Month: July 2021

MLB podcast with Larry Crino: Cleveland changes it’s name to Guradians; How Cruz will power Tampa Bay’s line up; plus more

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Former Minnesota Twin Nelson Cruz joined the Tampa Bay Rays on Thu Jul 22, 2021 after he was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays for three minor league pitchers. Nelson is seen here in his final game with the Twins on Wed Jul 21, 2021 running the bases against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago (AP file photo)

On the MLB podcast with Larry:

#1 The Cleveland Indians have announced today that their changing their moniker name to the Guardians after going through 1200 possible new names Cleveland settled on Guardians and decided to make the change due to the racist caricature of the smiling Chief Wahoo they used on their uniforms and hats since they adopted the name in 1915 Cleveland continues to merchandise the Chief Wahoo logo. The decision to make the change came after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police touching off social unrest.

#2 Three minor league pitchers are headed to the Minnesota Twins after being dealt for Nelson Cruz 41 who is on his way to Tampa Bay. Cruz can help a club and he is hitting .294, 19 homers, and 50 RBIs and is tied for second with 19 home runs for a designated hitter. He will have an impact on the Rays line up as the Rays push for to make the post season.

#3 The Chicago White Sox Yermin Mercedes who said “it’s over” is back saying he’ll never give up. Mercedes who was demoted by the White Sox to triple A affiliate the Charlotte Knights said he was done with baseball had a change of heart 24 hours later and will report to the Knights. One of the reasons for Mercedes demotion was that he dropped to hitting .150 in July from hitting as high as .450 in April.

#4 Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the fans who booed reliever Kenly Jansen after he left on Wednesday and again on Thursday night were not right. Jansen has 21 saves and had been a lights out reliever for the Dodgers has now three straight blown saves. Against the Giants on Wednesday he gave up a top of the ninth inning two run homer to Wilmer Flores that gave the Giants the go ahead lead and later win. On Thursday night Jansen gave up four runs in the top of the ninth to the Giants for a Dodgers loss 5-3 loss. When Jansen left the game on Wednesday night the Dodgers fans gave him a round of boos. Roberts defended his player and said it wasn’t right that he was booed.

#5 Wednesday night the Toronto Blue Jays played their last game in Buffalo which had been their home all of last season and up to Thu Jul 22nd when they were granted permission to come back and play in Toronto. The Canadian government is opening up the Canadian border for the Jays and double vaccinated Americans will be allowed in Canada starting August 9th.

Join Larry for the MLB podcasts heard Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Olson going deep and hitting for average

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Eye on the ball as the Oakland A’s Matt Olson hits for an RBI single in the seventh inning during Tue Jul 20, 2021’s ball game against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

Oakland podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Matt Olson is seeing the ball well he hit a home run against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday for his 25th home run of the season.

#2 What an afternoon for Olson on Tuesday hitting the home run plus an RBI single and the Angels decided to intentionally walk Olson

#3 Olson is hitting a whopping .302 against left handed pitchers and is batting .284 against right handed pitchers. Either way pitchers are having a tough time getting Olson out.

#4 Olson had a great series against the Angels in the two game series. Olson had a homer in each game on Monday and Tuesday at the Coliseum.

#5 A’s starting pitcher for tonight’s game at T Mobile Field in Seattle for the A’s Frankie Montas (8-8 ERA 4.33) and for the Seattle Mariners Yusei Kikuchi (6-5 ERA 3.92)

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants four-run rally in 9th stun Dodgers 5-3, take series

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The San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada slides after a LeMonte Wade Jr ninth inning single at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thu Jul 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

LOS ANGELES—Kenley Jansen might be public enemy number one in the Los Angeles area.

For the second straight game, the Los Angeles Dodgers closer blew a save in the ninth inning. This time it was a four-run rally by the San Francisco Giants in a 5-3 comeback win over their division rival on Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium.

San Francisco won the series taking three out of the four games. They are now three games up on Los Angeles in the National League West with the Dodgers four back in the loss column. The Giants finished 4-3 on their road trip.

The ninth inning consisted of a lot of drama and controversy that left the Dodgers irate at the end of the game.

With two outs and William Flores on first after a one-out single, Donovan Solano hit a double over the head of Cody Bellanger to centerfield. Jason Vosler worked a walk to load the bases. Thairo Estrada hit a ball to the left side where shortstop Chris Taylor threw to second base for the force out. The Giants challenged the call and it was overturned as Vosler clearly beat the throw thanks to his good lead off of first and hustle toward second base.

“”You don’t see it mean so much to a win as you did tonight”, said Giants manager Gabe Kapler regarding Vosler keeping the game alive. “I thought it was the most important play of the game.”

