Author: rxslugger

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

Twins rout A’s 14-4 win three-game series two games to one at Coliseum

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The expression on the Chevron car on the Oakland Coliseum padded outfield wall kind of says it all about Wed May 18, 2022 game as Oakland A’s leftfielder Chad Pinder (10) can’t get a glove on the Minnesota Twins Luis Arraez’ double in the fourth inning. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Minnesota Twins (22-16) pummeled the Oakland A’s (16-24) to take two out of three from the A’s. Oakland’s starter Daulton Jefferies (1-7 ERA 5.72) gave up six runs in four innings of work.

A’s pitchers issued ten walks. The Twins strolled to an easy 14-4 win over Oakland. There were 26 hits in the game, and not one left the park.

The Twins got off to a hot start in the finale of the three-game set with the A’s. With one out, Twins’ first baseman Luis Arreaz single. Fresh off the 10-day IL, the next hitter Carlos Correa singled, sending Arreaz to third.

Jefferies struck out Jorge Polanco for the second out. Jefferies walked Max Kepler to load the bases. Jefferies now had the task of pitching to the power-hitting DH, Gary Sanchez. Sanchez worked the count 3-2.

With the runners going on the pitch, Sanchez blooped a broken-bat single onto a short leftfield to drive in Kepler with the Twins’ third run. The A’s, facing their former teammate Sonny Gray put one on the board in the bottom of the first.

With two out, Ramon Laureano doubled. First baseman Seth Brown singled to drive in Laureano with the A’s first run. The Twins led 3-1 after one inning of play.

The Twins added to their lead in the top of the third. With one out, Jefferies walked Jorge Polanco. Jefferies retired Kepler for the second out. The next hitter, Gary Sanchez, blasted a double to deep right-center-field to drive in Polanco.

The Twins lead 4-1 midway through the third. The A’s rallied in their half of the third to make it a 4-2 game. With two out, Seth Brown ripped a ball down the right-field line that went for a triple. The next batter, A’s catcher Christian Bethancourt, singled to drive in Brown.

The Twins continued to make life miserable for Jefferies. With two out in the top of the fourth, Jefferies walked Byron Buxton. Luis Arreaz, a left-handed-hitter, blasted a ball that went over A’s left fielder Chad Pinder’s head for a double to drive in Buxton with the Twins’ fifth run.

The onslaught didn’t end. Twins’ shortstop Carlos Correa doubled to drive in Arreaz. The score is now 6-2. A’s manager Mark Kotsay sent the word to the bullpen to get someone to get ready to relieve Jefferies.

A’s reliever Justin Grimm pitched a scoreless fifth. It wasn’t easy as the Twins had the bases loaded with one out. The A’s nailed the runner at home for the second out. Grimm got the final out 1-2 to end the inning.

The Twins broke the game open when they sent nine to the plate in the top of the sixth. Lefty Kirby Snead was on the hill for Oakland. Snead contributed to his downfall by walking the first two batters he faced. Snead gave up three hits and three walks that allowed the Twins to score five times. The Twinkies lead 11-2 midway through six.

Oakland added a run in the bottom of the seventh. Two singles and a player hit by a pitch loaded the bases with no out. Tony Kemp’s sacrifice fly to left drove in the A’s third run. The Twins are in the driver’s seat 11-3 after seven.

With two out in the eighth, Chad Pinder doubled off the wall in right field. Luis Barrera, playing right-field for the A’s, singled for the third time to drive in Ponder. The A’s trail 11-4.

Chad Pinder is on the mound to pitch the ninth for Oakland. It did not go well for Pinder and the A’s. Pinder walked three and gave up a single and double, and the Twins plated three more runs to own a 14-4 advantage as the A’s are batting for the last time. The A’s failed to score in the ninth. The Twins win 14-4.

Game Notes- The A’s fall to 16-24 for the year. The A’s have played about 25% of the season. If the A’s continue on this pace, they will win about 65 or 66 games this year. The Twins are now 22-16 and are first in the AL Central Division. The A’s reside in the AL West cellar.

Daulton Jefferies was the losing pitcher. His record is now 1-7. Former A’s pitcher Gray picked up the win. He is now 1-1.

The A’s line was four runs, 12 hits, and one error. The hitting star for Oakland was Luis Barrera with three hits. Seth Brown had a single and a triple. Kevin Smith added two hits.

The Twins line was 14 runs, 14 hits, and one error. They benefited from ten walks issued by the A’s. Eight of those who walked scored.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They meet the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim for three games this weekend. For Friday night’s tilt, Righty Paul Blackburn (4-0, ERA 1.67) will go for Oakland. The Angels’ Chase Silseth will oppose him. Silseth is 1-0, with a 0.00 ERA. First pitch at 6:38 pm PT.

