Author: rxslugger

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

Braves slam four home runs to power past A’s 13-2; A’s swept in two game series

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The Atlanta Braves Michael Harris who did plenty of damage for Braves is seen here running to third base in the bottom of the fifth inning after hitting a two run triple against the Oakland A’s at Truist Field in Cobb County on Wed Jun 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feiteleberg

The Oakland A’s woes continued on Wednesday as they lost for the 11th time in the last 12th games. The powerful Atlanta Braves lineup hit four home runs to win, going away 13-2. The Braves swept the two-game series, and the A’s lost for the eighth straight time.

The A’s sent lefty Jared Koenig to the mound on Wednesday. Koenig was making his Major League debut. The 28-year-old rookie had paid his dues as he traveled to many venues to show that he could pitch. He was signed by the A’s to a minor league contract in 2020.

He performed well for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators the last two seasons. The A’s needed a fifth starter and called Koenig to pitch against the World Champion Braves. It would be a daunting task for any pitcher to face the Braves, but more so for a rookie making his big league debut.

The A’s offense has not been very good this year. They are near the bottom of the barrel in batting, average, runs scored, and OPS. They needed to put some runs on the board to help him get over any nervousness and settle down and find a way to hold down the Braves.

The A’s came through with two runs in the top of the fourth. With one out, Ramon Laureano doubled to right-field. Laureano went to third on Ronald Acuna’s fielding error. Braves’ starter Ian Anderson uncorked a wild pitch, and Laureano scored.

A’s DH Stephen Vogt worked Anderson for a walk. Singles by Seth Brown and Sean Murphy produced the A’s second run of the game. The A’s didn’t know it at the time, but they would not score another run.

The Braves made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the fourth. Atlanta’s shortstop Dansby Swanson got things going with a double to right-center-field. Koenig walked Austin Riley to put men on at first and second with no out.

Swanson tagged and went to third on Matt Olson’s fly ball to centerfield. Koenig had to face the B’s second baseman Ozzie Albies. They had quite a battle. Albies won the 10-pitch battle with a sacrifice fly to drive in Swanson. 

Things went south for Koenig in the bottom of the fifth. Atlanta scored four times to take the advantage 5-2. Koenig walked DH Marcelle Ozuna to start the fifth. Adam Duvall doubled, sending Ozuna to third base with no out.

Rookie centerfielder Michael Harris tripled to drive in Ozuna and Duvall. A’s manager brought in Domingo Acevedo to pitch. Acevedo retired Acuna and Swanson. It appeared the Acevedo would get out of the inning without any further damage. Not so. Third baseman Austin Riley, hitting .199, blasted his 15th dinger of the season to put Atlanta ahead 5-2 after five. 

In the sixth, the Braves added a run when catcher William Contreras homered to make it 6-2. Atlanta. The game became a rout when Atlanta scored seven runs in the seventh. They had six hits in the inning. Adam Duvall’s two-run shot and Ozzie Albies’ three-run blast were the big blows. The Braves won the rout 13-2.

Game notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 20-38. Jared Koenig took the loss and is now 0-1. Ian Anderson was the winning pitcher and his record improved to 5-3.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, eight hits, and one error. Atlanta scored thirteen runs, had thirteen hits, and committed one error. The Braves won the seventh in a row and are now 30-27.

The A’s second stop on the nine-game road trip in Cleveland. They begin a four-game set with the Guardians starting Thursday. James Kaprielian (0-3, 6.06 ERA) will go for Oakland. The Guardians will counter with Konnor Pilkington (1-0, 2.65 ERA).

The Guardians are just one game below the .500 mark—the A’s hope to break the losing streak Thursday night. The Guardians are looking to take advantage of the A’s deficiencies and take at least three out of four from Oakland. The game will start at 4:10 pm PT.

Three solo home runs power Braves past A’s 3-2 at Truist Field to open series

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Atlanta Braves’ Guillermo Heredia belts his second home run of the 2022 season in the bottom of the seventh inning against Oakland A’s relief pitcher Lou Trivino at Truist Field in Atlanta on Tue Jun 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (20-37) started a nine-game road trip with a two-game interleague series with the Atlanta Braves (29-27). The A’s, losers of six straight, were hoping to get back in the win column. The Braves, on the other hand, have won five in a row and are in second place in the National League East.

