Author: rxslugger

The Oakland A’s Matt Olson prepares to take his cuts in the cage as the Oakland A’s hold workouts at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Sep 28, 2020 in preparation of the ALWC series against the visiting Chicago White Sox (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The 2020 American League playoffs start on Tuesday, September 29th. The Oakland A’ finished with a record of 36-24 to win the American League Western Division title. The A’s will be the second seed in the AL.

The Minnesota Twins also had the same record as the A’s. They will be the third seed as their intradivision play’s record was not as good as the A’s. The A’s will now play the seventh seed, the Chicago White Sox.

Had the A’s been the third seed, they would have been playing the Houston Astros. The Astros finished with a record of 29-31 and were 3-7 vs. the A’s this season. The A’s now face a team with a better record. Chicago was first in the Central Division on September 19th. The team went into a tailspin at the end of the regular season and was 1-7 in their final eight games. They finished with a record of 35-25.

It will be difficult to predict a winner in this best two out of three Wild Card series. The A’s lost the one-game Wild Card to New York in 2018. The Tampa Bay Rays sent the A’s home last year as they beat the A’s at the Coliseum.

A’s manager Bob Melvin will probably use lefty Sean Manaea in the first game, Chris Bassitt in the second, and Mike Fiers in the third game. All three have been pitching well lately. The A’s bullpen has been stellar all season. Melvin will have starters Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo available to pitch in relief.

He will call on Yusmeiro Petit, T.J.McFarland, Jake Diekman, Joakim Soria, Lou Trivino, and closer Liam Hendriks to shut down the Chicago offense. The A’s offense has been an area of concern for the team. They are hitting, as a team, a woeful .225. They are striking out too much. The A’s, in a short series, have to correct the hitting problems. If not, they will not be advancing to the AL Division Series.

The A’s pitching will be facing a team loaded with power hitters. The White Sox have two players that are in the running for the AL MVP trophy. Their big first baseman, Jose Abreu, is hitting .317, with 19 home runs and 60 RBI’s in 60 games.

Shortstop Tim Anderson’s numbers are .322, ten dingers, and 21 RBIs. Their power-hitting DH is the veteran Edwin Encarnacion. Carnarcion is not hitting for average, but he still can belt the ball out of the park. Nick Madrigal will play second, and Yoan Moncado will be at third.

Leftfielder Eloy Jimenez is hitting .296, with fourteen bombs and 41 ribbies. The young man from Cuba is living up to his potential. Former Texas Ranger, Nomar Mazara, will be in center-field, and rookie Luis Robert, also from Cuba, will be in right. Robert is hitting .233 and has eleven big flys and 31 RBIs.

Yasmani Grandal and James McCann will handle the catching chores for the Chisox. Grandal, a switch-hitter, will see most of the action.

The White Sox have announced that Lucas Giolito will start the Tuesday game. Giolito has never started a game in Oakland. A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, is four-for six with two home runs facing Giolito. Chad Pinder is 2-for 5.

Lefty Dallas Keuchel goes on Wednesday. Keuchel is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in the playoffs. Chisox relievers include Evan Marshall, Matt Foster, lefty Gio Gonzalez, Jace Fry, Codi Heuer, Jimmy Cordero, Aaron Bummer, Carlos Rodon, and closer Alex Colome.

It should be an exciting series. Will the A’s pitchers be able to shut down the potent White Sox Offense? Will the A’s bats come alive in the series? Whose bullpen will be better? The A’s hope to have the answers as they try to advance to the ALDS. The first game of the series will start at noon PDT on Tuesday.

Walker Buehler Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher gets the win against the visiting Oakland A’s at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Thu Sep 24, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the three-game series’s rubber game as they beat the A’s 5-1 Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers used six pitchers in the game, and they shut down the A’s offense.

The A’s offense produced three hits and one run. Dodger righty, Walker Buehler, making his first start since coming off the 10-day IL, was fantastic. He faced 13 batters in his four innings of work and allowed just one hit and one walk.

The Dodgers used five relievers, and they held the A’s to just two hits. The A’s scored their only run in the eighth when Sean Murphy blasted his seventh home run of the year.

The Dodgers put one on the board in the first inning. Dodger right-fielder, Mookie Betts, singled to start the inning. Third baseman Justin Turner singled to send Betts to second. Fiers retired the dangerous Max Muncy for the second out. Dodger Catcher Will Smith to drive in Betts to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 advantage.

