Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo is lifted by A’s manager Bob Melvin in the fifth inning in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres. The first of a three game series. (AP News photo)

San Diego 7-11 -0

Oakland 0-4 -2

September 4, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This evening, the Athletics threw their first pitch and took their first swings in anger since dropping a double header to the Astros on August 29. Those five days of inaction were in response to Daniel Mengden positive for covid-19 test.

The good news is that Mengden is asymptomatic and that there have been no reports of anyone else in the organization having had a similar lab result since then. The bad news is that this is 2020.

From a purely baseball perspective, the hiatus raises a few questions. The unscheduled break certainly gave the team a chance to get some physical rest, although it could also have done some damage to the players’ timing.

The wait also probably took a psychological toll on the club. The deadline trade for Mike Minor bolstered the mound corps with an all-star southpaw who can be used as a spot starter or long reliever. In doing so, however, it brought into the fold a pitcher who had been a major disappointment for Texas this year.

Last year Minor went 14-10, 3.59 for the 78-84, third place Rangers. He joined the A’s weighed down with a record of 0-5, 5.60 so far in this, our season of discontent. On the brighter side, he threw six innings of shutout ball against the all but invincible Dodgers in his last outing before being dealt to Oakland. He performed considerably less satisfactorily than that tonight.

To add to the Athletics’ problems, their sparkplug, Marcus Semien, still wasn’t able to return to action this evening.

Meanwhile, Houston has continued to prosper, but at game time the A’s still led them by two games in the AL West.

The men in green and gold will need all the extra energy and stamina they stored while waiting to be cleared for a return to action. They’re scheduled to play 14 games in the next 11 days.

They will make up the postponed August 30 contest against the Astros by playing a double header against them at the Coliseum on September 8, and the three games missed in Seattle will be folded into doubleheaders on the 14th at Safeco Field and the 26th on the banks of I-880.

Oakland’s opponent for tonight was a formidable one. The Padres entered tonight’s fray in second place for the NL West crown at 23-16, trailing the MLB-leading Dodgers by five and a half games in the division race.

Zach Davies, the Friars’ starter took the mound with a record of 5-2, 2.61. He relies less on his fast ball, which is unimpressive by today’s standards, than on the effective use of his change up, which comes in at about 10 mph less than his heater.

Opposing San Diego’s six-foot right hander was Jesús Luzardo, who toed the rubber with a mark of 2-1, 3.74. That one loss came in his last appearance, when he gave up three runs, all earned, in six and two-thirds innings against Texas on August 24.

Building up Luzardo’s arm strength has been one of Oakland’s goals after the lefty’s injury plagued 2019, and his loss in Arlington was his longest outing of this shortest of seasons. Luzardo’s endurance, however, was less of a concern tonight than it had been earlier since one advantage the A’s obtained from their long lay off was that the team’s highly effective bullpen came to work well rested. Unfortunately, the bullpen’s performance left a bit to be desired.

Luzardo had surrendered all three tallies to Texas in his first two innings of work. Tonight, he held his opponents scoreless for the first four and two thirds frames before San Diego broke through for four runs on a lead off bunt single by Wil Myers, who advanced to second with one out when Luzardo plunked Luis Campusano with a 2-2 curve.

Luzardo almost escaped unscathed after he struck out Jurickson Profar, but back to back doubles by Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatís, Jr., and back to back singles by Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer did him in. JB Wendelken was called in to put out the fire. All four of the runs allowed by Luzardo were earned. He gave up six hits, walked none, and struck out four. 43 of his 78 pitches were strikes.

The A’s had come within miliseconds of taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Matt Olson was called safe at home after Robbie Grossman lined a two out double to right. But the Padres appealled the decision, and Olson was ruled out, 9-4-2, Myers to Cronenworth to Nola.

Minor made his Oakland debut, releving Wendelkin, in the top of the seventh, with the A’s still trailing, 4-0. Three pitches later, it was 5-0. Tatís had blasted a change up for 396 foot homer to right center.

The next batter, Machado outdid him, taking a fast ball deep for a 435 foot roundtripper to straight away center. Minor left after that nefariious episode, followed by TJ McFarlane,who allowed a 343 foot four bagger to right hit by Luis Campusano, his first safety of the season.

Javy Guerra and Craig Stammen mopped up for San Diego in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Davies got the win.He’s now 6-2, with an ERA of 2.23 He threw 105 pitches, 59 of them strikes, gave up all of the A’s hits,walked four and struck out five.

Luzardo’s loss brings his record to 2-2, 4.23.

When the game ended in Oakland, Houston was trailing the Angels, 5-2 after eight innings of play, so the A’s might find themselves still holding a two game lead when all is said and done.

At 1:o7 tomorrow afternoon, the A’s and Padres will go at it again. Sean Manaea (2-2, 5.64) will face Chris Paddack (3-3, 4.33).