Last year, the Braves got hot late in the season and beat the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Houston Astros to win their fourth World Series crown in franchise history. The odds would favor the Braves beating the A’s Tuesday. The odds were correct as the Braves hit three solo home runs to down the A’s 3-2.

It was a hot and humid evening in Atlanta Tuesday night. The A’s had not dealt with such conditions all season. The A’s gave starter Cole Irvin an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Tony Kemp led off the game with a single.

Elvis Andrus followed with a single, sending Kemp to second. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Ramon Laureano singled to drive in Kemp and Andrus to give the A’s the 2-0 advantage. 

Lefty hurler, Irvin, pitched well for five and one-third innings. Braves’ right-fielder, Ronald Acuna, Jr., sent Irvin’s first pitch into the left-field seats leading off the bottom of the first. For Acuna, it was the 24th time in his career with Atlanta that he has led off a game with a home run. The A’s led 2-1 after one inning.

Irvin had to face Acuna at the bottom of the third again. The result was the same. Acuna led off with another solo home run to tie the game at two apiece. 

Irvin left the game in the sixth. Domingo Acevedo recorded the last two outs of the inning. A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, brought Lou Trivino in to pitch the seventh. Trivino had to face Guillermo Heredia leading off the seventh for Atlanta.

Heredia was a last-minute replacement as slugger Adam Duvall was unable to play. Heredia won the game for Atlanta when he hit Trivino’s first pitch into the left-field stands. The Braves led 3-2 after seven.

The Braves starter Kyle Wright gave up his fifth hit of the night in the fourth with one out. Wright was dominant from that point in the game. He retired the next 14 A’s hitters in a row.

Wright did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Braves’ closer Kenley Jansen set the A’s down in order in the ninth to secure the win for Atlanta. The final score was 3-2 in favor of Atlanta.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 20-37. They have lost seven in a row, and are 1-10 in their last eleven games. The Braves won their sixth straight game and are now 29-27.

The winning pitcher was Kyle Wright he is now 6-3. Lou Trivino took the loss, and his record is 1-4.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, five hits, and no errors. Three of the five hits came in the first inning. Atlanta’s line was three runs, nine hits, and no errors. Ronald Acuna led the team with two solo blasts.

The A’s finish the series Wednesday night. Lefty Jared Koenig (0-0, ERA 0.00) will be making his Major League Debut. His opponent will be Atlanta’s lefty Ian Anderson (4-3, 4.70). The game will start at 4:20 pm.

The time of the game was a very speedy 2:20. 33,981 fans watched the hometown Braves win their sixth in a row.

Preview two-game series: Oakland A’s vs. Atlanta Braves at Truist Stadium opens up road trip

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Atlanta Braves Darby Swanson (7) congratulates former Oakland Athletic Matt Olson (right) after hitting a three run home run off Colorado Rockies starter pitcher Ryan Feltner in the top second inning at Coors Field in Denver on Sun Jun 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have an off day on Monday. They are on their way to face the defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves for two games starting Tuesday night in Atlanta. The A’s hope to get back on the winning track against the Braves.

The Oakland Coliseum has been a house of horrors for them this season. They are 7-23 at home. They were 1-9 on the homestand ending on Sunday. They lost their last six games, three to the Houston Astros and three to the Boston Red Sox. The A’s have a respectable 13-13 record on the road.

The Braves are currently in second place in the National League East Division. Their record is 28-27. Fans will remember last year’s Braves team had a slow start but made the playoffs and then got hot to win all the marbles.

Their best player, Freddie Freeman, could not get the contract he wanted and left the team as a free agent to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves traded with the A’s to acquire Slugger Matt Olson to fill the void left by Freeman’s decision to play for his hometown Dodgers. Olson is hitting .255 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

The Braves have a deep starting rotation. Max Fried is probably their ace. The big left from LA is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.74. The veteran hurler, Charlie Morton, is back after being sidelined with a leg injury suffered in the playoffs. Morton won a World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017, is 4-3, and owns an ERA of 5.63.

Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright, and Spencer Strider make up the rest of the rotation. There are some familiar names in the Braves bullpen. Former San Francisco Giant, Lefty Will Smith, will see action in the series against Oakland.

Collin McHugh faced the A’s many times when he was on the Astros’ staff. Former A’s starter and reliever Jesse Chavez is now with Atlanta. Veteran reliever Darren O’Day has a new home in the Atlanta pen.

The Braves have two other lefty relievers, Dylan Lee and A.J.Minter. Their closer is Kenley Jansen. Jansen was a mainstay in the bullpen with the Los Angeles Dodgers for many years. Jansen signed with the Braves as a free agent. Jansen, owner of 364 career saves, is 3-0 and has recorded 14 saves as a Brave.

The pitching matchup for Tuesday night’s game will see the A’s sending lefty Cole Irvin to the hill. Irvin has been pitching well for Oakland. His record is 2-2, and his ERA is 2.96. His record does not reflect how well Irvin has pitched.

He needs to get more run support from his teammates, and the bullpen has to do a better job to get a win for Irvin. The Braves will counter with Kyle Wright. Wright is 5-3 and has a very respectable ERA of 2.41.

Wednesday’s game will feature a battle between two lefty hurlers. Lefty Ian Anderson will go for Oakland, and Jared Koenig will be making his Major League debut. Koenig was recalled from the A’s Triple-A farm team in Las Vegas. Koenig was 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA as a member of the Las Vegas Aviators.

Irvin and Koenig will have to deal with a very good Atlanta offense. As mentioned earlier, Matt Olson is just one of the players on this Atlanta team that can do a lot of damage. The Braves feature Ozzie Albies at second base, Dansby Swanson at shortstop, and Austin Riley at third base. Albies and Swanson each homered six times this season.

Albies has knocked in 24 and Swanson, 26. The big bat in the infield lineup is Riley. Riley has homered 14 times and driven in 31. The outfielders are Adam Duvall, Michael Harris in center, and Ronald Aciuna, Jr in rightfield.

Duvall is off to a slow start. The big slugger is hitting .199 with three dingers and 18 ribbies. Harris has not played much and hasn’t much to show for the season. Ronald Acuna, Jr. is returning from a right ACL tear. Acuna hit 41 homers in 2019.

He had 24 when he was injured on July 11th last year. His batting average is .313, with three home runs and ten RBIs. Acuna is a super talent, and the A’s cannot take him lightly.

When the A’s finish the series with Atlanta, they are off to Cleveland to meet the Guardians for four games starting Thursday night.

Preview of Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s series: A’s lost seven of last eight; Sox have lost five of last ten

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The Oakland A’s Chad Pinder looks relieved scoring a run after a long scoreless and hitless drought against the Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander who lost his no hitter in the bottom of the seventh on Wed Jun 1, 2022 at Ring Central Coliseum in Oakland (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s (20-33) have three games left on the ten day homestand. They lost the series with the Texas Rangers (24-26) three games to one. The Houston Astros (33-18) swept their three games with Oakland this week. The A’s are off on Thursday.

The A’s open a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox (24-27) starting Friday night. The A’s have been scuffling for a while. The A’s started the season winning ten of the first eighteen games. Since that time, they are 10-25.

With the good early start, many pundits thought their predictions for Oakland may have been wrong. However, the A’s are not playing well right now, and the same pundits are saying, we told you so.

The A’s hope that attendance will improve this weekend with Boston in town. Good-sized crowds would show up at the Coliseum to see the Red Sox in past years. This year attendance has been down for the Green and Gold.

Fans are upset about the possibility that the A’s may move to Las Vegas. The A’s have stated that they have two sites in mind in Sin City where they can relocate. In the meantime, a key committee will hold a vote on June 30th. An affirmative approval would buoy hopes that the 12 billion dollar Howard Terminal project can proceed.

