Author: rxslugger

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

Cubs maul the A’s 10-1 on getaway day

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Photo credit: @Cubs

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Chicago Cubs blasted three home runs on Wednesday afternoon to defeat the A’s 10-1 at Wrigley Field. Chicago won the series 2-1.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They are staying in Chicago to face the White Sox for three games starting Friday afternoon.

A’s starter Homer Bailey did not fare well on Wednesday. Bailey, who had faced the Cubs many times when he was with the Cincinnati Reds, was knocked around by the Cubs. The big hit came in the fourth inning with the score tied at one. With the bases loaded, Cubs second baseman Ian Happ blasted an opposite-field grand slam to put the Cubs ahead 5-1. The Cubs’ starter, Jose Quintana stifled the A’s bats on Wednesday. Quintana went seven innings and allowed one run and two hits. He struck out seven A’s.

The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fourth. Marcus Semien led off the frame with a double down the left-field line. He tagged and went to third when Matt Chapman flew out to right. Semien scored on Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly to center. The Cubs tallied five times in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant singled. Bailey hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to put two men on. Cubs’ shortstop Javy Baez singled to drive in Bryant to tie the game 1-1. Bailey walked Kyle Scharber to load the bases. Happ hit the grand slam to make it 5-1. It was Happ’s second homer of the year and second career grand slam.

The Cubs put four more runs on the board in the fifth. Nick Castellanos continued to torment the A’s when he doubled with one out. He went to third on Rizzo’s infield single. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino gave up a single to Baez for the Cubs’ sixth run of the afternoon. Trivino then had to face the left-handed hitter Schwarber. Trivino, who has not been effective lately, gave up a gopher ball to Schwarber. The ball made it into the stands in left field, and the Cubs now led 9-1 after five complete.

There was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth. Blake Treinen was now pitching for Oakland. Treinen retired the first two hitters he faced. He could not get by the Cubs catcher Victor Caratini. Caratini blasted his sixth big fly of the season to make it 10-1.

Game Notes: Bailey saw his record drop to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-50 for the year. They remain 1/2 game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second Wild Card slot. The Rays lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Wednesday in Tampa.

Jose Quintana improved to 10-7 for the year. Quintana is 6-0 in his last seven starts for Chicago. The Cubs improved to 62-52. The Cubs’ home record is 41-19 at Wrigley. They do not play well on the road.

The A’s line score was one run, three hits, and no errors. Marcus Semien had two of the three A’s hits in the game. The Cubs’ line was 10 runs, eleven hits, and no errors.

Time of game was two hours and 37 minutes. 41,179 fans jammed the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to see their beloved Cubs down the A’s.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Chicago White Sox Friday afternoon in Chicago. Game time is set for 12:10 pm PT.

A’s rout Lester, Cubs 11-4

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s came back from a tough 6-5 loss Monday night to pummel the Chicago Cubs and their ace, Jon Lester, 11-4 at Wrigley Field. Lester, who pitched for the A’s in 2014, suffered his worst loss since July 22, 2012, when he was with Boston and was trounced by the Toronto Blue Jays. The A’s sent Brett Anderson to the mound, and Anderson won his first game in a month. Anderson went six innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. Cubs third baseman rocked Anderson for a home run in the sixth.

The A’s put eight runs on the board in the top of the second. Mark Canha started the onslaught with a leadoff triple. Lester struck out Chad Pinder for the first out. Stephen Piscotty singled to drive in Canha with the A’s first run. Robbie Grossman singled to put two men on with one out. A’s catcher Dustin Garneau hit a blast that traveled 413 feet to the last row in the left-field seats to up the lead to 4-0. Brett Anderson followed with a single. Lester walked Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman to load the bases. Matt Olson singled to drive in Anderson and Semien. Chapman advanced to third on the play. Canha then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Chapman scored when the Cubs’ catcher Victor Caratini mishandled the throw from Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Olson went to third and scored on Chad Pinder’s ground out to second. The A’s led 8-0.

The A’s added three more in the top of the fourth. Matt Chapman worked Lester for a walk. Lester then struck out Olson and Canha. Pinder singled to put two men on with two out. Stephen Piscotty blasted his 10th round-tripper of the season to give the A’s a commanding 11-0 lead.

The Cubs scored two in the sixth and two in the ninth. It was too little and too late. The A’s won a laugher 11-4.

