Author: rxslugger

Retired pharmacist who now has a career as a sports writer and broadcaster

The Astros win their fifth straight as they down the A’s 5-2

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Houston Astros Aledmys Diaz gets a warm welcome from his teammates in the dugout after hitting a bottom of the seventh homerun against the Oakland A’s at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Thu Sep 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s met the Houston Astros Thursday night in Houston to start a four-game series. The A’s, buoyed by their dramatic 8-7 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, they hoped the magic would carry over to Thursday’s game. There were a couple of bright spots for the A’s, but the end result was a 5-2 loss. 

The A’s starter, James Kaprielian, pitched one of his better games. Kap gave the A’s a quality start. He went six innings and allowed five hits and two runs. He walked four, struck out four, and threw 105 pitches. The other bright spot was A’s catcher Sean Murphy.

Murphy had a double and triple in four trips to the plate. The A’s offense produced just three hits. Dermis Garcia had the other hit, which was a single. Garcia drove in both of Oakland’s runs.

Houston had Lance McCullers, Jr. on the mound to face the A’s. McCullers beat the A’s earlier in the season. McCullers hardly ever throws a fastball. He baffles hitters with an assortment of curves, sliders, changeups, and an occasional heater. McCullers went six innings and allowed two runs and two hits. He walked four and struck out 11. 

The Astros got on the board first in the bottom of the third. Kaprielian walked Chas McCormick to start the inning. Kaprielian retired Jeremy Pena and Aledmys Diaz. The next hitter, the very dangerous Yordan Alvarez, doubled to drive in McCormick with Houston’s first run. 

In the top of the fourth, the A’s rallied to put two runs on the board. Sean Murphy got things going with a double. Seth Brown walked to put men on at first and second with no out. Ramon Laureano hit into a fielder’s choice. Brown was out at second, and Murphy advanced to third.

McCullers walked Stephen Vogt to load the bases. Dermis Garcia, who homered in both games against the Rangers, smoked a single to left to drive in Murphy and Laureano. The A’s led 2-1 midway through the fourth.

The advantage didn’t last long as Houston plated their second run of the night in their half of the inning. With two out, back-to-back doubles by Trey Mancini and Christian Vasquez tied the game. Vasquez broke an 0-for-23 slump. 

The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Joel Payamps to pitch. With one out, Jeremy Pena singled. The next hitter Aledmys Diaz homered to make it a 4-2 game. Kotsay summoned lefty Sam Moll from the bullpen to face Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez greeted Moll with a single. Moll then hit Alex Bregman with a pitch to move Alvarez into scoring position. Moll’s task was to find a way to retire the left-handed hitting Kyle Tucker. Moll lost the battle as Tucker singled to drive in Alvarez with Houston’s fifth run. 

The Houston bullpen, the best in the American League, kept the A’s from scoring in the game’s last three innings. The only hit the A’s had was Sean Murphy’s triple in the eighth. Houston won the game 5-2.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 52-92. Houston improved to 94-50. The Astros have the best record in the American League. If they can finish with the best record in the league, they will have the home-field advantage for the playoffs. 

The line for Oakland was two runs, three hits, and no errors. Houston’s line was five runs, nine hits, and no errors. 

The A’s face the Astros again on Friday night. The A’s will send Adrian Martinez (4-4, 5.59) to the hill to face the potent Houston offense. Houston will counter with Justin Verlander. Verlander, who is 39 years old, is a candidate for the AL Cy Young award. Verland is 16-3 and has a 1.84 ERA. Verlander will be making his first start since coming off the 10-day IL. 

The game will start at 5:05 pm.

The time of the game was 3:16. More than 26,000 people were at Minute Maid Park to watch the Astros win their fifth straight game.

A’s rally to beat Rangers8-7; Vogt gets game winning hit; Acevedo gets the save

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s closer Domingo Acevedo shuts the door on the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the ninth for the win at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Wed Sep 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s faced the Texas Rangers for the final time in the 2022 season. Still smarting from the walk-off loss to Texas Tuesday night, the A’s turned the tables on the Rangers as Oakland returned from a 7-4 deficit to win 8-7.

For the second night in a row, each team had double-digit hits in the game. Each team homered three times. The only question was who would be the team that would come out on top. The A’s turned out to be the team that would be the winner.

For the second night in a row, the A’s scored first. In the top of the second, first baseman Dermis Garcia blasted his fourth home run. The ball traveled 395 feet over the wall in left field to give Oakland the lead 1-0.

The Rangers tallied four in their half of the second. Rangers’ third baseman, Mark Mathias, who homered twice Tuesday night, homered again leading off the second. It was Mathias’ sixth, and the ball went 415 feet into left-field stands.

With one out, Jonah Heim singled. Sears hit Nick Solak with a pitch to put two men on with one out. Sears stuck out Leody Taveras for the second out. The next hitter was former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien had three doubles Tuesday night.

As a former Oakland Athletic, Marcus loves to torment his former team. Every time he is at the plate, Marcus wants to show what the A’s lost when Oakland let him leave as a free agent after the 2020 season. Semien blasted his 23rd dinger over the fence in left-center field to put the Rangers ahead 4-1.