The Red Sox got off to a slow start in 2022. They did not sign Kyle Schwarber to a contract. Schwarber wanted to stay in Boston, but their front office did not commit to him, and he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Red Sox traded Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers and got back Jackie Bradley, Jr. Renfro put up good power numbers for Boston. Bradley has rarely hit for average, and fans in Boston are still shaking their heads over this trade.

The Red Sox still have several hitters in their lineup that can cause severe damage. Their big hitters are Rafael Devers, J.D.Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Story, Alex Verdugo, and catcher Christian Vasquez. Devers is hitting .341 with 11 homers and 26 RBIs.

J.D.Martinez comes in with a .360 batting average. Trevor Story was hot last week, and he now has nine dingers and 37 runs batted in. Other players contributing are first baseman Bobby Dalbec, centerfielder Kike Hernandez, and backup second baseman Christian Arroyo.

The Red Sox will send Nate Eovaldi to the hill Friday night. Eovaldi was a key ingredient when the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 World Series. Eovaldi is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.77. Oakland will have James Kaprielian handle the pitching for the A’s. Kaprielian is 0-2 with an ERA of 5.93.

On Saturday, Nick Pivetta will go for Boston. Pivetta is 4-4 with an ERA of 3.95. The A’s will counter with Paul Blackburn. Blackburn is 5-1 with an ERA of 2.25. Blackburn suffered his first loss of the season last Monday to the Houston Astros.

Sunday’s finale will feature lefty Rich Hill going for the Red Sox. Hill is 42-years old and was with the A’s in 2016. The A’s traded him to the Dodgers and received Frankie Montas. Montas will start for Oakland and is 2-5 with an ERA of 3.20. Montas has pitched well but has received little run support from his teammates.

The A’s and the Red Sox have been opponents since the creation of the American League way back in 1901. Both teams have won nine World Series crowns. Both teams have had down years. After the trade that sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees, the Red Sox were not very good.

Their fortunes changed when Tom Yawkey purchased them. The Red Sox went 86 years without winning a World Series. They have won four since 2004. The A’s last appeared in the World Series in 1990. They won their last World Series Championship in 1989.

The A’s have made the playoffs several times in the last 20 years. They advanced past the first round of the playoffs just once.

The A’s would like to get back on the winning track. The Red Sox would love to sweep the three-game series to reach the .500 mark. Let’s hope the fans show up. The series between these two teams have always been fun.

Astros’ ninth-inning rally enables them to sweep three-game series; A’s can’t hold lead in 5-4 loss

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Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander who pitched six plus innings of no hit baseball throws against the Oakland A’s in the first inning at Ring Central Coliseum on Wed Jun 1, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Houston Astros (33-18) sent their ace, Justin Verlander, to the mound to face the Oakland A’s (20-33) on Wednesday afternoon at the Ring Central Coliseum. The Astros were hoping to sweep the three-game series from the A’s.

The A’s hoped that lefty Cole Irvin could stop the Astros and salvage a win. Both pitchers pitched well on Wednesday. In his five and 2/3 inning of work, Irvin held the hard-hitting Astros to one run and six hits. Verlander was better.

Verlander held the A’s hitless until one out in the seventh inning. The fans were starting to think Verlander would pitch his fourth career no-hitter. The A’s upset Verlander’s applecart when they scored three times to take a 3-1 lead after seven complete. It became a bullpen game.

The A’s relievers had to get the last six outs of the game. They held the fort in the eighth. Things went south in the ninth as the Astros scored four times to take a 5-3 lead. Oakland scored a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Astros won the game 5-4 and swept the three-game set from the A’s.

The Astros scored the game’s first run in the top of the third inning. With two out and Alex Bregman on first, singles by Yordan Alvarez and Aledmys Diaz gave Houston a 1-0 advantage.

Cole Irvin pitched well to keep his team within striking distance. Verlander was untouchable for six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Verlander walked Chad Pinder. Verlander struck out Seth Brown for the second out.

A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, swinging a hot bat, doubled to drive in Pinder with the A’s first run. The next hitter, Christian Bethancourt, took Verlander deep.

