Author: rxslugger

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

A’s rout Indians 17-0; Moreland belts two homers

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Oakland A’s Mike Moreland gets congratulations from teammates in the A’s dugout after belting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians on Thu Aug 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s completed a three-game sweep over the Cleveland Indians as they routed the Tribe 17-0. The A’s did not have to have late-inning rallies to win on Thursday as the Indians’ pitchers had trouble throwing strikes. Five Cleveland pitchers walked ten A’s hitters and hit three batters. Eight of the players that walked scored.

The A’s got the laugher going when they scored three runs in the second inning on just one hit. Indians’ starter, Eli Morgan, hit Mitch Moreland with a pitch. The next hitter, Josh Harrison, walked. A’s catcher Sean Murphy doubled to drive in Moreland And Harrison to take an early 2-0 lead.

Morgan walked Matt Chapman to put two men on with no out. Morgan then retired Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus. Morgan got Mark Canha to hit a ground ball to the shortstop Amed Rosario. Chapman, running on the pitch, beat Rosario’s throw to second to load the bases. Morgan hit Starling Marte with a pitch to force in Murphy with the A’s third run of the inning.

The A’s scored two more in the fourth. Morgan walked Chapman for the second time to start the fourth. With one out, Andrus single sent Chappie to third. Mark Canha’s ground out plated Chappie with the A’s fourth run of the game. Andrus was safe at second. He scored on Starling Marte’s double to left. The A’s lead 5-0 after four.

The onslaught continued in the fifth. Mitch Moreland led off the fifth with a solo blast into the seats in right field. The A’s put four more on the board to take a commanding 10-0 lead. Justin Garza was now pitching for the Indians. Garza faced three batters and walked all three. Indians skipper, DeMArlo, Hale, had seen enough. He brought in lefty Francisco Perez to pitch.

Perez was making his Major League debut. He retired Seth Brown for the first out. Perez walked Andrus to force in Tony Kemp with the A’s seventh run. Mark Canha’s fly ball to right was not deep enough to allow Murphy to tag and score. Starling Marte singled to drive in Chapman. Matt Olson singled to plate two more.

The A’s onslaught continued in the sixth as they scored twice. In the eighth, four hits produced four more runs. Mark Canha’s double scored two, and Stephen Piscotty’s single added two more. The final run of the game came in the ninth on Moreland’s second dinger of the game. The A’s win 17-0.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s line was 17 runs, 14 hits, and one error. The A’s pitchers held the Indians to three hits and no runs. Chris Bassitt was the winning pitcher. He is now 12-3 for the year, and his ERA dropped to 3.06. He threw 81 pitches. A.J. Puk, Adolis Guerra, and Jake Diekman each pitched a scoreless inning for Oakland. Eli Morgan was the losing pitcher. He went four innings, allowed three hits and five runs.

Matt Chapman tied an Oakland record with five walks. Matt scored three times. Mark Canha hit one hit and three RBIs. Starling Marte had a single and double. He, too, had three ribbies. Mitch Moreland blasted two bombs, and he scored three times.

It was the fifteenth time in Moreland’s career with two or more homers in a game. Tony Kemp, who entered the game in the second inning, had three hits, two RBIs, and scored three times. Seam Murphy’s day included two hits, two RBIs, and three runs. It was quite a day for the Oakland offense.

It was the eleventh shutout of the year for the A’s pitching staff. It was the largest shutout ever in the A’s history.

The A’s are going to Arlington Texas, to face the Rangers for three games. Friday night’s pitching matchups will see Cole Irvin (8-10, 3.45 ERA) going for Oakland and Dane Dunning. (5-7,4.07 ERA) pitching for Texas. The game will start at 5:10 pm.

Lowrie’s three-run blast powers A’s to 6-3 win over Cleveland

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Oakland A’s Jed Lowrie blasts three run homer in the top of the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Wed Aug 11, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (66-48) downed the Cleveland Indians (55-57) 6-3 Wednesday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Rain delayed the start of a game by about an hour. The teams met for the fifth time this year. All of the games so far have been decided by one or two runs.

It was the same story for the first six innings. The A’s starter, Frankie Montas, had a rough start as he gave up two runs in the first inning. Montas gave up a single in the second, and from that point on until he exited after the sixth, he did not allow a hit and kept the Indians off the board.

Cleveland’s starter Cal Quantrill dazzled the A’s for the first six innings of the game. The A’s managed two hits and no runs. Things changed in the seventh. The offense woke up, and the A’s would win their sixth straight game 6-3.