In the third, the Rangers put another run on the board. Nate Lowe, a very dangerous and hot hitter, doubled. Sears gave up a single to Mark Mathias, and Lowe scored on the play. The Rangers led 5-1.

The A’s rallied to plate three runs in the fifth. With one out, Sean Murphy worked Dane Dunning for a walk. A’s right-fielder Seth Brown homered for the 22nd time to make it a 5-3 game. Back-to-back doubles by Ramon Laureano and Vimael Machin put the A’s down by one 5-4.

The Rangers answered with two runs in their half of the fifth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Collin Wiles to pitch. Adolis Garcia greeted Wiles by blasting a triple. Wiles retired Mathias and Josh Jung for the first two outs. Wiles had to face former A’s catcher Jonah Heim.

Heim went to Texas before the start of the 2021 season in the trade for Elvis Andrus. Heim, like Marcus Semien, loves to beat his former team. Heim hit his 14th big fly of the year to propel the Rangers into a 7-4 advantage. 

The A’s fought back. Oakland put two more runs on the board in the sixth. Nick Allen started the rally with a single. Tony Kemp, playing second base Wednesday night, homered to bring the A’s back to within one. Texas led 7-6. 

If the A’s had any hopes of winning the game, they knew the bullpen had to shut down the powerful Texas offense. Kotsay’s bullpen did the job. Kirby Snead, Tyler Cyr, and Sam Moll kept the Rangers off the board in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Then came the fateful ninth.

In the ninth, Sean Murphy singled to get the rally going. Murphy went to second on Seth Brown’s ground out. Kotsay inserted Sheldon Neuse as a pinch-runner for Murphy. Vimael Machin doubled for the second time to drive in Neuse with the tying run. Machin scored the winning run on Ranger’s shortstop Corey Seager’s fielding error. The A’s led 8-7, with Texas coming up in the bottom half of the inning.

Lefty reliever Sam Moll was on the hill to close out the game. Things did not go well for Oakland to start the ninth. Seager reached on Machin’s error. Nate Lowe reached on a fielder’s choice. Seager was out at second.

Rangers’ skipper Toney Beasley sent in the speedy Bubba Thompson to run for Lowe. Bubba was picked off trying to steal second. The play went 1-3-6. All the A’s need was one more out. Moll walked Adolis Garcia. Kotsay brought in righty Domingo Garcia to face Mark Mathias. Mathias, who had a homer and two RBIs, struck out to end the game. The A’s win 8-7

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 52-91. The Rangers fell to 62-81. The Rangers won the season series eleven games to eight.

The A’s line was eight runs, ten hits, and one error. The line for Texas was seven runs, ten hits, and one error.

J.P.Sears had a second consecutive tough outing. Sears went four innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. He walked one, stuck out three, and allowed two home runs. Sears threw 80 pitches. Collin Wils worked one and 1/3rd inning. Willes allowed three hits and two runs. One of the hits was a gopher ball. Snead, Cyr, Moll, and acevedo did not allow a hit or a run.

The A’s travel to Houston to start a four-game series with the Houston Astros starting Thursday night. James Kaprielian (3-9, 4.79) will go for Oakland. Houston will counter with Lance McCullers, Jr. (3-1, 2.20) first pitch 4:20 pm PDT.

Rangers win thriller in walk-off 8-7; Sixth loss for A’s in seven games

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Texas Rangers Mark Mathias is greeted by teammates at the plate after swinging for a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the visiting Oakland A’s in the first of a two game series at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Tue Sep 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s and the Texas Rangers played a very entertaining game Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Both teams had no trouble solving the slants of two lefty starting pitchers. Rangers’ starter Cole Ragans went four-plus innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs.

The A’s Ken Waldichuk lasted five innings. Waldichuk allowed eight hits and five runs. Seven of the eight hits were for extra bases. The Rangers had six doubles, one home run, and a single. Texas tied the game in the seventh and won on a walk-off home run to win 8-7.

Oakland drew first blood in the top of the first. With two out, Chad Pinder singled. Pinder went to second on a wild pitch. Ragans then walked Shea Langeliers. The next hitter, A’s first baseman, Dermis Garcia, belted his third home run to give Oakland an early 3-0 lead.

The Rangers weren’t fazed. They put two on the board in their half of the first. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien led off with a double. Waldichuk retired the next two hitters. Adolis Garcia doubled to drive in Semien. Third baseman Josh Jung also doubled to drive in Garcia. The A’s led 3-2 

The A’s scored three times in the top of the fourth. With one out, Jonah Bride and Sheldon Neuse singled. Nick Allen’s double drove in two. Cristian Pache singled to give Oakland a 6-2 lead. 

The A’s made it 7-2 in the top of the fifth. Chad Pinder led off the inning with a double. Rangers’ manager Tony Beasley brought in lefty Taylor Hearn to pitch. Hearn Retired Langeliers for the first out. Garcia doubled to drive in Pinder. 

The Rangers plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Waldichuk was tagged for back-to-back doubles by Marcus Semien and Mark Mathias. Waldichuk retired Nate Lowe for the first out. Adolis Garcia blasted his 25th homer to make it 7-5 after five. Waldichuk was done for the night. He allowed six doubles, one home run, and one single in his five innings. He threw 82 pitches.