Darren Ruff, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch where he appeared to not have checked his swing. First baseball umpire Ed Hickox ruled no swing on the appeal and that not only allowed the tying run to score but sent Dodgers manager Dave Roberts into one of his best temper tantrums of his career as he was ejected from the game for a second straight night.

“There are lot of people that are pissed off, and I’m leading the way,” Roberts said after the game.

Lamont Wade Jr. played the hero role with a two-run single right after to give the Giants an improbable victory.

Buehler continued to his mastery of the Giants batting lineup even though it ended in a no decision for him. He pitched seven and a third innings holding the Giants to one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking just one.

In four starts this season versus San Francisco, Buehler has allowed only three earned runs in 27 innings.

Anthony DeSclafani, who hasn’t had any personal success against Los Angeles, pitched one of his best games against his nemesis going six innings and giving up three earned runs on six hits while striking out seven with only one walk.

“I think he got stronger as the outing went on. The ball he threw to Will Smith is probably one he’d like to have back. But other than that, I thought he pitched a good game. And I thought he was going toe to toe with (Walker) Beuhler, who also pitched an excellent game,” Kapler said.

The Giants (61-35) drew first blood early in the first inning. After a Lamont Wade Jr. leadoff double that followed with him stealing third base, Mike Yastrzemski hit a sacrifice fly to left field for a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers (59-39) answered back in their half of the first inning with three straight singles off DeSclafani to even the score at one.

Los Angeles took the lead in the fourth inning when Will Smith smashed a two-run home run halfway up the bleachers in left center fielder off of DeSclafani. Smith’s 13th home run of the season was his second in the series against San Francisco.

Jake McGee pitched the bottom of the nine and earned his 20th save of the season.

GAME NOTES: For the first time in the series, the Giants did not hit a home run.

UP NEXT: The Giants return home on Friday 7/23 to host a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:45pm at Oracle Park.

A’s Manaea strong performance downs M’s 4-1 at T Mobile

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea throws against the Seattle Mariner line up at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Thu Jul 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s won their third game in a row behind Sean Manaea’s outstanding performance Thursday night in Seattle. Manaea broke a four-game personal losing streak as he held the Mariners to one run and three hits in seven innings of work. Manaea improved to 7-6 for the season. Sergio Romo set the M’s down in order in the eighth, and Lou Trivino closed out the ninth for his sixteenth save.

The Mariners’ starter, Chris Flexen, held the A’s to just one hit and no runs in the game’s first four innings. The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fifth. With two outs, A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus singled to start the rally. With Mark Canha at the plate, Andrus stole second. He went to third on Canha’s infield single. The next hitter, Ramon Laureano, lined a shot off Flexen’s leg to drive in Andrus with the A’s first run. 

The A’s added another run in the top of the sixth. With one out, Mitch Moreland doubled. A’s catcher, Sean Murphy, followed with a double to left to drive in Moreland. The A’s led 2-0 midway through the sixth. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Seattle’s catcher, Tom Murphy, led off the inning with a solo blast to left. Manaea settled down and retired the next three batters.

In the top of the eighth, the A’s put two more runs on the board. Singles by Matt Chapman and Seth Brown put men on at first and second with no out. Elvis Andrus executed a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Mark Canha walked to load the bases.

Ramon Laureano hit a soft line drive over the Mariners’ shortstop J.P. Crawford to drive in Chapman. Matt Olson drove in Brown with a sacrifice fly to right field. The A’s led 4-1. Sergio Romo was now pitching for Oakland. As mentioned above, he set the M’s down in order. Lou Trivino got the last three out of the game to earn his 16th save of the year. The A’s win 4-1.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 56-42 for the year. They trail the Houston Astros by two and 1/2 games in the race for the AL West crown. The Mariners fall to 51-46.

The A’s line was four runs, eleven hits, and no errors. The M’s stats were one run, four hits, and no errors.

Sean Manaea struck out 13 Mariner hitters for a new career-high. Mark Canha hat a single, double, and two walks as he reached base four times. Ramon Laureano and Sean Murphy each had two hits Thursday night.

The A’s will send Frankie Montas to the hill Friday night. The Mariners will counter with lefty Yusei Kikuchi. The game will start at 7:10 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Softball returns to Olympics after 13 year hiatus; Bucks Championship parade today in Milwaukee; plus more

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Team USA softball team celebrates their first win at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Fukushima against Italy on Tue Jul 20, 2021 (photo from USA Today)

On Headlines Sports with Tony R:

#1 Tony, 2021 Tokyo Olympics it was an event that had the Japanese populous saying it was a bad idea to even have the Olympics but here it is and the sport of softball kicked off the games on Tuesday it’s the first time softball has been back to the games in 13 years.