The ball went over the centerfield wall to give the A’s a 3-1 lead. For Bethancourt, it was his first home run of the season, and it was his first home run since August 12th, 2016.

In the eighth, A’s relievers A.J.Puk, and Dany Jimenez had to work out of jams to keep the Astros from scoring. Jimenez ran out of luck in the top of the ninth. Astros’ centerfielder, former San Francisco Giant Mauricio Dubon, got the rally going with a single.

Yuli Guriel, pinch-hitting for Martin Maldonado, singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Jimenez walked Jose Altuve to load the bases. Jimenez struck out Kyle Tucker for the first out.

Jimenez walked Alex Bregman. Dubon scored, and the Astros trailed the A’s 3-2. Brad Ausmus, filling in for Mark Kotsay, who was tossed for giving his opinion to the home plate umpire, brought in lefty Sam Sellman to face left-handed hitter Yordan Alvarez.

Alvarez found a pitch to his liking, and his double to right-center cleared the bases to give the Astros a 5-3 lead. Astros’ manager Dusty Baker brought in Ryan Pressley to close out the game. The A’s scored a run and gave Baker some anxiety, but Oakland failed to tie the game and fell to Houston 5-4.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 20-33. The Astros are 33-18. The A’s are 1-6 on the homestand and are now 2-10-1 over the last thirteen series.

The line score for the A’s was four runs, four hits, and no errors. The Astros’ line was five runs, eleven hits, and one error.

The Astros’ Bryan Abreu earned the win. Pressly recorded his eleventh save of the year. Dany Jimenez took the loss and is now 2-3. Cole Irvin did not figure in the decision. Irvin’s earned run average dropped to 2.96. That may have been the A’s only bright spot.

The A’s host the Boston Red Sox for three games starting at 6:40 pm Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum starting pitcher for the Red Sox Nathan Evoaldi (2-2, 3.77) and for the A’s James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.93)

The time of the game was 3:07. 5,189 fans watched the A’s lose.

A’s waste a great effort by Frankie Montas, lose 4-1 to Rangers

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Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas gave it his all pitching seven innings, here Montas is throwing against the Texas Rangers line up on Thu May 26, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s engaged in an extremely well-pitched contest Thursday night. Both starters, the A’s Frankie Montas and the Rangers’ Martin Perez, were at their best. Both pitchers went seven innings and allowed just one run. The game was won when the Rangers scored three times to beat the A’s 4-1.

The Rangers scored an unearned run in the top of the second. The Rangers’ Kole Calhoun singled to get things rolling. Former A’s catcher Jonah Heim reached safely on A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus’ throwing error. Montas walked Nate Lowe to load the bases. Montas struck out Brad Miller for the second out. Unfortunately, he walked Andy Ibanez, which allowed Calhoun to score the run.

The A’s Chad Pinder led off the bottom of the fourth with a single. He went to third on Sean Murphy’s double. Perez retired the next two A’s hitters. Elvis Andrus walked to load the bases. Pinder scored on Perez’s wild pitch. 

There was no more scoring until the top of the ninth. Montas gave the A’s a terrific performance. He went seven innings and allowed three hits and one run, unearned. Martin Perez matched his opponent’s performance.

Perez’s line was seven innings, four hits, and one run. It was up to each team’s bullpen to determine the winner of the game. The A’s Domingo Acevedo pitched a scoreless eighth. The Rangers’ Matt Bush held the Green and Gold scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Lou Trivino to pitch the ninth. Trivino retired Calhoun for the first out. The next hitter, Jonah Heim, followed with a single. Texas sent in Eli White to pinch run for Heim.

White scored the Rangers’ second run of the game when Adolis Garcia doubled. Kotsay brought in lefty Sam Moll to face left-handed hitter Nate Lowe. The strategy failed as Lowe blasted a home run over the wall in right-field.

Moll recorded the next two outs, but the Rangers led 4-1 midway through the ninth. Joe Barlow was summoned from the Ranger bullpen to close out the game.

Tony Kemp, hitting for Sheldon Neuse, walked to start the ninth. Barlow got Luis Barrera, pinch-hitting for Christian Bethancourt, to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Elvis Andrus popped out to end the game. 

