzer said in court. “The local (franchisees) are small businesses, just like the plaintiff. You will be excluded from receiving endorsements from the Ace Hardware website. You are barred from using any online appointment service and business management services.

“We are locked out of Bexar County pending resolution of this matter,” he added. “To move forward with a strategy in the rest of the country but not here also comes at a cost.”

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based editor specializing in banking and civil courts. Read it on our free website, mySA.com, and on our subscriber website, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD

The post Ace {Hardware} scores early victory in trademark battle with San Antonio handyman appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Brooke Jenkins declared victory in the San Francisco’s District Attorney race on Wednesday after unofficial election results pointed to her win.

She secured 56% of the vote after multiple rounds of ranked-choice voting, and claimed almost 48% of votes counted so far, according to reports from city’s 514 precincts.

“It is an honor of a lifetime to be elected and I pledge that improving and promoting public safety will be my and our office’s top priority,” Jenkins wrote on Twitter.

Jenkins thanked her family, friends, campaign team and staff at the District Attorney’s office.

“We will work with city and law enforcement partners to address public safety challenges in every neighborhood that have festered for years with a renewed sense of urgency and purpose,” Jenkins said on Twitter.

Jenkins was appointed district attorney by Mayor London Breed in June after Chesa Boudin was recalled from the position.

Brooke Jenkins

Breed took to Twitter to extended her congratulations to Jenkins on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have a lot to do to address public safety in this city. I look forward to continuing the work Brooke and I have been doing to protect San Franciscans and uphold the law while getting at the root causes of crime,” Breed wrote in a tweet.

In second place was competitor John Hamasaki, who earned about 43.77% of ranked-choice votes. On Twitter he said he could not believe the support his team received in under three months of campaigning. “No matter how it works out, [I’m] grateful to live in the most amazing city and I will always stand with you to fight to make it better,” Hamasaki wrote on Twitter.

The post Brooke Jenkins claims victory in San Francisco District Lawyer race | Bay Space appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Khalil Shabazz had 18 points in San Francisco’s 60-48 victory against Cal Poly on Thursday night.

Shabazz also contributed seven rebounds for the Dons (2-0). Tyrell Roberts scored 12 points and added six rebounds and three steals. Josh Kunen recorded eight points and was 3 of 7 shooting and 2 of 3 from the free throw line.

The Mustangs (1-1) were led by Alimamy Koroma, who recorded 15 points and eight rebounds. Chance Hunter added eight points for Cal Poly. In addition, Trevon Taylor finished with seven points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Shabazz scored nine points in the first half and San Francisco went into halftime trailing 27-24. San Francisco outscored Cal Poly by 15 points in the second half. Shabazz led the way with nine second-half points.

NEXT UP

San Francisco’s next game is Sunday against UC Merced at home, while Cal Poly visits Stanford on Friday.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The post Shabazz spurs San Francisco to 60-58 victory over Cal Poly appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

When it comes to previewing the Denver Broncos’ Week 3 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, it’s difficult to narrow it down to just three keys. With Jimmy Garoppolo back in the fold, the Niners represent a very different challenge than they may have last week.

The Broncos don’t seem like a bad team per se, but a lot has to go right to have a chance of beating the Niners. It would be remiss to not discuss a talented Niners’ pass rush, but it goes without saying that Broncos offensive tackles Garett Bolles and Billy Turner, or Cameron Fleming, have to win against Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam.

The Broncos have had a lot of success, albeit against lesser on-paper defenses, in moving the football. The Niners present a stern challenge for this Broncos offense, despite Russell Wilson’s steller record against them.

So what are the keys to a Broncos victory in Week 3? Let’s dive in.

Clean up the Self-Inflicted Miscues

Ron Chenoy USA TODAY Sports

It’s inexcusable for the Broncos, in two games, to be flagged 28 times, with 25 accepted penalties against them. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Broncos have had 25 accepted penalties in any two-game span, and it’s juxtaposed against the Vic Fangio-coached teams that had a relatively low number of penalties called against them.

