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NHATV.MEYER—BAYAREANEWSGROUPFILE The Oakland Raiders' Austin Howard (77) lines up at the line of scrimmage during an Aug. 30, 2015, preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals in Oakland. ByJimmyDurkin BayAreaNewsGroup NAPA TheOaklandRaiders'battle at right tackle won't be decided to- day, tomorrow and maybe not in two weeks. Menelik Watson and Austin How- ard have picked back up where they left off last season, each fighting on the fields beyond the Napa Valley Marriott for the right to start the Sept. 11 opener. If last year taught us anything, it may simply be the man still standing at the end of camp that wins the job. Watson was in line to be the starter entering the third preseason game in 2015 before he ruptured his Achilles. Howard, the team's starting right guard in 2014, took over in Wat- son's absence and held the job un- til a knee injury cost him the final three games. Howard has slowly worked himself back this offseason from that knee surgery, plus another shoulder injury. Watson's been ready to go since or- ganized team activities in May as he hopes to put his injury-plagued past in the rear view. "It's going well," Raiders offensive line coach Mike Tice said of the bat- tle. "We want to make sure that both guys are getting equal work. "It's going to come down to the wire and the guy that doesn't win the job is going to have to swing for us." Watson continues to be a bit of a mystery since being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. His NFL bio includes a laundry list of injuries. Knee surgery cost him the first seven games of his rookie sea- son, then he missed the final four in 2014 with a foot/ankle ailment be- fore the ruptured Achilles last year. Tice hopes improved work with Raiders strength and condition- ing coach Joe Gomes keeps Watson available. "We're just hopeful he can sus- tain what he's started out in camp, which is playing at a high level and performing and getting his reps," Tice said. NFL TRAINING CAMP Raiders'battleattackletight Watson, Howard both fighting to earn job as starter on right side By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group PHILADELPHIA The San Fran- cisco Giants held a four-run lead in the sixth inning Wednesday night, and Johnny Cueto was shimmying his way to a three- hit shutout. It was the nearest thing to cruise control the Gi- ants had enjoyed in a turbulent second half. But Bruce Bochy's team can- not get through a school day without someone pulling a fire alarm. The night ended with Jake Peavy making his second ca- reer relief appearance, a third baseman not named Matt Duffy committing another costly er- ror and Maikel Franco's bases- loaded single sending the Gi- ants to a 5-4, 12-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Peavy has made 379 career appearances in the big leagues. This was the second time he jogged from the bullpen, and the first since 2011 with the Chi- cago White Sox. He took over for George Kontos with the winning run on second base and one out. Peavy made the pitch to es- cape, but Eduardo Nuñez made his second damaging error of the series. Instead of starting a double play, he bobbled Aaron Altherr's grounder to load the bases. Then Franco sent the Giants to their 13th loss in 17 games since the All-Star break. Franco also delivered the back breaker that tied the game in the eighth. The Giants (61-46) already had exhausted their replay chal- lenge but umpires agreed to re- view a close call at first base, ultimately awarding Cueto the second out in the eighth inning. One pitch later, Franco drilled a tying, two-run single. After the first few innings, the Giants appeared to have the game well in hand. The Giants faced the Phil- lies' Plan B pitcher because the scheduled starter, right-hander Aaron Nola, landed on the dis- abled list with an elbow issue. His replacement, Phil Klein, was no junkballer but the Gi- ants took advantage of mistakes over the plate. They scored two quick runs in the first inning when Denard Span doubled, Angel Pagan sin- gled and Buster Posey scored them both with a two-strike chopper up the middle. They added two more runs in the third. Hunter Pence reached out to single on a pitch a foot outside and then raced around the bases on Posey's double that hit near the top of the wall in center field. Posey advanced on a ground out and scored on Bran- don Belt's sacrifice fly, which center fielder Odubel Herrera caught with his glove near the