#2 Today the Milwaukee Bucks celebrate their championship victory in the NBA Finals over the Phoenix Suns winning four games to two with a celebration parade in downtown Milwaukee. This was the Bucks first championship since 1971.

#3 Tony, the Oakland A’s turned down the Oakland City Council’s offer of approving one of the infrastructure plans but turned down the other. The A’s said they’ll take their marbles to Las Vegas hence team president David Kaval in Vegas this week to meet with city officials about building a new park for the A’s. Was the turn down by the A’s a matter of being greedy because they wanted more out of the deal or was it a matter of being cheap not wanting to spend their own money for the other infrastructure.

#4 Tony, with the Delta Variant has spread, hospitals are filling up, an outbreak is in full effect. Are ballparks and arenas filling up without wearing masks a huge risk considering what’s going no social distancing and do you see places shutting down again?

#5 Tony, the Seattle Kraken got cracking with their first player signing of unrestricted free agent defenceman Jamie Oleksiak who played the last three seasons with the Dallas Stars. Oleksiak will get an annual salary of $4.6 million for five years. Expansion hockey has come to Seattle.

Join Tony Renteria for Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s hope to chase down Astros as they open 10 game roadie tonight in Seattle

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Oakland A’s third baseman Jacob Wilson gets his first big league hit at age 31 on Tue Jul 20, 2021 against the Los Angeles Angels in the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. Wilson and his teammates hope to get more hits on Thu Jul 22, 2021 in Seattle at T Mobile Field (photo from San Francisco Chronicle)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s start out this road trip in Seattle tonight at T Mobile Field in Seattle the first of ten road games and the first of a four game series.

#2 This is a crucial series the A’s need to gain ground on first place Houston as their 3.5 games back and are hoping to do a little better than .500 on the trip.

#3 The A’s and Mariners have both won their last two games and have won six of their last ten games

#4 Jerry talk a little bit about A’s pitcher James Kaprielian who had thrown six shutout innings giving up only five hits against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday afternoon. Kaprielian pitched well enough to complete the game if it wasn’t for the pitch count he threw 100 pitches.

#5 The A’s will send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill Thursday night. Manaea is 6-6 with an ERA of 3.28. Righty Chris Flexon, 9-3 ERA 3.35, will go for Seattle.

Join Jerry F for all the A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com Thursdays

Ninth-inning rally lifts Giants past Dodgers 4-2

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San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores connects for a ninth inning two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wed Jul 21, 2021 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

The San Francisco Giants nearly had company atop the National League West, until a ninth-inning rally off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen extended their long stay on top of the heap.The Giants won 4-2, maintaining their 2-game lead over Los Angeles. A sellout crowd of 52,076 was on hand at Dodger Stadium.

With San Francisco trailing 2-1 going into the top of the ninth inning, Buster Posey led off with a pinch-single. Wilmer Flores followed with a two-run home run to left off Jansen.

Jansen struck out Mike Yastrzemski, but Darin Ruf doubled and walks to Donovan Solano and Thairo Estrada loaded the bases with one out. Jansen was booed off the mound as left-hander Victor Gonzales came on. Gonzales fanned Lamonte Wade Jr., but walked Curt Casali for the fourth San Francisco run. Yastrzemski opened the scoring with a first-inning solo home run, his 16th.

Jose Alvarez (3-1) was the winning pitcher in relief, throwing a perfect eighth. Tyler Rogers recorded his 11th save, and Jansen (1-3) was tagged with the loss.

The Giants and Dodgers wrap up their series on Thursday night at Chavez Ravine. Anthony DeSciafani (10-4, 2.78) starts for San Francisco, facing the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler (10-1, 2.37)

Earthquakes concede late goal end up with 1-1 draw with Sporting KC

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The visiting San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting KC wound up in a draw at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City Mo on Wed Jul 21, 2021 (image from @SJEarthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Just when the San Jose Earthquakes thought they had ended their long winless streak, Sporting KC scored the equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park.

San Jose earned a point in its third consecutive match but remain winless in 10 straight matches. Sporting KC is now unbeaten in 12 straight matches.

A wild final 12 minutes, which included a controversial penalty by San Jose only to be overturned, was filled with drama and frustration on both sides of the ball.

Shea Salinas was whistled for a penalty inside the box on Johnny Russell in the 87th minute. After a video review, referee Joe Dickerson overturned the call.

San Jose weren’t able to escape out of danger, Cameron Duke won a free kick after a foul by Tanner Beason from 25 yards out in the third minute of stoppage time.

