Niners tame Lions to avoid upset

Week 1 - Entering Sunday's season-opener on the road as heavy favorites against the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers would have scares to start and finish the game, while dominating in all facets in the middle. Luckily, that "bend but don't break" mentality would be a theme for head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad. The Lions came out the gates swinging and quickly pinned the Niners against a wall as they needed only two plays to make it across midfield and into enemy territory, but a risky 4th and 2 call would blow up in Detroit's face as they turned the ball over on downs, despite being in field goal range. However, San Francisco would see their first possession go up in flames on their first play on offense as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo fumbled the snap, giving the ball right back to the Lions. The Niner defense would bail the offense out by holding Detroit to a field goal attempt which they would go on to miss from 51-yards out. With a chance to redeem themselves on offense, Jimmy G and company would do just that, marching down the field and striking pay dirt. 

Unfortunately, the injury bug which ravaged the Niners a year ago and practically put an end to their season early on, would rear its ugly head once again as San Francisco suffered blows on both sides of the ball. After nice carries of 11 and 9 yards by running back Raheem Mostert on San Francisco's first two plays following the errant snap, the former track star appeared to be headed for a big game on Sunday. Instead, his day would come to an end before the conclusion of the first quarter as Mostert would not be seen on the field again after those two carries. After making it into the red zone and facing a first and goal situation from the Detroit 5-yard line, Shanahan would dial up a play for rookie QB Trey Lance who on the second play of his career, found receiver Trent Sherfield for the touchdown. Inspired by the drive, the Lions would also have success on their next possession, eventually tying the game at 7 on a touchdown pass from QB Jared Goff to his tight-end T.J. Hockenson. With the injury to Mostert and rookie running back Trey Sermon ruled out just before kickoff as a "healthy scratch," the door would be open for another rookie running back in Elijah Mitchell. 

The 2021 sixth round pick out of Louisiana showed up in a big way in his NFL debut, making a number of big plays on Sunday, but perhaps none greater than the one on San Francisco's next possession. After a 29-yard pass from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel who also had a huge game on Sunday, Mitchell took a 38-yard carry to the house for the go-ahead score. After a Detroit field goal made it a 14-10 49er lead, the San Francisco offense picked up right where they left off as another big play by Deebo Samuel setup another running back touchdown, this time by second-year man JaMycal Hasty who punched it in from 3-yards out. Hoping to answer San Francisco's successful drive with one of their own, the Lions would instead suffer a pick-six as Goff felt the pressure and hurried a pass into traffic which was intercepted and returned 39-yards by linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The Niners would increase their lead just before the half thanks to a Robbie Gould field goal to take a 31-10 advantage into the locker room. 

More big plays to start the second half would once again have the Niners in scoring position. A 35-yard reception to tight-end George Kittle would kickoff quarter number three before a missed field goal attempt from 52-yards out by Gould. The biggest play of the game for either team, would come on San Francisco's next possession. After forcing a punt on defense, Jimmy Garoppolo would air the ball out when facing a 3rd and 8 as he threw along the sidelines and found Deebo who did the rest by rumbling for the 79-yard score on his way to a career-high 189 yards on 9 receptions. It would mark the most receiving yards in 49ers history for a player in a Week 1 road game as Samuel would also shatter his previous high of 134 yards receiving set back on Week 11 of the 2019 season against Arizona. A 43-yard catch and run by Lions running back D'Andre Swift would get Detroit on the board in the third quarter, but the game seemed to be put away after San Francisco added another Robbie Gould field goal to start the fourth quarter. They would be sadly mistaken as the rollercoaster ride that was the fourth quarter was just beginning. 

The Lions, under new head coach Dan Campbell, showed some scrappiness when the 49ers eased up and took their foot off the gas pedal, allowing Detroit to fight back and make a game out of it, just when they appeared dead in the water. A pivotal turning-point would occur around the 8-minute mark in the 4th quarter when Niners cornerback Jason Verrett went down on an incomplete pass and had to be helped to the locker room with apparent knee injury. Leading 41-17 with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lions inched closer with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion to make it a 41-25 ballgame. Then came an on-side kick that took a nasty hop and deflected off the facemask of one George Kittle. With Detroit recovering the ball, Jared Goff suddenly couldn't miss as the Lions offense marched with ease, covering 59-yards in 46 seconds and eventually scoring on a touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus, who also came down with the subsequent two-point conversion. Before you could even blink, the Lions had cut the deficit from what was 24-points just moments earlier, to 8-points as 1:10 remained in regulation. 