The Dodgers extended the lead to 2-0 in the third. Dodger shortstop, Corey Seager, sent Mile Fiers’ first pitch over the wall in center-field. It was Seager’s fifteenth of the year. The Dodgers lead 2-0. They did not have to score again to win, but they did.

Mike Fiers’s evening ended after five innings of work. He gave up three runs and allowed five hits. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, brought in lefty Jesus Luzardo to pitch the sixth. Things did not go well for Luzardo.

Eight players hit for the Dodgers in the inning. Will Smith started the rally with a double. Smith stopped at third when Cody Bellinger doubled. Luzardo walked A.J.Pollock to load the bases with no out.

Kike Hernandez singled to drive in Smith. Chris Taylor walked to force in Bellinger with the second run of the inning. The bases were still loaded with no out. Luzardo retired Betts for the first out. Seager drove in the third run with a sacrifice fly to deep center-field. Luzardo retired Turner to end the inning. LA leads 5-0.

The A’s scored their only run in the eighth. Sean Murphy hit his seventh of the year off Jake McGee to put one on the board. The A’s trail 5-1. The Dodgers brought in closer Kenley Jansen to finish the game. He set the A’s down 1-2-3 to end the game. LA wins 5-1.

Game Notes- The A’s offense continued to struggle. The A’s managed only fourteen hits in the three-game series. They struck out thirteen times Monday night, and a season-high sixteen times Thursday night.

Robbie Grossman, Matt Olson, and Stephen Piscotty each whiffed three times Thursday night. The A’s had seven players hitting under .240. Piscotty started the game hitting .242. Tommy La Stella is the only A’s player with a batting average over .270.

If the A’s are to advance deep in the playoffs, they will have to start hitting. Should they will it all, they will join the 1906 Chicago White Sox team known as the hitless wonders.

With the loss, the A’s are now 34-22. The Dodgers improved to 40-17. The A’s line was one run, three hits, and no errors. The Dodgers’ line was five runs, eight hits, and no errors.

The A’s return home to face the Seattle Mariners for four games starting Friday night. They will play a doubleheader on Saturday. The regular season end on Sunday.

The Oakland A’s Ramon Luareano (22) hits a two run home run in the top of the ninth inning that would later put away the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium to even the series between both clubs on Wed Sep 23, 2020 (AP News photo)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, as they have done many times this season, found a way to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. With the win, the A’s evened the series at one apiece. The rubber game will be played Thursday night.

The Dodgers used two relievers to face the A’s for the first two innings. Dodger reliever, Joe Kelly, who pitched Tuesday night, allowed two hits to the first two hitters. A’s second baseman Tommy La Stella doubled to right.

Robbie Grossman doubled to left to put a run on the board. Kelly walked Marcus Semien to put men on at first and second with no out. They advanced to third and second on Jake Lamb’s ground out 4-3. Mark Canha, playing first base in place of Matt Olson, drove in Grossman with a sacrifice fly to center-field.

Semien tagged up and went to third. Dodgers’ centerfielder, Cody Bellinger, throw to third bounced into the Dodger dugout. Semien scored the third run of the inning. The A’s lead 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, with two out and a man on first, Max Muncy took Manaea deep to cut the lead to 3-2. For Muncy, it was his twelfth of the season.

The A’s plated a run in the seventh. Julio Urias had handcuffed them for four innings. Until the seventh, the young lefty from Mexico had faced thirteen hitters. He did not allow a hit. The only base runner reached on a walk.

Mark Canha walked to get the rally going. Stephen Piscotty singled to send Canha to second. Ramon Laureano, mired in an 0-for-16 slump, singled to drive in Canha with the A’s fourth run. The Dodgers cut the lead to one when Cody Bellinger homered to make it 4-3. A’s manager replaced Sean Manaea with Joakim Soria. Soria retired the next three batters to end the inning. The A’s lead 4-3.

The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Jake Diekman was pitching for Oakland. Diekman had not allowed a run in eighteen plus innings of relief. Dodger manager Dave Roberts had left-handed hitter, Edwin Rios, pinch-hit for Justin Turner. Rios blasted his sixth dinger of the year to tie the game at four.

The A’s won the game in the ninth. Former A’s closer Blake Treinen was on the mound to face his former mates. Treinen struck out Matt Olson for the first out. Piscotty singled and then stole second to get into scoring position.