The Rangers tied the game in the seventh. Austin Pruitt was on the hill for Oakland. Marcus Semien led off the inning with his third double of the night. It was the first time in Semien’s career that he had three doubles in a game. The next hitter, Mark Mathias, homered to make it 7-7.

The Rangers’ relievers, lefties Taylor Hearn and Brook Burke, allowed the A’s just one hit in the last four innings of the game. The A’s A.J.Puk pitched well in the seventh and eighth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Joel Payamps to pitch the ninth.

Payamps retired Semien for the first out. The next hitter, Mark Mathias, sent the Rangers’ fans home with smiles as he hit his second home run of the night to win it for Texas 8-7.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 51-91. Texas improved to 62-80. 

The line score for Oakland was seven runs, ten hits, and no errors. Texas’ line was eight runs, eleven hits, and no errors. The Rangers hit seven doubles, three home runs, and just one lonely single. It was quite an impressive display of power. 

Dermis Garcia doubled and homered to drive in four runs. Chad Pinder had three hits for Oakland. The hitting stars for Texas were Marcus Semien, with three doubles, and Mark Mathias, with a double and two home runs.

The A’s and Texas have played 18 times this year. Texas leads 11-7. 

Lefty J.P.Sears (5-2, 3.33) goes for Oakland on Wednesday. Dane Dunning (3-8, 4.39) will pitch for Texas.

The time of the game was 2:41. 14,916 people watched a very entertaining game.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s and Rangers open up two game set in Arlington on Tuesday

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s, suffering from their worst season since 1979, have 21 games left on the schedule. They are on the road for two with the Texas Rangers and four with the Astros in Houston. They return home for three with the playoff-bound Seattle Mariners and three with the National League first-place New York Mets. Oakland travels to LA for three with the Angels and three more with the Mariners. The A’s finish the season hosting the Angels for the final three games of the year. The A’s are 51-90 so far this season. They must win twelve of the last 21 games to avoid 100 losses. It will not be easy as they play three teams heading for the playoffs; the Astros, the Mariners, and the Mets.

The schedule has them playing two against the Rangers for the final time this season. The guys that hang out at Globe Life Field are tied with the Angels for third place in the AL West. Both teams own a 61-69 record. Neither team has lived up to expectations this year. Both teams have fired their manager midway through the year. The Angels dismissed Joe Maddon and replaced him with Phil Nevins. The Rangers fired Chris Woodward and named Tony Beasly as the interim manager. Both the Angels and Rangers spent heavily to improve the team. Money did not do the trick.
On the other hand, Oakland traded away several of its top players to reduce payroll. Gone are Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Jake Diekman, Sergio Romo, Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison. The A’s released three veterans midway through the season. Gone are Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, and Elvis Andrus. The A’s have used 60 players, including 28 rookies and 19 rookie pitchers. They have the worst record in baseball. Their team batting average is .217. The A’s are trying out players that they think will be on the roster in 2023. They have two veterans that may be shopped over the winter. They are catcher Sean Murphy and outfielder Ramon Laureano.

So, this brings us to Tuesday night’s game with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers gave huge contracts to Marcus Semien and Corey Seager before the start of the 2022 season. The Rangers were hoping to challenge the Astros for the AL West crown. The Rangers forgot to get pitching. They have guys who can hit the ball out of the park but need pitching. To contend, Texas, like all the teams in the playoffs race, needs three basic things: good hitting, good pitching, and good defense. It’s called strength up the middle. The Rangers have several core players to build around. They include Nate Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim. These guys can play. Rookie Bubba Thompson is hitting .296 and could be a player for Texas.

The A’s will be looking to see if players like Nick Allen, Cristian Pache, Jonah Bride, Dermis Garcia, Cody Thomas, Skye Bolt, and Cal Stevenson fit into their plans for 2023. Will the A’s keep veteran players like Tony Kemp, Chad Pinder, Sheldon Neuse, and Seth Brown? So, let’s look at the starting pitchers for the next two games.

On Tuesday, The A’s will send rookie lefty Ken Waldichuk to the hill to face the Rangers. Waldichuk will be making his third start. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. In his last start against a very powerful Atlanta Brave lineup, Waldichuk went five and 1/3rd innings. He allowed three hits and three runs. His only problem was that two of the hits left the park. The Braves won the game 7-3. The Rangers will send their rookie lefty Cole Ragans to the mound. Ragans is 0-2 with a 3.80 ERA. Ragans has yet to win his first game in the bigs.

On Wednesday, lefty J.P.Sears will be looking to rebound from his tough outing against the Chicago White Sox last week. Sears and Waldichuk came to Oakland in the trade that sent Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees. Sears lasted two innings and allowed eight hits and six runs. Three of the hits were home runs. Righty Dane Dunning will pitch for Texas. Dunning has faced the A’s twice this year. On May 29th, he went four and 1/3rd inning and allowed seven hits and three runs. Dunning did not figure in the decision. He beat the A’s on August 18th. Dunning went six innings in that game and allowed four hits and two runs. He got credit for the win.

