Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 475

With Bailey, Murphy banged up, SF Giants sign veteran to shore up catching depth

SAN FRANCISCO — As Curt Casali entered the Giants’ clubhouse before the team’s series finale against the Dodgers — a clubhouse he had called home on many occasions — his teammates greeted him with an unexpected barrage of confetti, a surprise that Casali admits caught him off guard.

“I think I probably shed a tear,” said Casali, who started Wednesday night against the Dodgers. “Coming back here is like coming home. I had some of the best years of my professional baseball life here. Some of my best friends are still here. Not many people get to do it again, so I’m just very, very thankful.”

While the circumstances are far from ideal, the Giants, having signed Casali to a one-year deal on Wednesday, are happy to have the veteran backstop back in their clubhouse.

“A lot of the things that you want from that position, he does very well,” said manager Bob Melvin. “I know our guys, especially the ones who have been around him before, are excited.”

In a corresponding move, catcher Jakson Reetz was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento while fellow backstop Tom Murphy, who was placed on the injured list on May 5 due to a left knee sprain, got transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

Casali re-joins the Giants at a time in which their roster has been devastated by injuries, with seven position players (Murphy, Patrick Bailey, Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler, Michael Conforto, Austin Slater, Nick Ahmed) placed on the injured list since last Friday.

On Tuesday, alone, Bailey was placed back into concussion protocol just before first pitch while right-hander Keaton Winn exited in the middle of the fifth inning due to right forearm tightness (Melvin said Wednesday that an MRI revealed Winn’s injury to be mild and that initial reports are encouraging). That doesn’t include Soler, who begins a rehab assignment with Sacrament tonight and could be back by Friday, ominously being struck by a foul ball during batting practice that deflected off the batting cage.

“You never want to get an opportunity because somebody gets hurt,” Casali said. “I’ve played against Tom for a few years now. We were in Seattle for a little bit together. But that’s just the nature of the game. It’s a tough position to play. It sucks for him. I feel for him. But at the same time, the game goes on. We need to fill the roster. I was thankful I was playing well enough that (president of baseball operations) Farhan (Zaidi) was able to give me a look.”

At the conclusion of spring training, the 35-year-old found himself without a team. Casali signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins in late February, but he was released a week before the season after going 1-for-17 in nine Grapefruit League games. He considered non-playing options, such as coaching or a front office role, but ended up signing a minor-league contract with the Cubs just before the regular season.

On Tuesday, Casali, whose minor-league contract with the Cubs held an opt-out, was told by his agent that a deal with the Giants was a possibility. After going 2-for-4 with a walk for the Iowa Cubs against the Syracuse Mets, raising his batting average to .362 and OPS to 1.040, he received a text from his agent telling him to pack his bags. Casali recalled texting with Mike Yastrzemski once the deal was completed, joking that Yastrezmski said “some expletives” during a late-night conversation.

“At the end of the day, I didn’t feel like being told I was done,” Casali said. “I’d rather go out on my own terms. The universe is funny. If you get a chance, take it. Fortunately, I was playing well enough to force somebody’s hand. I’m thankful I’m not ready for that phase of my life yet.”

Casali played 77 games for the Giants in 2021, hitting .210 with five home runs while backing up Buster Posey on a team that would win a franchise-record 107 regular-season games. He played 41 games for the Giants in 2022 before being traded to the Mariners.

Kurtenbach: The 49ers’ 2024 schedule is out, so let’s make some reckless predictions

The 49ers have been done no favors by the NFL scheduling computers. Just another reason to hate the machines.

Sure, the defending NFC champions will be given an easy enough entry into the season, but the team’s November and December are poised to be brutal, with eight of the team’s final 10 games coming against playoff teams last season.

Shake off those Super Bowl hangovers early, gang — any early loss could prove fatal to the team’s bid to return to the Big Game.

Here’s a quick thought on the 49ers’ 17 games and a way-too-early, please-don’t-hold-me-to-this prediction on each contest:

Week 1: Jets [Monday Night Football]

This game is a cruel joke on Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles tendon in last season’s Monday Night Football opener. It couldn’t happen to a nicer, saner guy!

Prediction: Win (1-0); We’re fast approaching the return of Robert Saleh to the Bay

Week 2: at Minnesota

The Vikings could be a good team this upcoming season, but they’re going to be working through some things at the beginning of the season. Will the Vikes go with Sam Darnold or JJ McCarthy at quarterback? Who knows. Either way, the Niners should try to make them see ghosts.

Prediction: Win (2-0); Don’t be surprised if you see them again, though

Week 3: at Rams

An early test for the Niners — the Rams should be the real deal this season. I know the Niners like to treat September like the preseason, but, folks, the season really starts here.