Game Notes; Brett Anderson improved to 10-7 for the season. Lester dropped to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-49 for the ear. They still trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game for the second Wild Card Slot in the American League. The Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 in 10 innings to maintain their 1/2 game lead over the A’s.

Bob Melvin used Lou Trivino in the seventh, and Wei-Chung Wang pitched the eighth and ninth. Trivino pitched a scoreless seventh. Wang gave up four hits and two runs in his two innings of work.

Up Next: The A’s finish the three-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday. Homer Bailey (9-7) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by lefty Jose Quintana (9-7). Game time is at 11:00 am.

The Cubs hit four home runs to down the A’s 6-5

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Photo credit: @Cubs

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s dropped a thriller to the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Monday. It was the A’s first visit to Wrigley since June 2010. The A’s starter Chris Bassitt entered the game with a record of 7-5. The Cubs named Kyle Hendricks as their starter. Hendricks’ record was 8-8, and his ERA was 3.07.

The Cubs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Nick Castellanos, obtained by the Cubs from the Detroit Tigers at the trading deadline, hit his first home run as a Cub. It was his 12th of the year. He tormented the A’s when he was a member of the Tigers.

The A’s took the lead in the top of the third. Hendricks, who very rarely walks a hitter, issued a free pass to Jurickson Profar. Profar went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bassitt. Marcus Semien followed with his 18th blast of the year. He hit an opposite-field home run to give the A’s the lead 2-1.

The Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Cubs second baseman Javy Baez homered. Bassitt finished the inning. His line was six innings of work, two runs, and eight hits.

A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Blake Treinen to work the seventh inning. Treinen had been pitching better of late, but Monday night was a nightmare for him. The Cubs scored four runs on four hits to take a 6-2 lead. Treinen served up a gopher ball to pinch-hitter Ian Happ, who was leading off. Jason Hayward singled and scored on Nick Castellanos’ double. Jay Baez hit his second of the night and 29th of the year to give Chicago the lead 6-2. Treinen’s lin was two thirds of an inning, four hits, four runs and he was tagged for two dingers in the inning.

The A’s rallied to put three on the board in the top of the eighth. Cubs veteran reliever, Steve Cishek, was on the mound. The first hitter he faced, Jurickson Profar, doubled. Cishek struck out A’s catcher Chris Herrmann for the first out. The A’s pinch-hitter Nick Martini gave Cishek quite a battle. Cishek and Martini engaged in an 11-pitch struggle that was won by Martini when he blasted a home run into the right-field seats to bring the A’s within two 6-4. The next hitter Marcus Semien blasted the first pitch from Cishek into the left-field bleachers to make it a 6-5 game. Cubs manager Joe Maddon brought in Brandon Kintzler to get the final out of the ninth.

The A’s failed to score in the top of the ninth. With two out, pinch-hitter Khris Davis walked. Chad Pinder followed with a single. Maddon replaced Kyle Ryan with David Phelps. Phelps, acquired by the Cubs in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, had to face the hot-hitting Marcus Semien. Semien hit the ball hard, but it was not far enough as it was caught in left field for the final out of the game. The Cubs won 6-5.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s drop to 64-49. The Tampa Bay Rays also lost so the A’s remain a half game behind the Rays for the second Wild Card slot. The Cubs improved to 61-51 and remain in first place in the NL Central.

Neither starter figured in the decision. Bassitt’s line was six innings, two runs, and eight hits. Hendricks line was 6 1/3 innings of work. He allowed two runs and just one hit.

Blake Treinen took the loss for Oakland.

The Cubs announced that their closer, Craig Kimbrel, was placed on the 10-day IL with a knee problem.

The Cubs’ line was six runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The A’s line was five runs, six hits, and no errors.

The A’s hit three homers in the game. Marcus Semien had two. The Cubs had four. Javy Baez also had two homers.

Time of game was three hours and 18 minutes. 40,721 people were crammed into the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs win.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will start at 5:05 pm. It will be a battle of lefty pitchers. Brett Anderson (9-7) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Jon Lester (9-7). Lester pitched for the A’s in 2014.

Olson homers in the 10th to give the A’s a 3-2 walk-off win over the Brewers

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The A’s won a thriller as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in 10 innings at the Coliseum on Tuesday night. Matt Olson homered with one out in the 10th to send the A’s to their 61st win of the season.

