Author: rxslugger

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

Angels beat A’s 3-1 to win opener of three-game set at the Big A in Anaheim

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Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani hits a line drive to center for an out in the bottom of the third inning against the visiting Oakland A’s at the Big A in Anaheim on Tue Aug 1, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The sports world was saddened Tuesday night when news of the passing of legendary broadcaster Vin Scully. Scully was the voice of the Dodgers, first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles. Scully was 94 years old.

There are many broadcasters, but he was the best of the best. There will be many tributes to Vin in the coming days. As a personal note, I was privileged to meet and talked with him several times when the A’s played the Dodgers. He will be missed by all who knew him and listened to his magnificent ability to bring the game of baseball to life.

On Tuesday night, there was a baseball game in Anaheim between the A’s and the Los Angeles Angels. Frankie Montas was supposed to start for Oakland. Noah Syndergaard was supposed to go for the Angels. Both players had new teams on Tuesday. The A’s traded Montas and Lou Trivino for four prospects. The A’s received three pitchers and a position player. Two of the pitchers are left-handed. The Angels traded Syndergaard and outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Angels traded their closer Raisel Iglesias to the Atlanta Braves.

Cole Irvin started for Oakland, and the Angels countered with lefty Jose Suarez. Irvin pitched well, but Suarez was better. The Angels won the game 3-1.

The Angels’ shortstop, who loves to hit against the A’s, sent Irvin’s third pitch of the game over the fence in left field. Irvin settled down and retired the next three hitters. The Angels led 1-0 after one inning of play.

The A’s defense committed two errors in the bottom of the second to give the Angels an unearned run. Irvin retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the second. Angels left fielder Jo Adell reached on an infield single. A’s third baseman Jonah Bride’s throw to first went over the first baseman’s head for an error. Adell went to second. On the next play, A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus’s throw to first base got past Dermis Garcia for the second error of the inning. Adell scored to put the Angels ahead 2-1.

The Angels added a run in the fourth. With one out, Angels’ first baseman Jared Walsh doubled. Irvin retired Adell for the second out. Angel’s third baseman Phil Gosselin hit a flyball to shallow right field. Three players had a chance to catch the ball. Stephen Piscotty nearly caught the ball. He stretched out to catch it but could not get the ball into his glove. Walsh scored with the Angels’ third run of the night.

The A’s offense put a run on the board in the top of the fifth. Jonah Bride worked Suarez for a walk, leading off the inning. Bride went to second on a passed ball. A’s catcher Sean Murphy singled to drive in Bride. 

The A’s had a chance to get back into the game in the top of the sixth. Righty Andrew Wantz was now pitching for the Angels. The A’s loaded the bases with no out. Tony Kemp pinch hit for Nick Allen and struck out. Wantz got Jonah Bride to hit into the pitcher’s best friend, a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Jimmy Herget retired all A’s six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. Left Jose Quijada set the A’s down in order 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the win for Los Angeles. The Angels win 3-1.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s dropped to 39-66. The Angels improved to 44-59.

Suarez was the winning pitcher. His line was five innings, five hits, and one unearned run. He is now 3-4. Cole Irvin absorbed his eighth loss of the year. Irvin went six innings allowing six hits, three runs, two earned, and one home run. Irvin has given up three leadoff home runs this season. He is the first pitcher in A’s history to accomplish that feat.

Elvis Andrus was the hitting star for Oakland Andrus had two singles and a double in four at-bats.

The line score for Oakland was one run, seven hits, and two costly errors. The Angels’ line was three runs, seven hits, and no errors.

Game two of the series will start at 6:38 pm Wednesday at Angels Stadium. Shohei Ohtani will gor for LA and James Kaprielian with pitch for Oakland.

The time of the game was 2:33. 22,920 were on hand to see the Angels win.

Preview: Montas and Trivino head to the Big Apple; Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels open three game series at the Big A in Anaheim Tuesday

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are set to start a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday night. The A’s had scheduled Frankie Montas to pitch in the opening game. All that went out the window Monday afternoon as the A’s announced they had traded Montas, along with reliever Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees for four prospects.

