Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer pitches into the bottom of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s on Tue Aug 8, 2023 (AP News photo)
Texas (68-46). 010 030 110 – 6. 13. 0
Oakland (32-82). 000 100 000 – 1. 3. 0
Time: 2:33
Attendance: 5,419
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–We all knew it was coming, but now it’s a mathematical certainty; the A’s will not finish this season over .500. Tuesday night’s 6-1 loss to the division leading Texas Rangers was the hapless, homeless team’ 82nd of the 162 game 2023 season
After Dan Jiménez’s dismal eighth inning in yesterday evening’s loss to Texas, the A’s optioned him to their PCL farm team and recalled Adrián Martínez from the Aviators. Neither pitcher has performed up to his potential this year, in The Town or in Sin City.
The Mexicali native saw action today, entering the game in the top of the fifth and overstaying his welcome until there were two out in the top of the ninth.
Oakland’s starting pitcher, JP Sears was 0-3, 5.54 in his first seven starts of the season. He went 2-5, 3.42 over the remaining 15, to bring his record to 2-8, 4.07 at game time.
Sears performance this evening was underwhelming. He allowed four runs, all earned, in four innings, in which he threw 86 pitches, 59 of which weren’t balls. He gave up nine hit and a walk, striking out six. He took the loss and ended the day at 2-9, 4.23.
The Athletics’ 27 year old lefty’s opponent was the likely Hall of Fame candidate, the 39 year old right hander Max Scherzer, now on the downhill side of his career, although you’d hardly thought so when he signed his three year, $43,333,333 contract with the Mets this past off season.
Scherzer was traded to the Rangers 10 days ago and promptly exercised his option to become a free agent once 2023 is in the rear view mirror. He’d been 9-4, 4.01 for the Mets and 10-4, 4.04, combined with his two teams.
Tuesday, though, he was excellent, holding Oakland one run, earned on three hits, one of the a home run, and two walks, while striking out six. He threw 89 pitches, 58 for strikes, and earned his second win for Texas, and now is 11-4, 3.88 overall.
Robbie Grossma’s one out double to left, followed by Ezeequiel Durán’s single to center, put Texas on the board in the top of the second.
The Rangers had to settle for that one run, thanks in great part, to a beautiful play by Nick Alllen on short that turned what would have been an RBI single to left by Marcus Semien into an infield single that loaded the bases with two outs before Sears fanned Corey Seager to end the threat.
Grossman doubled again in the fourth, and Huff drove him in with a two bagger of his own. So much for The Curse of the Leadoff Double. After Leody Tavares went down swinging, Allen made another beautiful play on Semien’s grounder, but the Rangers’ second sacker beat the throw to first, and Huff came all the way around to score.
Semien then came home on Seager’s double off the xfinity ad just to the left of the 388 foot marker in left center. The one run Texas lead had blossomed into a 4-0 gap before Adolis García, the eighth batter of the frame, went down swinging to end the inning.
JJ Bleday got one of those runs back for the A;s with his leadoff home run in the bottom of the frame, his ninth four bagger of the season. It travelled 420 feet into center field and left Bledauy’s bat at 108.7 mph and came off a 92.6 mph four seamer.
Adrián Martínez celebrated his return to the show by striking out the three batters he faced in the fifth, to the accompaniment of the now traditional “Sell the Team” chants of that frame. He set the Rangers down to a conga beat in the sixth as well.
But Martinez’ patch of perfection ended abruptly with Seager’s leadoff home run over the right center field State Farm advertisement in the seventh, making it 5-1 Lowe followed with a double to right center but was eliminated on an inning ending unassisted double play on a liner by Mitch Garver to Gelof at second. Martínez, who has a history as a starter, stayed on for the eighth.
’twas the night before Christmas in the Athletics’ bullpen; not a creature was stirring, when Grossman walked to start the inning. Travis Jankowski pinch ran for him and scored two outs later on Huff’s triple to left center. That gave Brock Burke a 6-1 lead to work with when he replaced Scherzer to start the eighth. He preserved that six run margin.
Zach Neal finally began to warm up in the pen with Lowe’s one out double in the ninth. He continued until two walks and a fly out loaded the bases with two down. Then he replaced Martínez and got a pinch hitting Josh Smith to fly out to right on three pitches.
The loss dropped Oakland to 31-82, .274.
Kansas City improved its record to 37-78, .322 with their 9-3 defeat of the Red Sox at Fenway earlier this evening.
On August 8, 1899 the worst team in major league history, the Cleveland Spiders, were clobbered by the Boston Beaneater in the hub, 18-8 and fell to 18-71, .202. On August 9, 1962, the worst team of the modern era, the New York Mets, were in San Francisco, where Roger Craig beat the Giants, 5-2, at the brand new ball park at Candlestick Point. That raised the Mets’ record to 30-82, .268.
On August 9, 2023, the A’s will send Freddy Tarnok (0-1, 6.75) against the Rangers and Jordan Montgomery (7-9, 3.40). Game time is 12:37.
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