Keeping Detroit from recovering a second consecutive onside-kick, all the Niners needed to do was convert a first down to seal the win. Facing a 3rd & 13, the 49er offense appeared to secure their game-sealing first down when Garoppolo stepped up to find Deebo Samuel who was racing towards the first down marker, but was stripped of the ball by Detroit's Trey Flowers. The critical takeaway would give Goff and the Lions one last-ditch effort to try and pull off the remarkable comeback. And with the drive starting with more of the same as Goff found receivers for gains of 20 and 25 yards, that luck eventually ran out. Facing a 4th & 9 on San Francisco's 24 yard-line with 17-seconds on the clock, the 49ers brought the heat and forced Goff to hurry a pass that went incomplete. Surviving the scare, Jimmy G tallied 314 yards passing and a touchdown on 17 of 25 pass attempts to have himself a game. Goff would also have an impressive game, completing 38 of 57 attempts for 338 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns and an interception. 49ers rookie Eli Mitchell would lead all running backs with 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. 

Week 2 Preview: Continuing their season on the road, the 49ers will pay a visit to the city of brotherly love in Week 2 to face the (1-0) Philadelphia Eagles who handled Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 1 by a final score of 32-6. As if San Francisco won't already have their hands full with mobile quarterbacks when they face division foes Arizona and Seattle twice this year, they'll have another duel-threat signal-caller to prepare for in Philly's Jalen Hurts. Coming off a three touchdown performance in which he threw for 264 yards and rushed for another 62 yards, the 49er defense will need to do a much better job at containing the quarterback in Week 2 if they want to head home with an undefeated record. Pending the injury news to Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett, the 49ers should be getting reinforcements at both the running back and cornerback positions in Week 2 with Trey Sermon and Josh Norman, respectively. The Niners will also try to keep the winning going as all four teams in the daunting NFC West won in Week 1 and the 49ers don't want to be the first team this season to fall to defeat. 

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Surprising Giants Win Season-Series over Rival Dodgers

The wonder boys of San Francisco have done it again, this time reclaiming sole possession of first place in the National League West after taking two of three from the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers and besting their hated foes to claim the season series: 10 games to 9. Let's face it, the Giants weren't even supposed to be here heading into the season, especially this late into the year, not to mention against the All-Star cast of talent that is the defending champion Dodgers. And yet, Gabe Kapler's ragtag Giants team has found a way to do it again, this time taking the rubber-match at San Francisco's Oracle Park, while handing Cy Young contender Walker Buehler his first career loss to the Giants in 10 career starts and his worst outing of the season in which he allowed a season-high six earned runs over a season-low three innings pitched. All while the Giants were forced to play their second consecutive bullpen game in as many days. 

As good as Buehler had been this season while boasting a record of 13-2 and an MLB-best earned run average of 2.05 entering Sunday's outing, he's been even better when facing the Giants. Prior to Sunday's game which was televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Buehler had absolutely owned the Giants this season to the tune of a 0.79 ERA in 34 innings against them over five starts. With a perfect record of 7-0 against San Francisco in 12 career games, including 10 starts, Buehler has especially enjoyed pitching at Oracle Park where he's won all six of his starts there since being called up to the Majors in 2017. However, with first place on the line, the Giants were finally able to breakthrough against Buehler, attacking him early and often in the count. After a solo home run from Brandon Belt opened things up in the first inning, the recently recalled Steven Duggar who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento and plugged into the lineup just hours before first-pitch, delivered a 2-run triple before eventually scoring on a single from Darin Ruf. Brandon Crawford and Curt Casali continued the surge with an RBI double and RBI single, respectively, ending Buehler's night after only three innings pitched. The Dodgers were aided a run on a controversial ball-four call that drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth and got a pair of runs late in the 9th inning off of a pinch-hit homer from Albert Pujols, but were unable to complete the rally before falling by a final score of 6-4. 

Despite their struggles hitting with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series (a combined 4-for-30), those struggles were nonexistent in the finale for the G-Men (4-for-10) when facing one of baseball's best. After surrendering sole possession of first-place in the NL West for the first time since April 25, the Giants reclaimed their throne with the thrilling victory in the series-finale to their epic season-long battle which could very well witness another chapter, but in postseason-form. Dating back to their days in New York, the Giants and Dodgers have never met in the postseason up to this point, and could very well see that come to an end this year if whichever team is forced to play in the one-game Wild Card playoff, is able to win their game and advance to the National League Division Series. As if the rivalry needed anymore drama added into the mix. Since dropping their first four games of the season to L.A., the Giants have gone on to win 10 of the last 15 versus Dave Roberts' Dodgers club. With just a 1-game lead in the division following a win from both teams on Labor Day, the Giants currently own the best record in all of baseball at 88-50 and will try to keep their distance over Los Angeles in the standings with only 24 games remaining in the regular season. 