The Indians grav=bbed an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Bradley Zimmer got things going for Cleveland with a single. With one out, Montas walked Jose Ramirez to put men on at first and second. Jed Lowrie fielded Franmill Reyes’ grounder.

Lowrie stepped on second to retire Ramirez. His throw to first got past Matt Olson. Zimmer scored on the play. Reyes went to second. Harold Ramirez followed with a single to drive in Reyes to give Cleveland the lead 2-0.

Both pitchers were in control. Quantrill held the A’s scoreless for the first six innings. The A’s had two hits. Montas kept the Indians scoreless for his last five innings of work.

Things changed in the top of the seventh. Jed Lowrie walked to start the rally. Former Indians’ catcher, Yan Gomes, singled, sending Lowrie to third. Cleveland Skipper, DeMarlo Hale, brought in Bryan Shaw to pitch. A’s DH, Mitch Moreland, grounded out. Lowrie scored on the play.

Gomes advanced to second. Matt Chapman singled to drive in Gomes with the tying run. The score was 2-2 midway through the seventh.

Bob Melvin brought in lefty Jake Diekman to work the seventh. Jake retired the first two hitters he faced. The next hitter, Myles Straw, walked. Oscar Mercado doubled to drive in Straw with Cleveland’s third run of the night. 

Nick Sandlin was the new Indians’ pitcher for the eighth inning. A’s shortstop tied the game with his third big fly of the season. Sandlin hit the next batter, Mark Canha, with a pitch. Starling Marte singled to put two men on with no out. DeMarlo Hale brought in Trevor Stephan to pitch.

He stuck out Matt Olson for the first out. Jed Lowrie committed an error in the first inning that allowed a run to score atoned for his sin by blasting a three-run dinger to the right. The A’s regained the lead 6-3. 

A’s reliever Sergio Romo continued to weave his magic as he set the Indians down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth. A’s closer gave up a hit in the ninth but would secure the win for the A’s. The A’s win 6-3. It was Trivino’s 19th save of the year.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 69-45 for the year. Houston won on Wednesday night. That means the A’s remain two games behind the Astros in the race for first place in the AL West. 

Hitting starts for Oakland were Jed Lowrie, Starling Marte, Matt Chapman, and Elvis Andrus. Lowrie had one hit, that being a three-run blast. Marte was two-for-five and scored a run. Chappie had two hits. Andrus also had two hits, a single and a home run.

The A’s will be going for a sweep on Thursday. Chris Bassitt will go for Oakland. Zack Plesac pitched for Cleveland. The game will start at 10:10 am.

A’s grind out a win over Indians 4-3; Lowrie clouts 10th inning RBI double for gamer

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Oakland A’s Jed Lowrie smashes a tenth inning double at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Guardians on Tue Aug 10, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (65-48) and the Cleveland Indians (55-56) played another hard-fought game Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The teams played three competitive contests when the Indians were in Oakland last month. Two of the three games were decided by one run. Tuesday’s game was no exception as the A’s won 4-3 in ten innings.

The story of the game was the performance by the A’s bullpen. The A’s starter Sean Manaea had a tough time adjusting to the heat and humidity in Cleveland Tuesday night. Manaea seemed to be having trouble gripping the ball. Sean worked one and 2/3rds innings and gave up three runs, and allowed five hits. He threw 69 pitches. A’s manager Bob Melvin had to go to the bullpen. Burch Smith gave the A’s 3 and 1/3 rd innings and allowed one hit. The bullpen held the Indians hitless the rest of the way. The A’s came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the game 4-3 in ten innings.

The Indians put one on the board in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, shortstop Amed Rosario reached on an infield single. Manaea struck out Jose Ramirez for the second out. Designated hitter Franmill Reyes walked to send Rosario to second base. Left fielder Harold Ramirez singled to center to drive in Rosario with Cleveland’s first run of the night. 

The A’s tied the game in the top of the second. Back-to-back doubles by Josh Harrison and Sean Murphy knotted the score 1-1. The tie didn’t last long as Cleveland plated two runs in their half of the second. Owen Miller started the rally with a single. Manaea walked catcher Austin Hedges to put men on at first and second with no out. Manaea got second baseman Ernie Clement to hit into an unusual 6-4-5 double play. Elvis Andrus threw Clement’s hard-hit grounder to Josh Harrison for the first out. Harrison had no play at first but alertly threw to Matt Chapman, who tagged out Miller for the second out. Myles Straw, who gave the A’s fits when he played for the Houston Astros, doubled to left field. Mark Canha did not field the ball cleanly, and that allowed Clement to score from first. Canha was charged with an error. Bob Melvin decided it was time for a change. Burch Smith was the new A’s pitcher. Smith struck out Franmill Reyes for the third out. The Indians led 3-1 after two.