Montas was under team control through 2023, but the A’s moved him to continue selling assets for prospects. Trivino was not having a good year as the A’s closer. Both players will now be in the playoffs as the Yanks have the best record in baseball. New York sent four Minor Leaguers to Oakland for Montas and Trivino. Here’s how the trade went down: left-hander Ken Waldichuk (the club’s number five prospect, per MLB Pipeline), right-hander Luis Medina number ten, lefty JP Sears number 20, and second baseman Cooper Bowman number 21.

“I feel great. I’m excited about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “[Montas] is a great pitcher. There have been rumors around him most of the first half of the season. I’m excited we could push through on a deal for him. I’m just excited to get him into the mix because of his talent, especially with how he’s pitched the last couple of years.”

TRADE DETAILS

Yankees get: RHPs Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino

A’s get LHPs Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears, RHP Luis Medina, 2B Cooper Bowman. 

Tuesday night in Anaheim: The A’s have scheduled Cole Irvin to pitch Tuesday night. Irvin has pitched well. He is 6-7, and his ERA is 3.01. The A’s have not announced the starters for the Wednesday or Thursday night game. The Angels’ Noah Syndergaard (5-8, 3.83 ERA) goes Tuesday night. The American League’s reigning MVP, Shohei Ohtani (9-6, 2.81 ERA), will pitch on Wednesday, and lefty Jose Suarez will handle the chores for the Halos Thursday.

The Angels have had a very disappointing season this year. The Halos hoped to improve both the starting rotation and the bullpen. They thought they would contend for the AL West crown this year. They played well early in the season, but a 14 game losing streak derailed those hopes. They fired their manager, Joe Maddon, and replaced him with Phil Nevin. Injuries have also played a key role in the Angels’ frustrations.

The Angels gave the former Washington Nationals’ third baseman a huge contract before the 2020 season. Rendon has not played a full season yet. Currently, Rendon is on the 60-day IL. Their sparkplug shortstop/ second baseman, David Fletcher, has played sparingly due to injury.

Fletcher loves to see the Green and Gold. He has tormented the A’s in the past and hopes to get things going in the three-game set. The Angels’ three-time MVP, Mike Trout, is on the 10-day IL. Trout has a back injury. The A’s want him to get well soon, but not until the three-game series is over.

Some of the other players that the A’s will hope to contain are first baseman Jared Walsh, second baseman/shortstop Luis Rengifo, and David Fletcher. The Angels’ outfielders include Brandon Marsh, Taylor Ward, Magneuris Sierra, and Dillon Thomas. Like the A’s, the Angels love players that can play multiple positions. Shohei Ohtani will be the designated hitter. There were rumors the Yankees were in the market for Ohtani. The Angels’ management quickly said they were not trading Ohtani.

Raisel Iglesias is the closer. He is 2-6 with 16 saves. Other relievers include Ryan Tepoera, Jimmy Herget, Jaime Barria, Andrew Wantz, Touki Toussaint, Jason Junk, and lefties Jose Quijada and Aaron Loup.

The Angels are 43-59 and are 23.5 games behind the Houston Astros. They are in fourth place in the AL West. The A’s are 39-65 and trail the Angels by five games. 

The trading deadline closes at 3 pm on Tuesday. The A’s may continue the fire sale. Other players that they may trade are Ramon Laureano, Chad Pinder, or Sean Murphy. The A’s players must be wondering who will be the next guys to go. Time will tell.

Oakland A’s-Chicago White Sox preview series starts Friday at Guarantee Rate Field

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Chicago White Sox manager Tony LaRussa is in the rumor mill that he’s too old to manage and that he’s turned the players off as he will manage against his old team the Oakland A’s starting Fri Jul 29, 2022 at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are in Chicago to start a three-game series with the White Sox starting Friday night at Guarantee Rate Field. The A’s and the White Sox have played each other since the American League’s first season in 1901.

Over the years, the A’s have appeared in 14 World Series and won nine. The White Sox have been to the World Series just four times and won the title in 1906 and again in 2005. Former A’s skipper Tony La Russa manages the 2022 team.

La Russa is in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Tony has won 2869 games in his career and is second place on the list of winningest managers. Only Connie Mack, with 3731 wins, is ahead of him. La Russa is 77 years old.

