Author: Charlie O. Mallonee

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Black Oak Arkansas’ signature song was “Jim Dandy to the Rescue”. When the Oakland Athletics (26-39) have been in trouble this season, their signature song has been “Sonny Gray to the Rescue”.

Sonny Gray(8-3) came to the rescue  for he A’s on Sunday as he used  a dominating pitching performance versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (32-31) to lead Oakland to an 8-1 victory.

The A’s had lost back-to-back one-run games to the Angels. A loss on Sunday would have resulted in an Angels sweep. Not only did the A’s avoid the sweep, they did it in impressive fashion.

Oakland scored single runs in the second and third innings and were leading 2-1 as they headed to the top of the sixth inning. The A’s scored three runs with two outs to open up a 5-1 lead.

The Athletics did not stop there as they tacked on three additional runs in the seventh inning.

Dominant starting pitching coupled with outstanding run production earned the A’s a win in the final game of the three-game series with the Angels.

On the Bump

Sonny Gray picked up his eighth win of the season on Sunday. He pitched 7.2 innings giving up just one unearned run on 5 hits. Gray struck out nine batters and walked none. He threw 100 pitches (65 strikes).

All of Gray’s pitches were working for him in the game. The fastball, sinker and change were all under control and working as planned.

Gray’s earned run average dropped to 1.60 in the win. An 8-3 record with that ERA are certainly All-Star numbers. They may even be American League All-Star starting pitcher type stats.

Fernando Rodriguez came into the game in relief of Gray in the bottom of the eighth inning. He faced one hitter and recorded a fly out to end the inning.

Tyler Clippard pitched the ninth inning for Oakland. He had not pitched since last Wednesday and the A’s wanted him to get some work in even though it was not a save situation.

The Angels were able to load the bases off Clippard, but the A’s closer was able to work out the situation by getting Kyle Kubitza to strike out to end the game. Clippard had throw 28 pitches in the bottom of the ninth.

Matt Shoemaker (4-5) took the loss for the Angels. He pitched 5.2 innings giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits. Shoemaker struck five hitters and walked none.

Four Los Angeles relief pitchers gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits.

In the Batters Box

Ben Zobrist, the designated hitter for the A’s, led the day on offense. Zobrist went 3-for-5 (including a double), scored three runs and added one RBI. Not a bad day for a .219 hitter.

Billy Burns and Josh Reddick had identical numbers at the plate. Burns and Reddick went 2-for-5, had an RBI and scored a run for the A’s.

Eric Sogard had a 2-for-5 game with three RBI and a run scored.

Stephen Vogt did not have a hit but did score a run after being walked intentionally in the seventh inning.

Max Muncy had a hit, RBI and run scored in the game. Muncy’s RBI-double in the sixth inning kicked of the three-run, two out rally that won the game for Oakland.

The A’s had 12 hits in the game and went 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

The Angels had just five hits in the game.

Defense

Neither team had a spectacular day on defense. The Angels committed three earns that resulted in two unearned runs. The A’s had two errors that allowed one unearned run.

Both of the A’s errors were committed by shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien could not handle an Erick Aybar ground ball in the fourth inning. A wild pitch and a passed ball allow Aybar to reach third base. He would score on a David Freese single.

Semien was charged with his second error in the bottom of the ninth inning when could not handle the throw from Clippard who fielded a come-backer. Frankly, it should have been a throwing error charged to Clippard.

Semien now has 22 errors for the season.

Up Next

The A’s boarded buses for the short trip south to San Diego where they will play a two-game inter-league series with the Padres. The Padres (32-32) lost to the Dodgers 4 to 2 at home on Sunday. San Diego is in third-place in the National League West.

The Padres will travel to Oakland for two games on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Monday night, RHP Jesse Hahn (3-5, 3.84) will face off with Padres RHP Tyson Ross (3-6, 3.81).

The Tuesday afternoon game will see LHP Scott Kazmir (3-4, 2.79) go up against San Diego’s RHP Andrew Cashner (2-8, 4.16).

by Charlie O. Mallonee

At the end of the season, every member of the Oakland Athletics will have tried to forget game number 59. Game 59 was played on Sunday in Boston and the A’s lost 7-4.