Prediction: Loss (2-1); But one of those losses you don’t worry about too much at the moment

Week 4: New England

Ok, now you can go back to preseason mode.

Prediction: Win (3-1); the Pats are going to be quite awful, folks

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Week 5: Arizona

The Niners should be looking pretty good at this point. Given what’s to come on the schedule, they better be.

Prediction: Win (4-1); but the kind you feel bad about — the Arizona specialty

Week 6: at Seattle [Thursday Night Football]

An early mini-bye is a welcome sight. The Niners showing up in Seattle on a Thursday? Also a positive for those in red and gold. The Niners have won five straight against Seattle, including a 31-13 drubbing last Thanksgiving in the Pacific Northwest. More good news: The Niners should avoid that miserable Seattle weather for this contest. (Is there anything worse than 40 degrees and raining?)

Prediction: Win (5-1); The Seattle defense is going to take some time to get right. Geno Smith is still not it; Sam Howell never was

Week 7: Kansas City

One of the first games to leak, this Super Bowl rematch at Levi’s Stadium is going will be a Sunday afternoon game that will tell us just how serious the Niners are about repeating as NFC Champions.

Prediction: Loss (5-2); It’ll probably be for the best — you can’t get too hyped too early

Week 8: Dallas [Sunday Night Football]

The hype for this game will be off the charts, coming off another game where the hype will be off the charts. If the Niners didn’t play so many national television games the past few years, I’d worry about it. But this is the norm for San Francisco now. Let’s see if the Niners can repeat last year’s butt-kicking of the Cowboys at Levi’s. (And avoid the post-butt-kicking slump.)

Prediction: Win (6-2); Feel free to trust Dak Prescott to win this game, though

Week 9: BYE

You shouldn’t complain about a bye week right in the dead middle of the season. I bet the Niners — who have been off in Week 9 for the last three years — find a way, though.

Week 10: at Tampa Bay

The Niners have won three straight games against the Bucs, a playoff team — and winner — last season. Does Baker Mayfield have the kind of staying power to put back-to-back good seasons together? We’ll know by this point in the season. Plus, a little Florida weather might be welcome as things start to cool down in the Bay.

Prediction: Win (7-2); Whoops, Baker turned into a pumpkin again

Week 11: Seattle

Nothing says “welcome back home” like playing a Mike MacDonald defense in a division rivalry game. This is one the Niners need to get — they can’t go limping into a brutal stretch. The problem: MacDonald might have that defense humming by this point.

Prediction: Win (8-2); The TV networks are going to love the Niners for this

Week 12: at Green Bay

The 49ers are avoiding all the major holidays on the schedule this season. Coming off a nice rest, this sure-to-be Sunday afternoon game in Green Bay between the two favorites in the NFC (at least today) should set off a great Thanksgiving week. It also starts an absolutely brutal, season-defining six-week stretch for the 49ers.

Prediction: Loss (8-3); A body-blow game against Seattle takes its toll as the Packers make a statement

Week 13: at Buffalo [Sunday Night Football]

Come home, enjoy Thanksgiving, and then head across the country to play the Bills, who look to be a total wild card looking forward (it is mid-May). A night game, in Buffalo, in December? Yikes. That said, it’s early December. The average low on this date in the Niagara region is 30 degrees — it could be worse.

Prediction: Loss (8-4): Josh Allen is something close to a worst-case-scenario quarterback for the 49ers’ defense — facing him at the end of a holiday week is brutal

Week 14: Chicago

Would it be better to play the Bears’ rookie quarterback Caleb Williams earlier? You bet. But the Niners will have some solid tape on the kid by this point. This could be a nice reprieve amid a brutal stretch

Prediction: Win (9-4); I have no idea what Williams will be — I’ll err on the side of “bust.” Don’t sleep on the Bears defense, though

Week 15: Rams [Thursday Night Football]

I’d imagine first place will be on the line in this game. Both teams should find those old, terrible Color Rush jerseys the NFL used to mandate be worn for TNF (the Niners wore… black; the Rams all yellow with a gold-accented helmet) to honor the occasion.

Prediction: Win (10-4); Niners bounce back in what could be the game of the year

Week 16: at Miami

If there’s ever a time to go to South Florida (and see old friend Mike McDaniel), a few days before Christmas is it. A long flight, sure, but a bit of humidity and mid-70s temps will do any team some good.

Prediction: Loss (10-5); Let Mike feel good about himself — he’s the best and this is as good as it’ll get for Miami this season

Week 17: Detroit [Monday Night Football]

Whooo buddy, this NFC Championship Game rematch is going to be a big one. I think. Don’t hold me to that.