Treinen retired Khris Davis for the second out. It was now up to Ramon Laureano to come through for the A’s. Laureano came up big. He hit a line drive into the left-field seats to put the A’s ahead 6-4. A’s closer Liam Hendriks set the Dodgers down to secure the win. The A’s win 6-4.

Game Notes- The line score for the A’s was six runs, six hits, and no errors. The Dodgers’ line was four runs, seven hits, and one error.

With the win, the A’s improved to 34-21. The Dodgers dropped to 39-17.
Sean Manaea went six-plus innings. He allowed three runs, six hits, and two home runs. Jake Diekman received credit for the win. Liam Hendriks recorded his fourteenth save. Blake Treinen absorbed the loss. He is now 3-3 for 2020.

The Dodgers had three more home runs Wednesday night. They have hit seven in the two games played. They lead MLB with 107.
The A’s have hit two.

Mike Fiers will go for Oakland Thursday night. The Dodgers will counter with Walker Buehler. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts scores behind Oakland A’s catcher Sean Murphy on a Corey Seager single in the first inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Tue Sep 22, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, newly crowned as American League Western Division championships, faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA Tuesday night. The Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball, needed one more win to win the National League Western Division. They took the A’s down 7-2 to accomplish the goal.

The A’s got off to a good start when Robbie Grossman homered off the left-field foul pole to make it 1-0. The Dodgers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first to tie it 1-1.

The A’s scored a run in the third without the benefit of a hit. A’s catcher Sean Murphy walked to start the inning. Murphy advanced to second and third on two ground outs. He scored on a wild pitch. the A’s led 2-1. They would not score again. The Dodgers put two on the board in the bottom of the third. With two out, Corey Seager singled. Former Athletic, Max Muncy, blasted his twelfth of the year to give the Dodgers the lead 3-2.

Montas gave up two more solo home runs in the fourth. Dodger second baseman Chris Taylor hit his eighth, and A.J.Pollock his thirteenth. LA leads 5-2.

The Dodgers added one in the fifth when Corey Seager hit his fourteenth off T.J.McFarland. The Dodgers’ final run came in the seventh. Mookie Betts reached on a rare error by Matt Olson. A’s pitcher walked Seager and Muncy to load the bases with no out. Cody Bellinger’s infield single drove in Betts with the Dodgers’ seventh run. LA wins 7-2.

Game Notes- Frankie Montas had another rough outing Tuesday night. His line was four innings, seven hits, five runs, and he was rocked for three big flies.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 39-16. They will be the number one seed throughout the playoffs. The A’s are now 33-21.

The A’s hitters struck out thirteen times. The line for the team was two runs, five hits, and one error. The Dodgers’ line was seven runs, eleven hits, and one error.
Sean Manaea will go for Oakland Tuesday Night. Julio Arias will pitch for LA.

The Oakland A’s Mark Canha (20) gets congratulated after scoring by on deck hitter Stephen Piscotty (25) against the San Francisco Giants in the fourth inning of Sat Sep 19, 2020’s game at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s face the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night at Dodgers Stadium (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, who will win the American League Western Division crown with either one more victory or one more Houston Astro defeat, travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers for three games. The Series starts Tuesday night and could be a preview of possible future meeting in the 2020 World Series.

The Dodgers have won the NL West for the last eight seasons. They made it to the World Series in 2017 and 2018. They lost both.

The Dodgers last won a World Series in 1988 when they upset the heavily favored Oakland A’s. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball this season with a record of 38-16. The A’s have the third-best record in the American League.

They are 33-20 with seven games to play. The A’s last won the World Series in 1989. They played the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990 series and were swept in four games.

The Dodgers made a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox last spring. They acquired the 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to be their right-fielder. Betts would have been a free agent after the 2020 season, and the Red Sox could not sign him to a contract extension.

The Dodgers are loaded with talent. Cody Bellinger, the reigning 2019 NL MVP, is not hitting for average, but he is a very dangerous hitter. He will be seen in either center-field or at first base. Their shortstop, Corey Seager, was the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year in 2016.