There are grumblings in Chicago that Tony is too old for the job. There are rumors that players have turned him off. The White Sox won the AL Central last year with a record of 93-69. Hopes were high for Chicago before the season started.

The White Sox are 49-49 and are in third place in their division. The Minnesota Twins have a three-game lead over the Sox. The Sox are four games back in the chase for the third slot in the Wild Card race. The grumbling will cease if the White Sox win the division and make the playoffs.

The A’s have been playing well since just before the All-Star break. Oakland has won 12 of the last 20 games played. The A’s are 38-63 and are in last place in the American League West Division. There is no question Oakland will not be in the playoffs this year. The A’s may be sellers at the trade deadline.

Frankie Montas, under club control through 2023, is rumored to be on the trading block. The A’s are in rebuild mode, and any player that will be a free agent at the end of this year may be moved. The players would love to be spoilers as there are only two months left in the season.

Let’s take a look at the pitchers for the upcoming series. The A’s will send James Kapielian to the hill Friday Night. Kaprielian is 1-5 with an ERA of 4.74. Kaprielian did not pitch well earlier in the season. He was on the IL with a shoulder injury but has returned to form as he has pitched well in his last three or four starts.

Lance Lynn will go for Chicago. The 35-year-old righty is not having a good year. Lynn is 1-3, and his ERA is 6.43. Lyn was 11-6 with an ERA of 2.39 ERA last year. On Saturday, the A’s will send Paul Blackburn out to pitch. Blackburn started well and made the All-Star team. However, in his last start, he was tagged for ten runs.

His record stands at 6-6, and his ERA has risen to 4.35. Former San Francisco starter, Johnny Cueto, will go for the Chisox.

Cueto is 4-4 and has a respectable ERA of 2.89. The A’s have not announced their starter for Sunday’s game. Dylan Cease will be on the mound for Chicago. Cease is having an outstanding season. He is 10-4 and has an ERA of 2.03.

The Key position players for Chicago include first baseman Jose Abreu. Abreu was the American League’s MVP in 2020. Josh Harrison, who played with the A’s last year, will be at second base. Tim Anderson represented the White Sox at this year’s All-Star game.

Anderson has killed the A’s in past seasons. Yoan Moncada will be at third base. The White Sox will feature Eloy Jimenez in left field, either A.J.Pollock or Adam Engel in center. Luis Robert is out until August first. Gavin Shields, Andrew Vaughn, or Leury Garcia will be in right. Andrew Vaughn is the designated hitter.

Former A’s closer Liam Hendriks is the closer for Chicago. Hendriks is having another good year with 19 saves. Their setup man is another former A’s pitcher, Kendall Graveman. Graveman is 3-2 and has five saves.

Other players that will see action coming out of the bullpen are Joe Kelly, Reynaldo Lopez, Jose Ruiz, Matt Foster, Taner Banks, and Jimmy Lambert.

The A’s bullpen has done well recently. A’s manager Mark Kotsay has received outstanding performances from Domingo Acevedo, Sam Moll, Austin Pruitt, Zach Jackson, and A.J.Puk. Puk earned a save on Wednesday, setting the Astros down in order 1-2-3 to preserve the 4-2 victory.

The White Sox have not played well at home this year. Their home record is 21-27. The road record is 28-22. The A’s, like the Sox, have played better on the road, too. It should be a fun series. The A’s have won three in a row and would love to extend their streak.

The White Sox must win to stay in contention for the AL Central crown. The only way Chicago will get into the playoffs is to win the division. This series should be interesting.

A’s sweep Astros behind Irvin’s stellar pitching; Vogt and Piscotty hit back to back home runs

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Oakland A’s hitter Stephen Piscotty takes Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier deep in the bottom of the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Jul 27, 2022 (Bay Area News Group photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–On a day when the Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and his lovely wife Ayesha threw out the first pitch, the Oakland A’s completed a three-game sweep of the AL West first-place Houston Astros.

The 9,367 made the loudest noise in the ninth inning as A’s reliever A.J.Puk retired the Astros 1-2-3 to win the game 4-2. A’s starter Cole Irvin continued to pitch well. Irvin went seven innings and allowed four hits and two runs. His one mistake was a gopher ball to Houston’s DH Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez’s home run traveled 429 feet deep into the right-field seats.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the second. With one out, A’s catcher Stephen Vogt took Christian Javier deep. The ball went over the fence in right field. It came o a 1-1 pitch. Now facing Stephen Piscotty, Javier saw his first pitch go out of the park. The back-to-back home runs gave the A’s an early 2-0 lead.