The time of the game was 3:25. 7,106 fans watched the A’s get trounced at the Coliseum.

Preview of weekend series between Oakland A’s and Minnesota Twins

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The Minnesota Twins key hitter in the line up is Carlos Correa who could opt out of his contract after this season. The Twins are having a good run and chances are Correa could stay. Correa will be in the line up Fri May 6, 2022 against the Oakland A’s (photo from Puckett’s Pond)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (10-15) start an eight-game road trip with three games against the Minnesota Twins (15-10). The A’s will then travel to Detroit for five with the Tigers.

The A’s will have their hands full with the Twins. The Twinkies are currently in first place in the AL Central with a 15-10 record. The Twins started the season by losing eight of the first 13 games. Since then, they have won ten of the last 12.

They beat the White Sox three straight, then won three more from the Tigers. The Twins are finishing a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. So far, they have won two of the three games played.

Their manager, Rocco Baldelli, is in his fourth year as skipper. The Twins hired former San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler to be their bench coach. The Twins made a couple of trades to bolster their pitching and offense in the off-season.

The Twins acquired former A’s starter, Sonny Gray, from the Cincinnati Reds. Gray is currently on the 10-day IL. The big trade was sending Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the New York Yankees for catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela.

Another key acquisition was Carlos Correa. Correa’s contract was for three years and 105 million dollars. Correa can opt-out after the 2022 or 2023 season.

The Twins starting rotation does not have a lefty starter. All their starters are right-handed. They include Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, and Chris Paddack.

The bullpen features a couple of relievers that once worked for the A’s. Emilio Pagan was with the A’s in 2018. Former A’s manager Bob Melvin called lefty Danny Coulombe out of the bullpen for three years from 2016 to 2018.

The Twins bullpen will use Tyler Duffey, the well-traveled Joe Smith, lefty Caleb Thielbar, Josh Winder, Cody Stashak, and Griffin Jax. Jhoan Duran has become a stalwart in the Twins bullpen. He is 0-0 with an ERA of 3.00 and has one save.

The former Yankee, Gary Sanchez, has settled in as the Twins catcher. Sanchez is off to a slow start. The slugger has only one homer and nine RBIs so far. Ryan Jeffers is the other Twins backstop. Miranda and Arreaz can fill in at all the other infield positions. Jose Miranda is a cousin of Lin-Manual Miranda.

Longtime Twin infielder, Jose Polanco, will be at second base. Carlos Correa will handle the shortstop chores, and Gio Urshela will be at third base.

The Twins will have Trevor Larnach in left-field. Larnach is hitting .300 with no home runs and seven RBIs. The Twins’ will start outfielder, Byron Buxton, will be in center. Buxton is hitting .290 with seven homers and 13 RBIs. Max Kepler will be in right. Kepler is hitting. 240 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. Kepler can move over to center if Buxton is the DH.

The A’s are struggling right now. Oakland has lost six straight. They were 0-6 at home for the first time since 1956, when they were known as the Kansas City Athletics. The A’s have lost nine of the last eleven games and are 10-15.

In the last eleven games, the A’s have scored more than two runs three times. They scored three in a game against Cleveland but still lost. In another game against the Guardians, Oakland lost 9-8. They scored seven against the Tampa Bay Rays but lost 10-7 in ten innings.

The offense in the other eight games produced eight runs. A’s manager Mark Kotsay has to find a way to get the offense going. During the 162 game season, teams will go into a slump. Teams will have hot streaks. Sometimes the offense is not going well, but the pitching is good. Sometimes the hitting is producing, but the pitching has gone south. Sometimes, both are going well and vice versa. The manager’s job is to figure out the lineups that will produce wins.

It will be a bid series for both teams. The Twins want to continue their winning ways. The A’s want their hitting to improve and the relievers to perform better. The A’s will send left hander Cole Irvin to the Hill on Friday. Irvin is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He had some soreness in his shoulder after his last start.

The A’s have not announced that he will be scratched. On Saturday, righty James Kaprielian will make his second campaign start. Kaprielian had a rough outing in his last appearance. Kaprielian relies on pinpoint control. He could not locate his pitches and had an early exit from the game. Daulton Jefferies will go for Oakland on Sunday. The Twins have not announced any of their starters.

The series should be a good one. The A’s and Twins have had an intense rivalry for many years. From 1987 to 1991, The Twins went to the World Series in 1987 and 1991 and won both. The A’s won three consecutive AL Pennants in 1988, 1989, and 1990. They won the 1989 World Series. The season has a long way to go. Let us hope the A’s can right the ship and start getting some wins.