The Rangers want to finish in third place in the AL West. The A’s want to get any wins to avoid losing 100 or more games. The Rangers are 11-6 against the A’s this year. The odds favor the Rangers, but as they say in baseball; “You never know”

Braves beat A’s 7-3 to sweep two-game series; Strider settles down A’s for 10th win of season

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

On a warm day at the Coliseum, the Atlanta Braves beat the A’s 7-3 to sweep the short two-game series. Atlanta won all four games played between the teams in 2022.

The A’s sent rookie Ken Waldrichuk to the hill to face the powerful Atlanta lineup. Waldichuk performed well. He allowed three runs and three hits. Unfortunately for him and the A’s, he served up two gopher balls. Vaughn Grissom hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Dansby Swanson’s blast in the sixth ended the game for Waldichuk. The Braves Spencer Strider had a rough first inning; Strider walked three and gave up a double to Stephen Vogt. The A’s Strider settled down and allowed just one more hit before exiting the game after the sixth.

The Oakland A’s, hoping to win and split the two-game series, drew first blood in the first inning. Braves’ starter Spencer Strider (9-4, 2.67 ERA) had trouble with his command in the first inning. Strider threw 35 pitches in the inning. Strider walked A’s leadoff hitter Vimael Machin. Seth Brown lined out to center for the first out. The DH, Sean Murphy, worked Strider for a walk to put two me on with one out. Stephen Vogt, playing first base, just missed a home run. The ball hit the wall in left-center, and Machin and Murphy scored. The A’s lead 2-0 after one.

Atlanta tied the game in the top of the fifth. Waldichuk hit the leadoff hitter, Travis d’Arnaud, with a pitch. Second baseman Vaughn Grissom blasted his fifth dinger of the season over the wall in right-center-field.

In the top of the sixth, with one out, Braves’ shortstop, Dansby Swanson, homered to give the Braves the advantage 3-2. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in righty Tyler Cyr to pitch. Cyr retired the next two hitters. The Braves led 3-2.

Atlanta broke it open in the top of the seventh. With one out, the Braves put three straight singles by Vaughn Grissom, Michael Harris, and Marcell Ozuna to plate the Braves’ fourth run. Former A’s outfielder, Robbie Grossman, doubled to drive in two more, making it a 6-2 game. The Braves onslaught continued. Norge Ruiz replaced Kirby Snead on the mound for Oakland. Ronald Acuna greeted him with a single to put Atlanta in the driver’s seat 7-2. The Braves batted around, sending nine men to the plate and putting four runs on the board.

Seth Brown homered in the bottom of the eighth with one out. The Braves hurlers shut out the A’s after scoring two runs in the first inning. It was the third hit of the game for Oakland. For Brown, it was his 21st of the year. Oakland trails 7-3 after eight complete.

The Braves bullpen held the A’s scoreless in the ninth to secure Atlanta’s 86th win.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s fall to 37 games below the .500 mark. Their record is 50-87. They have 25 games left to play. The Braves needed the win to remain tied with the New York Mets for first place in the NL East. Both teams are 86-51.

The A’s line was three runs, three hits, and no errors. Atlanta’s line was seven runs, ten hits, and no errors. Ken Waldrichuk was the losing pitcher. His line was five and 1/3rd innings allowing three runs and three hits. Strider improved to 10-4. Strider’s line was six innings, two runs, and two hits. Strider stuck out nine. The Braves pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts on Wednesday.

The A’s welcome the Chicago White Sox to the Coliseum for four games starting Thursday night. Lefty J.P Sears will pitch for Oakland. The ChiSox will counter with Dylan Cease. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

The time of the game was three hours and eight minutes. Five thousand three hundred thirty-two fans watched the A’s lose for the 87th time.

A’s Preview: Braves and A’s open two game set at Coliseum Tuesday night

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Atlanta Braves fire baller Max Fried is seen here throwing against the Miami Marlins in the top of the first inning at Truist Field in Cobb County on Sun Sep 4, 2022. Fried and the Braves will pay a visit to the Oakland Coliseum Tue Sep 6, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s are returning home after a short road trip to Washington and Baltimore. The A’s won two and lost four on the trip. They now have to face the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves for two games starting Tuesday in Oakland.

The A’s will be facing a team that came from behind in 2021 to win the National League crown and then went on to defeat a very good Houston Astros team four games to two. The Braves started slowly this year but have been on fire.

They trail the first place New York Mets by one game in the standings. Their record is 84-51. The Braves, the Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the three best teams in the National League. The Braves sit in the first slot in the NL Wild Card race. They have a ten-and-a-half-game lead over the San Diego Padres.

The Braves are a very good team. Atlanta’s starting rotation is excellent. Their rotation includes the lefty Max Fried, righties Carlie Morton, Kyle Wright, Spencer Strider, and Jake Odorizzi. The Braves acquired Odorizzi at the trade deadline from the Houston Astros.

Former LA Dodger closer, Kenley Jansen, has not disappointed the Braves or their fans. Jansen has 31 saves so far this season. The big right-hander has recorded 381 saves in his illustrious career. In addition, the Braves traded for former Los Angeles Angels’ closer Raisel Iglesias.

Iglesias has 17 saves this season and 157 in his career. The Braves feature four left relievers in their bullpen. Their manager Brian Snitker will certainly be calling on lefties A.J.Minter, Tyler Matzek, Dylan Lee, and Kirby Yates to enter the game at some point in the series. The righties in the bullpen are Collin McHugh, former A’s reliever Jesse Chavez, and Jackson Stephens.