The A’s right-fielder, Seth Brown, took Indians’ starter Triston McKenzie deep in the top of the fourth to make it a 3-2 game. Brown’s home run traveled 413-feet over the wall in right-center-field.

The A’s tied the game in the eighth. With one out, Starling Marte singled to get the rally going. With Matt Olson at the plate, Marte stole second. It was his 30th steal of the year. Olson followed with a sharp single to right. Marte rounded third and was heading home when he realized the throw home would have mailed him. He slid in safely, just barely beating the throw from the catcher. Jed Lowrie’s ground out drove in Marte with the tying run. 

The A’s won the game in the 10th. With Elvis Andrus at second, and Matt Olson at the plate, the Indians gave Matt an intentional walk. Jed Lowrie, hitting about .360 with runners in scoring position, doubled to left to drive in Andrus with the A’s fourth run of the night. Lefty reliever, Andrew Chafin, earned his first save of the year, shutting down Cleveland in the bottom of the tenth. The A’s win 4-3.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s won their fifth game in a row Tuesday night. They are 9-2 in their last 11 games and are now 65-48 for the season. The Indians are 55-56 for the year.

The story of the night was the bullpen. Burch Smith, A.J.Puk, Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Romo, Lou Trivino, and Andrew Chafin allowed one hit after the second inning.

The A’s recalled A.J.Puk from Tripe-A Las Vegas. To make room for him on the roster, they designated for assignment J.B.Wendelken.

The game lasted three hours and forty-eight minutes. Thirteen thousand forty-one fans watched the A’s beat the Tribe.

Game two of the three-game series will be at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Wednesday. Frankie Montas will go for Oakland, and Cal Quantrill goes for Cleveland. The game will start at 4:10 pm.

A’s open up three game set in Cleveland Tuesday night at Progressive Field

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Starling Marte the Oakland A’s outfielder slugged four hits that help pave the way for an A’s win on Sun Aug 8, 2021 over the Texas Rangers is seen here gesturing to the A’s dugout in the bottom of the sixth inning after collecting his four hit of the game (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are going to Cleveland, Ohio, to start a ten-game road trip. The A’s, winners of eight of their last ten games, will begin with three against the Indians (54-55). The A’s will then play three against the Texas Rangers and finish the trip with four against the Chicago White Sox.

The A’s swept the Rangers over the weekend. The A’s improved to 64-48 for the year. They find themselves two games behind the Houston Astros in the race for the AL West crown. In addition, they are now 1/2 game ahead of the Boston Red Sox as the number one Wild Card team. If the season were to end today, The A’s would host the Wild Card game at the Coliseum.

The Indians, who will be known as the Guardians next season, are 54-55 for the year. Last month, the two teams met for three games at the Oakland Coliseum, just after the All-Star break. The Indians won the series two games to one. Two of the three games were decided by one run. The other game was won by Cleveland 4-2.

On Tuesday, The A’s will be sending lefty Sean Manaea to the hill to face the Indians. Manaea, in his last start, did not fare well against the San Diego Padres. Manaea’s pitched well in his two previous starts before the San Diego game.

A’s manager, Bob Melvin, hopes Manaea will get back on track. The Indians will counter with righty Triston McKenzie. McKenzie is 1-5 with an ERA of 5.89. On Wednesday, Frankie Montas will go for the A’s. Montas beat the Padres last week.

Montas is 9-8 for the year, and his ERA is 4.10. His opponent will be Cal Quantrill. Cal, the son of former Major League pitcher Paul Quantrill, his 3-1 and an ERA of 3.14. Thursday’s game will feature the A’s ace, Chris Bassitt (11-3, 3.19 ERA), going against Dan Plesac (6-4, 4.84.) Plesac is the nephew of Dan Plesac, who pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The A’s will be facing a team that is rebuilding. The Indians’ star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, signed a free-agent deal with the New York Mets. Their star pitcher, Shane Bieber, is on the 60-day Il. Their manager, Terry Francona, has stepped away from the team for the rest of the season. DeMarlo Hale is the interim manager. The team has a lot of new players that are not familiar to A’s fans. The Indians roster is made up of a lot of young players and a couple of older players.

A’s fans should keep an eye on third baseman Jose Ramirez. Ramirez is hitting .254 with 24 homers and 65 RBIs. Shortstop Amed Rosario is batting .270 to go along with six dingers and 32 ribbies. The other big bat is designated hitter Franmill Reyes. Reyes broke in with the San Diego Padres in 2018. The Padres traded him to Cleveland in 2019. Reyes’ line is .275/20 HR/52 RBIs.