Rays send A’s down to their sixth loss in a row; Oakland shutout at Coliseum 3-0

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Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena slides home to score against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 4, 2022 (AP News photo)

BY Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Tampa Bay Rays (15-10) beat the Oakland A’s (10-15) 3-0 to sweep the three-game series. The A’s suffered their sixth loss in a row and have lost nine of their last eleven games. The team continues not to hit well.

The A’s had four hits on Wednesday afternoon. Seth Brown had the hardest-hit ball when he tripled in the bottom of the second. 

The game was scoreless for seven innings. The A’s ace, Frankie Montas, was dominant. He went seven innings and allowed four hits and no runs. His opponent, former two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber pitched a masterful six innings.

Kluber looked like the dominant pitcher he was when he pitched in Cleveland. Kluber’s line was six innings, three hits, and no runs. He threw just 64 pitches.

One of the adages in baseball is that good teams find a way to win. Bad teams find a way to lose. The A’s found a way to lose Wednesday afternoon. The Rays put three runs on the board as the A’s reliever Zach Jackson walked two, hit a batter, and gave up a single.

The Rays’ third run scored on a balk. The results are bad when teams have trouble scoring runs and the relievers aren’t performing well. The game summary follows below.

The Rays put three runs on the board in the top of the eighth with just one hit. In relief of Frenkie Montas, Zach Jackson walked Brett Phillips to start the frame. Phillips went to second on a wild pitch. Jackson retired Yandy Diaz for the first out.

Phillips went to third on the play. The next hitter Wander Franco struck out. Jackson walked Randy Arozarena and hit Brandon Lowe with a pitch to load the bases with two out. The Rays’ Manuel Margot singled to right-field to drive in Phillips and Arozarena.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Domingo Acevedo to pitch with men on at first and third. The Rays plated the third run when a balk was called on Acevedo. The Rays lead 3-0 midway through the eighth inning. The Rays’ bullpen shut the A’s down in the eighth and ninth innings to win the game 3-0.

Game Notes: The A’s ended the six-game homestand 0-6. The A’s are 10-15 for the year with the loss. The Rays are 15-10. The winning pitcher for Tampa was J.P.Feyereisen. Zach Jackson was the losing pitcher. 

The A’s are off on Thursday as they are traveling to Minneapolis to face the Twins for three games starting Friday night. Left Cole Irvin will itch for Oakland. Irvin is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA. The Twins have not announced their starting pitcher. 

The time of the game was two hours and thirty-nine minutes, and there were 4838 people present to watch the A’s lose.

Preview of A’s series with Cleveland Guardians; Oakland coming off two game split with San Francisco

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Oakland A’s second baseman Tony Kemp (5) completes a double play after retiring the sliding San Francisco Giant Brandon Crawford (35) at second base in the bottom of the second inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco Wed Apr 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s return home to face the Cleveland Guardians for three games. The A’s split the two-game set with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Chad Pinder’s leadoff home run was the only run scored in the game. The A’s hope their offense wakes up as the team has had a hard time putting runs on the board in their last five games.

The Guardians, managed by Terry Francona, got off to a good start starting the season at 7-5. However, the team has lost six in a row and are playing the Los Angeles Angels Thursday afternoon in Anaheim. With a record of 7-11, the Guardians are in fourth place in the A.L. Central Division. Francona is hoping to get a win over the Angels before heading to Oakland this weekend.

The pitching probables for the series will see the A’s sending their ace, Frankie Montas, to the mound. Montas is 2-2 for the year with an ERA of 3.28. Montas pitched well against the Texas Rangers last week, but the A’s offense failed to give him any support.

Aaron Civale will go for Cleveland. Civale is 0-2 with an ERA of 9.58. For his career, Civale is 19-17 and has a career ERA of 3.99. On Saturday, Lefty Cole Irvin will be seeking his third win of the season. Irvin is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA.

Irvin has pitched well in his last two starts. 2020’s Cy Young award winner, Shane Bieber, will go for Cleveland. Bieber is 1-1 with an ERA of 3.27. Bieber is 42-19 lifetime and has a career ERA of 3.27. Neither team has announced their starting pitcher for Sunday’s game.

Key players on Cleveland’s roster are first baseman Owen Miller, second baseman Andres Gimenez, third baseman Jose Ramirez, left fielder Steven Kwan, center fielder Myles Straw, right fielder Josh Naylor, and designated hitter Franmill Reyes. Miller, Gimenez, Ramirez, Kwan, and Naylor are all hitting over .300.