The Braves are loaded with talent at every position. Atlanta’s two catchers have provided the team with a lot of production. Travis d’Arnaud, a former Met, is hitting .265 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. Rookie catcher William Contreras, the younger brother of the Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, has played well when handling the catching chores. Contreras has hit 17 dingers and knocked in 37.

The Braves lost former National League MVP to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves traded for the A’s power-hitting first baseman, Matt Olson, to replace the hard-hitting Freeman. Olson has shown the wisdom of the Braves front office in making the deal.

Olson has responded by belting 27 home runs and knocking in 87. The Braves’ outstanding second baseman Ozzie Albies is on the 60-day IL. Albies fractured his foot back in June. He is currently in rehab and will probably miss the series with the A’s. The Braves will use Vaughn Grissom, Ehire Adrianza, or Orlando Arcia at the position.


The left side of the Braves’ infield features two outstanding players. Their shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting .282 with 17 dingers and 79 RBIs. Third baseman Austin Riley enters Tuesday’s game with a .287 batting average, and he has hit 35 balls to go along with 88 RBIs, good for sixth most in the National League.

The Braves will use three guys in left field. Their power-hitting left-fielder, Adam Duvall, is on the 60-day IL with a fractured wrist. The Braves acquired former A’s outfielder Robbie Grossman from the Detroit Tigers to help at that position.

Eddie Rosario also will see playing time in left. Marcel Ozuna, another slugger, can also be used. Ozuna had 21 dingers and 49 RBIs. The Braves have a 21-year-old phenom in center-field. Michael Harris has had 314 at-bats in his young career.

Harris is hitting .309 with 15 homers and 50 RBIs. Ronald Acuna, Jr, another young, outstanding player, will be in right. Acuna is 24 years old. In his brief career, and after missing a lot of playing time due to an injury, he is hitting .273 with 11 big flies and 38 RBIs. For his career, he has a lifetime BA of .279 with 116 home runs and 284 knocked in.

Contreras, Ozuna, or Orlando Arcia will be the DH.

The A’s received two young players from the Braves in the Matt Olson trade. They are Cristian Pache and She Langeliers. Pache had a tough time earlier in the season and was sent down to work on his hitting. Langeliers spent most of the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Langeliers has shown that he deserves to play at the Major League level. While the A’s are having a dismal season, other young players like Nick Allen, Jonah Bride, Cal Stevenson, and Skye Bolt are showing what they can do on the diamond.

The pitching matchups for the two-game set will see the A’s send Cole Irvin (7-11, 3.35 ERA) for Tuesday night. Irvin did not pitch well in his last start against the Washington Nationals. He did get credit for the win. He was better in his outing against the Miami Marlins as he allowed three hits and one run in seven innings.

The A’s have not given Irvin much offensive support this season. The Braves starter will be Kyle Wright. Wright has had an excellent season for Atlanta. He is 17-5, and his ERA is 2.85. Wednesday night’s game will see A’s lefty Ken Waldichuk make his second big league start.

Waldichuk is 0-0, with an ERA of 1.93. Waldichuk made his debut against the Washington Nationals last week and went four and 2/3rds innings, allowing just one run. Spencer Strider will go for Atlanta. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

The young A’s would love to upset the Braves’ applecart. Under manager Mark Kotsay’s watchful eyes, the A’s will play hard. The A’s have nothing to lose. The Braves need every win as they are in a dogfight to win the NL East Division crown. Should they beat out the Mets for the title, they would have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. I think it will be a very interesting series

Joey Meneses’ three-run walk-off homer in the tenth, wins game for Washington 7-5

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Joey Meneses gets quite a greeting at home plate after hitting the game winning 10th inning three run home run against the Oakland A’s at Nationals Park in DC on Thu Aug 31, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Washington Nationals (45-86) beat the A’s 7-5 in ten innings on Thursday to win the series two games to one. In a game that took four hours and two minutes, the Oakland A’s (49-83) scored two runs in the top of the tenth to take a 5-3 advantage. With rookie Norge Ruiz on the mound for Oakland, the Nats scored four runs in their half of the tenth to win in a walk-off.

The A’s had two players in the lineup making their Major League debuts. They were Ken Waldichuk and Cody Thomas. Thomas came to the A’s in a trade for Sheldon Neuse in 2021.
Lefty Ken Waldichuk was acquired from the Yankees in the trade for Frankie Montas. Waldichuk, who played his college ball at St. Mary’s in Moraga, went four and 2/3rds innings.

He allowed five hits and one run, struck out six, and walked four. Waldichuk showed grit as he worked out of jams in the first three innings. The Nats’ centerfielder Lane Thomas doubled on Waldichuk’s first pitch.

Joey Meneses singled to drive in Thomas with the Nats’ first run of the game. Nelson Cruz singled to put men on at first and third with one out. Waldichul retired the next two hitters to end the threat. The Nats’ Alex Call led off the frame in the second inning with a triple. The Nats failed to score as Waldichuk retired the next three hitters, two on strikeouts.