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 19-28. The Rangers improved to 20-23

The winning pitcher was Matt Bush. Trivino took the loss. The line score for Oakland was one run, five hits, and one error. The Rangers’ line was four runs, six hits, and no errors. 

The A’s will send left Cole Irvin to the hill Friday night. The Rangers will counter with righty Jon Gray. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

A’s behind Blackburn’s strong outing beat Mariners 4-2 for second game in a row

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Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn throws against the Seattle Mariners line up in the bottom of the first inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Wed May 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (19-27) finished the short six-game road trip with a victory over the Seattle Mariners (18-27) Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park. Oakland won the game 4-2. The A’s took two out of three from the M’s and finished the trip with a 3-3.

A’s starter, Paul Blackburn, continued to pitch well. Blackburn’s record is now 5-0, and he lowered his ERA to 1.70. Blackburn went five and one-third innings and allowed just one hit. He came out of the game as he had walked a career-high five batters.

Robbie Ray, the reigning American League Cy Young award winner, went six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs. Ray had a season-high ten strikeouts. He was tagged for two home runs. Ray had given up a big fly in five consecutive games. He is 4-5, with an ERA of 4.77).

The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fourth. With two out, A’s first baseman Seth Brown blasted his third home run of the right into the stands in right field. When facing a left-handed pitcher this season, Brown entered the game with just one hit off the southpaws.

His luck changed on Wednesday. He tagged Ray for a double in the first and homered in the fourth.

In the sixth, with one out, Christian Bethancourt singled. A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, homered to left to make it a 3-0 game. For Andrus, it was his first home run of the year.

The Mariners fought back. They scored a solo run in the seventh and another run in the eighth to make it a 3-2 game. The Run in the eighth scored on Zach Jackson’s wild pitch. 

The A’s added an insurance run in the ninth. With two out, Luis Barrera singled to give the A’s a 4-2 advantage. Dany Jimenez closed out the game to earn his tenth save of the year.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are now 19-27. The M’s fall to 19-27. The Line for Oakland was four runs, nine hits, and no errors. Seattle’s line was two runs, five hits, and no errors.

The A’s will host the Texas Rangers for four games starting Thursday at the Ring Central Coliseum in Oakland.

The A’s will send Frankie Montas(2-4, 3.55 ERA) to do the pitching. The Rangers will have left hander Martin Perez (3-2, 3.62 ERA) doing the hurling for them.

The teams will meet for the second series this season. The Rangers took two out three when they were here in April. First pitch at 6:40 pm.

A’s beat M’s 7-5; End M’s 13-game dominance over Oakland

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Top of the fifth inning the Oakland A’s Jed Lowrie (left) is greeted by teammate Elvis Andrus (right) after hitting a two run fifth inning home run at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Tue May 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (18-27) offense, slumbering for most of the season, pounded out 13 hits en route to a hard-fought 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners (18-26) Tuesday night. The A’s had 11 hits in the game Monday night but lost by one run.

Oakland was hoping starter James Kaprielian would give the team a quality start. Unfortunately for the Green and Gold, Kapielian lasted five innings. He gave seven up hits and five runs in his five innings of work. His era went from 4.50 to 5.48 as a result.

The M’s starter George Kirby didn’t do well either. Kirby pitched five innings and was tagged for eight hits and four runs. The saving grace for the A’s was the work of the bullpen. Sam Moll, Domingo Acevedo, Zach Jackson, and Danny Jimenez pitched four scoreless innings and allowed the Mariners two hits.

The A’s found the M’s bullpen offerings to their liking as they put three runs on the board to win 7-5. Sam Moll was the winning pitcher, and Dany Jimenez earned his ninth save.

Dating back to last season, Seattle had beaten the A’s 13 consecutive times. The A’s win Tuesday night ended that losing streak. It wasn’t easy as the M’s fought back every time Oakland had the lead.

The A’s drew first blood in the first inning. Second baseman Tony Kemp started things going with a leadoff single. Kemp stole second and scored on Chad Pinder’s double. The A’s made it 2-0 when they plated a run in the top of the third. With one out, Kemp singled to right-center. Designated hitter Jed Lowrie doubled to shallow rightfield to drive in Kemp.