The A’s offense has gone south in the last five games. The A’s have scored just six runs in these five games. Cole Irvin beat the Rangers 2-0 last Sunday, and Paul Blackburn and the A’s bullpen shut out the Giants 1-0 on Wednesday.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay has to be pleased with the bullpen’s work. Dany Jimenz has recorded four saves. Domingo Aceveda, A.J.Puk, Kirby Snead, Sam Moll, Zach Jackson, and Justin Grimm performed well.

The series will see two teams that do not have a lot of familiar names. It will be an opportunity for the fans to see how the new A’s roster performs against many new Cleveland players.

The A’s would like to win at least two of the three games before meeting the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. On Saturday, the A’s will have their work cut out for them as they face Shane Bieber. It should be a fun series.

Preview of A’s series with San Francisco Giants; Two game series begins Tuesday night at Oracle Park

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Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay pictured here during 2022 Spring Training Cactus League will lead the A’s into Oracle Park in San Francisco for a two game series beginning Tue Apr 26, 2022 (photo from the San Francisco Chronicle)

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO–After playing 17 straight games, the Oakland A’s have a day off on Monday to rest up before facing the San Francisco Giants in the annual Battle of the Bay interleague series. The A’s were 9-8 in that stretch and surprised many baseball experts.

Many still think the youthful A’s will end up near the bottom of the standings in the AL West. A’s manager Mark Kotsay doesn’t feel that way. He knows he has some talent on his team, and he implores his players never to quit.

The young A’s have quite a task ahead of them. They have to find a way to make up for the loss of key players such as Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Starling Marte, and pitchers Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea.

This past weekend, the A’s offense was nearly non-existent in the series with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers took two out of three from Oakland. Cole Irvin’s great pitching helped the A’s earn a win in Sunday’s game.

The A’s lineup will feature catcher Sean Murphy. Either Billy McKinney or Christian Bethancourt will play first base. McKinney can also play in the outfield, and Bethancourt can also catch. Tony Kemp has been busy for Oakland this season.

Kemp is usually at second base. He has played several games as the left fielder. Christian Lopes or Nick Allen are backup choices to play second. Elvis Andrus will be at shortstop. A’s manager Mark Kotsay will use Nick Allen to backup Andrus. Sheldon Neuse will be at third base.

Neuse can play other infield positions, too. Rookie Cristian Pache will be in centerfield. Stephen Piscotty is off the IL and will resume his position in right field. Chad Pinder is on the IL. Ramon Laureano, currently serving a 27-game suspension for using a banned substance, will be eligible to return to the A’s on May 8th.

The A’s bullpen is a work in progress. Yusmeiro Petit, who was a stalwart in the bullpen, is gone. Lefty Jake Diekman now works for the Boston Red Sox. Sergio Romo left as a free agent. Lou Trivino, the closer, is on the 10-day IL.

Dany Jimenez has the job for the time being. The new names in the bullpen are righties Domingo Acevedo and Dany Jimenez. The A’s have four left relievers. They are A.J.Puk, Kirby Snead, Sam Moll, and Adam Kolarek.

The Giants swept the Washington Nationals three straight in the Nation’s Capitol. The Giants have started the season and are 11-5 this season. The Giants are playing a one-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee Monday before returning home to face the A’s for two games starting Tuesday night.

The Giants, who won a team record 107 games last year, had most of their key personnel return for the 2022 season. However, several of their key players are on the injured list. They include third baseman Evan Longoria, second baseman Tommy LaStella, outfielder La Monte Wade, Jr, Steven Duggar, Mike Yastrzemski, and pitchers Anthony DeSclafini, Alex Cobb, and Matthew Boyd.

Giants’ manager Gabe Kapler is fortunate to have players on his squad who can play different positions. Wilmer Flores, Darin Ruf, Austin Slater, and Mauricio Dubon all can play well at different positions in the Giants’ lineup.

The Giants signed Palo Alto product Joc Pederson to a one-year deal. Pederson, a member of two World Series championship teams, the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, has started the season well. He has hit five dingers and is hitting over .300.

Even with all the players on the IL, the Giants can put a very good lineup on the field. Brandon Belt, the Captain, will be at first base. Thairo Estrada will be at second. Brandon Crawford, who won the Gold Glove last year, will be at shortstop, and Wilmer Flores will play third base. Joc Pederson will be in left field, Austin Slater in center, and Darin Ruf in right field.

The probable pitchers for the two-game series look to be righty Daulton Jefferies going for Oakland Tuesday night. Jefferies has pitched well in the early going. He is 1-2 and owns a sparkling 1.17 ERA. The Giants’ lefty, Carlos Rodon, has also been impressive.

Rodon, who came over to San Francisco as a free agent from the Chicago White Sox, is 2-0 with a minuscule ERA of 1.06. He has struck out 29 hitters, too.

