Oakland Athletics’ Esteury Ruiz breaks his bat while hitting a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 It was a series unlike the Texas Rangers series where the Oakland A’s lost three out of four where the A’s battled the Arizona Diamondbacks a second place team in the NL West and who are playing hard to climb up in the standings. The A’s who have had middle and closing issues have kept manager Mark Kotsay on the edge of his seat.

#2 The A’s started Luis Medina today who started at 0-2 had a great start going six innings giving up three runs on three hits and six strikeouts although the A’s were behind 3-0 until the bottom of the seventh he kept them in the game.

#3 How big was Ramon Laureano’s three run home run to get the A’s back in this one. It was Laureano’s fifth home run of the season.

#4 Shintaro Fujinami was struggling on the mound as a starter and converted into being a reliever came into pitch the eighth and ninth innings. Fujinami got the third out on a strikeout in the eighth but in the ninth with the score tied and double action in the A’s bullpen and runners at first and third Fujinami loaded the bases and manager Mark Kotsay went and got him. Adrian Martinez came into relieve and Jose Herrera hit a sac fly that scored Lourdes Gurriel Jr to break the deadlock.

#5 It’s a whole new series on Friday Jerry as the A’s travel to Houston to take on Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros after taking Thursday off. Starting pitchers for the A’s left hander Ken Waldichuk the Astros have not announced a starter as of Wednesday.

Join Jerry for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com