Prediction: Loss (10-6); Detroit, if they’re still intact, is going to want this one so, so bad after they choked away a shot at the Super Bowl. Congrats, you won a Week 17 game and will be everyone’s pick for the playoffs. (Except mine — additional prediction: Jared Goff is going to Jared Goff in the playoffs)

Week 18: at Arizona

Will either team want to play this game? Probably not. Will either team want to win this game? Also debatable.

Prediction: Win (11-6); Okay, the Niners might need this one. Good thing it should be gettable.

Prime-time spotlight shines on 49ers as schedule reveals six night games

SANTA CLARA – Six prime-time kickoffs are strewn across the 49ers’ schedule, dawning with a Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets, then saving the NFC Championship Game rematch with the Detroit Lions for Dec. 30.

Both of those games are on “Monday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium, where a bit of a dark cloud hovers over those bright lights.

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The Lions’ Monday night visit comes in the regular season’s penultimate week, so NFC playoff seeding could be on the line if both franchises follow last season’s path to the top two seeds.

Between prime-time affairs at Seattle (Thursday, Oct. 10) and against Dallas (Sunday, Oct. 27) is a Super Bowl LVIII rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 20 at 1:25 p.m. Also in prime time is the 49ers’ Sunday, Dec. 1 visit to Buffalo, and a Thursday, Dec. 12 home game against the Rams.

The 49ers even have a preseason game in prime time, the only one they’re hosting: Aug. 18 against the New Orleans Saints (5 p.m.). Bracketing that are exhibitions at the Tennessee Titans and the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 49ers have not maxed out at six prime-time games since 2019, when they originally were slated for three, then were flexed into three more en route to the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a Super Bowl berth. Overall, the Shanahan-coached 49ers are 15-13 in prime-time kickoffs: 0-1 in 2017, 1-2 in 2018, 5-1 in 2019, 1-3 in 2020, 1-3 in 2021, 4-1 in 2022, and 3-2 last season.

Flex scheduling could change kickoff times, and the 49ers last got bumped from prime time before a December 2021 win at Seattle and a December 2020 loss at Dallas.

Here is the 49ers’ regular-season schedule:

WEEK 1: Monday, Sept. 9

vs. New York Jets (5:15 pm, ESPN)

It’s Year 20 of the 49ers Didn’t Draft Aaron Rodgers storyline. For a second straight year, the Jets debut on “Monday Night Football,” presumably with Rodgers, who tore his Achilles four snaps into his Jets debut last year.

WEEK 2: Sunday, Sept. 15

at Minnesota Vikings (10 am, CBS)

Instead of going to London for the first time since 2013, the 49ers will visit Minneapolis for the second straight year (third if you count the 2021 preseason). A pro tip for a first-year defensive coordinator: Don’t call an all-out blitz on third-and-6 from the Vikings’ 40-yard line just before halftime.

WEEK 3: Sunday, Sept. 22

at Los Angeles Rams (1:25 pm, Fox)

The 49ers have won five straight regular-season visits to Levi’s South. If Matthew Stafford goes down with an injury by this game, then Jimmy Garoppolo could face his old team (not the Patriots nor the Raiders but the 49ers).

WEEK 4: Sunday, Sept. 29

vs. New England Patriots (1:05 pm, Fox)

New coach (Jerod Mayo), new quarterback (Drake Maye), but don’t forget about four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Matthew Judon, who had 15.5 sacks in 2022 before a biceps tear scuttled his 2023 encore.

WEEK 5: Sunday, Oct. 6

vs. Arizona Cardinals (1:05 pm, Fox)

Since being swept by the Cardinals in 2021, the 49ers have averaged 39 points in winning the past four meetings.

WEEK 6: Thursday, Oct. 10

at Seattle Seahawks (5:15 pm, Prime)

There won’t be a plump turkey on a silver platter awaiting the 49ers like last Thanksgiving here. It seems so early to have this game in Seattle, but it also completes the first round against NFC West foes.

WEEK 7: Sunday, Oct. 20

vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1:25 pm, Fox)

Pain. That’s what the Chiefs consistently inflict on the 49ers, such as their Super Bowl matchups in the 2019 and 2023 seasons, plus a 2018 Chiefs home win (Jimmy Garoppolo torn ACL) and a 2022 Chiefs road win (44-23).

WEEK 8: Sunday, Oct. 27

vs. Dallas Cowboys (5:20 pm, NBC)

Hard to fathom that in 2020, this NFC rivalry game was flexed out of prime time. The Cowboys have lost at Levi’s Stadium each of the past two seasons, including their 2022 divisional-round visit.