The A’s Paul Blackburn will pitch Wednesday night. Blackburn is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The Giants have not announced their starter yet. The Giants have three starters on the IL right now.

The teams are meeting very early in the season. They usually don’t meet until later. Nevertheless, it should be an entertaining set. There will be a lot of fans in the seats at Oracle Park. The first game of the series will start at 6:45 pm Tuesday.

Rangers take opener of three-game set with A’s 8-1

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Oakland A’s reliever Sam Selman (40) delivers in relief against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Apr 22, 2022 (photo from Oakland A’s twitter)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s welcomed the lowly Texas Rangers to Ring Central Coliseum Friday night to start a three-game weekend series. Texas Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward was hoping to have his team upset the A’s applecart in the opening game of the series.

Despite their acquisition of star players Corey Seager and former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien, the Rangers started the season with a record of 3-9. On the other hand, Oakland surprised the league and came into the game with an 8-6 record.

However, as the fans know, baseball is a strange game. Anything can happen on any given night. Poor teams can beat the better ones. That is what happened at the Coliseum Friday night. In the second inning, the Rangers put a five-spot on the board as they coasted to an easy 8-1 victory.

A’s manager sent righty Adam Oller to the hill. Oller was looking for his first win of the year. The Rangers had Glenn Otto handling the pitching chores. Oller was hoping to pitch better to keep his spot in the rotation.

His hopes faded in the top of the second when the Rangers put five runs on the board. Adolis Garcia got things going for Texas when he reached on an infield single. Rangers’ first baseman, Nate Lowe, sent Oller’s offering over the wall in center.

The blast traveled 387 feet to give the Rangers an early 2-0 lead. Oller retired Kole Calhoun for the first out. The next batter, Andy Ibanez, made it 3-0 when he hit a 390-foot blast over the fence in left field. Oller’s problems were not over.

He walked Rangers DH Willie Calhoun. Former A’s catcher Jonah Heim doubled, sending Calhoun to third. Shortstop Brad Miller drove in Calhoun on an infield single. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien drove in Heim with a sacrifice fly. The Rangers lead 5-0 midway through the second inning.

The A’s managed to put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With two out, back-to-back doubles by Sean Murphy and Seth Brown produced the only run of the game for Oakland. The two doubles were the only hits the A’s could muster Friday night. The A’s trail 5-1 after four.

There was no more scoring in the game until the top of the ninth. Adam Kolarek was now pitching for Oakland. The Rangers nailed him for three hits and three runs as they made it an 8-1 game. Rangers’ reliever Garrett Richard set the A’s down in order in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win for Texas.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 8-7. The Rangers improved to 4-9.

Adam Oller was the losing pitcher. His record is now 0-2, and he owns an 11.70 ERA. Glenn Otto earned his first win of the season. Otto and Oller were high school classmates at Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas.

The A’s announced that they would retire Dave Stewart’s number 34 in a ceremony at the Coliseum on September 11th, 2022. Stewart won 119 games over eight seasons, pitching 49 complete games, and nine shutouts while compiling an ERA of 3.63. 

The A’s will send their ace, Frankie Montas, to the mound Saturday afternoon. Montas is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.63. Lefty Martin Perez (0-2, ERA 6.75) will go for Texas. The game will start at 1:07 pm.

A’s down O’s take three out of four from Baltimore in 6-4 win

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The Oakland A’s Sean Murphy (12) forearm bashes teammate Tony Kemp (5) after belting a two run home run as Baltimore Orioles catcher Anthony Bemboom (right) can only watch at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Apr 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s rebounded from a tough 1-0 loss Wednesday night to down the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Thursday afternoon by four runs. The A’s won the four-game series three games to one. A’s starter Paul Blackburn won his second game of the year.

He went five innings and allowed no runs and just three hits. Blackburn struck out four and did not walk a batter. He threw 62 pitches. Here’s how the A’s did it.

The A’s put the game’s first run on the board in the top of the third. Rookie centerfielder Cristian Pache sent Tyler Wells’ 2-2 pitch 381 feet over the leftfield wall. For Pache, it was his second dinger of the season. With one out, Tony Kemp doubled.

The A’s third baseman, Sheldon Neuse, followed with a single to drive in Kemp with the A’s second run. Sean Murphy ended Wells’ day when he singled to put two on with two out. Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde brought in Joe Krehbiel to get the final two outs of the frame. The A’s lead 2-0 at the end of three complete.

The Orioles’ offense made the game a wee bit closer in the top of the fifth. O’s first baseman Ryan Mountcastle started the rally with a single. A’s starter Paul Blackburn retired Rougned Odor for the first out.