Chris Bassitt started for Oakland and pitched exceptionally well. He gave the A’s six innings of work and allowed three hits and no runs. The Brewers’ starter Adrian Houser pitched five innings and allowed one run and three hits.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the third. Brewers’ starter, Adrian Houser, walked the lead-off hitter, Jurickson Profar. Houser struck out Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman. Matt Olson then doubled to left-center to drive in Profar from first. The A’s lead 1-0 after three.

The Brewers plated a run in the top of the eighth. Brewers’ shortstop  Orlando Arcia singled to start the rally. Yusmeiro Petit, in relief of Chris Bassitt, retired the next two hitters. A’s manager brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Christian Yelich. Yelich singled to send Arcia to third. Melvin brought in Liam Hendriks to pitch to Yasmani Grandal. Grandal singled on the first pitch from Hendriks to tie the game. Hendriks struck out Mike Moustakas for the final out of the inning. The game is tied 1-1 midway through the eighth inning. The game didn’t stay tied for long. With two out in the bottom of the eighth, A’s DH Khris Davis lined a shot over the wall in left field to put the A’s ahead 2-1 for his 17th homer of the year. The A’s led 2-1 heading into the ninth.

With one out, Brewers’ first baseman Eric Thames blasted his 15th of the year to tie the game. Thames broke an 0-for-17 slump with the homer. Hendriks struck out the side but was rocked by the blast by Thames. The A’s failed to score in their half of the ninth. The game is now in extra innings.

The Brewers failed to score in the top of the tenth. The Brew Crew had their closer, lefty Josh Hader pitching. Hader struck out Matt Chapman for the first out. The next hitter, Matt Olson, sent the first pitch from Hader over the center-field wall to give the A’s a hard-earned 3-2 win.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s improve to 61-47. They remain in second place in the AL West. They are still 1/2 game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second wild card slot. The Brewers fall to 56-52, and they trail the St. Louis Cardinals by two games in the race for the NL Central crown.

Khris Davis and Matt Olson each homered for Oakland. Davis hit his 17th and Olson his 22nd.

It was the eighth walk-off win for Oakland this year, and it ties them for the Major League lead.

Time of game was three hours and 16 minutes. 17,291 fans went home happy.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Lefty Brett Anderson will go for Oakland. Milwaukee has yet to announce their starting pitcher.

Preview of the A’s series with the Brewers

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By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Oakland A’s begin a stretch of eight interleague games starting with the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s play three with the Brewers, are off on Friday, and play two in Oakland against the St.Louis Cardinals. The A’s then go to Chicago for a week. They play three with the Cubs and three with the Whites Sox.

The Brewers come to town with a record of 56-51. They are currently in third place in the NL Central. They trail the Cardinals and the Cubs by one game for the lead in the division.

The Brewers have a very potent offensive lineup. Their start player is the reigning National League MVP, Christian Yelich. Yelich is having another MVP caliber year. He is hitting .337 and has hit 36 home runs and driven in 80. He has also stolen 23 bases. He is joined in the outfield by former Kansas City Royals’ center fielder, Lorenzo Cain. Another former NL MVP, Ryan Braun, will either play in the outfield or DH. Braun is hitting .271 with 15 homers, and 49 RBIs A’s fans can expect to see the former Dodger, Yasmani Grandal, behind the plate. Grandal is having an excellent season.as his average is .258, and he has hit 19 homers, and driven in 54. Another power guy for the Brewers is the third baseman Mike Moustakas. The former Royal is hitting .261, and he has sent 26 balls out the park and has knocked in 60. Other key players for the Brewers are second baseman Keston Hiura, Eric Thames and Travis Shaw at first base, and Orlando Arcia is at shortstop.

The big problem for the Brewers has been their starting rotation. Three of the five starters have been on the IL. Lefty Gio Gonzalez, who once pitched for the A’s, has a record of 2-1 but has just come off the IL. Starters Jhoulys Chacin and Jimmy Nelson are still on the IL and will not be available to pitch. Zach Davies, who pitched on Sunday against the Cubs probably will not see action against the A’s. Chase Anderson pitched last Saturday, and he may be available on Thursday. The Brewers have not announced who will pitch for Milwaukee against the A’s. The Brewers bullpen will be manned by Adrian Houser, who may be used as a starter, Jeremy Jeffress, Freddy Peralta, Taylor Williams, former starter Junior Guerra, Matt Albers, lefty Alex Claudio, and the closer’s spot is held by lefty Josh Hader. Hader has 23 saves in 25 chances.