The Astros put one on the board in the top of the fifth. With one out, former SF Giant, Mauricio Dubon, singled. The next hitter, Jake Meyers, tripled to deep right-center-field to drive in Dubon. Irvin retired the next two hitters to end the inning.

The A’s lead got the run back in their half of the fifth. A’s first baseman Jonah Bride singled. Bride stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Tony Kemp drove him in with a double to right. The A’s lead 3-1 after five complete.

In the top of the sixth, the Astros’ DH Yordan Alvarez hit a blast ten rows deep in right-field. As they say in baseball: “there was no doubt about it” when it left the bat. The Astros trail the A’s 3-2 after six.

The A’s added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Stephen Piscotty led off the frame with a single, his second hit of the afternoon. Piscotty went to second on a passed ball and scored on Skye Bolt’s single. The A’s lead 4-2. 

Cole Irvin left after pitching seven innings. Domingo Acevedo kept the Astros off the board in the eighth. Lefty A.J.Puk earned his second career save, setting the Astros down 1-2-3 in the ninth to secure the win for Oakland. The A’s win 4-2.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 38-63. Oakland has won three in a row, six of the last seven, and are 6-2 since the All-Star break. The A’s are 12-8 in their last 20 games. The bullpen is 3-0 and has converted their six save opportunities in the last 12 games. 

Cole Irvin was the winning pitcher. His line was seven innings, four hits, and two runs allowed. His record is 6-7. The Astros’ Christian Javier was the losing pitcher. The Astros are now 64-35. 

Stephen Piscotty hit his fourth home run of the year. He also singled. Tony Kemp had two doubles and a single. Stephen homered for the fifth time this year.

Houston’s Yordan Alvarez blasted his 29th dinger.

The time of the game was two hours and twenty-nine minutes. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will be smiling when he hears the news.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They travel to Chicago for three games this weekend against the White Sox. James Kaprielian will go for Oakland. Chicago will counter with Lance Lynn. The game will start at 5:10 pm.

A’s win third game in a row beat Rangers 3-1

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Oakland A’s closer Zack Jackson shuts the door on the Texas Rangers and gets congratulated by A’s catcher Sean Murphy at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The A’s won their third game in a row as both teams failed to produce any offense. Texas committed three errors as they handed the game to the Green and Gold on a silver platter. The A’s prevailed 3-1.

The A’s righty James Kaprielian continued to pitch well. Kaprielian did not get a decision, but he pitched well. His line was five innings of work and allowed two hits and no runs. Kap walked two and struck out four.

He threw 90 pitches in his five innings of work. The Rangers had a bullpen game. Matt Bush pitched the first inning for Texas. Taylor Hearn gave Texas three and 1/3rd innings. He kept the A’s off the board.

The A’s, who have lost two or three games giving teams runs without any hits, became the recipients of a Texas reliever not being able to find the strike zone. The Rangers had Dennis Santana on the hill to start the bottom of the sixth.

Santana walked Vimael Machin, Ramon Laureano, and Sean Murphy on 16 pitches to load the bases with no outs. Matt Moore replaced Santana on the mound. A’s first baseman, Seth Brown, hit a grounder to Rangers’ first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Lowe’s error allowed Machin to score the A’s first run. Chad Pinder drove in Laureano with a sacrifice fly. The A’s led 2-0 after six.

Domingo Acevedo retired the first Texas hitter to start the seventh. Exequiel Duran doubled to get a runner in scoring position. Acevedo retired Meibrys Viloria for the second out.

Former A’s standout Marcus Semien doubled to drive in Duran with the Rangers’ first run. Lefty Sam Moll was summoned from the bullpen to pitch to left-handed hitter Corey Seager. Moll won the battle.

The A’s got another gift run in their half of the seventh. With one out, Nick Allen singled. Allen went to second on a wild pitch. He then advanced to third on Viloria’s throwing error. Machin drove in Allen with a sacrifice fly. The A’s led 3-1.