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The Forgotten 500

Last week, Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera did something that only 27 Major League ballplayers had done before him when he became the latest member of baseball's 500 Home Run Club. Becoming the first member of the exclusive club since Boston's David Ortiz joined in 2015, etching his name into the record books is something Miggy had been doing long before his historic blast off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz traveled 400-feet to tie the game at 1 in the sixth inning. In what ended up being a 5-3 win for the Tigers in 11-innings, Cabrera received both a standing ovation and a curtain call from the opposing fans at Toronto's Rogers Centre, knowing they just witnessed history from one of the game's all-time greats. Unlike those who've accomplished the feat before him, Cabrera is the first Venezuelan-born player to join the 500 Home Run Club and the first player to do so in a Tigers uniform. At 65-74 and 15 games back in the division behind the first place White Sox in the AL Central, the 2021 season will end with Detroit once again missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, so its likely this will be the highlight of their season. 

While reaching the 500 home run mark is barely a blip on the radar of sports fans these days, the accomplishment is one that does not garner nearly as much attention as it should or that it deserves, simply due to the explosion of players that joined the club in the early 2000's, fueled by baseball's famed and often frowned upon, "steroid era." Then again it probably doesn't help much that home runs is all guys focus on and try to do in today's game. With this sudden fixation on "launch angle", strikeout numbers are skyrocketing and batting averages are plummeting. Hell, guys barely even know how to bunt nowadays. Just his 13th homer of the season, the now 38-year old Cabrera is the 12th player to reach 500 career home runs since the start of the millennium. This after only 16 players reached 500 home runs in the 70 years between Babe Ruth becoming the very first to reach the mark in 1929 and the year 2000. 

While the celebration of the monumental number isn't what it once was, those of us who keep the game near and dear to our hearts, know the significance of the milestone. Although he had slowed down a bit over the past few seasons on his way to No. 500 with both injuries and age being a factor, Cabrera is one that seemed almost destined to reach the feat given his blazing hot start in the Majors which included a walk-off home run in his MLB debut at the age of 20 while playing for the then Florida Marlins.

After being sent to the Motor City before the 2008 season in an eight-player trade, Miggy did not skip a beat upon joining the American League and instead added to his resume. Among the many accolades and accomplishments of Cabrera's illustrious and future Hall of Fame career, he has 11 All-Star appearances, seven Silver Slugger Awards, two MVP Awards, a World Series ring and an AL Triple-Crown to boot. One of only nine players with at least 500 homers and a .300+ batting average, Miggy will join even more rarified air when he reaches the 3,000 hit plateau as he currently sits 36 hits shy of that mark. The elite company of players he would join with 500 homers and 3,000 hits include Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Rafael Palmeiro and Eddie Murray. 

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Beginner's Luck: Arizona's Gilbert twirls unlikely No-No

In what's been a dismal season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, there hasn't been a whole lot to cheer for in the desert this year. Sitting in the cellar of the National League Western Division at 38-81 and 38.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants, positivity and all around good vibes have been at a minimum for the D-Backs who own the worst record in all of baseball. However, the was one magical moment that took place on Saturday with the snakes in the limelight as 27-year old pitcher Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter in his first career big league start. With his family in attendance at Arizona's Chase Field, Gilbert blanked the high-powered San Diego Padres, albeit without their best player in Fernando Tatis Jr., to become the fourth pitcher in Major League history to toss a no-no in his first career start and the first since 1953. Making things even more improbable, Gilbert who had bounced around with the Phillies before being traded to the Dodgers and ultimately released and picked up by Arizona, had never logged a complete-game at any level in his professional baseball career. That was until his historic night. 

Having just made his Major League debut nine days earlier in a relief appearance against San Francisco in which Gilbert gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in 2/3 innings pitched, followed by two shutout frames (1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) against San Diego two days later, the D-Backs' southpaw has lived up to the adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Or in this case one team's trash is another team's treasure, even if only for this one spectacular history-making evening. After all, it's stories like this that make us fall in love with baseball time and time again. Before being mobbed by his teammates as out No. 27 was caught in center-field on a line-drive off the bat of Tommy Pham, Gilbert walked three batters and struck out five Padre hitters on 102-pitches (64 strikes). And while he didn't have the type of stuff that was blowing guys away as he barely sniffed the low-90's with his fastball, he did enough to throw guys off and keep the ball in the park. Something that's easier said than done at Arizona's hitter-friendly ballpark. Oddly enough, Joe Musgrove who pitched the first no-hitter of 2021 back on April 9 against the Texas Rangers, was the opposing pitcher on Saturday. 