In the bottom half of the third, Seattle evened the score. With one out, Taylor Trammell walked. Jesse Winker singled, sending Trammell to third. Both players scored when M’s first baseman Ty France doubled to center. The game was 2-2 after three.

In the top of the fifth, with one out, Tony Kemp bunted for a hit. It was his third hit of the night. Jed Lowrie then homered to make it 4-2. The lead didn’t last long as the M’s scored three times in the bottom of the fifth.

M’s catcher Cal Raleigh reached safely on Seth Brown’s error. Jesse Winker singled, sending Raleigh to third. Raleigh scored on Ty France’s ground out. The M’s kept the rally going. Kaprielian retired Adam Frazier for the second out. Julio Rodriguez homered to put the Mariners in the lead for the first time, 5-4.

As mentioned above, the A’s fought back. In the sixth, they tied the game when shortstop Elvis Andrus led off the inning with a solo dinger. They broke the tie in the seventh. With two out and no one on base, Sean Murphy walked.

Elvis Andrus singled. Murphy was able to score on Jesse Winker’s fielding error. Andrus advanced to second on the play. A’s right-fielder Luis Barrera doubled to drive in Andrus with the A’s seventh run. The A’s win 7-5.

Game Notes-The stars of the game for Oakland Tony Kemp, with three hits and three runs scored. Jed Lowrie had two hits, including a home run and three RBIs. Elvis Andrus had two hits, two runs, and a homer. Luis Barrera had two knocks and an RBI.

Seattle’s starters were Jesse Winker with two hits and two runs scored. Ty France had three RBIs, and Julio Rodriguez hit a home run, good for two runs.

The A’s and Mariners finish the three-game series Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park. A first pitch slated at 12:27 pm. Starting for Oakland Paul Blackburn (4-0, 1.91) and for Seattle Robbie Ray (4-4, 4.77).

Three long balls propel Mariners to a 7-6 win over A’s to open series in Seattle

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The Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriquez slugs a fifth inning single against the Oakland A’s at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Mon May 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Seattle Mariners welcomed the Oakland A’s to T-Mobile Park Monday night for three games. The Mariners dominated Oakland last year as they won 15 of the 19 games. Seattle continued their dominance as they won their 13th consecutive game over the A’s 7-6. 

The Mariners used the long ball to earn the victory. A’s starter, lefty Zach Logue, gave up three big flys to the M’s. Seattle’s centerfielder, Julio Rodriguez, blasted a three-run shot in the bottom of the third to give the M’s an early 3-0 advantage.

The A’s rallied to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Chad Pinder hit a solo homer to make it 3-1. With one out, catcher Sean Murphy doubled. First baseman Christian Bethancourt singled to send Murphy to third.

Kevin Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Murphy with the A’s second run. Bethancourt advanced to third when Elvis Andrus singled. Tony Kemp followed with a single to drive in Bethancourt with the inning’s third run.

The tie didn’t last long as Seattle put two more on the board in their half of the fourth. With one out, A’s starter Zach Logue walked Luis Torrens. Logue then served up a gopher ball to the M’s catcher Cal Raleigh to make it a 5-3 game.

The Mariners increased the lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Again, with one out, Logue walked Julio Rodriguez. The next hitter, Eugenio Suarez, took Logue deep. A’s manager removed Logue from the game. Domingo Acevedo came in from the bullpen and retired the next two hitters.

The A’s sent nine men to the plate in the top of the sixth. The A’s had four hits in the frame, and three men scored. The big hit was a double off the bat of rookie Cristian Pache. The A’s trail 7-6.

There was no more scoring in the game. The A’s relievers, A.J.Puk, Lou Trivino, and Sam Moll, kept the M’s bats quiet. The M’s bullpen did their job, too. The A’s bats went to sleep after the sixth as they wound up losing 7-6 to Seattle.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 17-27, ten games under .500. The Mariners improved to 18-25. 

The A’s have now lost 13 consecutive games to the Mariners. They hope to get back on the winning track Tuesday night. 