The next hitter, O’s right fielder Austin Hays doubled to drive in Mountcastle. Blackburn retired the next two hitters to end the threat. The A’s came back in their half of the inning to put two more on the board. With one out, Tony Kemp singled to get the rally going.

O’s reliever, lefty Keegan Akin, retired Sheldon Neuse for the second out. The next hitter, A’s catcher Sean Murphy, blasted Akin’s first pitch 411 feet over the wall in left field to give the A’s a 4-1 advantage after five innings.

The Orioles rallied to plate two runs in the top of the seventh. Ryan McKenna to start the rally. A’s reliever Justin Grimm nailed Ryan Mountcastle with a pitch to put two men on with no out. The O’s Rougned Odor singled to drive in Mountcastle. Austin Hays followed with a single to make it 4-3.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Domingo Acevedo to pitch. Acevedo retired the next three hitters to get put the fire out. The A’s maintain a narrow 4-3 advantage halfway through the seventh.

The A’s answered by pushing two more runs across the plate in their half of the seventh. With one out, rookie Nick Allen, who made his Major League debut Tuesday night, doubled for his first hit in baseball.

O’s reliever Dillon Tate retired Tony Kemp for the second out. Sheldon Neuse followed with his third hit of the game to drive in Allen. The next hitter, Sean Murphy, doubled to drive in Neuse with the A’s sixth run. Oakland leads 6-3.

The O’s refused to go quietly into the night. O’s centerfielder Cedric Mullins led off the eighth with a double. He went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly. The A’s failed to score in their half of the eighth. The A’s still lead 6-4.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are 6-4. The Orioles’ record is 4-9.

The hitting stars for the A’s were Sheldon Neuse, Sean Murphy, Tony Kemp, and Cristian Pache. Neuse had a double and two singles and drove in two runs. Murphy had a single double and a home run. Murphy drove in three. Tony Kemp had two hits. Cristian Pache also homered. For Pache, it was his second of the season.

A’s reliever Dany Jimenez recorded his second save as he set the O’s down in order in the ninth.

Oakland’s line score was six runs, eleven hits, and one error. Baltimore’s line was four runs, seven hits, and no errors.

The A’s meet the Texas Rangers for three games starting Friday night. Adam Oller (0-1 ERA 13.50) will pitch for the A’s, and Spencer Howard (0-0 ERA 18.00) for the Rangers will oppose him.

The time of the game Thursday was 2:50 today’s attendance 4,429 fans watched the A’s win their eighth game.

Irvin’s strong effort leads A’s to third win in four games Rays 6-3

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Oakland A’s Cristian Pache hustles around third as he’s waved in by third base coach Darren Bush in the top of the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Thu Apr 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (4-3) downed the Tampa Bay Rays (4-3) 6-3 Thursday afternoon at Tropicana Field. The A’s starter, Cole Irvin, gave the A’s six and one-third innings and held the potent Rays’ lineup in check. The A’s won the series three games to one.

Winning three out of four from Tampa is no easy task. The Rays are loaded with terrific young players like Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe, Brett Phillips, and Kevin Kiermaier.

They are a tough bunch to hold in check. Yet, the A’s pitchers did well as they are now 4-3 for the year. This weekend, the A’s are winging their way to Toronto to face another formidable lineup.

For the fourth game in a row, the A’s jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. In the first three games, A’s hitters slugged a three-run dinger. They used a different formula to put the three runs on the board on Thursday.

A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus continued his hot start with a single to left. Kevin Smith followed with a single, his first hit of the year. Rays’ starter, Josh Fleming, retired Austin Allen for the second out. A’s centerfielder, Cristian Pache, singled to left-center. Rays’ left fielder, Randy Arozarena, attempted to cut the ball off from going into the gap in left-centerfield.

As he was sliding, the ball kicked off his foot and was to the wall. Kevin Kiermaier chased the ball down. He had trouble getting a good grip on the ball, which allowed the speedy Pache to score. The A’s led 3-0 midway through the second inning.

The Rays got one back in the half of the second. Randy Arozarena, trying to atone for his miscue, doubled leading off the frame. Brandon Lowe singled, sending Arozarena to third with no out. Manuel Margot singled to drive in Arozarena with the Rays’ first run. Cole Irvin retired Mike Zunino on a flyball to rightfield.

The Rays’ runners tagged and attempted to advance a base. Lowe made it safely to third. Billy McKinney’s strong throw to Elvis Andrus nailed Margot at second base. Umpire Jerry Lane was knocked to the ground as he watched the play to make the call. Lane got up and signaled that Margot was out. Cole retired Kiermaier for the third out. The A’s led 3-1 after two complete.