The Indians’ bullpen has all right-handed pitchers. They are using James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase as the closers. Karinchak has 11 saves and Clase has 16. The veteran reliever, Bryan Shaw, has appeared in 55 games so far this season. Expect to see him pitch against the A’s this week. Hale will call Nick Wittgren, Trevor Stephan, Nick Sandin, Blake Parker, and Justin Garcia from the bullpen to shut down the A’s attack.

The A’s cannot afford to take the Indians lightly. They know the Indians can beat them. With the addition of Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Yan Gomes, the A’s offense has an entirely different look.

The A’s struggled to get clutch hits with men in scoring position before these three players arrived in Oakland. Marte had a walk-off home run against the Rangers Friday night. Yan Gomes, pinch-hitting in the ninth with two out and down to his last strike, came through with a single to tie the game. The A’s won that game in extra innings.

The A’s are playing well. Their starters have been pitching into the seventh innings. The bullpen has been outstanding—the A’s need to win the series against the Indians and the Rangers. They will have to be at their best when they play the White Sox. The Sox are in first place in the AL Central. They are cruising to the playoffs. The Sox will be gunning for revenge as the A’s eliminated them from the playoffs last year.

The A’s have momentum on their side right now. They know they are a good team. They know they can come back late in a game to win. They lead the AL in walk-off wins. Let’s hope they can have a successful road trip.

A’s announce broadcaster Ray Fosse will be undergoing treatment for cancer

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Oakland A’s broadcaster Ray Fosse working in the A’s broadcast booth seen in Mar 8, 2015 photo at Mesa in Spring Training will be taking time away from the team to receive medical treatment for cancer (photo by Michael Zagaris Oakland A’s team photographer)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s announced today that longtime broadcaster Ray Fosse would be stepping down from the microphone to undergo treatment for cancer.

Everyone at Sports Radio Service is sending their thoughts and prayers to Ray and his family for his speedy recovery. Ray’s family is requesting privacy during this very difficult time.

Ray has been the color analyst with the A’s since 1986. He is a two-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and Gold Glove award winner. He broke in with the Cleveland Indians in September 1967 and had a 12-year career in Major League Baseball.

Fosse is most remember for the 1970 All Star Game when a speedy Cincinnati Reds of the National League Charlie Hustle Pete Rose was rounding third and didn’t put on the breaks when a throw to Fosse who was catching for the American League at the time caught and dropped the ball after Rose had collided with him at the plate. Rose’s effort was counted as a run on the scoreboard. Fosse was injured on the play and it was that play that he felt shoulder pain for decades after.

Fosse later went onto play for some great World Series teams with the Oakland A’s in 1973 and 1974 as starting catcher and helped signal call with some of the greatest pitchers including Jim Catfish Hunter, Ken Hotlzman, and Vida Blue. These teams won those World Series in 73 and 74 and Fosse was instrumental in the success in handling those A’s winning pitchers.

Fosse had become part of the Oakland broadcast network in 1986 through the present, he works television and radio. He worked the radio side with Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo and television with Glen Kuiper, Kuiper’s brother Duane who calls the play by play on television for the San Francisco Giants had to take some time off because he had to be treated for chemotherapy during this season.

Fosse was working the A’s and Los Angeles Angels game Sunday in Anaheim and felt ill and had to leave the game.

Texas Rangers-Oakland A’s preview: A’s can’t afford to take Rangers lightly; Texas always up for A’s series

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Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt will get the call on Fri Aug 6, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum for the first of four games against the Texas Rangers (AP file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–This weekend, the Oakland A’s have an off-day on Thursday before their three-game series with the pesky Texas Rangers. The Rangers are 39-69 for the season and are in last place in the AL West. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and are 13-40 on the road.

The Rangers sent their best pitcher, Kyle Gibson, and their closer Ian Kennedy to the Philadelphia Phillies at the July 30th trade deadline. They traded one of their best players, right fielder Joey Gallo, to the New York Yankees. There is no doubt that the Rangers are in rebuild mode.

The A’s cannot afford to take Texas lightly. So far this season., the teams have split the ten games played. The Rangers would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. The players can be loose. The young guys on the Texas team will be playing hard, hoping to make sure that they will be in the Rangers’ plans for next year.

The A’s, on the other hand, are fighting for a playoff berth. Oakland is 61-48 and owns the second AL Wild Card. They would love to win the AL West crown. They trail the Houston Astros by four and 1/2 games. They have six games left with Houston in September.