WEEK 9: Sunday, Nov. 3

BYE

WEEK 10: Sunday, Nov. 10

at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10 am, Fox)

The 49ers have won their past three meetings with the Bucs: the 2019 opener at Tampa, a December 2022 triumph in Brock Purdy’s starting debut (and Tom Brady’s Bay Area farewell), and a 27-14 victory last November at Levi’s Stadium.

WEEK 11: Sunday, Nov. 17

vs. Seattle Seahawks (1:05 pm, Fox)

For the first time in 15 years, the Seahawks come to town without San Francisco native Pete Carroll as coach. His successor is Mike Macdonald, who was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator when they intercepted Brock Purdy four times in a Christmas night rout at Levi’s Stadium.

WEEK 12: Sunday, Nov. 24

at Green Bay Packers (1:25 pm, Fox)

Any pilgrimage to Lambeau Field can be special, but this one won’t top the 49ers’ last scene there, when the 2021 team upset the No. 1-seeded Packers in a snow-capped divisional playoff game.

WEEK 13: Sunday, Dec. 1

at Buffalo Bills (5:20 pm, NBC)

The 49ers’ last visit here was in 2016, when they lost 45-16 and Chip Kelly inserted Colin Kaepernick back into the lineup for the final 11 starts (1-10) of his NFL career. The Bills are two years away from moving into a new stadium in Orchard Park.

WEEK 14: Sunday, Dec. 8

vs. Chicago Bears (1:25 pm, Fox)

No. 1 pick Caleb Williams looks to win for a third straight year in the Bay Area. With USC, he won at Stanford in 2022 (341 yards, four TD) and at Cal in 2023 (369 yards, two touchdowns).

WEEK 15: Thursday, Dec. 12

vs. Los Angeles Rams (Thursday, 5:20 pm)

While stashing starters for the playoffs, the 49ers lost last season’s Week 18 visit by the Rams, ending a nine-game streak of regular-season wins. Up until last season, the 49ers drew a prime-time game against the Rams for six straight seasons, though their 2018 game was flexed to daytime.

WEEK 16: Sunday, Dec. 22

at Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 1:25 pm)

Mike McDaniel’s super-speedy offense welcomes the 49ers to South Beach (actually, Hard Rock Stadium is up the road in Miami Gardens).

WEEK 17: Monday, Dec. 30

vs. Detroit Lions (Monday, 5:15 pm)

The 49ers spotted the Lions a 24-7 halftime lead in their last visit, when the 49ers claimed the NFC Championship with a 34-31 comeback win on Jan. 28.

WEEK 18: TBD, Jan. 4-5

at Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals took wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as the No. 4 pick to get more out of quarterback Kyler Murray. A 49ers win would even their record at State Farm Stadium to 8-8 – not counting their 2020 relocation during COVID.

US border arrests fall, bucking usual trend of spring spike

WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico fell more than 6% in April to the fourth lowest month of the Biden administration, authorities said Wednesday, bucking the usual spring increase.

U.S. officials have largely attributed the decline to more enforcement in Mexico, including in yards where migrants are known to board freight trains. Mexico won’t allow more than 4,000 illegal crossings a day to the U.S., Alicia Barcena, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, told reporters Tuesday, down from more than 10,000 Border Patrol arrests on some days in December.

Migrants were arrested 128,884 times in April, down from 137,480 in March and barely half a record-high of 249,737 in December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. While still historically high, the sharp decline in arrests since late December is welcome news for President Joe Biden on a key issue that has nagged him in election-year polls.

San Diego became the busiest of the Border Patrol’s nine sectors along the Mexican border for the first time since the 1990s with 37,370, replacing Tucson, Arizona.

Troy Miller, Customs and Border Protection’s acting commissioner, said more enforcement, including deportations, and cooperation with other countries resulted in lower numbers.

“As a result of this increased enforcement, southwest border encounters have not increased, bucking previous trends. We will remain vigilant to continually shifting migration patterns,” he said.

Authorities granted entry to 41,400 people in April at land crossings with Mexico through an online appointment app called CBP One, bringing the total to more than 591,000 since it was introduced in January 2023.

The U.S. also allows up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans if they apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive on commercial flights. About 435,000 entered the country that way through April, including 91,000 Cubans, 166,700 Haitians, 75,700 Nicaraguans and 101,200 Venezuelans.

Honors for CSUMB spring athletes

Jaden Sheppard and KW Quilici were both named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II All-West Region team for conference champion Cal State Monterey Bay.

Sheppard is hitting .338 this year for the three-time defending California Collegiate Athletic Association champion Otters, with a team high 13 homers and 57 runs batted in going into Thursday’s NCAA Division II West Regionals.

The junior third baseman hit a pair of homers in the CCAA conference tournament, helping the Otters defend their title. Of his 57 hits, 24 have gone for extra bases this spring.