The A’s are 60-47 for the season are in a dogfight for the second Wild Card spot with the Tampa Bay Rays, and  Boston Red Sox. The Los Angeles Angels trail the A’s by five games but are playing well. They could be a factor.

The A’s rotation for the series with Milwaukee shapes up this way. Chriss Bassitt (7-5, 4.09 ERA will go for Oakland. Bassitt pitched well against the Astros, but a pair of two-run dingers did him in. Lefty Brett Anderson goes on Wednesday. Anderson is 9-6 with an ERA of 4.05. Anderson had a rough outing last week due to lack of sleep after the birth of his son. On Thursday, Daniel Mengdenn (5-2, 4.85 ERA) will try to get back on track. Mengden has been struggling with his command lately, In his last two games, he walked nine. To be successful, he has to be more consistent and throw strikes.

The A’s have played three tough teams in the last 2 weeks. The split the series in Minnesota with the Twins, lost two out three to the Astros, and split the four-game series with the Rangers. The Brewers have a lot to play for as do the A’s. I expect to see a well-played exciting series. If the A’s are to win, their pitching will be the key.

Rangers rout the A’s 11-3

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Photo credit: bdtonline.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s returned home Thursday to start a four-game series against their division rival Texas Rangers. The A’s lost four out of seven on the road trip and were hoping to reverse their fortunes at the expense of the Rangers. The A’s started lefty Brett Anderson, and Texas countered with righty Ariel Jurado. The A’s started well as they scored three runs in the first inning and it looked as if they were on their way to a victory. The Rangers’ Jurado composed himself after the dismal start and allowed the A’s just one hit in the next six innings. Brett Anderson pitched well for four innings. He met his Waterloo in the fifth when the Rangers scored five times and took the lead for good. The Rangers scored five more in the sixth and one in the seventh to win 11-3.

The A’s put three on the board in the bottom of the first. A’s leadoff hitter Marcus Semien started the rally with a double to left-center. Matt Chapman worked Rangers’ starter Ariel Jurado for a walk to put men on at second and first with no out. Matt Olson flew out to deep center. Semien tagged and went to third. Canha walked to load the bases. Ramon Laureano followed with a single to drive in Semien and Chapman. Canha went to third. A’s DH Khris Davis drove in Canha with a sac fly to right. The A’s owned an early 3-0 lead.

The Rangers plated five runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead 5-3. Three consecutive singles produced the Rangers first run of the game. Anderson retired Tim Fedorowicz for the first out. The next hitter Shin-Soo Choo singled to load the bases. Rangers’ left fielder Danna Santa doubled down the right-field line to drive in Cabrera and DeShields to tie the game. Choo stopped at third. Elvis Andrus hit a sac fly to right to drive in Choo with the fourth run of the inning. A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Anderson from the game and brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Petit gave up a single to former San Francisco Giant, Hunter Pence. Santana scored, and the Rangers lead 5-3 midway through the fifth.

The Rangers blew the game open in the top of the sixth. The big blow was Danny Santana’s first career grand slam. The Rangers scored a run earlier in the inning when A’s reliever Lou Trivino hit Logan Forsythe to start the inning, Trivino walked Cabrera. DeShields laid down a bunt for a hit to load the bases with no out. Trivino retired Fedorowicz for the first out. Lefty Wei-Chung Wang was now pitching for Oakland. Choo singled to drive in Forsythe and Santana followed with his big blast. Texas leads 10-3 after six.

The Rangers added a run in the seventh to end the scoring for the night.

Game Notes: With the win, the Texas Rangers improve to 52-51. The A’s drop to 58-46. Oakland remains in second place in the AL West. The A’s would be the number 2 Wild Card if the playoffs were to start today. They trail the Cleveland Indians by 2 1/2 games for the top Wild Card spot. The A’s are a 1/2 game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and one game ahead of the Red Sox in the race for the second Wild Card.

The Rangers’ Ariel Jurado was the winning pitcher. He is 6-6 for the season Brett Anderson went 4 2/3 innings and allowed seven hits and five runs. Anderson’s record drops to 9-6.