A minute later, Sporting KC scored the equalizer when Johnny Russel’s free kick ricochet off the post then off Marcinkowski and once again off the post again before the rebound was cleaned up by Dániel Sallói.

Sporting KC (8-3-3) garnered the majority of the scoring chances in a scoreless first half. They controlled most of the play in the attacking third as they peppered Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski with five shots on target in the opening 45 minutes.

The home team, who came into the match with the league’s best offense with 24 goals, had its best chance to draw first blood in the 39th minute when Wilson Harris sent in a shot from 20 yards out that was headed for the upper left corner only to have an out-stretched Marcinkowski spoil the bid, knocking the ball away for a corner kick.

San Jose (3-7-4) were turning over the ball over that led to counter attacks by Sporting KC. They weren’t able to generate many scoring chances in the first half. Their best chance came in the 27th minute when Chris Wondolowski found Salinas inside the box only to have Salinas’ attempt blocked by a Sporting KC defender.

The Quakes broke the seal early in the second half. Cristian Espinoza serviced the ball into the middle off a corner kick where an unmarked Nathan on the left side of the six-yard box headed the ball inside the right post into the back of the net for his first career MLS goal and first goal as in a Quake uniform in the 53rd minute.

Nathan, in just his third game for San Jose, has made an immediate impact for head coach Matias Almeyda’s squad and not just for anchoring the back field. The Brazilian center back provided an offensive spark for the Quakes throughout the second half as he joined in on multiple offensive rushes.

“I think he can give a lot,” said Almeyda regarding Nathan’s play. “He makes a difference because he has experience in Europe and many other reasons that include technique, fitness and physique. I think that is the type of reinforcement that we needed.”

San Jose had a great chance to double its lead five minutes later. Espinoza spotted Wondolowski all alone just outside the box, but Wondo rushed his shot as Spoting KC goalie Tim Melia made an easy save on his attempt.

Carlos Fierro came in as a substitute for Chofis in the 76th minute. It was his first action since suffering a leg injury back on May 29th.

“I think we are making progress in every match. It does not matter if we are making little or big progress. The important thing is that we make that progress. You can see that in the last three matches that the team is playing with confidence and getting better. We are more secure and that gives us confidence to keep pushing. Playing as the away team is never easy and we should be pleased with these last three games in which we earned three points,” Nathan said.

Marcinkowski finished the evening with six saves, equaling a career high. Melia made two saves on three shots on target.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with nine corner kicks. Sporting KC had six.

Midfielder Judson was ejected from the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the second half when he earned his second yellow card of the match after committing a hard foul.

Forward Cade Cowell was called up to the US Men’s National Team on Tuesday to be on the roster for Gold Cup play. This is the 17-year old sensation’s first time being called up to the national team. He joins fellow teammate Jackson Yueill, who has been on the US roster since Gold Cup play began earlier this month.

San Jose holds an 25-28-9 all-time record against Sporting Kansas City, including an 8-21-2 record away from home. The last time the Quakes won in Kansas City was back on 8/19/2015 when they won 5-0.

Graham Zusi played in his 301st MLS games.

Eric Remedi has suffered 53 fouls this season, the most in MLS.

Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes was unable to be on the sidelines due to being in Covid-19 protocols.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the Houston Dynamo on on Saturday 7/24 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Why the Athletics should trade for Nelson Cruz

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The Minnesota Twins Miguel Sano (center without cap) hugs and congratulates teammate Nelson Cruz (with batting helmet on) after Cruz hit a two run home run against New York Yankee pitcher Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth inning on Thu Jun 10, 2021 at Target Field in Minneapolis can the Oakland A’s swing a deal before the trade deadline to bring Cruz to Oakland? (AP file photo)

Why the Athletics should trade for Nelson Cruz

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Minnesota Twins are one of the biggest underachievers this season, on their way to one of their worse seasons in recent memory. They will be sellers for sure and DH Nelson Cruz could be a very good strategic pick-up for the A’s. The Minnesota Twins last season had an identical record to the Oakland A’S 36-24. The Twins won the Central Division and the Athletics won the West.

After beating the Angels 6-0 Monday, the Athletics are enjoying a couple of days off before they re-start their engines Thursday at T Mobile Field in Seattle for the first of four-games in Rain City and the beginning of a long 10-game road-trip. Their next game at home is a couple of weeks away, on August 3 against the San Diego Padres.

Their offense has not been clicking in all cylinders and they could use Cruz’s potent bat, for the last two months and weeks. The DH spot this season for the A’s has a combined .226 average and not the power the A’s envisioned this season. Only Texas and Detroit among all American League teams have less productivity from the designated hitter slot in the lineup.

