Explore every episode of the podcast Curveballs and Changeups

The A's and Giants gained more representation on the All Star rosters today: Brent Rooker joined rookie starter Jacob Wilson, while Giants pitchers Logan Webb, Robby Ray and Randy Rodriguez were all added to the NL All Star rosters. Now, the two teams will go after the rubber match after splitting the first two in West Sacramento. Lefty Jacob Lopez goes for the A's and Hayden Birdsong for the Giants.

An embarrassing three-game sweep to the lowly Florida Marlins calls into question how serious the Giants are. I have a little fun & read off some of the frustrations from #sfgiants fans.

The A's try to improve on a hopeful June but have to face the best team in the MLB. Plus, some observations about the "groundbreaking" event in Las Vegas. And more Jenny Cavnar bloopers!

A recap of Sunday's bizarre series finale that ended with the Giants breaking out their bats. I make the case that the Devers Effect was in full effect. Willy Adames showed he is more relaxed with Devers in the lineup. Also, some roster reconstruction analysis.

The Giants got that new shipment of bats I asked for -- from Boston! Buster Posey's bold move to bring elite hitter Rafael Devers to SF instantly remakes the Giants' lineup, shakes up the baseball world and gives the Giants a boost to their playoff hopes.

The A's have won 6 of their last 10 and a lot can be attributed to their pitching staff. But, can they keep it up when they return home, which has been torture on their pitchers? Plus, a hard look at A's PBP TV broadcaster Jenny Cavnar in my new segment, "Harmon the Critic."

If you were one of 53,000 Candlestick Park fans there for a Giants/Dodgers doubleheader, it was one of the most memorable moments in the SF/LA rivalry. Robinson flicking his nose to get under the skin of LA's closer Steve Howe, just weeks off a stint in a rehab stint for cocaine addiction. That story, plus a quick take on the first place tie the two rivals find themselves in.

Do you notice how Bob Melvin shrugs in his postgame interviews? That's just baseball is the body language he exudes. But, even Melvin knew something had to be done when June got off to a slow start. And since the June 4 flurry of moves, the Giants have won 5 straight. But, they're still one of the weakest hitting teams in MLB. Heliot Ramos had some terse things to say about that. Lots to think about as the Giants hit the road for 3 in Colorado and 3 in Los Angeles.

Jerar Encarnacion makes his long awaited return to the Giants after a two month recovery from a broken hand. The news came with the shock that outfielder Luis Matos was sent to Sacramento, meaning LaMonte Wade Jr. stays with SF, to the chagrin of impatient fans. Also, I offer a scouting report for the series with San Diego, and some old school pitchers weigh in on MLB's misuse of pitchers.

Hitting remains impotent for the SF Giants as they get swept by the Detroit Tigers. What's at the heart of their miseries? They don't hit with count leverage. They pass up on "cookies," fastballs down the middle. They've stopped stealing bases. They don't score early or often. So, maybe a shipment of new bats will help.

Mark Kotsay continues to worship at the altar of the 100 pitch count limit, and it cost him again when he lifted Luis Severino after 98 pitches. The A's bullpen proceeded to blow another game en route to their 9th straight loss. Did the press ask Kotsay why he took Severino out, though he'd given up just 2 runs and 0 walks over 6 innings? No. Did they ask Severino if he could have gone another inning? No.

All the Giants had to do was wait til A's Manager Mark Kotsay made the call to the bullpen Sunday. After getting stifled by lefty starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs for 6 2/3 innings, the Giants went to work against the A's relievers and pulled off another late inning win, thanks to big contributions from struggling LaMonte Wade Jr., Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos.

A's Manager Mark Kotsay's decision to walk Mike Yastrzemski to load the bases in the bottom of the 10th inning backfired when closer Mason Miller walked the major league's top RBI guy Wilmer Flores for a 1-0 Giants win over the A's.

Wilmer Flores had gone 18 games without a home run, stuck on 7 since April 21. And then the A's Effed around with him and Found out. A breakdown of his grand slam, and how the Giants worked A's starting pitcher JP Sears to load the bases. Also, a look at the mastery of Logan Webb, who held Sacramento to 5 hits over 8 innings.

