a.j. griffin has shown such confidence from day one. the starter is hoping to make his manager and boss proud tonight. i'm kate longworth, "nbc bay area news." >>> kate, thanks. that's all for sports. i'm dave feldman. jessica and janelle, back to you guys. >> thanks so much, dave. for a full half hour of bay area sports coverage cayou can watcht tonight at 10:30. >> w >>> tonight at 11:00, the giants live to play another day and the a's are making their push right now. we'll have complete coverage of both games after the premiere of "chicago fire." >> if you want more news go to comcast 186. we have kris sanchez. for now we will see you later and hope to see you back here at 11:00. good night. >> go, a's. alright let's break it down. mom, pop it. ♪ two inches apart, becky. two inches. t-minus nine minutes. [ ding ] [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls. let the making begin. ♪ too bad the guys aren't here we're clear. ok, swarm! swarm! hello

a.j. griffin. he has been battling shoulder and ankle injuries.and by the way, the oakland a's fans believe in this team. so many people have counted them out. once again they're alive and kicking. an hour before the game and an hour after the game, preand post game live on comcast california. >> appreciate it, henry. the a's mastering the art of trauma. >> like watching "money ball" all over again. >>> the giants are hoping they make it back home to continue that run. >> the pitcher barry zitol will get his first playoff spot. >> well, the giants didn't knock the cover off the ball they'll take it. barry zito takes the baseball. more good news, zito was successful in two starts this year against cincinnati. didn't have a win. hopefully the giants can get the bats going. in cincinnati, scott reese. nbc bay area news. appreciate it. our coverage will continue all day long. make sure to get your updates on nbcbayarea.com. >> we did get promised moisture but very comfortable conditions today. let's take you outside and show you what we're left with.

a.j. griffin. we'll have complete highlights tonight on nbc bay area. >> such an exciting time. thank you very much. >> all kinds of drama. you said you love drama. you love the fact the giants and the a's. >> all is right this morning. still in the playoffs. back on the desk. watching a little bit of shower and thunderstorm activity. really most of this is moving off shore. as we head throughout the next couple of days, we're going to be dealing with this system. just pecky showers. we need the rain as you know. we're running significant deficit last rain season. this rain season, we could see a nino setup. it's still not completely sure. when it companies to the timing of these showers, it's going to get more active before we have evening hours. we're going to see the temperatures really kind of comfortable today. showers creeping up from the south all the way to 5:00 p.m. best chance for the showers is around the western facing slopes of san jose so keep that in mind. southern california will receive about 2 to 3 times of rain. snowfall in yosemite when last week we had tripl

a.j. griffin, prince fielder bobbed one into the bleachers. 2-0, tigers, in the fourth inning. now, down 3-1. ninth inning. the a's had runners at second and third. and then, seth smith roped one into the gap. donaldson came from behind. tied the game at three apiece on the double by smith. two outs now for coco. >> smith coming around! and the oakland a's will live another day! >> another improbable win for the a's, who are now a win away from the alds. >> there's nobody he'd rather see in that situation than coco. when you don't need a homer but a base hit, is that pretty much what the rest of the dugout thinks? >> i don't know if i should be offended by that or not. >> i think he was, what, 0-for- 4 going into that bat? that says a lot. >> he came down from a four- run, five-run deficit. >> wins are always good. means you get to play another day. >>> like the a's, the giants staring elimination in the face for the second straight day. but today, timmy was smoking hot. not a great start for that man. he walked three in the first and then a run, to tie the game at one. but a t

a.j. griffin now played in game four if necessary. the a's plan on it necessary. >> we won't sit here and be quiet. we'll just be the same guys we've been all year and let our personalities run wild and act like we've won 95 in a row. >> we won't play the game any different tomorrow as we did, you know, the games to get us here. and is it a big game? absolutely. >> there were two other playoff games today. the cardinals and the orioles both won at home to tie their series up at one game apiece. that will do it from the x-fin sports desk. let's get it back to you guys in san jose. >> thanks, dave. >>> this year's nobel prize went to a japanese researchers. >> he leads the team in san francisco as his british partner discovered ordinary cells can be turned into stem cells. it is expected to revolutionize stem cell research because of how it bypasses the controversial use of human embryos altogether. he hopes his research will one day lead to custom made tissue replacement. the prize will be announced later this week. >> thanks for joini