He is hitting .316 with 13 homers and 37 RBIs. His OPS is .952. Other outstanding players are third baseman Justin Turner, Max Muncy at first and third, Kike Hernandez, AJ Pollock, Joc Pederson, and catchers Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

The Dodgers have a great starting rotation. Lefty Clayton Kershaw leads them. Kershaw has won three NL Cy Young awards. Righty Walker Buehler, who almost won the award last year, is expected to pitch Thursday night against the A’s.

Buehler has been on the 10-day IL with a finger blister. Dustin May will pitch Tuesday night for the Dodgers, and Frankie Montas will go for Oakland. Wednesday night will feature Dodger lefty, Julio Arias.

The A’s will counter with Sean Manaea. Manaea has allowed more than one run in just one of his last five starts. Mike Fiers, who no-hit the Dodgers in 2105 as a member of the Houston Astros, is 6-2 this year. Fiers, as a Milwaukee Brewer in 2012, allowed one run in seven innings of work in his only career game in Dodger Stadium.

The Dodger bullpen with feature Kenley Jansen as the closer. He is 3-1 and has notched 11 saves so far this season. Former A’s closer Blake Treinen bounced back from an off-year in 2019. He is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.57. He has one save recorded for LA. Other relievers that may see action in the series are Brusdar Graterol, Dylan Floro, Jake McGee, Adam Kolarek, Pedro Baez, Joe Kelly, and Alex Wood.

The A’s would like to get the win that will give the AL West crown as soon as possible. By doing so, A’s manager Bob Melvin would have the ability to provide some benchwarmers extra playing time before the start of the playoffs. A’s designated hitter, Khris Davis, needs more at-bats to get back into form. Davis has been scuffling with his game since being injured in Pittsburgh last season.

The games between the Dodgers and A’s are always a treat for the fans. The teams usually meet every three years in interleague play. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the schedule was altered this season.

After the three with LA, the A’s welcome the Seattle Mariners to Oakland for four games to finish the season, which ends on September 27th. The ‘s probably will face the Houston Astros in the best two out of three Wild Card format.

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s will meet for three games starting on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum (image is from rollinghills.com)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The A’s welcome their cross-town rivals, the San Francisco Giants, to the Oakland Coliseum for three games starting Friday.

It should be a fascinating series with lots at stake for both teams. The A’s currently own the third-best record in the American League. They are a game and 1/2 behind the Chicago White Sox for the number one slot.

They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game for the second-best record. The Giants would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. They are 28-28 and own one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League. The Philadelphia Phillies are also 28-28 and would be in the playoffs, too. The Giants play the Seattle Mariners Thursday night, and their status could change.

The A’s played the Giants earlier this year in San Francisco. The A’s came from behind in two of the games to stun the Giants. On August 14th, the Giants blew a 6-0 lead and lost 8-7 in ten innings.

Stephen Piscotty hit a grand slam in the ninth off Giants’ closer Trevor Gott to tie the game. They scored a run in the tenth, and the A’s bullpen closed out the game. The next night, lightning struck again for Oakland.

The Giants led 6-3 in the ninth. Trevor Gott was in to close. A’s catcher Sean Murphy hit a solo homer to make in 6-4. With two men on, Mark Canha blasted a three-run dinger to win it for Oakland 7-6. The A’s won the finale of the series 15-3. The Giants will be looking for payback this weekend.

The team, under the first-year skipper Gabe Kapler has improved since the series with the A’s. The Giants are stacked with guys that have a lot of pop in their bats. The A’s starters will have their work cut out for them to shut the Giants’ offense down.

The G-men are led by outfielders Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, and Darin Ruf. All are hitting about .280 or higher. Yaz has nine dingers and 33 RBIs. Dickerson has eight and 24 RBIs.

The greybeards in the infield, Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Wilmer Flores, Donovan Solano, are all raking at the plate. Longo is hitting .282 with six homers and 25 RBIs.

Solano’s average is .351 with five round-trippers and 28 ribbies. Belt’s numbers are .305, eight big flys, and 24 RBIs. Flores .283, nine home runs, 23 RBIs. Crawford is resurgent as his average is .281, five homers, and 18 RBIs.

The A’s announced righty Chris Bassitt will start on Friday night. The A’s have not determined the pitchers for Saturday and Sunday. The Giants have not indicated their pitchers for the series yet.