The time of the game was 3:24. There were 14, 415 fans in the park to watch the M’s take down the A’s. Starting pitchers on Tuesday night at T Mobile Field in Seattle for the A’s James Kaprielian (0-2 ERA 4.50) and for the Seattle Mariners George Kirby (0-1, 3.60) a 6:40 pm PDT first pitch.

Preview of A’s series with Los Angeles Angels starts Friday night at the Big A

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Every time the Los Angeles Angels win a game the halo shines on the Big A scoreboard in Anaheim. The visiting Oakland A’s will try and prevent that from happening on Fri May 20, 2022 as the A’s and Angels open a three game series. (file photo from Wikipedia)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (16-24) are going to the Big A in Anaheim to face the Los Angeles Angels (24-16) for three games this weekend. The A’s and Angels have been opponents since 1961 when the Angels entered the American League as an expansion team.

The A’s were in Kansas City at that time, but since 1968, they have become intrastate rivals. There is a natural rivalry between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles area. The two areas compete for economic as well as political power.

The sports teams also reflect the rivalry. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have been in California since both teams moved to California in 1958. The Dodger-Giant rivalry has been in existence since their days in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since 1968, not including this year, the A’s and Angels have played 832 games.

The A’s own the advantage 450-382, a winning percentage of .541. The A’s have made the playoffs six times since 2012. The Angels’ only appearance in the same period was in 2014. They lost in the AL Divisional round.

Things have changed in 2022. The A’s are in a rebuild mode. The A’s have revamped their lineup. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, Yusmeiro Petit, Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Yan Gomes are no longer with the club.

The A’s team batting average is one point below the Mendoza line. The team payroll is about 48 Million dollars, the second-lowest in Major League Baseball.

The A’s are 16-24 for the season. They are 6-14 at home and 10-10 on the road. The A’s are in fifth place in the AL West and trail the first-place Houston Astros by nine games.

The Angels are 24-16 and are just one game behind the Astros in the AL West. They are 12-7 at home and 12-9 on the road. The Angels have two MVPs on their roster. Their star centerfielder Mike Trout has won three MVPs so far in his career.

Shohei Ohtani won the MVP last year. Ohtani is a player that should be on every fan’s must-see list. Ohtani is hitting. 253 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. He leads the team in that category. As a starting pitcher, Ohtani is 2-3 with an ERA of 2.81. Trout is hitting .320 with 11 dingers and 23 RBIs.

The Angels have other stellar performers in their lineup. Rightfielder Tayor Ward has been a surprise this season. Ward is hitting .375 with nine big flies and 23 knocked in. Third Baseman, Anthony Rendon, has hit five balls out of the park and has 21 ribbies.

Other key performers are first baseman Jared Walsh and left-fielder Brandon Marsh. Walsh is hitting .248, with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. Marsh has an average of .282 with four homers and 22 RBIs. If they hope to get into the win column this weekend, the A’s pitchers will have to be at the top of their game.

The A’s Seth Brown leads Oakland with 18 RBIs. The A’s feature young players like Cristian Pache, Kevin Smith, and Sean Murphy in their lineup. Their veterans include journeymen like Chad Pinder, Tony Kemp, Stephen Piscotty, Christian Bethancourt, and Seth Brown.

The A’s bullpen has been remade. There are lots of new names out there. Pitchers like Justin Grimm, Kirby Snead, Sam Moll, and Domingo Acevedo. Last year’s closer, Lou Trivino, has been replaced by Dany Jimenez. Trivino has to regain his confidence if he hopes to get back as the closer.

The A’s will not be facing Ohtani or Noah Syndergaard this weekend. The Angels will use Chase Silseth on Friday, Michael Lorenzen on Saturday, and Patrick Sandoval on Sunday. The A’s pitchers will be Paul Blackburn on Friday and Frankie Montas on Saturday. The A’s have not announced a starter for Sunday’s game.

The A’s would love to spoil the Angels’ weekend. They will have to grind out the wins if they can. It won’t be easy, but as they say in baseball, you never know what will happen.