Quilici is hitting a team high .346 with 10 homers and 47 runs batted in. With a team high 39 walks, the center fielder leads the Otters with a .485 on-base percentage.

Teammate JJ Engman was a second team selection, as the right fielder is hitting .350 with 10 homers, compiling a .419 on-base percentage. Pitcher Mitchell Torres was an honorable mention, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.36 earned run average.

Softball

Senior catcher Ally Alcayaga was selected to the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s All-Region softball first team for CSUMB.

Alcayaga won the triple crown for the Otters, leading the team with a .413 batting average. She hit a team high seven homers and drove in 28 runs. She also led the team in hits and hit-by-pitches.

The 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove catcher in Division II, Alcayaga is a finalist for the award again this spring, as well as All-American honors.

Monterey Council slated to approve permits for four cannabis dispensaries

Four new retail cannabis dispensaries could be approved in Monterey, marking the first retail locations within the city limits.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, the City Council will be presented with the top four applicants and the waitlisted applicants.

A drawing will also be held to determine which zones the selected cannabis businesses will operate in — Lighthouse Avenue, Cannery Row, Downtown and North Fremont Street.

The top four applicants are Monterey Responsible and Compliant Retail LLC (Embarc), Element 7 SF$ LLC (Element 7), Monterey Pacific Retail Holdings, Inc. (Culture Cannabis Club), and OTC Monterey, LLC (Off the Charts.)

The council will vote on whether to issue store retail cannabis business permits to the top applicants and they will keep their spot contingent on successfully obtaining a zone clearance.

City staff announced that 13 applications were filed during the open application period from Dec. 15 to Jan. 29. The staff cut the number to eight through a “detailed application evaluation and review process.” The Selection Committee consisting of Mayor Tyller Williamson and Vice Mayor Kim Barber interviewed all eight candidates and selected the final four.

“As we approach the City Council’s final approval of cannabis retailers, we believe the City Council is poised to approve cannabis retailers that will be responsible businesses engaged in the Monterey community, fit well with our business districts, and generate revenue that will support our city services,” said City Manager Hans Uslar in a press release Wednesday.

California legalized marijuana in 2016 through Proposition 64, and allowed each municipality to decide if and how commercial cannabis retail and cultivation could be conducted in their communities. Monterey has not allowed commercial cannabis retail, manufacturing, or cultivation before. Although, in Monterey County, the cities of Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, Marina and the unincorporated areas of Carmel, Big Sur and Moss Landing have allowed commercial cannabis operations.

The Monterey City Council will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday, at Monterey City Hall, 580 Pacific Street. The meeting will be available via Zoom at monterey-org.zoomgov.com/j/1607729333. The discussion about cannabis will take place during the evening session starting at 7 p.m.

Highway 1 Rocky Creek slip-out near Big Sur to open, businesses get ready

BIG SUR – Highway 1 at the Rocky Creek slip-out is scheduled to open to one-way alternating traffic this week, allowing the flow of public access to Big Sur eight days sooner than previously expected.

Beginning at 6:30 a.m. Friday, Caltrans will reopen this portion of roadway using a 24/7 signalized traffic control system to provide temporary unrestricted flow with one-way alternating access for vehicles in both directions.

Since March 30, Caltrans has been working to stabilize and reinforce the roadway at the slip-out using “ambitious engineering,” said Keving Drabinski, Caltrans District 5 spokesperson at the Monterey County news briefing on Wednesday.

Caltrans put crews on around the clock and brought in specialized equipment such as a crane and basket to suspend workers up and over the edge of the roadway to reinforce the slope under the highway in the stabilization effort.

“We were able to accomplish that,” he said adding that Caltrans has “high confidence of no advancement of the damage that was there.”

Rick Aldinger, Big Sur River Inn general manager speaking for the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, said “We got some really great news yesterday.”

The announcement that the highway stabilization effort would allow for unrestricted public access starting Friday came from Governor Newsom’s office late Tuesday.

Aldinger said that Big Sur business leaders are scurrying to fill out work schedules and get people back in to get going again.

“We’ll have a weekend or two to get back into the rhythm,” he said. “We know it will take a while for the public to be aware and get moving again.”

In that same vein, Aldinger said that it will take time for people who work in Big Sur to get their full hours back and the need for relief and support remains.

He reported that the fundraising effort of the Monterey County Hospitality Association’s recent event at the La Playa Hotel in Carmel, along with that of the Community Foundation for Monterey County’s website, has raised more than $102,000.

“That’s a great number,” said Aldinger, adding that the link is still live on the website for donations.