The Giants’s starters are Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, Logan Webb, Tyler Anderson, Drew Smyly, and former A’s starter Trevor Cahill. Smyly pitched on Wednesday and will not be available. The Giants’ closer Trevor Gott is on the 10-day IL. Kapler will use lefties Caleb Baragar, Wandy Peralta, Tony Watson, and Sam Selman. Righties Sam Coonrod, sidewinder Tyler Rogers, and Cahill probably see action.

The A’s are 31-19 with ten games left. The A’s pitching has been outstanding. Mike Fiers, who beat the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, will not see any action. A’s manager Bob Melvin will probably use Frankie Montas, Mike Minor, or Jesus Luzardo.

The A’s bullpen has done a stellar job for the Green and Gold this season. Pitchers that will see action will be Yusmeiro Petit, J.B.Wendelken, Jake Diekman T.J.McFarland, Lou Trivino, Joakim Soria, along with closer Liam Hendriks.

The A’s have been inconsistent on offense so far this year. Designated hitter Khris Davis is having a down year. Stephen Piscotty injured his knee and may not be available. Matt Chapman is having hip surgery and is sone for the year. Chad Pinder has a hamstring problem and may not play.

The A’s love players that can play multiple positions. Mark Canha has played all three outfield slots. Tony Kemp can play a couple of infield positions. Tommy La Stella has played second and third for the A’s. After being released by the Arizona D-Backs, Jake Lamb, signed as a free agent, has played third and is five-for-eleven as an Athletic. Lamb has also been the DH.

The A’s offense has failed to take advantage of the opportunities they had with runners in scoring position. The guys hit home runs, but getting hits in bunches has not happened this year. Bob Melvin knows it’s a problem, but has not yet come up with a solution.

As mentioned above, it’s always fun when these two teams get together. The season series winner gets to keep the Bay Bridge Trophy and bragging rights for a year. Usually, the Coliseum would be jammed to the gills with fans. Not so, this year. It’s a shame, but it’s the reality due to Covid-19. Turn on the TVs, folks, and enjoy three games of great baseball.

Oakland A’s starter Mike Fiers went six innings and the A’s bullpen shut down the Colorado Rockies as the A’s and Rockies split the brief two game series at Coors Field in Denver on Wednesday (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s ended their eight-game road trip win a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies Wednesday at Coors Field in Denver. The A’s played four with Texas, two with Seattle, and two with Colorado. They played games in three cities in three days. They played a doubleheader in Texas, a doubleheader in Seattle, and two games in the thin Rockie Mountain air. The air quality in Seattle was abominable.

It was so bad that MLB canceled the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Mariners on Tuesday. They then moved the two games to San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday. MLB was able to do it as both teams had an off-day on Thursday.

The A’s met the Rockies for the fourth time this season. The Rockies had won the previous three games and were looking to sweep the A’s. The A’s sent Mike Fiers to pitch. Fiers entered the game with a 5-2 record and had been pitching well. The Rockies countered with German Marquez. Marquez was 2-5 but had thrown well against the A’s when the teams played in July at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the third. Tony Kemp, leading off, drew a walk. He went to second on Marquez’s throwing error to first in an attempt to pick him off. Marquez walked Semien. Kemp went to third on the play as Marquez’s last pitch to Semien got past catcher Tony Wolters.

The A’s had men on at first and third with no out. Robbie Grossman hit into a fielder’s choice. It was a strange play as Tony Kemp was caught in a rundown. Instead of trying to tag Kemp, Wolters threw to third base to nail Semien. Kemp, in the meantime, was able to avoid the tag. Rockies’ third baseman Nolan Arenado, who tagged Semien out, dropped the ball. He made a hurried throw to home, which was not on the mark, and Kemp could slide past the tag. The A’s lead 1-0.

The lead didn’t last long. In the Rockies’half of the third, the Rockies put together three straight singles by Ryan McMahon, Tony Wolters, and Ramiel Tapia to tie the game with one out. Fiers had his work cut out for him as he had to face two of the Rockies’ best hitters, Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon. Story hit into a fielder’s choice, and he struck out the ever-dangerous Blackmon to end the threat.

The A’s added two more runs in the sixth. Tommy La Stella reached on an infield single. Matt Olson doubled to send La Stella to third. Olson’s double snapped an 0-for-18 slump. Mark Canha grounded out to drive in La Stella. Olson went to third. Jake Lamb, playing third, singled to drive in Olson with the A’s third run. The A’s lead 3-1.