There was no more scoring in the game. A’s reliever Zach Jackson set the Rangers down 1-2-3 to earn his second career save. The A’s win 3-1.

Game Notes: The A’s have won three straight games for the second time this season. The A’s have won five of their last seven and are now 35-62. The Rangers have lost 14 of their last 20 games and have fallen to 42-51.

The line score for Oakland was three runs, six hits, and one error. Texas’ line was one run, seven hits, and three errors. When teams make three errors in a game, they usually lose. The Rangers learned that lesson on Saturday.

The A’s will be going for a sweep on Sunday. Their ace, Paul Blackburn, will go for Oakland. Blackburn is 6-5 with an ERA of 3.62. Getting the sweep will not be easy as Texas will have lefty Martin Perez, on the hill. Perez has beaten the A’s earlier in the year and is 7-2 with an ERA of 2.68.

The game will start at 1:07 pm.

Bellinger’s grand slam propels Dodgers to a 5-1 win over the Giants

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The Los Angeles Dodgers Cody Bellinger watches the flight of his bottom of eighth inning grand slam home run at Dodgers Stadium against the San Francisco Giants on Fri Jul 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Francisco Giants hoped to get a win over the LA Dodgers Friday night in the second game of the four-game series. The Giants sent their ace, Logan Webb, to the hill. The Dodgers countered with lefty Tyler Anderson.

Anderson is 10-1 and has an ERA of 2.91. The 32-year-old left made the National League All-Star team due to his outstanding work in the year’s first half. Both pitchers performed well. Each went six innings and allowed just one run. Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to send LA to a 5-1 win over the Giants.

The Dodgers drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts singled to get things going for LA. Webb retired the next two hitters. It was at this point that Webb could not find the strike zone. He walked Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Gavin Lux. Betts scored the Dodgers’ first run. 

Tyler Anderson was on top of his game for the first three innings of the game. He allowed the Giants just one hit. The Giants tied the game in the top of the fourth when they scored an unearned run. With one out, Evan Longoria singled to get things going for SF.

Thairo Estrada reached on an infield single. Dodgers’ third baseman Max Muncy’s throw to first got by first baseman Freddie Freeman. Longoria advanced to third on the error. Yermin Mercedes singled to drive in Longoria with the tying run. 

The score remained tied until the eighth inning. The Giants got a man into scoring position in the top of the eighth but failed to score. Giants’ manager Gabe Kapler brought in Lefty Sam Long to pitch. Long gave up a single to Freddie Freeman.

Freeman went to second on a wild pitch. Long retired Will Smith for the first out. Lamont Wade, who pinch-hit for Darren Ruf in the eighth, made a fielding error on Muncy’s sharp ground ball. Freeman went to third on the play.

Long struck out Lux for the second out. If Long could retire Jake Lamb, things might have turned out differently for the Giants. Long hit Lamb on his wrist to load the bases. Long had to face Cody Bellinger. Bellinger, a former National League MVP, hit a grand slam to put the Dodgers in the drivers’ seat. LA led 5-1 after eight.

The Dodgers brought in Craik Kimbrel to close out the game. Estrada singled. Kimbrel retired Mercedes for the first out. Luis Gonzalez, pinch-hitting for Joey Bart, doubled. Kimbrel then retired the next two hitters to secure the win for the Dodgers. 

Game Notes: With the loss, the Giants are 48-45. The Dodgers are 61-30.

The line score for the Giants was one run, seven hits, and two errors. The Dodgers’ line was five runs, eight hits, and one error.

The teams meet again on Saturday. Alex Wood (6-7, 4.20) will pitch for the Giants, and lefty Julio Urias (8-6, 2.89) goes for the Dodgers. The game will start at 4:15 pm.

Tigers win front game of doubleheader 7-2; A’s can’t get enough offense again

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Detroit Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario, left, celebrates with Javier Baez after both scored on Robbie Grossman’s two-run double during the third inning in the first game of the doubleheader at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Jul 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- The Oakland A’s (38-55) started the second half of the 2022 season by hosting the Detroit Tigers (32-62) for a rare doubleheader Thursday afternoon. It is a matchup of two teams not having a great year. The Tigers are in fourth place in the AL Central.