The Nationals threatened to score in the third. They had men on at first and second with one out. Waldichuk struck out Ildemare Vargas for the second out. Cesar Hernandez walked to load the bases. Alex Call was retired on a fly ball to left to end the inning. Washington led 1-0 after three.

The Nats’ hurler, Paolo Spino, kept the A’s off balance with his mix of sliders, curveballs, and a 90-mile fastball. Rookie catcher Shea Langeliers broke the spell in the top of the fifth. Shea led off the fifth with his third home run of the year. The ball just made it over the fence in left.

The game remained tied until the top of the seventh. Cristian Pache, pinch-hitting for Thomas, drew a walk. Nick Allen laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to send Pache to second. With two out, Tony Kemp singled to drive in Pache.

Sean Murphy singled to right. Joey Meneses overran the ball, allowing Kemp to go to third. Seth Brown singled to drive in Kemp. The A’s led 3-1. Washington got a run back in their half of the inning. With one out, Meneses singled. It was his third hit of the game. Luke Voit followed with a single and sent Meneses to third. Nelson Cruz hit into a fielder’s choice to drive in Meneses with the run.

The Nationals tied the game in the eighth. Sam Moll was now pitching for Oakland. Moll hit Cesar Hermnadez with a pitch. The ball appeared to hit Hernandez on the top of his foot. The A’s challenged the call. After a short review, the call on the field was upheld. Hernandez stole second and scored the tying run on a single by Gargas.

Neither team scored in the ninth. In the tenth, the A’s scored two runs to take a 5-3 lead. Sean Murphy was the ghost runner at second base. Hunter Harvey, armed with a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, retired Brown and Stephen Vogt. Vimael Machin walked. Shea Langeliers doubled to drive in both runners to put the A’s ahead 5-3.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay summoned Norge Ruiz from the bullpen to pitch the tenth. Cesar Hernandez was the ghost runner. Ruiz retired Josh Palacios for the first out. Keibert Ruiz singled to drive in Hernandez. The A’s led 5-4 at this point in the game.

Vargas struck out for the second out. Ruiz walked Lane Thomas. The next hitter Joey Meneses, who had three hits earlier in the game, homered to win the game for the Nationals. The Nats win 7-5. It was the Nationals’ first walk-off win of the year.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 49-83. Oakland has 30 games left to play in 2022. The Nationals improved to 45-86.

The hitting star for Oakland was Shea Langeliers, with a home run and a double. Langeliers drove in three runs. The Nats’ Joey Meneses had three singles and a game-winning three-run home run.
The line score for Washington was seven runs, 11 hits, and one error. The A’s line was five runs, 11 hits, and no errors.

In his first Major League game, Cody Thomas recorded his first hit in the fifth inning.

Oakland set a franchise record, having used 58 different players in 2022. They set an Oakland record using 29 rookies, another Oakland record with 15 rookie pitchers.

The A’s meet the Baltimore Orioles for three games starting Friday night. J.P. Sears (5-1, 2.28) will go for Oakland. The O’s will counter with righty Drew Kremer (6-4, 3.24 ERA) a 4:05 pm PDT.

Anibal Sanchez’ Strong performance sends the A’s down to defeat 5-1

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez delivered a pitch in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Washington (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Behind a superb performance by the veteran Hurler Anibal Sanchez, the Washington Nationals snapped the Oakland A’s modest three-game winning streak Wednesday night with a 5-1 win at Nationals Park in DC. Sanchez had not won a game since the 2020 season. He was 0-5 before the start of the game, and his ERA was 5.72.

The A’s starter James Kaprielian absorbed the loss. Kap’s record is 3-9. Kaprielian has pitched six innings or fewer in his last 32 starts. Kap seems to run into trouble whenever he faces the opponent’s lineup for the third time.

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. First baseman Dermis Garcia hit a 457-foot blast into the left-field seats with one out. It was Garcia’s second homer run in the last two games and his second home run in his Major League carer. Garcia did not doubt that the ball would leave the yard after he hit the ball. The A’s didn’t know it at the time that they were done putting runs on the board.

Kaprielian had his way with the Nats for the first three innings. He got out of a jam in the fourth. With two out, Nelson Cruiz and Keibert Ruiz singled to put men on at first and third. Kap struck out Lane Thomas for the third out.

Things went south for Kap in the bottom of the fifth. Kap walked the leadoff hitter CJ Abrams. A’s second baseman Jonah Bride misplayed Idelmaro Vargas’ ground ball. The speedy Abrams went to third on the play. Josh Palacios singled to drive in Abrams. Nats’ second baseman Luis Garcia singled to drive in Vargas.

The Nats led 2-1. Kaprielian got the 30-year-old rookie, Joey Meneses, to hit into a 5-4-3 double play. All Kaprielioan had to do to get end the inning was retire Luke Voit. Voit had a tough night in Tuesday’s game. He was hitless in five trips to the plate and struck out three times. Voit was hitless in his first two appearances Wednesday night. Voit ended the drought when he blasted his 17th home run of the year into the right-center-field seats to put the Nats ahead 4-1.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay elected to send Kap out to pitch the sixth. Three of the four runs the Nats scored in the fifth were unearned. Kaprielian retired Ruiz and Thomas for the first two outs. Abrams ended Kap’s night when he doubled. Kotsay brought in lefty Zach Logue to pitch to the switch-hitter, Ildemare Vargas. Vargas doubled to make it a 5-1 game.