In the third, fourth, and fifth innings, the A’s added a run to take a 6-1 advantage. In the third, a single by Chad Pinder and a booming double by Sean Murphy produced the A’s fourth run.

In the fourth, the A’s loaded the bases with a walk to Smith, Pache’s infield single, and a walk to Tony Kemp. Pinder grounded out. Smith scored on the play. The A’s loaded the bases in the fifth. The run scored when Kevin Smith hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

In the meantime, Cole Irvin found his groove. The. Lefty mowed down 14 Rays’ hitters in a row. The streak ended when Rays’ DH Harold Ramirez doubled to lead off the seventh. Cole retired Randy Arozarena for the first out.

Brandon Lowe showed the A’s why he is one of the better hitters in the Rays’ lineup. The second baseman sent one of Irvin’s offerings into the seats in right field to close the gap to 6-3. A’s manager Mark Kotsay saw enough. He brought in Domingo Acevedo to pitch. Acevedo did his job as he struck out Mike Zunino and Kevin Kiermaier to end the seventh.

A.J. Puk held the Rays scoreless in the eighth, and Dany Jimenez earned his first-career save to preserve the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are 4-3. The Rays’ record dropped to 4-3.
Irvin was the winning pitcher. His record is now 1-1. He went six and one-third innings, allowing five hits and three runs. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. The Rays’ Josh Fleming took the loss. He is now 1-1. Fleming went three and one-third innings and allowed seven hits and five runs. Only three of the runs were earned.

A’s catcher Sean Murphy had two doubles in the game. The line for Oakland was six runs, nine hits, and one error. The line for Tampa was three runs, six hits, and one very costly error.

The A’s start a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays starting Friday night in Toronto. The A’s will send Daulton Jeffries to the hill to face a formidable Toronto offense. The Blue Jays will feature Vladimir Guerrero, Jr, Bo Bichitte, and George Springer. It will not be easy. The Blue Jays’ starter will be Ross Stripling. The game will start at 4:07 pm.

The time of the game was 2:33 minutes. 6,287 fans watched the Rays lose for the third time in the four-game series. The total number of people that watched the four-game series was about 35,000. Despite their success on the field, the Rays continue to draw poorly. They, as well as the A’s, need a new ballpark. Hopefully, both teams will get a new stadium, The sooner, the better.

A’s down Rays 4-2 behind Frankie Montas’ great effort; A’s lead series 2-1

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Oakland Athletics’ Sean Murphy (12) get congratulated by Jed Lowrie (8) after Murphy’s three run third inning blast off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Wed Apr 13, 2022 (AP NEWS PHOTO)

By Jerry Feitelberg

On Wednesday evening, the Oakland A’s (3-3) sent their ace, Frankie Montas, to the hill to face the Tampa Bay Rays (4-2) at Tropicana Field. The A’s hoped to rebound from a loss Tuesday night to the Rays.

The A’s made three errors in that game, and A’s skipper Mark Kotsay wanted them to correct their ways. The Rays, winners of the AL East in 2019 and 2021, and playing the Dodgers in the World Series in 2020. The Rays, much like the A’s, are a small market team and do not draw well.

Their front office operates similar to the A’s. They do not have a huge payroll. They trade their expensive players for prospects. They develop pitchers as well as position players. Their young players include Brandon Lowe, Wander o, Rookie of the Year for 2021, and Randy Arozarena.

Add in Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Manuel Margot, and Kevin Kiermaier, and one can see how the Rays have been built into a contender. Montas’ task was to shut down the Rays’ potent lineup. Frankie came through for his club.

He earned his first win of the season as he went six and one-third innings and allowed five hits and two runs. One of the runs was unearned. The A’s won the game 4-2 to even their record for 2021 at 3-3.

The A’s offense put three runs on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Rays’ starter Shane McClanahan walked Jed Lowrie and Stephen Piscotty. The next hitter, Sean Murphy, homered to put the A’s in the lead. For the third consecutive game, the A’s grabbed a 3-0 lead on the strength of a three-run dinger.

The Rays put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi, a very hot hitter, hit a solo blast leading off the Rays’ half of the fourth. Montas settled down and retired the next three hitters.

The A’s added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Shortstop Elvis Andrus continued his hot start with a double to left. Rays’ reliever Dusten Knight retired the next two hitters. A’s centerfielder, Cristian Pache, who came to Oakland from Atlanta in the trade for Matt Olson, singled to drive in Andrus with the A’s fourth run of the night.

Tampa scored an unearned run in their half of the seventh. Yandy Diaz led off the frame with a single. He went to second on an error by second baseman Sheldon Neuse. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in lefty Kirby Snead to pitch.