The A’s are in the AL West cellar with the worst record in the American League. Thursday’s first game features two left-handed pitchers. Left Zach Logue was hoping to tame the Tigers. Detroit sent Tarik Skubal to the hill. Logue gave the A’s six innings.

His line was six innings, five hits allowed, three runs, and only two earned. Skubal did not allow a hit in his first four innings of work. He worked six innings and allowed two hits and one run. He was the winning pitcher.

The Tigers put two runs on the board in the top of the third. Tigers’ third baseman Jeimer Candelario led off the frame with a single. Logue retired the next two hitters. Tigers’ DH Javier Baez singled, sending Candelario to second. Former Athletic Robbie Grossman doubled over Chad Pinder’s head in leftfield to drive in bother runners. The Tigers lead 2-0 midway through the third inning.

The Tigers did a little more damage in the fifth. With two out, center-fielder Riley Greene singled. Greene advanced to third on a fielding error by A’s second baseman Sheldon Neuse. Robbie Grossman doubled to drive in Greene with Detroit’s third run. The run was unearned.

The Tigers lead 3-0. The A’s put their first run of the game on the board in their half of the fifth. Seth Brown’s pop-up into shallow left field was lost in the sun by third baseman Jeimer Candelario. The ball was untouched, and Brown was credited with a double.

He went to third on a passed ball. Stephen Piscotty’s sacrifice fly drove in Brown. Tarik Skubal had not allowed a hit until the fifth. The run was unearned.

Domingo Tapia was now pitching for Oakland in the seventh. The Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario blasted his seventh homer of the campaign over the wall in center field. Detroit leads 4-1. Alex Lange was now pitching for Detroit.

Seth Brown homered on an 0-2 pitch, leading off the bottom of the seventh. The A’s trail 4-2. The A’s put men on at first and third with one out but failed to score. The Tigers lead 4-2 after seven.

Detroit plated their fifth run of the game in the top of the eighth. Tapia walked Tigers’ catcher Eric Haase. Second baseman Johnathan Schoop doubled to drive in Haase. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning. As the game heads into the ninth, the Tigers are in the driver’s seat with a three-run lead, 5-2.

The Tigers put two more on the board in the ninth. Tigers’ shortstop Zack Short walked to start the rally. Short stole second and scored on a single by Riley Greene. A single by Javier Baez and a walk to Robbie Grossman loaded the bases with no out.

Greene was out at home trying to score on a ground ball to A’s shortstop Nick Allen. Detroit challenged the call, but the call was upheld after the review. Johnathan Schopp drove in the Tigers’ second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. The A’s went down in order 1-2-3 to end the game. Detroit wins 7-2.

Game Notes- with the loss, the A’s are 32-62. They are now 30 games under .500. The Tigers improved to 38-55.

The hitting star for Oakland was Seth Brown, with a double and a home run. Brown scored both of the A’s runs. The hitting stars for Detroit were Jeimer Candelario with a single and home run. Riley Greene had two hits, Javier Baez three, and Robbie Grossman two.

The line score for Detroit was seven runs, ten hits, and no errors. Oakland’s line was two runs, five hits, and one error.

The day’s second game will see Frankie Montas (3-9, 3.26ERA) going against the Tigers’ Garret Hill (1-1, 5.73 ERA).

The time of the game was 2:58.

Preview: Oakland A’s-Houston Astros open series Friday night at Minute Maid Field; Last series before All Star break

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Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay is hoping for a good road trip starting Fri Jul 15, 2022 at Minute Field in Houston against the Houston Astros (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s meet the Houston Astros for three games starting Friday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The A’s and Astros just concluded a three-game series last week in Oakland. The Astros won two out of three in that series.

The A’s are off on Thursday. The Astros play the LA Angels on Thursday before returning home to face the A’s. The A’s are off three days for the annual All-Star game.

The A’s will start the second half of the season with a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers on July 21st at the Oakland Coliseum. Then it’s the Texas Rangers, who the A’s just played the last three days, will be in Oakland for three Jul 22-24, and the Astros will be on hand for three more starting Jul 25-27th to close out the homestand.

The Astros have the best record in the AL West division. They are 57-30 and lead the second-place Seattle Mariners by eleven games. The A’s are in last place with a record of 30-60. The A’s are on pace to lose 108 games. Oakland has not had a season this bad since 1979.