a.j. griffin will get the call. he's 7-1 this year. a's are down in the series, but josh redick says they're ready for the challenge. >> no biting our fingernails in our lockers and be quiet, we'll be the same guys we are all year. >> really not going to play the game any different as we did, you know, the games to get us here. and is it a big game? absolutely. >> reporter: so tonight, game three. first pitch at 6:07 p.m. it's the a's taking on the detroit tigers. they are expecting a sold-out crowd of over 36,000 fans here for this one. it should be fun. it will start in just under seven hours from now. we'll know if those a's are resilient. recent history shows they did it against texas to finish off the season. maybe they do it here to finish it off. guys, back to you. >> thank you, jim. i think they are going to do it again. in cincinnati, a similar story. the giants facing elimination. they'll have to win all three games in cincinnati to advance. game three is this afternoon at 2:30. so we're, what, three hours away from game time

a.j. griffin pitching. >> reporter: the a's are winners at home. the fans take credit for that. >> here you got your 10th man in baseball. >> it is louder than a lot of the parks you have. it is a huge home field advantage. >> reporter: this fan was happy for the loss last night. >> i wanted this game today so then we could come to it tonight. >>> the a's fans think they have the tigers where they want them. >> reporter: you are going to be here and talk to us -- >> tomorrow. absolutely. tomorrow. >> reporter: i talked to management, they say two hours ago there were a thousand tickets remaining for tomorrow's game, that game takes place if the a's win tonight. for the next series, the alcs, 30,000 tickets are available for that. it is possible the a's may open up more seats here. that's something they are looking at. ken pritchett, ktvu channel 2 news. >> and our coverage continues online on www.ktvu.com. you will find the latest under the playoff tab. >>> an explosion at a home cept one woman to -- sents one woman to the hospital. ktvu's robert h

a.j. griffin. the detroit tigers will go with shirzer as their starter. he's recovering from ankle and shoulder injuries. we'll see how he'll pitch tonight. we'll have all your highlights on nbc bay area tonight. over to scott reese who also is covering a very big game. those san francisco giants. scott reese, good morning. >> henry, good morning to you. yeah, like the a's, the giants stayed alive with a win last night in cincinnati. before we get to the highlights, there was some sprinkles this morning. the tarp was on the field when we arrived. the grounds crew removed the tarp and they're expecting sunny skies, albeit some wind this afternoon for baseball. now, back to sports. yeah the giants last night didn't muster a whole lot of offense. three hits to be exact in ten innings. yet somehow they escaped. reds fans looking for a sweep. ryan vogelsong was rusty and shaky in the first. this rbi single from zwra bruce made it 1-0 cincinnati. but he settled down after that. the giants were able to tie it up in the third inning. they did so without the benef

a.j. griffin will get the start in game four. while the a's are down, josh reddick says they're ready for the challenge. >> we're not going to sit here and bite our finger nails in our lockers and be quiet. we're just going to be the same guys we've been all year and let our personalities run wild and act like we've won five in a row. >> really not going to play the game any different as we did, you know, the games to get us here. is it a big game? absolutely. >> reporter: so this must-win game three at the coliseum tonight. they're expecting over 36,000 fans at the coliseum. 6:07 first pitch. so 12 hours from now, it's going to be awful loud inside the o.co. now, the giants are in a must-win situation as well. we've got you covered on that. scott reese is in cincinnati with more on the big game for the giants. scott? >> reporter: yeah, koz, just like the a's, the giants with no margin for aerror going forward. they have to sweep the reds fod to chance to the championship series. a daunting task, no question. however, the giants

a.j. griffin. >> it was kind of like the same situation with the rangers. except for that we did get home this time. but we're having a good time. we are just going out there and playing the baseball that we can and giving the fans something to be proud of we are not going to quit. >> that is about 90 minutes away at the coliseum. j.r. is on you were inside and you had some of the sound bites. i was outside. the big tail gate. there are some characters out here, to say the least. >> i saw you from 1 mi. away. >> this is where the winners hang out. >> these real fans. i am looking and even seek tights. these are the first tights that i've seen >> yes with a kiss on her arm. >> do not forget the cake from wal-mart. and a -- typetypes -- this is a little bit of money involved with this? >> yes. >> to the ladies like those air? >> there are already started barking at us. [laughter] >> and what a catchy phrase, barking. this is a little bit of a cowboy attitude because these are like buffalo cowboys out here. we have to really ride the ball and get it done eight