The first Diamondbacks no-hitter since Edwin Jackson's no-no in 2010 and just the third in D-Backs franchise history (Hall of Famer Randy Johnson the other), unless you count Madison Bumgarner's 7 no-hit frames in the second game of a 7-inning doubleheader back on April 25, it's the eighth no-hitter tossed this season which ties the record for the most in a single season set back in 1884. Quite the story and an unforgettable night for a guy who even if we never hear from him again, etched his name into the record books and will forever have a story to tell, especially considering he was working with his father as an electrician less than a year ago following the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning the trade just in case he never received that call to the bigs. 

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Giants cap off Wild Trade Deadline with Acquisition of All-Star Bryant

Major League Baseball had one of its crazier trade deadlines in recent memory on Friday, if not the craziest of all-time. By the 1pm cutoff time, 4pm if you're on the east coast, baseball fans who are less than three weeks removed from watching the MLB All-Star Game played in Denver, saw a record ten All-Stars who played in that Mid-Summer Classic, dealt by the time things were all said and done. With such names as sluggers Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs being dealt to the Bronx from their respectively clubs as the Yankees try to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the American League East, as well as Kyle Schwarber heading to Bean Town from our nation's capital, the list of notable names that changed clubhouses goes on and on. But perhaps the biggest blockbuster that caught everyone by surprise, was that of the Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled a Houdini move by snaking a pair of All-Star studs from the nose of the division rival Padres. 

By mid-day Thursday, it appeared that the Padres had gained a tremendous boost in their efforts to overthrow the Dodgers and first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League Western Division when reports swirled that they were close to finalizing a deal that would land them a 4-time Cy Young Award-winner in Max Scherzer. Instead, the pitcher-needy Friars were upended by the rival Dodgers who pulled off a sneak-attack by stealing Scherzer from their grasp, while also adding All-Star shortstop Trea Turner in the process. While the deal did cost a pair of L.A.'s top prospects in return, they added another unbelievable duo to their already star-studded roster, as well as prevent a pair of rivals from adding a dominant arm to their starting rotation, as the Giants were also rumored to be in on Scherzer. After landing All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the days leading up to Friday's deadline, the only additions the Padres had to show for on deadline day were a pair of underwhelming names in relief pitcher Daniel Hudson and outfielder Jake Marisnick who were acquired from the Nationals and Cubs, respectively. 

Just when it appeared that Farhan Zaidi -- general manger of the San Francisco Giants, was going to stay pat at the deadline, the team with the best record in all of baseball waited until the 11th hour before getting in on the action and acquiring Cubs All-Star third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. Not long after news broke that the Cubbies were shipping two-time All-Star infielder Javy Baez to Queens to join the New York Mets, the north siders ended their fire sale by sending Bryant out west to the city by the bay to join the Giants. It was a nerve-racking hour or so for Giants fans as reports were unclear on who Zaidi had given up for what could very well be a rental player considering Bryant will be a free-agent at the end of the season, but when it was all said and done, San Francisco got the guy they wanted all along and didn't trade an arm and a leg to get him. In return for Bryant, a former NL MVP and four-time All-Star who says he grew up a fan of Barry Bonds and the Giants, San Francisco gave up a pair of Minor Leaguers in outfielder Alexander Canario and right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian, their No. 9 and No. 30 prospects, respectively, which was much more calming and somewhat of a relief to hear than their top prospect in catcher Joey Bart and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. which was initially rumored. The Giants ended their deadline pursuit by bringing back lefty reliever Tony Watson from the Los Angeles Angels to bolster the bullpen. Watson spent three seasons with the Giants from 2018-20. 

As teams jockey for position in the home stretch of the MLB regular season in preparation of the Postseason, the Giants at 65-39, currently own a 3-game lead over the Dodgers in the division and a 6.5 game advantage over San Diego. The Giants are hopeful that the acquisition of Bryant will help them maintain a stranglehold in the division over both the Dodgers and Padres, two teams that were supposed to be lightyears ahead of the Giants heading into the season. Hitting .267 on the year with 18 home runs and 51 RBI, the Giants will welcome Bryant's versatility with open arms as he's played seven different positions in 2021, while also looking forward to his bat as he's enjoyed success at San Francisco's Oracle Park, boasting a .324 batting average, 5 HR, 3 doubles, a triple and 15 RBI in 17 career games. Speaking to fellow All-Star and now teammate Brandon Crawford, Bryant knew at the All-Star break that there was a possibility he could be dealt, and all that he asked of Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer was that he would be traded to a team contending for a playoff berth like San Francisco. It's safe to say the 29-year old Vegas-native got his wish, as the core three of Bryant, Rizzo and Baez from the curse-breaking 2016 World Series champion Cubs team are all gone. 