After the Houston game, Wilson said, “We have to quit hurting ourselves… We have to quit getting penalties as players. That’s on us. That’s discipline.”

The good news is that cleaning up the penalties is fixable. The not-so-good news is that Shawn Hochuli’s crew generally calls for a higher number of penalties than the league average. That puts the onus on the Broncos’ players and coaching staff to show improvement and more discipline, as the last thing they’ll need is to give the Niners free yardage or more chances to beat them.

In addition, it also means the Broncos’ offensive hive needs to get the play calls in quickly and Wilson needs to break from the huddle much faster. Often, through two games, the Broncos’ offense is breaking from the huddle with around 10 seconds left on the play clock, and therefore, most snaps feel rushed, and that’s when negative plays happen, or else the coaching staff has to call a time out.

Nathaniel Hackett also has to have more trust in his scheme and coaching decisions, as his scheme is the principal reason why the Broncos made him the 18th head coach in team history. That means not over-correcting, like not running the ball in goal-to-go situations against the Houston Texans because of miscues in rushing the ball in goal-line situations against the Seattle Seahawks, for instance.

Finally, it’s frankly embarrassing that the fans at Mile High had to count down the play call last week. It goes without saying this is something that the Broncos’ offense should want to avoid.

First, it keys to the defense when the snap comes in, and with teams utilizing every advantage, the last thing the Broncos’ offensive line needs is Bosa timing the snap perfectly. Second, it also takes away from the Broncos’ ability to audible and exacerbates the communication difficulties especially prevalent on the offensive line through two games.

Imagine the crowd counting down for Peyton Manning. It’s unthinkable.

Having so many difficulties getting the play calls in on time is inexcusable. To his credit, Coach Hackett has suggested that the process of getting in the plays will be tightened up, so in front of a national prime-time audience, it’s time the Broncos show it.

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Stop the Niners’ Short Passing Game

Ron Chenoy USA TODAY Sports

This is one aspect of the Niners that has changed significantly since last week. Firstly, Garoppolo, while he has a lower ceiling than Trey Lance, has a significantly higher floor at this stage of their respective NFL careers.

Garoppolo has shown to be dependable and accurate when throwing short, timing-based routes, and he has significant experience running this offense. It would be nice to see the Broncos’ cornerbacks line up closer to the receivers because allowing eight-yard cushions consistently is a recipe for disaster as it limits their ability to be physical at the catch point, limits their ability to turn to run with the receivers, and limits their functional change-of-direction ability.

Garoppolo can fit it into the soft spots in zone coverage, and will feast on the off-man coverage, which Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero seems to utilize at a much higher clip than Fangio did on all downs, but especially the money downs.

The Broncos must also be aware of Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk, who’s in his third season and showing more glimpses of why he was so highly rated in the 2020 NFL draft. He has elite length and wingspan and is a dangerous yards-after-catch (YAC) specialist who is hard to bring down with the ball in his hand.

It’s another reason why the Broncos should make their coverage tighter, for example, with their cornerbacks lining up closer to four yards off the line of scrimmage rather than eight yards. If the Broncos can keep the coverage tighter, it will present chances for the pass rush to get home.

The Broncos can win against the Niners’ tackles. While they are very good, they have shown some weaknesses thus far in the early season in pass protection, and RT Mike McGlinchey has usually been susceptible to edge rushers who can convert speed-to-power. The play of OLB Randy Gregory, in particular, has been one of the highlights for the Broncos in the early season, especially with his freaky size and athleticism.

The Broncos will need to win against a young Niners interior offensive line, push the pocket and flush Garoppolo. Garoppolo can pick apart the Broncos’ secondary if he has a pocket to step into.

Scroll to Continue

And then, because the Broncos have not struggled against tight ends enough already, they have to slow down George Kittle making his season debut. He will be healthy, and the Broncos will not have the luxury of slowing him down with Justin Simmons, out for the season.

The last time Kittle faced the Broncos, he cut through the defense with seven receptions for 210 yards, with a long of 85 yards and touchdown. The Broncos may be able to call on the services of CB Patrick Surtain II, who participated in full on Friday and is officially listed as questionable on the injury report.