The A’s know that they have to keep winning to maintain the second Wild Card spot. They lead the revitalized Yankees by two games. The Yanks are 16-8 and are moving up in the AL East division. The additions of Gallo and Anthony Rizzo have helped the Yankees surge. The Toronto Blue Jays are also playing better ball since the trade deadline. Toronto, as well as the Seattle Mariners, trail Oakland by three games. 

The Rangers will not have two players available to play against the A’s this weekend. This year, versatile Eli White, who has given the A’s fits, is on the 10-day IL. Outfielder Willie Calhoun is on the 60-day IL with a left ulnar bone fracture.

Players to keep an eye on are catchers Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim. Heim, who went to Texas in the trade for Elvis Andrus, would love nothing more than find a way to beat his old mates. Ranger center fielder Adolis Garcia is hitting .251 and has 23 homers and 64 RBIs. Without Joey Gallo hitting behind Garcia, the A’s pitchers will be able to pitch around him. 

On Friday night, the A’s will send Chriss Bassitt to the mound to face the Rangers. Bassitt is 11-3, and his ERA is 3.28. Mike Foltynewicz is 2-10 for the year. For some reason, Folty had had success against the A’s in his career. He beat them when he was with the Atlanta Braves, and he beat the A’s earlier in the season. With three new players, Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison, the A’s want to send Folty to an early shower.

Saturday’s game will feature lefty Cole Irvin going for Oakland. Irvin lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Angels last weekend. The Rangers have not announced their starter yet. On Sunday, the A’s are hoping James Kaprielian will be ready to pitch. Kaprielian has been on the 10-day IL.

If he can’t go, the A’s will use Daulton Jefferies. Jefferies recorded his first Major League victory against the Angels last Sunday. The Rangers have penciled in Jordan Lyles to start against the A’s.

After the three-game series against the Rangers, the A’s have a ten-game road trip. They play three against Cleveland, three more with the Rangers, and four with the Chicago White Sox. 

Player signing: The A’s announced they have signed slugger Khris Davis to a Minor League Contract. Davis hit forty or more home runs in four consecutive seasons with Oakland. He slumped in 2019 due to an injury when he ran into a wall attempting to catch a foul ball.

He had a poor 2020 season, and the A’s sent him to Texas in exchange for Andrus. Davis was released on June 13th. He was hitting. 157 and had two home runs in 22 games. “Given an opportunity, we’d love to have him back in the organization,” manager Bob Melvin said on Wednesday. “

It’s giving an opportunity for him to get back to where he was in the past, and he hasn’t had the opportunity here recently, so we’ll see what happens in Triple-A. “Obviously, we wish him the best. We hope he gets off to a good start and plays his way here.”

Preview San Diego Padres-Oakland A’s: A’s at home after ten game road trip

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea seen pitching in his last start will start against the San Diego Padres Tue Aug 3, 2021 at Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (60-47) have an off-day on Monday. The A’s were 4-2 on the last road trip against the San Diego Padres (61-47) and Los Angeles Angels (52-53). The A’s split the series last Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres in San Diego.

The A’s moved up to Anaheim to play four against the Angels. The A’s won three of the four games. They would have had a sweep if they had given Cole Irvin some run support last Saturday. Irvin pitched a gem but was the losing pitching as the A’s fell to the Angels 1-0.

After the two-game set concluded last Wednesday, both teams were active before the July 30th trade deadline. The Padres were hoping to make a big splash by landing Max Scherzer from the Washington Nationals. Most of the pundits had the big righty heading to San Diego.

San Diego’s hopes were dashed when the Los Angeles Dodgers snagged Scherzer and Trea Turner. Turner going to LA was unexpected. The Dodgers made quite a few headlines with the deal. The Padres did make a deal as they traded for Nats’ reliever Daniel Hudson.

The A’s acquired four players as they hope to catch the Houston Astros in the race for the AL West crown. The A’s bolstered their bullpen as they made a deal to acquire lefty Andrew Chafin from the Chicago Cubs. Before the trade, Jake Diekman was the only lefty in the A’s bullpen.

The move helped A’s manager have more flexibility using his relievers. The next big move was the trade to get outfielder Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins. The A’s gave up Jesus Luzardo in the trade. It was sad to see Luzardo go, but the team needed improvement in the outfield.

The A’s finished the wheeling and dealing by making a trade with the Washington National. They sent prospects to the Nats in exchange for catcher Yan Gomes and the versatile Josh Harrison. All three players have contributed since coming to the A’s. Gomes homered in yesterday’s game to help the A’s beat the Angels 8-3.