Other notable names that changed ballclubs at the deadline include: All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel who the Cubs shipped to the southside of town to join the White Sox and Eduardo Escobar who landed in Milwaukee after being the lone representative in the 2021 All-Star Game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Like the Cubbies, the Nationals also cleaned house by shipping out a number of big names in addition to Turner and Scherzer, such as Kyle Schwarber who was sent from D.C. to the Red Sox, Yan Gomes and Josh Harison who joined the playoff hopeful Oakland Athletics and 5-time All-Star Jon Lester who joined Wild Card contenders St. Louis. The Minnesota Twins also dealt a pair of All-Stars in pitcher Jose Berrios who landed in Toronto with the Blue Jays and Nelson Cruz who was dealt a few days earlier to the reigning American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. It's unlikely we'll ever witness a trade deadline quite like this one after seeing 32 different trades which included more than 80 players dealt in total.  

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Giants continue to Roll behind Crawford, Gausman

Now 61 games into the Major League Baseball regular season and the San Francisco Giants are still sitting pretty atop the National League Western Division, and quite frankly atop all of baseball as they currently own a league-best record of 38-23 and .623 winning percentage. Expected by most pundits around the game of baseball to have fizzled out by now after their red-hot start in April and May, the Giants have instead managed to turn things up a notch and have actually gotten better as the season has progressed. Even after suffering a walk-off loss on the road at the hands of the Texas Rangers in 11-innings on Wednesday, the Giants still claimed the season-series over the Rangers, three games to 1 and departed the lone star state with a split in a short two-game series, as the G-Men continue to embark on their 6-game road trip with a visit to the nation's capital for a four-game set against the Nats next on their itinerary. 

With a 2-game lead in the division over the archrival Dodgers and a 2.5-game lead over third place San Diego, the Giants have enjoyed their time at the top, but do not plan on relinquishing their position atop that mountain just yet. With a legitimate ace leading their pitching staff in Kevin Gausman, the 30-year old righty who is in his 9th year in the bigs, has proven that last year's surprising success wasn't a fluke as he's done himself one better in 2021. Named NL Pitcher of the Month for May, Gausman is a leading candidate to start the All-Star Game and has made a name for himself as a serious Cy Young contender. Sporting an ERA of 0.62 in 58 innings pitched, 75 strikeouts to just 11 walks and a record of 7-0 in his last 9 starts, the Giants ace ranks among the top 10 in all of baseball in ERA (2nd), Opponents slugging percentage (4th), WHIP (5th), home runs allowed per 9 innings (6th) and Opponents batting average (7th). Another Giant who is enjoying success this year and has made history is Giants longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford. 

The bay area native who grew up rooting for the Giants, now holds his place in Giants lore after passing Hall of Famer Travis Jackson for the most games played at shortstop in franchise history (1,326). On the night of his record-setting feat, Crawford cranked two home runs in San Francisco's 9-4 win over the Rangers on Tuesday, and has already matched his home run numbers from the past five seasons with a team-leading 14 HR on the year, and is currently on pace to surpass his career-high of 21 long balls hit back in 2015. With Crawford's help, the Giants have slugged the third most team home runs in Giants history through 60 games with 88, falling just one shy of their 2001 mark and five short of the 93 home runs in 2000. After being humbled by the Dodgers in their first meeting of the season which saw L.A. take a broom to the orange and black with a three-game sweep at Oracle Park, the G-Men virtually returned the favor by taking three of four and winning three straight at Dodger Stadium. Even more impressive, the Giants have managed to not only stay afloat, but remain at the top with a league-leading 16 players on the Injured List, three more than the next closest team (Seattle Mariners). Even if injuries were to get the best of skipper Gabe Kapler's team and they were unable to maintain a stranglehold on the division over the much more talented rosters of the Padres and Dodgers, there's no reason the Giants shouldn't contend for an NL Wild Card spot at the very least, which would again surpass the expectations of this ball club coming into Spring Training. 

That said, the question on the tip of everyone's tongue becomes whether or not Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi makes the team buyers at the trade deadline. 

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The Giants are Baseball's Best 1.5 Months in

A month and a half into the 2021 MLB season and it's the San Francisco Giants who own the best record in all of baseball at 22-14 entering May 12, much to the surprise of, well, everyone. Sitting atop the National League West and playing alongside the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers who continue to add and develop star talent, as well as the juggernaut San Diego Padres who won the offseason with several big name acquisitions, it's the Giants who have took the league by storm with their red-hot start. Closing in on their 29-31 record from 2020 when the Giants fell one win shy of clinching a playoff berth just a year ago in the pandemic-shortened season which would've been their first trip to the postseason since 2016, manager Gabe Kapler's team of outcasts appears to be a little more well-rounded this time around despite a veteran-heavy lineup. 