A’s relievers Lou Trivino, and Wei-Chung Wang had rough outings Thursday night. Trivino went 1/3 of an inning. He hit a batter, then walked a hitter, and gave up a single before being lifted from the game. His line was one hit and three runs. Wang went 1 2/3 innings and gave up four hits and three runs. He threw the pitch to Danny Santana that left the park for Santana’s first career grand slam. Santana finished the night with six RBIs.

The Rangers announced that their slugging first baseman Joey Gallo will be out for at least four weeks. Gallo will be having surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his right hand.

Time of game was two hours and 45 minutes. 11,854 fans watched the A’s go down to defeat.

Up Next: The A’s will have to regroup Friday night. Players have to have short memories and remind themselves that each game is a new portrait. The A’s will send Daniel Mengden to the hill. Mengden is 5-1 for the year. He will be opposed by Lance Lynn. Lynn has a record of 12-6.

Verlander, Springer, and Altuve lead the Astros to another win over the A’s, 4-2

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Photo credit: @lasvegasbetting

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s finished their seven-game road trip with a 3-4 record. They split the four-game series with the AL Central leader, the Minnesota Twins, and lost two out of three to the AL West leading Houston Astros. The Astros, behind their ace Justin Verlander beat the A’s 4-2 at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the first inning. Marcus Semien reached on a throwing error by Astros’ third baseman Alex Bregman. He scored on a Matt Olson single to right field. Josh Reddick committed a rare mistake, and that allowed Semien to score.

A’s starter Chris Bassitt was sharp as he retired the first seven hitters he faced. He struck out the last five. Astros catcher Robinson Chirons, who had tormented the A’s over the years, broke the spell with a double. He came around to score when George Springer blasted his 23rd of the year to put Houston ahead 2-1.

In the fifth, Bassitt plunked Chirinos on the hand to start the frame. Chirinos scored again when Jose Altuve hit his 15th of the season over the fence in center field. The Astros led 4-0.

The A’ added their second run of the game in the top of the ninth. Astros’ closer Roberto Osuna gave up a run. The A’s failed to score, and the game was over. Houston won 4-2.

Game Notes: Chris Bassitt gave the A’s six innings of work. He allowed five hits and four runs. Bassitt is now 7-5 for the year. Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen each worked an inning and did not allow Houston to put any runs on the board.

Verlander, who probably will go into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he is finished playing, improved to 13-4. His line was six innings, two hits, one unearned run, two walks, and 11 strikeouts.

The A’s drop to 58-45 and trail the Astros by 7 1/2 games in the division. The Astros improved to 66-38.  The Astros continue to dominate the A’s as they lead the season series 9-2.

Up Next: The A’s return home to face the Texas Rangers for four games starting Thursday night. Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.82 ERA) will go for Oakland. Game time will be at 7:07 pm.

A’s rally late to beat the Astros 4-3

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s stymied by Wade Miley’s slants for eight-plus innings. Miley was masterful all evening long. He retired the first 16 A’s hitters he faced. The A’s ace Mike Fiers had a rough second inning, but settled down and kept the Astros from scoring. Neither starter had a decision. The A’s grabbed the lead for the first time in the top of the ninth. The Astros tied the game at three. The A’s scored a run in the 11th, and Yusmeiro Petit retired the Astros to secure the win for Oakland 4-3.

The Astros put two on the board in the second inning. Houston’s left fielder Michel Brantley singled to start the rally. He went to second on a ground out. Yuli Guriel, playing third base for Houston, hit a line shot to center. Ramon Laureano decided to go for a shoestring catch. The only problem with that decision was this: If you don’t catch the ball and it gets by you, it will be an inside-the-park home run. Fiers may have been a bit rattled, but he settled down and retired the Astros with no further damage. Houston leads 2-0 after two.

The A’s broke up the perfect game with one out in the sixth when Chad Pinder singled. The A’s could do nothing against Mylie until the top of the ninth. In the meantime, Fiers kept his former team off-balance until Bob Melvin removed him from the game with two outs. Melvin brought in lefty Ryan Buchhaler to face Michael Brantley. Brantley struck out to end the threat.

With one out in the ninth, the top of the A’s order came through. Marcus Semien started the rally with a walk. He went to second on Matt Chapman’s single. Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought in his closer Roberto Osuna to pitch. The Astros do not have a lefty in the bullpen, and that cost them the lead. How so? Olson blasted his 21st homer of the year to plate three runs and put the A’s ahead. The Astros did not quit. They came back to tie the score in their half of the ninth. Joakim Soria was trying to close out the game for Oakland. With one out singles by Guriel and Josh Reddick, men were on at first and third. Guriel scored on an Aledmys Diaz’ sacrifice fly to right. The game went to extra innings.