Some bitterness lingers over the fact that the Giants and A's "rivalry" continues in a new "I-80" format. But, this series is actually important for both teams, which are looking to rebound from recent skids. Plus, a trivia question about two players with the same name who played for SF and Oakland.

The Giants' losing streak is now at four; the hitters are in a crisis. Only Heliot Ramos seems to know what he's doing at the plate. Pitchers have got to be growing frustrated by going unrewarded with stellar performances. My trivia question goes back to the 2010 World Series championship series with echoes of similar hitting woes.

The Giants are coming off a key series win over the Chicago Cubs after facing down some pivotal moments. Now, they face the hot Minnesota Twins, winners of their last five. I've break down the matchups, I've got a trivia question related to the Giants and Twins and return to my popular Did You Know segment.

Sacramento A's Manager Mark Kotsay has a chance to be a revolutionary. He could buck the trend. He could throw out the conventional wisdom that 100 pitch counts are sacred. He could ask his starting pitchers to step up and take on a greater workload. It's needed because the bullpen may be on the verge of wearing down. Plus, another Trivia Question!

After dropping the series opener to the lowly Colorado Rockies, the SF Giants took care of business by winning the next three with a 9-3 laugher on Sunday capping off the good short home stand. They head to Chicago to face the 1st place Cubs. I explore why Willy Adames, who hit 2 HRs Sunday, should be the cleanup hitter and should sit vs. LH pitchers. I also bust the myth that Patrick Bailey is the best catcher in the majors. And I have a trivia question!

The A's took 3 of 4 from the Texas Rangers, getting a nice rebound start from Jeffrey Springs. Plus, another phenom, a top pitching prospect, gets the call. And, a trivia question and a rant on baseball's devaluation of the starting pitchers.

After all the angst, worry and fretting over missteps, missed opportunities, blown saves and long slumps, we might be able to say the Giants have something special going. They've got the walkoff magic going: they walked it off twice this weekend and now have a major league leading five walkout wins. I go over all that, plus a word on my pet peeve: shorter and shorter stints for starting pitcher. And, I have a trivia question!

With the arrival of last year's No. 1 draft pick Nick Kurtz, the A's youth movement is in full swing. And they put it on display with their first walk-off win in Sacramento and their first series win over the Texas Rangers. I also discuss a sore subject: will Sacramento ever fully embrace the A's? And did a reporter open up a Pandora's box by suggesting the A's could move back to Oakland?

After only 32 games in the minor leagues, the A's top draft pick of 2024 Nick Kurtz will make his major league debut Wednesday in Sacramento. It's one of the quickest rises in A's history for draft picks, and Kurtz joins the Astros' Cam Smith as the only players from that draft to rise to the top so quickly.

In what was probably their most difficult loss of the season, the Giants blow a 4-1 lead in the 9th inning Sunday to the Angels, losing 5-4 to end a rough road trip at .500. They had a chance to come home with a 6-4 record, on good vibes of a nice outing by Justin Verlander. They'll have to rebound starting tonight against the hot Milwaukee Brewers. Also: a look at who's hot and who's not. And bullpen blowups was epidemic around the major leagues.

Struggles from starting pitchers have become an issue for the SF Giants, though they've taken four of seven on the first two legs of their 10 game road trip. Breaking it all down here. Plus, a hard-hitting commentary on MLB's failure to talk about the tragedy of racism that existed in baseball before and after Jackie Robinson broke the segregated line in 1947.

The A's won three straight resoundingly against the Chicago White Sox as Tyler Sodorstrom continues his Reggie Jackson-like power surge. The Milwaukee Brewers will pose a test on the final leg of Sacramento's six-game road trip. Plus, I have a hard hitting commentary on MLB's failure to celebrate the true legacy of Jackie Robinson.

The A's dropped two of three to the New York Mets, closing out a homestead in which they lost 4 of 6. Yes, they showed signs of being able to compete with some of the best teams in the National League. But, you have to wonder how much they will be affected by losing at home, where they're playing at a AAA ballpark in front of 10,000 fans, half of whom are rooting for the visiting team.