“Crews have been working day and night to quickly repair the damage to Highway 1 caused by recent storms, which has disrupted the lives of individuals living in and around Big Sur – limiting access to the area and hampering tourism,” said Gov. Newsom in a press release. “Thanks to the diligent efforts, traffic will resume eight days ahead of schedule – bringing relief and a sense of normalcy back to one of California’s most iconic coastal communities.”

Nearly seven weeks ago, the slip-out below Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge left the southbound lane partially undermined and impassable, said Caltrans. About six feet of the pavement and a portion of an unreinforced masonry retaining wall that supported the highway fell to the ocean about 170 feet below the road.

In order to stabilize the remaining southbound lane and preserve the northbound lane, crews drilled, installed and grouted 40 vertical and 75 sub-horizontal steel elements into the slope. The steel elements, or rock dowels, are covered by an application of shotcrete to protect the exposed rock slope.

During this work, Caltrans needed to close the roadway in both directions at Rocky Creek, aside from twice-daily convoys for locals and essential workers through the slip-out area which recently began to include visitors to Big Sur in those limited convoys.

Caltrans says that now that it has stabilized the southbound lane and preserved the northbound lane, the site will continue to be monitored and visually inspected.

A project to construct a permanent repair to the highway at this location is currently in the design phase, with an estimated completion date of spring 2025.

Earlier this month, the Governor surveyed the work being done at the Highway 1 slip-out and announced state action by signing an emergency proclamation. This action will help secure an estimated $100 million in federal funding for repairs to multiple areas of the state impacted by the recent storms.

But the highway still has a closure for those traveling southward at Lime Creek – post mile 32.25 – to accommodate work on the Dolan Point Slide – post mile 29.5 – about six miles south of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Highway 1 at the Dolan Point Slide is estimated to reopen this month following the installation of a cable net drapery system over the face of the slope above the roadway.

The next closure point is at Regent’s Slide – post mile 27.8 – where work began on April 30. All environmental clearances are nearing or have been approved and repair work is close to or has started. Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide is on track for reopening in the early fall.

The southernmost choke point is at Paul’s Slide – post mile 22 – which was the result of the 2023 winter storms and has been closed since February of last year. Due to delays caused by the 2024 winter storms and the additional slides, it is estimated to reopen later this summer. Northbound traffic from the south on Highway 1 will find a closure at Lime Kiln State Park – post mile 20.76.

Horoscopes May 15, 2024: Alexandra Breckenridge, visualize what you want

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Alexandra Breckenridge, 42; Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 43; David Krumholtz, 46; Chazz Palminteri, 72.

Happy Birthday: Slow down, think before you act and do your best to pair reason with originality to achieve peace of mind, happiness and smooth sailing from one transition to the next this year. Your ability to visualize what you want and how to get it will help you overcome challenges. Choose to follow your heart, and find the path that helps fulfill your dreams. Your numbers are 4, 11, 23, 30, 34, 37, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Base your decisions on facts, not hearsay. Be aware of hidden costs and false information. Be bold and ask direct questions — or ask for proof before agreeing to something that can have lasting implications. Don’t reveal personal information. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Discipline and control will be necessary when dealing with personal matters. Concentrate on your intent, and follow through instead of letting the changes and challenges others have weigh heavy on your conscience. Protect your emotional well-being, physical health and your credibility. 2 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Keep a low profile. You’ll accomplish your objective if you go about your business and focus on what matters to you. Refuse to let anyone thwart your plans. Gravitate toward people and organizations who share your beliefs and values. 4 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wrap your head around saving, and refuse to let anyone talk you into making a cash contribution. If you want to give back, donate possessions you no longer use. You can make a difference if you look for an original way to be helpful. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stand back, be an observer and use your intelligence to decide the best way to handle unstable situations. Invest in yourself, update your skills and ensure you understand the consequences and possibilities before you agree to something that requires blood, sweat and tears. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll gain insight if you pay attention to detail. Gather information, be resourceful and devise a safe plan; victory will follow. Opportunity is apparent, so don’t miss out on it due to fear. Use your resources wisely, and you’ll surpass your expectations. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Look for opportunities to do something that picks you up and offers the emotional momentum to follow through with your intentions. A financial change that helps lower your overhead will also help you allocate what you save toward your dreams. Avoid emotional spending and costly relationships. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Unusual pastimes and people will grab your attention. Embrace experiences that touch your heart and make you think about what matters most. It’s time for a shift that offers stability and a path that leads to professional security and a stellar reputation. 4 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t stumble because you didn’t feel it necessary to verify information. Be resourceful, question and adjust whatever doesn’t feel right. Don’t let pressure break you down when it is an indicator to be on your toes. 2 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Get out and gain experience. Interact, listen, ask questions and set aside time to ponder over your options. Refuse to let domestic situations wear you down. Reach out to people who assimilate to your standards. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): One step at a time. Think matters through and act when you have a plan and a clear view of what you want. Only agree to someone else’s plan if it takes you to your destination of choice. It’s impossible to please everyone. 3 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do whatever it takes to educate, understand and transform what dissatisfies you. Focus on doing what’s best for you and taking better care of yourself and what and who is important to you. A firm commitment will put your mind at ease. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are possessive, resistant and aware. You are influential and curious.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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Overmatched, undermanned SF Giants lose 5th in a row to mighty Dodgers

SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t a fair fight.