With the win, the Red Sox (27-31) completed a three-game sweep of Oakland. The loss dropped the A’s record to 3-3 on the six-game road trip which is an acceptable result on a road trip. The A’s (23-36) will want to forget the game on Sunday because they should have won the game.

The Red Sox finished the game with seven runs, 13 hits and no errors. The A’s posted four runs on 11 hits and had no errors.

The winning pitcher was knuckleballer Steven Wright who is 3-2 for the year. The save went to Tommy Layne – his first save of the season.

The loss was hung on Tyler Clippard (0-3). Clippard was also charged with his second blown save of the year.

The death blow was issued by the Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning. The A’s held a 4-0 lead with starter Kendall Graveman on the hill. Graveman gave up a lead-off home run to Runsey Castillo, and A’s manager Bob Melvin handed the game over to his relief corps.

The four A’s relievers failed to get the job done as they gave up six runs on seven hits to to 10 Red Sox batters. When the disaster of an inning was over, Boston led the game 7-4 – the eventual final score.

Men Left on Base

The relief pitching did fail to get the job done, but the A’s really lost the game in the top of the fourth inning.

The A’s did score a run in the fourth inning; however, they had the bases loaded with no outs and failed to bring another run across the plate. Another run or two in that inning would have dramatically changed the complexion of the game.

The A’s have been plagued with leaving runners in scoring position all season. On Sunday, the A’s were 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Those nine runners left on base came home to haunt them at the end of the game.

By contrast, the Red Sox went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

On the Bump

Kendall Graveman gave the A’s a quality start on Sunday. Graveman pitched 7-plus innings (he faced one batter in the eighth inning). He gave up one run (earned) on six hits while striking out six and walking just two Boston hitters. Graveman threw 101 pitches for 66 strikes.

Graveman’s trademark sinkerball was giving him trouble in the early innings. Rather than sinking, it was staying flat and moving in and out over the plate. The lack of sink seemed to throw the Red Sox hitters out of sync and Graveman recorded an unusually high number of strike outs for the game. His sinker began to sink more as the game progressed.

Clay Buchholz never looked comfortable on the mound for the Sox. He gave up 4 runs (all earned) on 10 hits. He struck out four while walking two batters. Buchholz threw 102 pitches in his 4.2-innings of work.

Out of the Bullpen

Evan Scribner came on in relief of Graveman in the eighth inning. He promptly gave up a base hit to Pedroia which kicked off the Red Sox rally. Graveman is now 9-for-28 (.311) versus first hitters for the season. It is tough to have a quality relief appearance when you give up that many hits to the first batter you face.

Scribner gave up three runs on three hits. He did not record an out.

Drew Pomeranz faced on hitter and gave up a sacrifice fly to Ortiz.

Clippard was roughed up for three runs (all earned) on four hits. The Boston hitters were guessing correctly on whether Clippard was going to throw a fastball or a change up.

Switch pitcher Pat Venditte came in recorded the final out of the inning for Oakland.

Defense

The defense was not a problem for the A’s on Sunday as they committed no errors. Their only miscue was a passed ball.

In the Batters Box

The A’s had real trouble in this series with a lack of production from the number three, four and five hitters in the order. The middle of the order produced only five hits in the three-game tilt.

Stephen Vogt went 0-for-12 in the three games. Reddick went a respectable 4-for-10 at the plate. Billy Butler went 1-for-13 as the designated hitter. That qualifies as severe power drought.

The bright spot the A’s on offense continues to be Billy Burns. Burns now has a 12-game hitting streak (tied for the longest consecutive hitting streak of the season for the A’s). He went 3-for-13 in the series.

Catcher Josh Phegley also had a decent series at the plate. He went 4-for-7 in the series including two doubles on Sunday.

Up Next

The A’s will have Monday off after the long plane ride home from the East Coast.

The Texas Rangers come to Oakland starting on Tuesday for a three-game series. The Rangers have won seven of their last 10 games. Texas had leap-frogged the Angels to take sole possession of second-place in the AL West.

Sonny Gray (7-2,1.65) will pitch the opener for Oakland. Texas will send RHP Nick Martinez (4-2, 2.89) to the mound to face the Athletics.