Has Jung Hoo Lee cemented his status as superstar yet? He singlehandedly carried the San Francisco Giants to capturing a three-game series with the New York Yankees in New York. He hit two home runs Sunday after opening the series Friday with a three-run blast. SF heads to Philly now. I've got some analysis of the weekend games, plus a look at how to tweak an otherwise struggling lineup.

The A's played the San Diego Padres tough in a three-game series, winning one and losing two 1-run games. They now play host to another tough National League team, the New York Mets.

The Sacramento A's finally win at home, but even their two losses to the San Diego Padres were competitive. But, they continue to get tested with another tough National League team coming to town: the New York Mets.

The Giants avoid a sweep with an 8-6 comeback win over the Reds before heading to the East Coast to face the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. Also: why not keep Logan Webb in longer in his duel with the Reds' Hunter Greene?

The Sacramento A's take two of three in Colorado in a reset after rough start in Sacramento. But now they face the formidable San Diego Padres right back in Sacramento.

The Giants have built their winning streak to 7 and have the best record in all of baseball, to the astonishment of the baseball world. How they did it and what they're facing.

The SF Giants' home opener comes after a 5-1 season-opening road trip , while the A's try to shake off a disastrous opening homestead with a trip to Colorado. Plus, I scan the major leagues and the silly leash managers are placing on starting pitchers. And, I have a little memory of my broadcast days at SF State.

The Giants took 2 of 3 from the Reds and the A's split four on the road against the Mariners as both teams gave a glimpse of intriguing story lines to follow in 2025.

It was just 1 game out of 162, but late-inning drama for both the A's and Giants made for an intense opening to the 2025 season. I lay out how Jose LcClerc's pitch selection may have doomed him, spoiling a wonderful effort by starter Luis 'Savvy Sevvy" Severino and the two HR day by 1B Tyler Sodorstrom. And I go into the late-game heroics by Wilmer Flores to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The A's and Giants are carrying good vibes out of Spring Training after both teams had strong showings. I take a look at both teams, their lineups and pitching rotations. I also have a comment on the pain Oakland fans are feeling as they see their team prepare for their first season in Sacramento. I also have a Did You Know segment and a comment on a nice column by the SF Chronicle's Ann Killion.

The Giants and A's got some bad news on the injury front: Jerar Encarnacion was put on the shelf for 4 to 5 weeks with a hairline fracture of his glove hand ring finger, a blow to the Giants middle of the lineup. And starting second baseman Zack Gelof's hand injury may be worse than the A's thought originally. What this all means as the two teams prepare to break camp and head into the regular season.

SF Giants catcher Patrick has a beef with MLB's automatic balls and strikes system, which may be implemented in 2026. He worries it will take away the one attribute that makes him a Gold Glove catcher: his pitch framing skills. But, his boss, Buster Posey, says he should focus on other skill sets. I explore this after a quick update on the A's and Giants with less than a week to go until the 2025 season begins.

In today's Curveballs & Changeups, I give a quick take on the Giants and A's Spring Training clash over the weekend in the desert. And I then take down the analytics with the story of Matt Williams' when he blew the Washington Nationals' playoff hopes with his historic analytics blunder.

Lawrence Butler made a splash in his rookie year last year, something that was no sure thing after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2018 draft. In fact, most of the 172 players in the 2018 draft drafted before Butler have never made it. We take a look at the path he took to get to where he is now.

The second episode of Curveballs and Changeups features a discussion of the careers of Giants pitchers Justin Verlander and Logan Webb. I look at how Verlander's history of longevity can pave the way for Webb to take another step toward greatness. Also, a note: I've changed my podcast name, though not before recording this podcast, so you will hear references to the Hot Corner, for which this podcast no longer is named.

I'll take a look at some of the key players and upcoming decisions of the San Francisco Giants and Sacramento A's, including a deep dive into Giants' manager Bob Melvin's lineup construction; as well as some background into the two pitching acquisitions the A's made over the winter.