A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Fiers after six innings of work. He brought in lefty Jake Diekman to start the seventh. Diekman held the Rockies scoreless in the seventh and faced one batter in the eighth. Liam Hendriks recorded the last two outs in the eighth and then sent the Rockies down in order in the ninth to record his thirteen save of the season.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are now 31-19 and have a six-game advantage over the Houston Astros. The magic number to clinch the AL West division is five. Any combination of A’s wins or Houston losses will give the Green and Gold the title.

Mike Lamb is five-for eleven since joining the A’s. Hed had two hits and drove in a run on Wednesday. La Stella was two-for-four and scored a run.

The defensive play of the day came in the bottom of the fifth. Rockies’ catcher Tony Wolters led off with a double. Left fielder Raimel Tapia hit a ground ball down the first baseline. Olson, playing in, fielded the ball. Instead of making the out at first, he threw a dart to Lamb at third to tag Wolters out. Bob Melvin said, “it was the play of the game.”
Melvin also said, “it was a big win for us” and that Mike Fiers was “fantastic.”

Fiers’ line was six innings pitched, seven hits, four strikeouts, and one earned run. The line for the A’s was three runs, six hits, and no errors. The Rockies’ line was one run, nine hits, and one error.

The A’s do not play on Thursday. They have ten games left to play. The meet the Giants for three this weekend. They are off on Monday. They play three against the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA and finish the season with four against the Mariners in Oakland.

Colorado Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela went the distance for the Rockies going nine innnings, giving up six hits and one earned run to defeat the visiting Oakland A’s at Coors Field on Tuesday night (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s met the Colorado Rockies for a two-game set in Denver Tuesday night. The temperature at the start of the game was 84 degrees, and the air was clear. It was quite a contrast from Seattle, where the air quality readings were over 200.

Very unhealthy, and some of the A’s players complained they had difficulty breathing. The thin air in Denver may have been a factor as the Rockies’ starting pitcher, Antonio Senzatela, held the A’s offense to just one run and six hits as the Rockies downed the A’s 3-1.

The A’s have played the Rockies three times this year and have lost all three. Senzatela faced the A’s on July 10th in Oakland and, in that game, went five innings and allowed two runs.

The A’s scored their lone run of the night in the second inning. A’s designated hitter Jake Lamb drew a walk. He went to third on a Ramon Laureano single. Second baseman Tony Kemp drove in Lamb with a sacrifice fly to center.

A’s starter Sean Manaea got out of a jam in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded and two out, Manaea had to face Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon is one of the best hitters in baseball, and getting him out is no easy task. Manaea rose to the challenge as Blackmon grounded out 4-3 to end the inning. The A’s still lead 1-0 after three.

The Rockies got to Manaea in the bottom of the fifth. Rockies’ first baseman Josh Fuentes reached on an infield single. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien had to make a long throw to nail Fuentes. His throw got by Matt Olson, and Fuentes went to third on the error. As it turned out, the error didn’t matter as catcher Elias Diaz blasted his first home run of the year to put the Rockies in the lead 2-1.

The Rockies added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Third baseman Nolan Arenado led off with a single. Kevin Pillar followed with another single to put men on at first and second with no out. Matt Kemp hit into a fielder’s choice. Arenado advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly to left. The Rocks lead 3-1.

The A’s were toast. Senzatela allowed just one hit in his last four innings of work. The A’s fall to Colorado 3-1.

Game Notes with the loss, the A’s drop to 30-19. They lead the Houston Astros by 5 1/2 games with eleven games left on the schedule. The Rockies improved to 22-25 and are still a contender for a wild card spot in the National League.

Senzatela’s line was one run and six hits in pitching his first complete game. Sean Manaea took the loss. Manaea went five and 2/3rds innings allowing three runs and seven hits.

The A’s and the Rockies meet Wednesday again for the fourth time this year. Mike Fiers will go for the Geen and Gold, and German Marquez will throw for Colorado. Game time will be at 12:10 pm.

The Oakland A’s Marcus Semien belted a three run homer comes home and is greeted by Tony Kemp and Khris Davis both who scored ahead of Semien in the fourth inning of the first game of the doubleheader vs. the Seattle Mariners (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, smarting from a rare bullpen meltdown in game one of the doubleheader with the Mariners on Monday, bounced back to trounce the M’s 9-0.