The Dodgers brought their $300 million behemoth to Oracle Park and needed only the first two games to secure a series win.

Another strong contingent of fans in Dodger blue watched Tuesday for a second straight night as their team vanquished the home squad, whose good-luck threads still weren’t enough to overcome its undermanned and overmatched roster.

Technically it was the Giants who lost, 10-2, but it might as well have been the Triple-A River Cats.

It was just on May 1, after all, that Marco Luciano and Blake Sabol and Luis Matos and Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely and Jakson Reetz made up two-thirds of Sacramento’s batting order. Two weeks later, they were all wearing the Giants’ bright orange-and-white City Connect uniforms.

“Last night it was basically the same roster and we were ahead a couple of times in that game,” manager Bob Melvin said, referring to Monday’s 6-5 loss. “So I don’t think we look at it that way. Obviously there’s a lot of turnover at this point in time and we don’t have our main guys out there, but we’ve just got to keep fighting and not let it crater. We’ve got to hang in there and win some games and start getting some guys back.”

The good mojo associated with the alternate uniforms apparently didn’t survive the production delays that prevented them from being worn for the first two Tuesday home games of the season. The Giants’ record in their City Connects dropped to 26-11, while they fell to 0-5 this season against their archrivals — 2-13 in their past 15 meetings in San Francisco.

The Giants’ fortunes, in fact, only went from bad to worse as the evening progressed.

Shortly before first pitch, Patrick Bailey was placed back into concussion protocol, ruling out their starting catcher for at least the next seven days, and before the game was over, the Giants’ starting pitcher, Keaton Winn, was being escorted off the mound by head trainer Dave Groeschner.

Since last Friday, the Giants have lost seven position players to the injured list, including Bailey twice. The only healthy position player on their 40-man roster who hasn’t already been called into duty is third baseman David Villar, left to anchor Sacramento’s lineup after Luciano was the latest to be promoted to fill Bailey’s roster spot.

“It sucks,” Winn said of the rash of injuries. “That’s about all I’ve got. It just sucks.”

Winn was tagged for five runs over four-plus innings before departing two batters into the fifth inning. Over his past three starts, Winn has allowed 17 earned runs in only 8⅓ innings, raising his ERA to 6.17 from a season-low 3.18 on April 28.

It was only fitting that the two pitchers to take down the remainder of the game, Randy Rodriguez and Nick Avila, also started the year about 90 minutes up I-80.

Winn left with tightness in his forearm, according to the club, and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. “It feels like a cramp right now,” he said, adding that he was “not overly concerned.”

Winn’s fastball velocity had dropped to 92-94 mph from 95-96 mph the previous inning. After breezing through the first three innings on 35 pitches, Winn exhausted 39 to record all three outs of the fourth while the Dodgers brought eight men to the plate.

“It definitely fatigued me,” Winn said of his extended fourth inning. “That’s the main thing that happened. I was trying to still be at the higher-end velo that I usually am.”

As for fair fights, well, Winn didn’t have much of one against Shohei Ohtani with the first fastball he threw in the four-run fourth inning.

Thanks to the substantial chunk of Dodger supporters on hand, the free-agent superstar who spurned San Francisco hasn’t received too much wrath from the home fans. But anyone still wondering how the Japanese slugger’s swing would translate to the difficult hitting conditions of the Giants’ home ballpark had their questions quickly put to rest with a Bondsian blast on a hanging slider Winn served up on the first pitch of Ohtani’s second at-bat.

Reaching base in half of his 10 times to the plate the first two games of the series, Ohtani on Tuesday homered over the right field wall; he laced a single up the middle; and he drove a double the opposite way, down the left-field line. Together with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez, the top five batters of the Dodgers’ order combined for 11 hits, eight RBIs and nine runs scored in 23 at-bats.

“It’s going through that part (of the order) again,” Melvin said of where Winn’s outing turned for the worse. “We’ve seen that where he’s really good for a few innings and then you have to go through that part of the lineup again. It’s tough to do. Just couldn’t stop the bleeding at that point.”