LB Josey Jewell would be a welcome return but is also listed as questionable. At safety, Kareem Jackson has lost a step, and Caden Sterns has a lot to prove overall, but slowing down Kittle somehow will be critical.

Defensive Integrity Against the Run

Kyle Terada USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Shanahan’s offense runs through a talented running game. While the outside zone is a staple of the Shanahan system, the rushing schemes are multifaceted, making it difficult to prepare for.

Niners RB Jeff Wilson, elevated to a feature role, had 18 carries for 84 yards last week, at 4.7 yards per carry, although he had a long of 16 yards, and was held to zero touchdowns. However, WR Deebo Samuel, is a multifaceted offensive superstar who will get his fair share of rushing and receiving opportunities. Samuel exploded for a 51-yard rush against the Seahawks, and he has made the Niners’ running game very difficult to stop.

Kittle’s return will also be felt in the running game with his physicality and blocking ability. Again, Jewell is listed as questionable, but if he can play, he is the straw that stirs the drink of the Broncos’ defense.

Jewell is the defensive field general and leader in the absence of Simmons, organizes players to line up in the right place, and gets the plays in. The Broncos must limit the missed tackles and keep defensive integrity against the run.

The defensive line cannot be pushed back in the run game, and as such, the Broncos may benefit from limiting the snaps in obvious running situations given to DL DeShawn Williams, who, while he has shown flashes in previous years against the pass, has given up almost an 85% rushing success rate when teams run in his direction.

Fellow D-linemen Dre’Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, and DJ Jones are important to slow down the running game, while the Broncos’ linebackers must read their keys, attack the correct gap and not miss their tackles, but Dre’Mont Jones is trending down and is likely to miss the Niners game, and Purcell is also listed as questionable.

It would be interesting to see rookie Matt Henningsen get a chance to play after impressive in the preseason. The edge rushers must not over-pursue because that will create numerous cut-back opportunities on the backside of the play.

The Broncos’ secondary must show the requisite physicality, with fewer ankle-biting tackles, greater urgency in getting off their blocks, and turning tackles into stops short of the sticks.

Wilson Must His Receivers & Utilize the Whole Field

Wilson’s heat map so far this season is quite interesting. Through two games, he has heavily targeted the left side of the field, which is not surprising given that Courtland Sutton usually lines up on the left, and the Broncos’ receiving corps has been injured.

Wilson has done a good job going through all of his reads but will often work through his progressions, go to his checkdown, go off his checkdown, go through more reads, and miss the checkdown opportunity because it becomes covered. He has historically had a very high percentage of pressures and sacks given up that are attributable to the quarterback.

Not trusting the receivers, not taking the checkdown option when that is what the defense is giving him, further exacerbates that situation. Wilson is not moving like he used to, and through two weeks, it’s clear that he is still facing a significant adjustment to the new offense and is not yet comfortable in the scheme or throwing to receivers not named Sutton.

Tyrie Cleveland is trending down on the injury report, but there is hope that Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler can play, after being listed as limited and full participants, respectively, in practice. Wide receiver depth is an issue for the Broncos, but it will be a significant shot in the arm for the Broncos offense if Jeudy and Hamler are both able to play.

In particular, Hamler can create more opportunities for offensive spacing, and Jeudy is an easy separator that was much missed in the second half of the Texans game, although the set-up for his moves would indicate that he should not be the first read on most plays.

The Niners have a very good front seven, with linebackers who are exceptional in coverage and a secondary that is not to be overlooked. They play a physical brand of football and mix up their pressures quite well.

The Broncos have to match that physicality on offense, with the receivers doing a better job at run blocking, getting open, and winning the trust of Wilson. If the Broncos’ wideouts can step up and make plays, they will win Wilson’s trust in critical situations, especially in the red zone.

bottom line

The Broncos do not seem to be a bad football team, and they are fully capable of putting things right and executing a complete game that can beat the Niners. It would certainly be a statement win if the Broncos can pull it off in prime time.

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