While the orange and black continue to take advantage of a slumping Dodgers team and a banged up Padres squad that has been riddled up and down the lineup with Covid issues, the argument can only go so far when crying fluke as SF stands above the rest with an MLB-best 14-4 record at home. Having flourished in large part thanks to an impressive pitching staff which has pitched brilliantly to the tune of a 3.34 team ERA which ranks 6th in all of baseball, starters Kevin Gausman (3-0, 1.97 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (2-1, 2.40 ERA) have helped lead the way for the Giants, as both are in the top-20 in lowest-ERA's among starting pitchers. Another surprise -- the club has also slugged their way into the top-5 in team home runs with 47 long balls. Among those suppling the power inside the lineup is none other than former MVP Buster Posey. The 6-time All-Star catcher has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence this season and is swinging a hot stick to this point in his return after missing all of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Hitting .385 on the year, the now 34-year old Posey shares a team-lead with 8 home runs on the year, tied with teammate Brandon Belt (8), three behind the league-leader. Shortstop and fellow-Giant Brandon Crawford is not far behind with 7 HR's. 

Only the St. Louis Cardinals who share a 22-14 record atop the NL Central can boast about owning the best winning percentage (.611) in all of baseball. However, the Giants currently stand above the Redbirds as they own a +31 run differential compared to St. Louis' +28 entering Wednesday. After a short two-game sweep of the Texas Rangers which concluded on Tuesday at San Francisco's Oracle Park, the Giants will turn their attention to a pair of NL Central division foes when they embark on an 8-game road trip to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, before getting their first crack at the archrival Dodgers. Having already surpassed the expectations of many around the game of baseball, the question now turns to whether or not the Giants can sustain their surprisingly hot start as they begin to receive contributions from a number of other players including starting pitcher Logan Webb and the recently acquired Mike Tauchman in the outfield. 

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Trey Day - 49ers Rock NFL Draft with pick of young QB

The 2021 NFL Draft is officially in the books. With pick numbers 1 and 2 being a foregone conclusion by the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, respectively, all the buzz heading into the draft surrounded who would go No. 3 overall to the San Francisco 49ers. With their lips sealed tightly, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch went into the 49ers war room on draft day having not even shared their decision with the rest of their coaching staff, as they were left having to guess like the rest of us. Sworn in secrecy, the clandestine meetings between Shanahan and Lynch were like something out of a scene from Disney's National Treasure as they kept the name of their future franchise quarterback and the player who will without question determine their legacy in San Francisco, under wraps and in a vault as if it were the recipe to Coca-Cola or KFC's famous fried chicken. Receiving a mixed reaction by the media and the league for trading the 12th overall pick as well as first round picks in each of the next two years to Miami for the third overall pick, everyone had their ears to the ground and their eyes on the TV come time for San Francisco's mysterious pick after Trevor Lawrence and Zack Wilson heard their names called first. With rumors of the pick being any one of Alabama's Mac Jones, Ohio State's Justin Fields or North Dakota State's Trey Lance, it was Lance who's name was called when it was all said and done. 

Looked at as being a project at the QB position, Shanahan and company plan to take the same approach with Lance as the Kansas City Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes when they traded up to take him with the 10th overall pick in 2017 before handing him a clipboard to watch and learn from the sidelines for a season behind Alex Smith. Speaking of Alex Smith, Lance is the first 49ers quarterback to be selected in the first round since Smith was chosen first overall in 2005. As risky as the pick might've been considering all that San Francisco sent to Miami in return, the decision to draft someone as raw as Lance might be worth the gamble given he possesses arguably the highest ceiling in this entire draft class and his upside could rival that of Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence. Despite the one-game season at NDSU this past college football season, a season that was cut short due to the pandemic, Lance has not lost a game since High School, as he finished his college career by going 17-0 as a starter and threw for 30 touchdowns to only 1 interception, while rushing for another 18 scores. But as unblemished as his career was with the Bison, some pundits have their doubts and have pointed to the limited reps and small amount of games played as we've only seen a small sample size for a guy the 49ers deemed worthy of the third overall pick. 

Described as a perfect fit for Kyle Shanahan's offensive system, Lance has the athleticism and run ability to compliment his cannon of an arm, which will keep teams on their toes when running play-action. The Niners are hoping incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has a resurgence season in 2021, much like Aaron Rodgers did with Green Bay last season when he saw his team draft a QB in the first round, only for him to go berserk and play his way to an MVP award. Under contract for the next two seasons, the 49ers can ill-afford banking on Jimmy G's health beyond this year as he has started only 30 games in four seasons since being traded to SF. 