All of the 33,575 on hand knew the homer was gone, including Ohtani, who stood and admired the moonshot from the left-handed batter’s box. It left Ohtani’s bat at 113.4 mph and traveled 446 feet, finding a landing spot on the concourse not far from the cable car in right-center field.

The monster home run was only the Dodgers’ opening salvo in a loss that looked even worse than the final score.

Before the game, Melvin lamented “all these little things that don’t look great that keep piling up on us and contribute to where we are right now and our win-loss record,” and by the end of the third inning, his team had already been charged with two more errors.

Neither misplay ultimately hurt the Giants, but they might keep the manager up at night.

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Winn was forced to face one extra batter in the first inning when Matos, playing center field, got crossed up with left fielder Heliot Ramos on a fly ball from Freeman that should have been the third out of the inning. The ball fell to the warning track between the two outfielders and Freeman chugged into third base.

Two innings later, it required a creative double play started by Matt Chapman to negate the impact of a poor throw from Sabol that allowed James Outman to advance an extra base on his stolen base attempt, reaching third with one out. Outman, of Redwood City, was caught in no-man’s land when Betts bounced a hard chopper to Chapman, who tagged Outman for the first out and fired to first base in time for an inning-ending double play.

Notable

IF Marco Luciano was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and activated approximately 25 minutes before first pitch when the Giants placed catcher Patrick Bailey back into concussion protocol. Bailey, 24, played one game after a weeklong absence with a concussion but had been held out of the lineup the past three games with an illness that the club was working to determine whether it was related to his recent head injury.

“We just weren’t comfortable with how he was feeling consistently,” Melvin said of Bailey. “I don’t know that it’s a concussion. It feels like it. He came back and was good for a day. Caught, didn’t feel anything. The next day came back and it was a combination of a head cold and just not feeling great, and then it started lingering.

“We just have to be careful with him based on his history.”

Up next

RHP Logan Webb (3-4, 3.38) is expected to be opposed Wednesday in the series finale by a bullpen game from the Dodgers, who are listing their starter as TBD. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

Blake Snell to make final rehab start before rejoining SF Giants’ rotation

SAN FRANCISCO — As far as rehab starts go, it doesn’t get much better than the four perfect innings Blake Snell threw for Single-A San Jose earlier this week. The reigning National League Cy Young winner will, however, make one more tuneup before rejoining the Giants’ starting rotation.

As the Giants play host to the Rockies on Friday, the 31-year-old left-hander will be just up I-80 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.

“Blake is going to pitch Friday in Sacramento,” manager Bob Melvin confirmed Tuesday. “He’s going to pitch Friday in Sacramento and then he’ll come back with us. That’ll be his last one.”

Since signing a two-year, $62 million free-agent deal on March 19, Snell has made only three starts for the Giants, going 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA before straining the adductor muscle in his left groin during a bullpen session earlier this month.

In eight turns through Snell’s spot in the rotation, the Giants have gone 1-7, only winning for the first time behind Mason Black on Sunday while Snell mowed through Single-A hitters on the other end of the San Francisco Bay. Not allowing a base runner over four innings, Snell threw 46 pitches — plus 15 more in a side session afterward — and struck out seven and while recording an immaculate first inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches).

If all goes well Friday in Sacramento, Snell would be lined up to return to the Giants’ rotation next Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

With an off day on Thursday — their first in 16 games — the Giants were able to get by with four starters until then, optioning Black to back to Sacramento on Monday in favor of Nick Avila, who can provide some help out of the bullpen.

Bailey’s status still in question

The Giants are exercising caution when it comes to Patrick Bailey, but Melvin acknowledged they are running into a time crunch to determine whether their catcher’s cold symptoms are related to his recent concussion while he takes up one of 26 spots on the active roster.

“That’s what we’re worried about,” Melvin said. “So we’re going to be very careful with that.”

Bailey, 24, was held out of the lineup Tuesday for a third consecutive game since returning Saturday from a weeklong absence in concussion protocol. Bailey was initially penciled in as the designated hitter the following day but was scratched when he woke up with cold symptoms that have persisted since.

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“We’re still trying to figure that one out,” Melvin said. “Hopefully we’re coming close to getting a resolution on that too. Unfortunately right now it’s taking up a spot on our roster and we’re not using him. We have to make a decision here pretty soon about what we think it is.”

Notable

Hitting in the cage for the first time since straining his right shoulder, Jorge Soler (shoulder) was struck in the head by a foul ball that caromed off the top of the top railing of the batting cage. Melvin said before the game that Soler could begin a rehab assignment in the coming days, but he was escorted off the field by a trainer.

Meanwhile, Michael Conforto (hamstring) and Austin Slater (concussion) have not resumed baseball activity and remain far away from returning.