So, let’s look at what happened last week in the two-game series in San Diego. San Diego beat the A’s and starter James Kaprielian 7-4 last Tuesday night. Kaprielian went four innings and took the loss. The winning pitcher was Chris Paddack. Both pitchers are now on the 10-day IL. Kaprielian has a shoulder impingement.

The A’s brought up Dulton Jefferies to take his spot in the rotation. Jefferies made his second Major League start on Sunday against the Angels and was the winning pitcher. In the 7-4 loss to the Padres Last Tuesday, the Padres’ young superstar, Fernando Tatis, Jr., homered, doubled. Veteran third baseman Manny Machado also hit a big fly in the game.

The Padres pounded A’s pitchers for 12 hits Tuesday night. The A’s turned the tables on the Padres on Wednesday. The A’s had no trouble with Pads’ starter, Blake Snell. They sent Snell to the showers at the end of the fourth inning. Snell gave up seven hits and seven runs as he absorbed his fourth loss of the year. The A’s won the game 10-4. A’s starter Sean Manaea went six innings and allowed one hit.

The A’s played four against the Angels last week. They won three of the four. The Padres split their four games series with the Colorado Rockies.

Both teams are in the second Wild Card spot in their respective leagues. If the Wild Card Games were to be played today, The Padres would travel to Dodger Stadium and face the Dodgers. The A’s would fly to Boston for the one-game playoff against the Red Sox.

The probable pitchers for the series will feature the Padres’ lefty Blake Snell going against Sean Manaea. Frankie Montas will go for Oakland Wednesday, and Joe Musgrove pitches for San Diego.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. will not be in the PAdre lineup as he suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder. The Padres placed him on the 10-day IL.

The Padres still have a lot of firepower on their roster. Keep your eyes on third baseman Manny Machado, Second Baseman Jake Cronenworth, Adam Frazier, and Eric Hosmer. Tommy Pham, Wil Meyers, and Trent Grisham all can win ball games for San Diego.

Marte, Harrison, and Gomes have bolstered the A’s offense. The A’s are now four and 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Astros made two moves to bolster their bullpen. They traded for former A’s starter Kendall Graveman from the Seattle Mariners. The M’s converted Graveman to a closer, and he has resurrected his career. The Astros also acquired Yimi Garcia from Miami to strengthen the ‘pen.

The A’s are 60-47 for the season. They made the moves to better the team. The A’s have made the playoffs the last three seasons. They know how to win. They can do it by playing better against the Mariners, Rangers, and Astros. The A’s meet the Rangers six times in the next two weeks. The last-place Rangers have given the A’ fits this year. The Rangers traded their best player, Joey Gallo, to the Yankees. Hopefully, the A”s will turn the tables on the Rangers.

The A’s now they can beat the Padres. A’s fans will be hoping for a sweep. The Padres have other thoughts.

A’s take the first game of four-game set from LA Angels 4-0

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Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas throws to the Los Angeles Angels line up in the second inning at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Thu Jul 29, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s behind Frankie Montas’ outstanding performance beat the Los Angeles Angel 4-0 in Anaheim Thursday night. Starling Marte, acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins, was in centerfield for the Green and Gold. Ramon Laureano moved over to right.

The A’s won the game 4-0. After 11 hits in each of the last two games against the San Diego Padres, the A’s hitters hit one double and three singles. The A’s picked up the win as the Angels beat themselves. Dylan Bundy’s wildness in the first inning allowed the A’s to score three runs.

The only hit was Ramon Laureano’s two-run double. The fourth run came across the plate due to a throwing error by Jose Quintana. The Angels had three hits and three errors in the game.

 The Angels’ starter, Dylan Bundy, did not get off to a good start. He hit A’s leadoff hitter Mark Canha with a pitch to get the game going. Bundy then walked Marte and Matt Olson to load the bases. A’s second baseman drove in Canha with the A’s first run on a ground out. Laureano doubled to drive in Marte and Olson. The A’s put three on the board with just one hit. 

Bundy settled down and did not allow the A’s another hit until the fifth inning. With one out and a man on first, Marte singled to move Mark Canh to second. Angels’ manager Joe Maddon ended Bundy’s night when he brought in lefty Jose Quintana to face Matt Olson. Quintana struck out Olson and Lowrie to end the inning.

The A’s plated a run in the top of the seventh. With a man on first and one out, Mark Canha singled, sending Elvis Andrus to third. Andrus scored when Jose Quintana’s pickoff throw to first got by Angels’ first baseman Phil Gosselin. The A’s led 4-0.