Day 2 of the Draft saw the 49ers make a number of trades up and down the draft board, including one with the Las Vegas Raiders to move back from pick No. 43 to the No. 48 spot, which they used to take Notre Dame guard Aaron Banks in the second round. In the same trade, San Francisco would send a 7th-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for a fourth-round pick -- 121st overall. The Niners would then flip the fourth-round pick acquired from the Raiders as well as their own 4th-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams for the 88th pick which San Francisco would use on Ohio State running back Trey Sermon. With their second and final 3rd-round selection (pick 102), the 49ers would finally add to their defense with Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas. San Francisco would kickoff Day 3 by adding more depth to the offensive-line as they made Western Michigan offensive-tackle Jaylon Moore their pick at 155, before adding another corner in Oregon's Deommodore Lenoir with the 172nd pick. They would round out their trio of 5th-round picks by nabbing USC safety Talanoa Hufanga (pick 180). After trading their seventh-round pick, the 49ers would make Lousiana running back Elijah Mitchell their final pick of the draft at pick No. 194 of the 6th-round. 

With no running backs under contract following the upcoming 2021-22 NFL season, Niners brass decided to plan for the future by drafting a pair of running backs by taking one on days 2 and 3 in Sermon and Mitchell. After exploding for a Big Ten record with 331 yards on 29 carries for the Buckeyes in their Big Ten Championship win over Northwestern, it'll be exciting to see what Sermon can do in coach Shanahan's system. Having already established one of the better tandems along the offensive-line anchored by Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams, San Francisco continued to beef up their o-line with a pair of big bodies in Banks and Moore. Finally, the defensive secondary was bolstered with some much needed depth as Thomas, Lenoir and Hufanga should all get a crack at earning some playing time whether on defense or on special-teams. Thought to be in on a wide-receiver in the draft, the 49ers surprisingly did not draft a receiver, but did manage to sign the undrafted Austin Watkins -- receiver out of UAB. Other undrafted players to sign with the 49ers included tight-end Josh Pederson out of Louisiana Monroe and linebackers Justin Hilliard of Ohio State and Elijah Sullivan of Kansas. 

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Lakers Add former All-Star Drummond for Playoff Push

The defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers have had a rough go around with injury issues in 2021, much to be expected due to the quick turnaround and shortened offseason following the team's title run back in October. With just 72 days in-between seasons, the shortest offseason in the history of the four major sports in the United States, it's no surprise that many of the league's best players have fallen victim to the injury bug at one point or another. And no team has felt that wrath worse than the defending champs themselves. As the NBA trade deadline came and went on Thursday without the Lakers making any noise, the team was fortunate enough to strike gold elsewhere on the free-agent market. 

With teams jockeying for position in the NBA arms race, the Lakers, standing at a record of 30-17, received some much needed help with the acquisition of All-Star center Andre Drummond just in time for their upcoming playoff push. Acquired on Sunday after clearing waivers just days after the trade deadline, Drummond spent nearly eight seasons in Detroit where he was named to an All-Star team twice, before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Drummond's services became available after his contract was bought out by the Cavs who decided to sit the former 9th overall pick in favor of devoting more playing time to the younger Jarrett Allen as Cleveland enters yet another rebuild. But like the saying goes: one team's trash is another team's treasure. In need of another interior presence to ease the load off of last year's 6th Man of the Year in Montrezl Harrell and 10-day contract recipient Damian Jones who have both been summoned to fill the void left by Marc Gasol who had missed nine games while battling COVID issues, Drummond will be called upon to start at center and should be able to contribute right away. Especially in the absence of superstars LeBron James (high ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (right calf injury), who have missed 5 and 19 games, respectively. Since Davis' absence on February 14, the team has been on somewhat of a freefall, dropping 10 of 19 games and falling from the Western Conference's top seed to the fourth seed. With James out for at least another two to three weeks and no timetable set just yet for Davis' return, the Lakers need help outside of the usual suspects i.e. Kyle Kuzma and Dennis Schroeder and they need it now to stay afloat in the extremely competitive Western Conference. 