The A’s sent the veteran lefty, Mike Minor, out to the hill to subdue the M’s. Minor did his job as he pitched his best game of the year. Minor, an All-Star last season, went 0-5 with the Texas Rangers before being traded to the A’s.

Minor baffled the up-and-coming young Mariner team with a mix of fastballs, curves, and change-ups. He pitched a complete seven-inning game as he allowed just two hits and no runs. He struck out a season-high eight Mariners and walked only two.

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Tommy LaStella, batting in the leadoff slot, was hit by a pitch. Marcus Semien walked to men on at first and second with no out. LaStella went to third when Robbie Grossman reached on a fielder’s choice. Semien was out at second. Grossman then stole second.

M’s starter Jimmy Yacobonis walked Matt Olson to load the bases. Mark Canha singled to drive in LaStella with the A’s first run. With the bases still loaded, Ramon Laureano blasted a shot to centerfield. The ball appeared to be high over the fence for a grand slam. Kyle Lewis, a contender for the AL Rookie of the Year, made a sensational leaping catch to Rob Laureano. The A’s lead 1-0

The A’s, in the top of the third, sent ten men to the plate as they put five runs on the board. Olson walked for the second time. Seth Frankoff was now pitching for Seattle. He retired Canha for the first out. After being released by the Colorado Rockies, Jake Lamb, signed as a free agent, doubled to send Olson to third.

It was Lamb’s first hit as an Athletic. Laureano doubled to drive in Olson and Lamb. Catcher Jonah Heim singled to drive in Laureano make it 4-0. Third baseman Vimael Machin followed with a bloop single to left field. LaStella walked to load the bases. Semien reached on a fielder’s choice. Heim scored. Grossman then singled to drive in Machin with the A’s fifth run of the inning. The A’s lead 6-0.

The A’s put the game out of reach when they put three more runs on the board. With one out, Robbie Grossman singled. Mark Canha homered over the centerfield wall to make it 8-0. Jake Lamb, playing in his hometown of Seattle, blasted his first home run of the year to deep right field to up the score. The A’s win 9-0.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are now 30-18. They have twelve games left on the schedule. They travel to Colorado for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. They have an off-day on Thursday.

They resume play at home against the hard-hitting San Francisco Giants. The Giants are contending for a playoff berth, and the three-game set should be very entertaining. The A’s then travel to Los Angeles to play the NL West-leading Dodgers for three games.

The Mariners then come to Oakland to play the last four games of the year. There will be another doubleheader between the teams on September 26th. The final game of the regular season will be on the 27th.

The Seattle Mariners Kyle Lewis is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two run fifth inning home run in the first game of the doubleheader on Mon Sep 14th at T-Mobile Field in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s arrived in Seattle to play a doubleheader with the Mariners before moving on to Denver to play two games with the Colorado Rockies. Just as the Portland, San Francisco, and Oakland, Seattle was covered with smoke from the forest fires in the western states. The air quality number was over 200. Major League Baseball had to decide on whether or not to postpone the game. They elected to play the game.

The A’s scored one in the second and four in the fourth to lead 5-0. A’s starter lefty Jesus Luzardo was pitching well. He gave up a solo homer in the fourth and then three runs in the bottom of the fifth as the M’s crept to within one run of tying the game. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, pulled Luzardo with two outs in the fifth. Yusmeiro Petit recorded the final out.

The Mariners put the game away in the sixth. Joakim Soria was on the hill for Oakland. With two out and a man on first, M’s designated hitter, Tim Lopes, doubled to drive in Phillip Irvin with the tying run. For Lopes, it was his third double of the game. Soria then walked the next three hitters to force in the M’s sixth run of the game.
The M’s brought in Yoshihisa Hirano to close out the game. He did his job and retired the side to preserve the win for the M’s.

Game Notes- The A’s line was five runs, six hits, no errors. The M’s line was six runs, nine hits, and two errors. Lefty Marco Gonzalez was the winning pitcher. Joakim Soria took the loss.
Luzardo pitched four and 2/3rds innings. He allowed four runs, seven hits, and three home runs. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Marcus Semien led the A’s offense. He had two hits and drove in four with a single and a three-run homer.

The A’s dropped to 29-18 with the loss. The youthful Mariners now have won eight of the last eleven games and are 22-25. They trail the Houston Astros by one game in the race for the second spot in the AL West.

The A’s play game two of the doubleheader at 5:10 pm Monday