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Oakland: This commentary needs to be prefaced by a full disclosure. This writer is an Oakland Athletics fan. I was an A’s fan before I became involved in the sports broadcasting and writing realm. I attended my first Athletics’ game in 1971 (yes, I am old) at the Coliseum. It was easy to be an A’s fan back then. Heck, I even liked Charlie Finley!

I remained an A’s fan after the glory days of the team were over. I attended some games where you could learn  the names of everyone in the stadium. I was there for “Billy Ball” and the 1989 and 1990 World Series.

I have reported on A’s games since 1984. The Oakland A’s have been a major part of my life both professionally and as a committed fan of the game of baseball. So, when I ask when is Major League Baseball going to help the Oakland Athletics?, I ask it as sports reporter and a fan.

It will come as no surprise when I state that the Oakland Athletics need a new stadium. The once proud Coliseum is long in the tooth. The building lost its charm when “Mt. Davis” was built to accommodate the return of the Raiders. Even if the modifications had not been made to the facility, the building is old and tired. The A’s need their own Camden Yards, AT&T Park or Target Field.

The A’s first plan was to build a sports and entertainment complex in Fremont. That plan did not work out and the people of Oakland were angry that team was considering a move out of the city.

After the Fremont plan failed, the focus returned to Oakland. Jack London Square became the topic of discussion. The Jack London scenario sounded good but there were problems. Wind, lack of parking, no BART access and tight quarters. It became apparent very quickly that Jack London Square was going to be a difficult situation and the A’s ownership was not thrilled with the location.

The focus then turned to San Jose. It was a marriage made in heaven. San Jose wanted the A’s, and the A’s wanted San Jose.

A location near the SAP Center was identified as the location for the stadium. The plot is near the city center, light rail, Caltrain, Amtrak and two major freeways. It looked like the A’s had found a new home. But wait, there’s more.

Enter the San Francisco Giants.  The Giants said you cannot go to San Jose because that is our territory.

Indeed, MLB did grant the Giants territorial rights to San Clara County in 1990 when they were pursuing a new stadium in Santa Clara. The Athletics allowed the action because they did not see the Giants in Santa Clara as an “end of the world ” scenario.

When the Santa Clara stadium did not happen, the Giants turned back to San Francisco and AT&T was the result. After AT&T was built, the two teams once again shared the exact same borders … wrong! The Giants maintain that Santa Clara County/San Jose remains their exclusive territory. That is why fans from Oakland, Berkley, Walnut Creek, etc. cannot attend Giants games. Of course that is not true. If you live in the Bay Area, you can go see the Giants or the A’s whenever you want.

By the way, the territorial maps for the Yankees – Mets, the Cubs – White Sox and the Dodgers – Angels are exactly the same. Only the Giants and A’s have a divided territory in the same geographic location.

It is easy to understand why the Giants want the Athletics to stay out of Santa Clara County – better known as the Silicon Valley. It’s all about the bucks. The Giants are fearful that they may lose some “high tech dollars”.

It is true that the A’s in San Jose would siphon off some money, but the Giants are profitable, so profitable that they will rreportly pay off AT&T Park the end of the season. I am not suggesting that the Giants should limit their profits to accommodate the A’s. What I am suggesting is that the Giants are the number one baseball team in Northern California, and that fact would not change if the A’s moved to San Jose.

The situation is very similar to the other dual-team markets. The Yankees will always be more popular than the Mets. The Cubs are more popular than the White Sox. The Dodgers have more fans than the Angels. There is always a number one and a number two in the dual markets.

The Giants are the “alpha dog” in the Bay Area and Northern California. That will not change no matter where the A’s play.

It is also true that “high tech dollars” would flow to the A’s in San Jose, but it does not mean those dollars would stop flowing to the Giants. High tech companies will still want to be associated with the Giants, have boxes in the beautiful AT&T Park and have dinner on the Embaradero. The Giants are in San Francisco for heaven’s sake.

It’s time for Rob Manfred to bring the MLB, Giants and A’s together in order to settle this problem. To keep things as they are is bad for baseball and bad for the Bay Area.

A stadium in the city of Oakland is not an option. Oakland has too many pressing priorities to take care of before thinking about building stadiums. The Warriors are gone. The Raiders are as good as gone and the A’s cannot stay in the crumbling coliseum.