top of the wall. The 4-0 advantage looked to BASEBALL SCUFFLINGGIANTS FALL TO PHILLIES San Francisco holds 4-run lead in 6th inning, allows Philadelphia to tie in 8th, then win it DERIK HAMILTON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto throws during the first inning Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia. PHILLIES5,GIANTS4(12) Up next: San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies, 10:05 a.m. Thursday, TV on CSN-BA. THESCORE By Tales Azzoni The Associated Press BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan scored a goal in each half as the U.S. women's soccer team defeated New Zealand 2-0 in its debut at the Rio Games on Wednesday, getting off to a solid start in its attempt to win a fourth straight Olympic gold medal. Lloyd put the Americans ahead with a header in the ninth minute and Morgan added to the lead with a low shot from inside the area less than a min- ute into the second half at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Hor- izonte. The U.S. dominated from the start to earn the convincing vic- tory and remain unbeaten in 2016, with 14 shutouts and only one draw in 16 games. Near the end of the game, many of the nearly 10,000 fans at the stadium chanted "Zika, Zika" at goalkeeper Hope Solo, who before coming to the Olym- pics upset some Brazilians by tweeting a photo of herself wearing a hat with mosquito netting in a reference to the vi- rus. The chants were repeated after the final whistle. The Americans are trying to become the first team to win the Olympics after succeeding at the World Cup. The Olympic tourna- ment is the first major competi- tion for the U.S. since the retire- ment of key players such as Abby Wambach and Lauren Holiday following last year's world title. OLYMPIC SOCCER US women defeat New Zealand in first game U.S. 2, NEW ZEALAND 0 Up next: United States vs. France, 1p.m. Saturday, TV on NBCSN. THESCORE By Jerry McDonald Bay Area News Group Ken Stabler was always the life of the party when he was alive, so one Oakland Raiders teammate sees no reason things should be different for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sat- urday. "Too bad Kenny won't be there, but he'll be around — probably at some bar," said fellow Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff before breaking into a laugh. Biletnikoff laughs because it's easier than crying. When the Class of 2016 is enshrined in Canton, Ohio, the joy will be tem- pered by an air of melancholy. Those closest to Stabler will substitute memories of rol- licking good times and fourth-quar- ter comebacks in place of the actual presence of the man they knew as "Snake." Stabler died at age 69 on July 8, 2015 due to complications from colon cancer. Less than seven months later at San Fran- cisco's Civic Auditorium, Sta- bler's daughter Kendra Moyes and grandsons Jack and Justin got word the Snake had finally made the Hall of Fame. It was Stabler's fourth time as a finalist since his retirement in 1985, the 25th Raiders player to have a bust in Canton. "We were still mourning his death and then the Hall of Fame came," former tight end Raymond Chester said. "The tragedy of the whole thing is he should have been in a long time ago," said former safety George Atkinson, part of the 1968 draft class that included Stabler. "It's a shame he's not here to en- joy it himself." Stabler was nominated by the veteran's committee, so he wasn't running against contemporary candidates and needed 80 percent approval from a panel of 46 vot- ers from around the country. Sta- bler's supporters point to a five- year period at his peak where he was among the all-time greats of the game and can't understand why it took so long. On the other hand, Stabler's career totals of 198 touchdown passes and 224 interceptions are well below average in the mod- ern era. Did Stabler's death prompt a sympathy vote? "I hope not," Biletnikoff said. "I've asked why he wasn't in and nobody could give me an answer. Without reservation, a lot of peo- ple in the Hall of Fame wonder why it didn't happen earlier." Only a few teammates were aware Stabler had colon cancer. Ted Kwalick, a Raiders tight end in 1975-77, said he spoke to Sta- bler and his life partner Kim Bush PRO HALL OF FAME Raiders' Stabler awed on field, off Late quarterback will be inducted on Sunday Stabler STABLER PAGE 4 RAIDERS PAGE 4 GIANTS PAGE 4 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, August 4, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1