Snead gave up a hit to Rays catcher Francisco Mejia. Taylor Walls, pinch-running for Diaz, scored on the play. The A’s led 4-2 after seven.

Zach Jackson pitched a scoreless eighth for the A’s, and Lou Trivino shut the Rays down in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are 3-3. The A’s have earned at least a split of the four-game series. Game four will start at 10:10 am. Lefty Cole Irvin will go for Oakland, and the Rays’ have yet to announce their starting pitcher.

A’s catcher Sean Murphy hit his first home run of the year. He had 17 big flys last year. Montas is now 1-1 for the year.

The time of the game was three hours and one minute. Attendance at Tropicana Field continues to be dismal. Only 8954 people were on hand to see the A’s down the Rays.

Rays outlast A’s 9-8 in ten innings; Series at Tropicana tied at 1-1

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Tampa Bay Rays’ Manuel Margot, center, is congratulated by teammates hitting an RBI walkoff single off Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino in the bottom of the tenth inning at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Tue Apr 12, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Tampa Bay Rays (4-1) downed the Oakland A’s (2-3) 9-8 in ten innings Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The game moved at the speed of a glacier as it took four hours and 13 minutes to play.

The game featured two pitchers making their Major League debuts. Neither pitcher fared well. Rays’ starter Tommy Romero went one and two-thirds innings. He allowed three runs, three hits, and walked five. The A’s starter, Adam Oller, lasted one and one-third innings. His line was five runs, five hits, three walks, and he gave up two home runs.

The A’s jumped off to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Romero walked the first two batters he faced. A’s DH, Jed Lowrie, blasted his first homer of the year to make it 3-0. The Rays’ leadoff hitter, Brandon Lowe, homered to make it 3-1.

Tampa put four on the board in the bottom of the second. Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino doubled to start the rally. Zunino went to third on Oller’s throwing error. Second baseman Taylor Wall singled to drive in Zunino.

Brandon Lowe walked to put two men on with no out. Oller retired Wander Franco for the first out. Rays’ first baseman Ji-Man Choi put Oller’s pitch into the seats in right field to put the Rays ahead 5-3. Oller’s night was over.

In the bottom of the third, with Jacob Lemoine on the mound for Oakland, Brett Phillips sent Lemoine’s pitch into the stands to make it 6-3.

The A’s offense woke up from its slumber to put a run on the board. With two out and Seth Brown at second, Stephen Piscotty reached on an infield single. Brown, running hard, appeared to be thrown out at the plate. Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino had trouble holding onto the ball.

Brown slid in safely. The A’s trail 6-4. The Rays regained the three-run advantage in their half of the sixth. Wander Franco led off with a triple. Ji-Man Choi reached on an infield single. Franco was held at third. Unfortunately for the A’s, second baseman Tony Kemp could not handle Randy Arozarena’s ground ball. Kemp’s error allowed Franco to score. The score after six was 7-4 Rays.

The A’s refused to quit. With two out in the top of the seventh, the A’s plated three runs to tie the score. The fifth Rays’ pitcher of the night, Ralph Garza, walked Lowrie and Sean Murphy. Seth Brown singled to drive in Lowrie. Chad Pinder’s fly ball to rightfield went over Manuel Margot’s head and bounced up against the wall for a double. Murphy and Brown scored and tied the game at 7-7.

Neither team could score in the eighth or ninth innings. The game went into extra innings. The A’s scored a run to take the lead 8-7. Chad Pinder was the ghost runner at second base to start the tenth. A’s first baseman, Billy McKinney, singled to drive in Pinder.

The Rays’ Brandon Lowe was the ghost runner in the bottom of the tenth. Lou Trivino was now pitching for Oakland. Trivino had to face a tough customer in the person of Wander Franco. The young superstar doubled to drive in Lowe and tie the game.

Trivino retired Randy Arozarena for the first out. The A’s put Josh Lowe on first to set up a possible inning-ending double play. The strategy was for naught as Manuel Margot ended the game with a single to drive in Franco. The Rays win 9-8.

Game Notes- The A’s are 2-3 for the year with the loss. The Rays improved to 4-1. The A’s used eight pitchers, the Rays six. The Rays’ pitchers handed out nine free passes plus a hit batter. The A’s pitchers issued eight.

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, eight hits, and three errors. Tampa’s line was nine runs, 13 hits, and one error.

The time of the game was 4:17. Attendance was a paltry 7588 people in the stands. Neither team draws well at home.

Game three of the four-game series will start at 3:40m pm on Wednesday. Going for Oakland right hander Frankie Montas 0-1 ERA 9.00 for Tampa Bay Shane McClanahan 0-0 ERA 0.00.