As mentioned above, Sanchez went seven innings, allowing three hits and one run. His only mistake was Demis Garcia’s monster home run. Charles Edwards, Jr. and Kurt Finnegan held the A’s scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win for Sanchez and the Nationals.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 49-82. The Nats are 44-86. Washington entered the game with a woeful home record of 20-47.

The line score for Washington was five runs, nine hits, and one error. The line for Oakland was one run, five hits, and no errors. The A’s loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but failed to score.

The A’s meet the Nationals Thursday at 1 pm. The A’s will start Lefty Ken Waldichuk, who will make his first Major League start. Waldichuk came to the A’s from the Yankees in the trade for Frankie Montas. Righty Paolo Espino (0-6, 4.35 ERA0 will be on the mound for the Nats.
After the series with the Nationals end, the A’s will head to Baltimore to play three games against the revitalized Orioles.

Murphy’s grand slam leads A’s to a 10-6 win over Nationals in DC on Tuesday

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s infielder Dermis Garcia raises his hand in appreciation of the success the A’s offense was having against the Washington Nationals on Tue Aug 30, 2022 at Nationals Park in DC (@Athletics photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s(49-81) playing in the fairly new Washington Nationals (43-86) stadium for the first time, beat the Nats 10-6 in a wild and woolly contest. It had been hot and humid in the Nation’s Capitol earlier in the day. However, after a rain shower, the temperature at the start of the game was 73 degrees, and the humidity was 95%.

With humidity numbers in that range, the players on the field will work up quite a sweat, and the players know the ball carries better with high humidity. Would the starting pitchers be able to keep their opponents’ bats quiet? Could Cole Irvin get run support from his mates? The A’s hitters did give Irvin support.

The A’s put ten runs on the board and recorded 13 hits. After a great performance against the Miami Marlins last week in Oakland, Cole Irvin was not sharp. Irvin allowed nine hits and five runs in five and 1/3rd innings.

Irvin did not get a decision in the game against the Marlins. Baseball is a strange game. Irvin gave up five runs and got the win. This game leaves so many fans scratching their heads.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Playing in left field, Tony Kemp led off the inning with a double. Nats’ starter Erick Fedde struck out Seth Brown for the first out. A’s catcher Sean Murphy singled to center to drive in Kemp with the run.

The lead didn’t last long. Nats’ leadoff hitter Lane Thomas sent Irvin’s second pitch of the game over the fence to tie the game. The next hitter, Joey Meneses, doubled. Meneses tagged and went to third on Luke Voit’s fly ball to right. Nats’ DH Nelson Cruz, who loves to torment the A’s, drove in Meneses with a sacrifice fly. The Nats led 2-1 after one inning of play.

In the bottom of the second, Washington plated two more runs to go ahead 4-1. With one out, Victor Robles singled. Irvin hit CJ Abrams with a pitch to put two men on with one out. Lane Thomas singled to drive in Robles. It was Thomas’ second RBI of the game. Meneses followed with his second double of the night to make it 4-1.

The A’s, in the third, sent nine men to the plate as they put five runs on the board to lead 6-4. With one out and Sean Murphy at second, A’s first baseman Dermis Garcia hit his first Major League home run to make it a 4-3 game.

Fedde retired Vimael Machin for the second out. Three straight singles by Jonah Bride, Cal Stevenson, and Nick Allen plated the A’s fourth run of the game. The Nats brought in Hunter Harvey to pitch to Tony Kemp. Kemp doubled to drive in two more runs. The A’s led 6-4 midway through the third inning.

Washington added a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run deficit 6-5. With two out, Lane Thomas walked. Joey Meneses doubled for the third time to drive in Thomas.

The A’s put four more on the board in the top of the fifth. With one out, Cal Stevenson walked. Nick Allen struck out. Tony Kemp singled.

It was Kemp’s third hit of the game. Seth Brown walked to load the bases. Sean Murphy, who had two singles in his first two trips to the plate, hit a grand slam to propel the A’s to a 10-5 advantage. For Murphy, it was his first-career grand slam. As the late Dave Niehaus would say:” Grandma, get out the mustard and the Rye bread; it’s a grand salami.”

The Nationals’ Luis Garcia homered off Austin Pruitt in the eighth to make it 10-6. Domingo Acevedo set the Nats down in order 1-2-3 in the ninth to secure the win for Oakland, 10-6.

Game Notes: The A’s won their third straight game. They are now 49-81. They have 32 games left to play this year. The Nationals dropped to 43-86. Washington owns the worst record in all of baseball. The A”s have the second-worst record. 

The A’s line was ten runs, 13 hits, and no errors. Tony Kemp had two doubles and a single. Sean Murphy had two singles and a grand slam. Quite a night for Murphy. A’s rookie, Jonah Bride, had a single and a double.

The hitting star for Washington were Joe Menses and Lane Thomas. Meneses had three doubles in his first three trips to the plate, and Thomas had a home run and a single. Victor Robles had two singles for the Nats. Luis Garcia had a solo home run.