Having sat out since February 12, Drummond will need to get his feet back underneath him after averaging 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25 starts before his benching and ultimately his release from the Cavs. Drummond has led the league in rebounds on four separate occasions and has finished in the top 2 for seven straight seasons, while also leading all centers in steals over the past 4 seasons. The former UCONN product also does a superior job on the offensive boards, having led the league in offensive rebounds in each of the last 7 seasons. Another strong point of his is second-chance points which Drummond has led the league in five times. As for this season, although a small sample size, Drummond is second in the league in rebounds per game, behind only Atlanta's Clint Capela, and third in offensive boards per game with 4.0. A stat the Lakers and head coach Frank Vogel will surely welcome with open arms as they currently rank 9th in the league in rebounding, but just 17th in offensive rebounds. With a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup and the addition of Drummond, the Lakers should see their chances of defending their NBA title catapult back to the top. With the 7th-highest career rebounding average in NBA history (13.5), the newest Laker will make his team debut with the purple and gold tonight at 7pm when they take on the (29-17) Milwaukee Bucks at Staples Center in L.A. 

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49ers cap Offseason flurry by Trading up to No. 3 spot in April's Draft

One week of NFL free-agency in the books and the San Francisco 49ers have checked off the list of many of their top priorities this offseason. Of the many moves the franchise has made thus far, it was the deal to bring back fullback Kyle Juszczyk that kicked things off for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. Striking a deal to bring back the versatile Juszczyk, Shanahan's offensive system has allowed the 5-time Pro Bowl fullback to flourish whether he's run-blocking or receiving. Playing a position that has become somewhat of a dying breed in today's NFL, Juszczyk remains one of the 49ers' most lethal weapons in San Francisco's run-heavy scheme, which has helped him enjoy Pro Bowl campaigns in each of his previous four seasons as a 49er. Thus 49ers brass made it a priority of theirs to retain Juice for another five-years, inking him to a $27 Million contract. The front-office also made noise on defense, bringing in a new face in defensive-end Samson Ebukam (two-year deal), formerly of the rival L.A. Rams, while also seeing the return of multiple key players. 

Cornerbacks Jason Verrett (one-year), Dontae Johnson (one-year), Emmanuel Moseley (two-years) and K'Waun Williams (one-year) all returned to the Bay Area for another go around in San Francisco's secondary, as did safety Jaquiski Tartt (one-year). Bolstering the defensive-line, D.J. Jones and Jordan Willis each landed one-year deals to return to the squad as well. As for the biggest move of them all, the duo of Lynch & Shanahan made the earth-shattering deal that made All-Pro tackle Trent Williams the most wealthiest man to ever play the position, as the two sides agreed to a six-year, $138.6 Million pact, the highest-paid contract to an offensive-lineman ever. After making his 8th career Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, the former first round pick with Washington landed himself a huge payday after sitting out all of 2019 due to health concerns and a tiff with team doctors which ultimately led to his trade request out of the nation's capital. Other than the hefty payday, Williams' familiarity in Shanahan's system dating back to their time spent in Washington together, made returning to San Francisco an easy decision for the 32-year old. 

Another new face for the Niners but one Shanahan is also familiar with is center and Cal Berkeley alum Alex Mack who signed a 3-year deal after playing the last five seasons in Atlanta, including a season with Kyle Shanahan as the Falcons' offensive-coordinator in 2016, as well as Shanahan's only season with Cleveland in 2014. But as busy as the 49ers front-office was in free agency, the team also dropped a bombshell in relation to next month's Draft. Originally positioned at the No. 12 slot, the duo of Lynch & Shanahan dealt that pick along with the compensatory third-round pick they acquired with Robert Saleh heading to the Jets, as well as their first-round picks in both 2022 and 2023 to the Dolphins for Miami's No. 3 overall selection. The blockbuster deal was the talk of the town in the football world on Friday and will have "massive ramifications" as ESPN's Adam Schefter put it. With the pick almost certain to be spent on a quarterback, things will now shift to a waiting game in terms of which young quarterback the 49ers brain trust will call upon to be their signal-caller of the future. Rumors have swirled virtually all offseason long with whispers of a possible trade for Jets QB Sam Darnold or Houston's Deshaun Watson to San Francisco, but all signs are pointing to Jimmy Garoppolo being under center for the 49ers, at least for 2021 as GM John Lynch made sure to call Garoppolo shortly after news broke of the big trade, to ensure him that he remains in the team's plans as the projected starter for the upcoming season and will now be asked to tutor his future replacement. 

As Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson are practically shoo-ins to be selected with the first and second overall picks by the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, respectively, the 49ers will likely nab one of the following: Justin Fields out of Ohio State, Trey Lance of North Dakota State, or Alabama's Mac Jones. San Francisco will also make selections with the 43rd, 102nd, 117th, 155th, 172nd, 180th, 194th and 230th overall picks. 

Other notable free-agent signings include former Cardinals receiver and return specialist Trent Sherfield, former Colts safety Tavon Wilson and former Panthers defensive-tackle Zach Kerr. 

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