There might still be a chance that Nelson Cruz ends the season with the Twins, but that seems to be a very slim possibility. Cruz and the glove have not been acquainted much in the last few years. He is the quintessential veteran DH with that power that if inserted in the middle of this Athletics lineup could be a serious power injection to their offense.

Nelson Cruz is hitting .295 with 19 home runs and 49 runs batted-in during his first 84 games with the Minnesota Twins. Those numbers (if he came to Oakland) will make him second in home runs and runs batted only to Matt Olson. Cruz can still hit, is healthy and towards the end of his great career and seems to have something left in the tank.

During a 17 year career in the major leagues, Dominican slugger Nelson Cruz is hitting a combined .279 with 436 home runs and 1,201 runs-batted-in. The A’s are in a good position to either win the division again or advance as a wild card, the trade deadline is 10 days away. The A’s always can pull the trigger at this time in the season when they have a chance and they do. Do not be surprised Nelson Cruz wears the Green and Gold very soon.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Preview of A’s four-game series in Seattle with Mariners starts Thursday night

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Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea shown here throwing against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Minute Maid Field on Wed Jul 7, 2021will be the starting pitcher of record tonight against the Mariners at Safeco Field in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are en route to Seattle to start a four-game series against the Mariners starting Thursday night. The A’s, 55-42 for the season and 6-4 in their last ten games, are in second place in the AL West, trailing the Houston Astros by three and 1/2 games. The Mariners are in third place with a record of 41-44 and are three games behind the A’s in the race for the second AL Wild Card.

The A’s have played the M’s six times so far this year. The teams have each won three games. The teams last met on June 4th, and the A’s won the contest 9-5 that day.

The A’s will send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill Thursday night. Manaea is 6-6 with an ERA of 3.28. Righty Chris Flexon, 9-3 ERA 3.35, will go for Seattle. Frankie Montas, 8-8 era 4.33, goes for Oakland on Friday. Seattle will counter with lefty Yusei Kikuchi.

His record is 6-5, ERA 3.92. The A’s will have Chris Bassitt going on Saturday against the M’s Logan Gilbert. Bassitt is 10-3 with a 3.31 ERA. Gilbert is 4-2 and has a 3.5 ERA. On Sunday, lefty Cole Irvin goes for Oakland. Irvin is 7-8 with a 3.42 ERA. Lefty Marco Gonzalez goes for Seattle. Gonzalez is 1-5 for the year. The M’s are hoping Gonzalez regains his form and can handle the A’s.

The A’s have been struggling at the plate this year. As a team, they are hitting .233. They have a team on-base percentage of .311 and an OPS of .716. The M’s team batting average is .219. Their on-base percentage is. 295. They have a team OPS of .712.

The A’s swept the last two games played against the LA Angels. The A’s welcomed back leadoff hitter, Mark Canha, from the 10-day IL. A’s Designated Hitter Mitch Moreland also returned to action from a stint on the IL. Moreland has not been as productive as the A’s had hoped. Rumors are swirling that the As’ are looking to trade for the 41-year -old slugger Nelson Cruz, currently with the Minnesota Twins. .

The Mariners, despite their lowly team batting average, have been winning. They have a solid starting rotation. Their closer is former A’s starter, Kendall Graveman. Graveman is 2-0 and has a sparkling 0.90 ERA. He has recorded nine saves so far. Rafael Montero and Kenyon Middleton have 11 saves between them, closing out games for Seattle.

The M’s Mitch Haniger will be in the lineup for the series. Haniger has been productive against Oakland in the years he has been with Seattle. Haniger is hitting .265 with 22 homers and 58 RBIs. Other players to keep an eye on are first baseman Ty France, third baseman Kyle Seager, shortstop J.P.Crawford, and catcher Tom Murphy.

The A’s have played 97 games so far this year. They had a rough stretch where they went 9-15 and fell out of first place in the West. They need to have everyone contribute if they hope to gain ground on the Astros. The starting rotation has been good all year.

Lou Trivino has found a home as the A’s closer. Yusmeiro Petit has been solid all year. A’s first baseman Matt Olson leads the team with 25 home runs. The A’s need Moreland and other players to step up to keep opposing pitchers from pitching around Olson.

The A’s do not want to make the playoffs as a Wild Card. They would be the road team if the playoffs were to start today. They have not fared well in the past in that position. The trade deadline is nine days away. Will they make a deal for Nelson Cruz? Will they trade for Joey Gallo? Will they make a deal to strengthen the bullpen? The A’s have made deals in the past at the trade deadline. I suspect they will be active before the deadline passes on July 30th.