The A’s announced pitchers Dany Jimenez and Zach Jackson are on the ten-day IL. 

The A’s and Nats will meet Wednesday evening again. James Kaprielian (3-8, 4.88) will pitch for Oakland, and Anibal Sanchez (0-5, 5.72) goes for the Nats’. The game will start at 4:05 pm.

The time of the game was 3:24. 26,321 fans were in attendance, but it appeared a lot of fans stayed away due to the possibility of rain.

Preview Oakland A’s and Washington Nationals open three game series Tuesday night

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s starter Cole Irvin gets the ball back. Irvin will get the start Tue Aug 31, 2022 at Nationals Park in Washington DC to open a three game series. (@Athletics photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will start a three-game series against the Washington Nationals Tuesday evening in Washington DC at Nationals Park. The Nationals, who won the World Series Championship in 2019, are currently in last place in the NL East Division.

The Nats own the worst record in the National League and the worst in all of baseball, 43-85. The A’s have the worst record in the American League, 48-81, and it is the second worst in baseball.

The Nats had a magical year in 2019. Things didn’t go well for them in the first half of the season. However, they caught fire and made the playoffs. They won the National League pennant and then defeated the Houston Astros to win the World Series Championship.

The A’s won 97 games that year. They didn’t advance past the first round. What happened to these teams is not unusual these days in baseball. Some of the players became free agents and went to work elsewhere. Other players got traded.

As a result, the A’s and the Nats find themselves at the bottom of the barrel for 2022. They are in the process of rebuilding the team. The A’s have traded players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, and Sean Manaea and lost Mark Cannha, Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Yan Gomes to free agency. They traded Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the Yankees at the 2022 trade deadline. The A’s hope the players they got back will develop into stars in the coming year.

The 2019 Nationals featured a very potent lineup. Their infield comprised first baseman Matt Adams, Brian Dozier, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, and Howie Kendrick. Addams and Dozier each had 20 homers, Turner, 19, Rendon 34, and Kendrick had 17.

Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes were the catchers. 21-year-old Juan Soto homered 34 times. The pitching staff featured Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Joe Ross, and Anibal Sanchez. Turner and Scherzer were traded to the Dodgers last year. Soto is now with the San Diego Padres.

Rendon went to the LA Angels as a free agent after the 2019 season. Rendon has been injured for most of the last three years. Anibal Sanchez is the only player listed above who is still with the Nats.

So, on Tuesday night, the who are these guys Oakland A’s will be playing the who are these guys Washington Nationals. As bad as their record, the A’s still have some bright spots on their roster. Lefty Cole Irvin (6-11, 3.16 ERA) was brilliant in his last start against the Miami Marlins last Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

Irvin went seven innings and allowed three hits. He struck out a career-high eleven hitters and did not issue a walk. He has pitched way better than what his record would indicate. Adam Oller, who did not pitch well earlier this year, seems to have corrected some of his problems while at Triple-A Las Vegas. Oller was brilliant in his last outing against the Yankees.

He allowed one hit in eight innings of work. He did not get the decision, but his performance in his last couple of outings gives the A’s hopes that he will be a featured starter next year. J.P. Sears, acquired from the Yankees, has pitched well.

He took the loss against his former team last week, but all indications appear that Sears will be in the starting rotation. Another young player that the A’s got in the Matt Olson trade, Shea Langeliers, appears to be headed for a regular spot in the A’s lineup.

Langeliers has 11 hits in 47 At-bats since joining the team. He has hit the ball hard and has homered twice.

Oakland severed ties with Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, and Elvis Andrus. Nick Allen has become the A’s everyday shortstop. Vimael Machin has spent a lot of time at third base. Sheldon Neuse and Jonah Bride have played at several infield positions. Cal Stevenson is patrolling centerfield these days as Skye Bolt and Ramon Laureano are on the 10-day IL.

So, we now take a look at the Nats’ roster. Righty Eric Fedde will go for Washington Tuesday night. Fedd is 5-8, with a 4.88 ERA. On Wednesday, the pitchers will be James Kaprielian for Oakland against veteran Anibel Sanchez. The Yankees pounded Kap in his last start. Sanchez is 0-5 with a 5.72 ERA. The A’s have not announced a starter for Thursday. Cade Cavalli will pitch for the Nats.

The Nats’ bullpen will feature all right-handers except the well-traveled lefty, Jake Mcgee. Fans can expect to see Kyle Finnegan, Carl Edwards, Jr., Steve Cishek, Victor Arano, Hunter Harvey, and Erasmo Ramirez get the call from Nats’ manager Dave Martinez.

The power-hitting Luke Voit will be at first base. Voit came to the Nats from the Padres in the trade for Juan Soto. Luis Garcia will be at second, C.J. Abrams is the shortstop, and llDemaro Varga will be at third base.

The Nats will have Lane Thomas in left, Victor Robles in the center, and Joey Meneses in right. Josh Palacios is the backup outfielder. The DH will be Nelson Cruz or Luke Voit. Cruz, who loves to hit against the A’s, has hit just ten homers this season.

The Series will be about two teams trying to see what players will be on the roster next year. While neither team will be in the playoffs, the fans should watch to see who will be up to the challenge.