How can Major League Baseball solve this issue? This matter can be settled with money of course. Money will settle the matter because it’s all about the money. It is always about the money.

The commissioner needs to put together a “blue ribbon committee ” that would determine the value of the rights to Santa Clara County/ Silicon Valley. Then, MLB needs to work out a payment plan that would include money from the A’s and Major League Baseball (MLB created this problem; they should help pay to solve it).

There is a dollar figure that will satisfy the Giants. If that figure is not reasonable, then the MLB can vote to restore the Bay Area rights to the pre-1990 configuration. Yes, the Giants would sue. So? Businesses sue each other everyday. If the Giants take the MLB to court, it will ultimately result in a financial settlement. See, it is always about the money.

What is not acceptable is for the A’s to wind up in Montreal, Charlotte or New Orleans as a way to settle the issue. Oakland A’s fans have put millions of dollars in the pockets of Major League Baseball. It’s time for MLB to pay them back by settling this rights issue once and for all.

Rob Manfred – here is your chance to prove your leadership early in your tenure. It’s time for Major League Baseball to stand up and solve this problem … NOW! It’s time to help the A’s become the San Jose Athletics.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland A’s needed a win on Mother’s Day. Not just to win for Mom, they needed a win to stop their losing streak and keep from being swept by the Mariners.

The problem for Oakland was in order to record a victory they would have to beat pitcher King Felix Hernandez who came into the game with a perfect 5-0 record.

When the game was finished, the A’s had lost 4-3, been swept in the series 3-0 and King Felix was a perfect 6-0 for the season.

Hernandez pitched 7.0-innings on Sunday giving up two runs (both earned) on five hits. Both runs were scored off home runs. Hernandez struck out six batters and walked just one. His ERA now stands at just 1.85 for the season.

The A’s record fell to 12-21 – the second worst record in the American League. Oakland finished the 10-game road trip with a dismal 3-7 record.

In the Batter’s Box

The A’s actually out hit the Mariners on Sunday. The A’s posted six hits while Seattle managed to get just five hits off the three Oakland pitchers.

All of Oakland’s runs came via home runs. Marcus Semien hit two home runs in the game both off of Hernandez. Semien now has five home runs for the year.

The A’s third run came in the top of the ninth inning when Stephen Vogt hit his eighth homer of the season off Seattle reliever Fernando Rodney.

Semien and Vogt recorded all six hits by the A’s in the game.

The big problem for the A’s was the lack of runners on base. Oakland never put a man in scoring position during the entire game. It is very tough to win a game without putting runners on second or third.

Seattle went two for seven with Runners In Scoring Position. They hit no home runs but had three doubles in the game. Dustin Ackley hit one of those doubles and recorded two RBI.

On the Bump

RHP Jesse Chavez (1-3) started the game for Oakland. Chavez worked 6.2-innings giving up four runs (all earned) on five hits. He struck out seven and walked two. His ERA stands at a respectable 2.56.

Fernando Rodriguez worked 0.1-inning and walked two batters before inducing Nelson Cruz to hit into a force out to end the seventh inning.

Evan Scribner set Seattle down in order in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the Field

The A’s posted another error on Sunday. In the bottom of the second inning Marcus Semien committed an error when he mishandled a ground-ball off the bat of Logan Morrison. The error was Semien’s ninth of the year.

Up Next

The A’s headed back to Oakland after the game. They will kick-off a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.

The Red Sox come in with a record of 14-17 on the season. Boston is 3-7 in their last 10 games.

LHP Scott Kazmir (2-1, 2.75) will start for Oakland while RHP Rick Porcello (3-2, 4.38) will take the mound for the Red Sox.

Relief is coming

RHP Edward Mujica will be with the A’s as they start the series with Boston on Monday. Mujica was obtained from the Red Sox via a trade for a Player to be Named Later.

Mujica is 31-years old and has had a career that has spanned 10 seasons. He has a 4.61 ERA in 11 appearances for Boston. His career ERA is 3.79.

When he appears for Oakland, Mujica will be the 14th reliever used by the A’s this season. The A’s relief corps has the highest ERA in the majors at 5.14.