The Astros have gone to the World Series in 2017, 2019, and 2021. They won the World Series crown in 2017. The Astros have a talented roster and show no signs of slowing down. The Astros have a very potent offense.

There are many familiar names in their lineup. Former AL MVP Jose Altuve leads the team. Other plays that can cause damage are third baseman Alex Bregman, rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena, first baseman Yuli Guriel, and utility player Aledmys Diaz.

The Astros’ star left fielder Michael Brantley is on the 10-day-IL. Chas McCormick or Jose Siri will fill in for Brantley. Jake Meyers will be in center field. Right fielder Kyle Tucker has killed the A’s in the past. Tucker will be going to the All-Star game as a reserve outfielder.

Houston’s Yordan Alvarez was also selected as an All-Star. Alvarez will not be able to DH for Houston in the series against the A’s as he is on the 10-day IL. Alvarez is hitting .306 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs.

The Astros have not announced their pitching selections for the three-game series. The A’s announced that lefty Cole Irvin would pitch for Oakland Friday night. Irvin is 3-7 with an ERA of 3.31. Irvin has pitched well lately. The A’s offense has not given Irvin much support this season. The pitchers for the games on Saturday and Sunday have not been announced.

The A’s would love to win a series on the road. It will not be easy going against one of the best teams in baseball. If the A’s could take two out of three from Houston over the weekend, it could be quite a feather in the cap of manager Mark Kotsay’s.

Rangers’ five-run first inning was more than enough as they beat A’s 5-2

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Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager slugs an RBI single off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) as catcher Sean Murphy and umpire Johbn Tumpane look on in the first inning, at Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Wed Jul 13, 2022. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a difference a day makes. The Oakland A’s hammered out 13 hits and 14 runs Tuesday night to beat the Texas Rangers. Wednesday night’s game featured a battle between the A’s Paul Blackburn and the Rangers’ Jon Gray.

Would the teams continue to put runs on the board? Could the hitting be stopped? Blackburn has been the A’s best pitcher in 2022. His strong first half resulted in an All-Star berth for Blackburn. Gray, signed to a four-year 56 million dollar contract as a free agent, entered the game with a 5-4 record.

The A’s roughed up Gray for five runs when the Rangers were in Oakland in late May. Well, things did not go well for Blackburn in the first inning. Blackburn could not locate his pitches, and he walked three batters.

The Rangers’ hitters had three hits in the inning, and they put five runs on the board to lead 5-0. Jon Gray pitched his best game of the year. The big righty limited the A’s to one hit in seven innings of work. His line was seven innings, one hit, nine strikeouts, and no walks. The A’s hit two solo home runs in the ninth, but it was not enough as they fell to the Rangers by a score of 5-2.

The Rangers scored all the runs they needed in the bottom of the first inning. Blackburn walked Rangers’ leadoff hitter Josh Smith. Marcus Semien, playing shortstop in place of Corey Seager, who was the DH Wednesday night, reached on a fielder’s choice.

Smith was out at second. Semien took off and was able to steal second. Sean Murphy’s throw hit Semien, sliding into the base. The ball went into shallow centerfield. Semien advanced to third on the error.

The next hitter, Corey Seager, singled to drive in Semien with the Rangers’ first run. Blackburn walked Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim to load the bases with one out. Blackburn struck out Kole Calhoun for the second out.

The seventh hitter in the Rangers’ lineup, Leody Taveras, singled to drive in Seager and Lowe to make it 3-0. Heim advanced to third.

Taveras promptly stole second base. Brad Miller, who hadn’t done much so far in the three-game series, singled to right to drive in two more runs. Ramon Laureano’s throw to second as Miller tried to advance a base on the throw home.

Blackburn regained his poise. He showed his All-Star form as he held the Rangers hitless over the next five innings. Blackburn’s line was six innings pitched, three hits, four walks, one strikeout, and five runs. The Rangers’ Jon Gray was the better pitcher.

The only hit he allowed in seven innings of work came in the top of the fourth. A’s third baseman Vimael Machin reached on an infield single. Gray was dominant. He struck out nine and did not walk a batter.

