1ST STRING MAGAZINE

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Oakland making a playoff push

Photo by Eric Taylor

The ball is starting to roll downhill for Oakland's playoff chances after splitting a four game serious with Seattle (a team that is chasing them) and opening a big series with the New York Yankees (a team they are chasing).

The A's have a line up that can hurt you from many different spots in the line up, but they don't boost a hitter batting over .300. There is plenty of pop in Oakland.

The A's have had some heavy hitters wear the Green and gold but nobody in team history ever hit 40-home runs three straight years until Khris Davis did it a couple of days ago in a win against Seattle.

That win helped Oakland split the four game set with Seattle, keeping the Mariners at arms length and setting up the series with the Yankees who blew into town on Labor Day.

The A's feature one of baseballs best bullpen backing up a starting rotation that is doing it with smoke and mirrors while trying to overcome a spat of injuries.

High school football is back

Photo by Eric Taylor

De La Salle got their season off on a good note with a grind it out 14-0 home win against Folsom High on opening weekend of the 2018 prep football season in California.

That was just one of hundreds across the state as teams began playing in mid August for the first time.

Pittsburg tangled with Clayton Valley in an early season D1 showdown that Clayton Valley Charter needed two overtimes to top the talented squad from nearby Pittsburg 38-31.

D3 powers Marin Catholic and Campolindo went at it week one and Campo won 35-21 while San Leandro put up 51pts to Foothills 29pts in another big D1 NCS match up.

Teams are playing each other early so there will be no doubt at the end of the season when it comes to the selection of playoff teams. More click here

The San Francisco Giants are off to an interesting start to the 2018 MLB season

Photo by Eric Taylor

The Giants are looking good so far this season. a pretty good pitching staff and the bat of Joe Panik helped SF win 2 of 3 down at Chavez Ravine the opening weekend of 2018.

Giants opening day starter Ty Blach scattered three hits over five inning to get the win and second baseman Joe Panik provided all the offense San Francisco would need when he blasted a a deep drive into the right field bleachers.

Panik was the man game two of 2018 when his top of the 9th homer did not waste the 7 innings of one hit ball Johnny Cueto tossed against LA. Tony Watson pitched a scoreless 8th to get the win.

Three losses in a row (two by shutout) followed before SF busted loose for a 10-1 pounding of Seattle. New bats to the line up (Evan Longria and Andrew McCutchen) have added punch to the middle of the line up.

You can tell by the way Panik is swing the bat. Last year pitchers could pitch around Joe but now with Longria and McCutchen behind him pitchers don't want to leave any thing out there for those two so Panik is getting pitched to.

It is true that both McCutchen and Longoria have started slow at the plate. McCutchen showed that taking away runs is just as big as scoring them when he went deep into triples alley to save two run behind Cueto.

AT 3-3 San Francisco has shown it can pitch with the best of them and hit a little bit and play some defense, three keys to playing winning baseball.

Now can they put them all together for long periods of the season.. More click here

STATE FARM AGENT SAMANTHA HARRIS