Montas went seven innings and allowed three hits and no runs. He struck out ten hitters. He threw a season-high 109 pitches and won his ninth game of the year. Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless eighth, and Lou Trivino retired the Angels 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the win. Oakland wins 4-0.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s are now 58-46 for the year. They trail the Houston Astros by five and 1/2 games in the race for first place in the AL West. The Angels are 51-51.  

The Angels were without three of their best players Wednesday. Three-time AL MVP, Mike Trout, was still not available due to a leg injury. Third baseman Anthony Rendon is still on the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury. First baseman, Jared Walsh, who has hammered the A’s this year, is also on the IL. Another A’s tormenter, David Fletcher, went hitless in four trips to the plate.

The time of the game was three hours and fourteen minutes. !8,631 fans watched the Halos fall to the A’s.

The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill Friday night. Lefty Patrick Sandoval will handle the pitching chores for the Angels. The game will start at 6:38 pm.

A’s win a laugher 10-4 snap a four-game losing streak in San Diego

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea throws against the San Diego Padres line up in the first inning would up retiring the first 16 hitters and striking out nine on Wed Jul 28, 2021’s matinee at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s turned the tables on the San Diego Padres Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park in San Diego. The A’s won a laugher 10-4 behind another outstanding performance by lefty Sean Manaea. Manaea retired the first sixteen Padre hitters he faced on Wednesday.

Jurickson Profar broke up the perfect game with a walk with one out in the sixth. Eric Hosmer, pinch-hitting for pitcher Craig Stammen, singled to break up the no-hitter. Manaea retired the next two hitters to finish his work for the day. He threw 90 pitches in his six innings of work. He struck out nine and allowed just one hit. 

How did the A’s win the game? The Padres sent former Cy Young award winner, lefty Blake Snell to the mound Wednesday afternoon. Snell entered the game with a 4-3 record. He was 3-0 at Petco Park.

Snell, however, could not get into a groove Wednesday afternoon. He walked A’s leadoff hitter, Mark Canha, to start the game. He retired Ramon Laureano for the first out. Canha moved to second on the play. Canha then stole third. Olson walked to put men on at first and third with one out.

Jed Lowrie drove in Canha with the A’s first run with a sacrifice fly. Snell walked Sean Murphy. It was the third walk of the inning. A’s third baseman, Matt Chapman, smoked a Snell pitch deep into left field. The ball hit off the facade of the second deck. The ball traveled 404 feet. The A’s led 4-0 midway through the first. They tallied four runs on just one hit.

Oakland made it 5-0 in the second. Elvis Andrus led off with a single. Sean Manaea laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to send Andrus to second. Mark Canha followed with a single to drive in Andrus.

The A’s were not done tormenting Blake Snell. Padres’ manager Jayce Tingler did not want to go to the bullpen. Snell had to take one for the team. In the fourth, three straight singles by Chapman, Stephen Piscotty, and Elvis Andrus put the A’s ahead 6-0. Canha Singled to drive in Piscotty with the A’s seventh run of the game.

The A’s added three more in the seventh. Matt Olson led off the frame with a double to left. With two out, Padres’ shortstop, Fernando Tatis, Jr. fielded Matt Chapman’s ground ball. His throw to first pulled first baseman Jake Cronenworth off the bag. Olson scored on the play.

Chapman went to second on the error. Padres’ pitcher Nabil Crismatt fielded Stephen Piscotty’s dribbler in front of home plate. His throw to first base went past Cronenworth and down the line into right field. Chappie scored the ninth run of the game for Oakland. Piscotty reached second safely. Elvis Andrus singled to drive in Piscotty. The A’s led 10-0 midway through the seventh.

San Diego scored their first run of the game in their half of the seventh. J.B.Wendelken was now pitching for Oakland. Padres’ third baseman, Manny Machado, singled to start the rally. Wendelken retired the next two hitters. He walked Will Myers to put two men on with two out. The next hitter, catcher Austin Nola, doubled to drive in Machado. The A’s led 10-1 after seven.

Deolis Guerra worked a scoreless eighth inning for Oakland. Bob Melvin let Guerra come out to pitch the ninth. He gave up consecutive singles to Jake Cronenworth and Will Myers. Guerra retired Austin Nola for the first out. Former A’s second baseman, Jurickson Profar, doubled to drive in Cronenworth with San Diego’s second run.

Melvin had seen enough. He summoned lefty Andrew Chafin from the bullpen to finish the game. Chafin, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Monday, made his first appearance as an Oakland Athletic. The first hitter he faced was pinch-hitter Victor Caratini.

Caratini hit his first pitch for a single to make it 10-3. Profar went to third on the play. Chafin then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Profar to score. Chafin was able to record the last out of the game without any further damage. The A’s win 10-4.