The A’s had three hits in the top of the ninth. Jose LeClerc was on the hill for Texas. Skye Bolt sent LeClerc’s first pitch out of the park to make it a 5-1 game.

For Bolt, it was his first home run of the year. It was the second big fly in his career. LeClerc retired Nick Allen and Vimael Machin. Ramon Laureano blasted his eighth home run over the wall in centerfield to make it a 5-2 game.

Sean Murphy walked, and Seth Brown doubled to put men on at second and third with two out. Stephen Vogt came to the plate as the potential tying run. Rangers’ manager brought in Garrett Richards to face Vogt. All it took was one pitch. To end the game, Vogt hit the first pitch from Richard to Taveras in centerfield. The Rangers win 5-2.

Game notes- With the loss, the A’s are 30-60. The Rangers improved to 41-45. The winning pitcher was Jon Gray. He is now 6-4. Blackburn took the loss. He is now 6-5.

The Line for Oakland was two runs, four hits, and one error. Texas’ line was five runs, four hits, and no errors.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They play the Houston Astros for three games at Minute Maid Park in Houston. These will be the last three games before the annual All-Star break. Neither team has announced their pitchers for the series.

The time of the game was 2:34. 22,394 fans watched in air-conditioned comfort as the outside temperature in Arlington was 103 degrees with 25% humidity.

It takes twelve innings for A’s to beat Rangers 14-7 at the Ballpark in Arlington; Pinder hits slam in 12th for Oakland

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Oakland A’s Chad Pinder (10) rounds the bases after hitting a top of the 12th inning grand slam against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington in the second game of the three game series (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s beat the Texas Rangers 14-7 in 12 innings to even the series at one game each Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The A’s fought back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s closer, Lou Trivino, had another disastrous outing. The big righty, facing the very hot-hitting Corey Seager saw Seager blast his 21st home run. It was Seager’s fifth homer in the last five games. With two outs, Ranger’s centerfielder Leody Taveras doubled for the second time in the game.

Kole Calhoun, pinch-hitting for Charlie Culberson, singled to drive in Taveras with the tying run. The game went into extra innings. The A’s scored a run in the top of the tenth. The Rangers got even in their half. No one scored in the 11th.

For one of the few times this season, a game went into the 12th inning. The A’s put it away as they scored eight runs in the top of the 12th to lead 14-6. The Rangers got one back, but it was not enough as Oakland won the game 14-7.

The Rangers grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. A’s starter James Kaprielian gave up a double to Rangers’ leadoff hitter Josh Smith. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien homered to give the Rangers the early 2-0 advantage.

The A’s scored one the second to close to make it a 2-1 game. The Rangers got the run back in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 3-1. Oakland scored three times in the top of the fifth. The A’s went to the bullpen after Kaprielian exited after five innings of work.

The A’s added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Sam Moll worked a scoreless sixth inning for the A’s. A.J.Puk went two innings and retired all six hitters he faced. It was up to Trivino to close out the game. He failed. As mentioned above, the Rangers scored twice to tie the game.

The A’s scored eight times in the top of the 12th. The big blow was Chad Pinder’s home run with the bases loaded. The A’s had just three hits in the 12th. The ghost runner and three walks helped the A’s put the eight runs on the board. Texas scored a run in their half of the 12th, but it didn’t matter as the A’s won 14-7.

Game notes– With the win, the A’s are 30-59. Texas falls to 40-45.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Sean Murphy and Chad Pinder. Murphy had two singles and two doubles in five at-bats. He reached base safely all five times. Pinder had a grand slam to ice the win for Oakland.

The A’s used seven pitchers Tuesday night. Texas used eight. Kirby Snead was the winning pitcher. Trivino was charged with his second blown save. Rangers’ reliever Dennis Santana took the loss.
The line score for Oakland was 14 runs, 13 hits, and no errors. The line for Texas was seven runs, nine hits, and two errors.

The rubber game of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night at Globe Life Field. First pitch at 5:05 pm PDT.

The A’s will send their All-Star pitcher Paul Blackburn (6-4, 3.36) out to face the Rangers. Blackburn will be going for his seventh win. He will be opposed by the Rangers RHP Jon Gray(5-4, 4.03).

The time of the game was 4:04. The announced attendance was 17,485.