Game Notes and stats: With the win, the A’s improve to 57-46. They remain six games behind the Houston Astros. The Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 11-4 on Wednesday. The A’s now lead the Mariners by two games in the second AL Wild Card race. The Padres are 59-45 for the year. 

Sean Manaea ‘s record improved to 8-6. It was his second straight impressive performance. He beat the Mariners 4-1 last week in Seattle. Blake Snell was the losing pitcher. 

The A’s made a trade with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. They acquired outfielder Starlin Marte in exchange for pitcher lefty Jesus Luzardo. There was no question the A’s were not happy with the lack of production from the two players in right field.

Marte should help solve that problem. While it was difficult to give up on Luzardo, the A’s had to give something to get something. Luzardo was hampered by injuries early in the season. The A’s sent him to Las Vegas to get back on track. The front office must have felt that Luzardo was not going to fit into their pitching plans. 

The hitting stars for Oakland were Mark Canha, Matt Chapman, and Elvis Andrus. Canha reached base four times on Wednesday. He had two hits, two walks, and two RBIs. Chappie was two-for-five with a single and a three-run blast. Elvis Andrus had three hits and two RBIs.

The time of the game was three hours and twenty-nine minutes. Thirty-five thousand three hundred fans were watching the game at Petco Park.

The A’s are on their way to Anaheim to play four against the Los Angeles Angels starting Thursday night. The A’s are 9-3 against the Angels this year. Frankie Montas will go for Oakland, and the Angels’ Alex Cobb will oppose him. The game will start at 6:38 pm.

Padres take game one of two-game set from A’s 7-4

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Fernando Tatis Jr fists pumps after the bat flip taking the Oakland A’s deep in the third inning for a two run homer at Petco Park in San Diego to open a brief two game series on Tue Jul 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s came into San Diego to play two interleague games against the Padres. The A’s were facing one of the elite teams in the National League. Would the A’s pitching be able to keep the Padres’ 22-year-old superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. in check?

Could the A’s stop Manny Machado? It was going to be a daunting task for A’s starter James Kaprielian. Kaprielian, with his father watching from the stands, entered the game with a record of 5-3 and an ERA of 2.65. The Padres’ starter Chris Paddack had not pitched well in his home park, Petco Field. His record in Petco was 2-4 and the worst home ERA (6.94) in the Majors.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the third. Kaprielian started the rally with his first hit ever in Major League baseball. With one out in the third, Kapreielian singled to right-center-field. Singles by Mark Canha and Ramon Laureano followed with singles to load the bases.

Matt Olson drove in Kaprielian with the A’s first run with a sacrifice fly. Canha tagged and went to third on the play. Jed Lowrie singled to drive in Canha to make it 2-0. It was Lowries’ 49th RBI of the year. A’s catcher Sean Murphy blooped a double down the right-field line to drive in Laureano with the third run of the inning. The A’s led 3-0 midway through the third inning.

The Padres put two on the board in the bottom of the third. With two out, Adam Frazier, playing in his first game as a Padre, singled. The next hitter was Fernando Tatis, Jr. Kaprelian’s pitch was a hanging slider. Tatis did not miss. He hit a monster shot that went deep into the second deck in left-field. The Padres were back in the game, trailing 3-2 after three.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kaprielian ran into a wee bit of trouble. The Padres sent eight men to the plate as they scored five times. A’s manager took Kaprielian out of the game after the Padres took the lead 4-3. There were still two men on the bases when Yusmeiro Petit entered the game. The first batter he faced, Manny Machado, hit a ball into the seats in right field to put the Padres ahead 7-3.

The A’s added a run in the eighth when Sean Murphy hit his 13th home run of the year. The A’s could do no more as they fell to the Padres 7-4.

Game notes and stats- With the loss, the A’s are 56-46 for the year. They lost their fourth in a row and the nineteenth in the last 32 games. They are now six and 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros. They still lead the Seattle Mariners by one game in the race for the second AL Wild Card.

The A’s line was four runs, 11 hits, and no errors. The Padres’ line was seven runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The two keys plays for San Diego were Tatis’ two-run homer and Machado’s three-run blast.

Ramon Laureano had three hits for Oakland. Jed Lowrie had a single, double, and an RBI.
James Kaprielian took the loss, and Chris Paddack was the winning pitcher for San Diego.

The time of the game was three hours and eight minutes. 40,162 fans watched the game.

The teams meet Wednesday afternoon again at 1:10 pm in San Diego. It will be a battle of two left-handed pitchers. Sean Manaea will go for Oakland, and Blake Snell pitches for the Padres.