The A’s broke through in the 11th. Collin McHugh was now pitching for Houston. McHugh is known for his sweeping curveballs, and he retired the first hitter he faced. Matt Olson singled, and Mark Canha walked. Ramon Laureano, who was the AL Player of the Week and a former Astro prospect, doubled down the left-field line. Olson scored. Canha also crossed the plate, and the A’s appeared to have a 5-3 lead. The ball got stuck under the wall in left-field, and the Astros claimed that the ball was dead and Canha should be sent back to third base. After an umpires’ review, the call was reversed, and Canha went back to third.  The A’s Yusmeiro Petit, working his second inning of relief retired the Astros in order to secure the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- It was the first win in Houston for the A’s this season. They are now 2-8 against the division leaders.

Fiers’ line was 7 2/3 inning of work, and he allowed six hits and two runs. Miley went eight-plus innings, and he allowed four hits and two runs.

Petit was the winning pitcher, and McHugh took the loss.

Time of game was three hours and 14 minutes.  39,204 went home unhappy as their hometown team lost 4-3.

Up Next: The A’s finish the three-game series Wednesday at 11:00 am PT. Chris Bassitt (7-4) will go for Oakland, and the A’s will be facing the very tough Justin Verlander (12-4).

Astros pound the A’s 11-1

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Astros continued their domination if the A’s this season. They beat the A’s for the eighth time in nine tries. There is no question that the Astros, along with the New York Yankees, are the two best teams in the American League. The Astros have solid players at every position, and they showed the A’s how good they can be by beating them 11-1

Homer Bailey made his second start as a member of the A’s. Things fell apart for Bailey in the second inning. The Astros put four on the board. The scoring started when rookie Yordano Alvarez hit a solo home run to right-center field. The Astros loaded the bases with no out. George Springer singled to make it 2-0, and the bases were still loaded. Bailey walked Jose Altuve to force in the third run of the frame. Alex Bregman grounded out to drive in the Astros’ fourth run of the game.

Bailey started the third inning, but it was not his night as the Astros scored seven times to put the game out of reach. Yule Guriel and Aledmys Diaz homered in the inning. Bailey left with the score 9-0. Brian Schlitter gave up two more runs.

The A’s only run of the game came when they had their only two hits of the night. Matt Chapman doubled and scored on Mark Canha’s double.

Game Notes: Gerrit Cole was dominant. He went seven innings and allowed two hits and one earned. He struck out 11. His record improved to 11-5.

Homer Bailey absorbed his first loss as an Oakland Athletic. His line was two-plus innings pitched, nine runs and eight strikeouts. He is now 8-7 for the year.

The A’s used outfielder Nick Martini as a pitcher. Martini pitched an inning and kept the Astros off the board. He was recalled from Las Vegas to take Brett Anderson’s spot. Anderson is on paternity leave.

Yordano Alvarez set a Major League record by driving in his 35th run in his first 30 games. Albert Pujols previously held the record.

Alvarez, Guriel, and Aledmys Diaz were three Cuban-born players to homer in the game.

Up Next: The A’s hope to turn the tables Tuesday night. Game time is at 5:10 pm PT.

Twins snap A’s win streak with 6-3 victory

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Photo credit: @morsecode

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s began their seven-game road trip to Minnesota and Houston on a down note Thursday night. The AL Central leaders hit three-home runs to come from a 3-1 deficit to win 6-3 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The A’s Mike Fiers pitched well again. The A’s putative ace went 6 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and three runs. Fiers was responsible for two runners in the seventh, and when the Twins’ Eddie Rosario homered on the first pitch from Yusmeiro Petit, any chance that Fiers would get a win went down the drain.

The Twins’ Kyle Gibson went seven innings and allowed six hits and three runs and received credit for his ninth win of the year against four losses.

The Twins put the first run of the game on the board in the third inning. Fiers walked big Miguel Sano to start the frame. Jake Cave singled to advance Sano to second. Both runners advanced a base on a sacrifice base. Fiers didn’t help his cause when he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Sano to score.

The A’s tied the game in the top of the fourth. Ramon Laureano singled and scored on a double by Khris Davis. In the sixth, Laureano singled and scored on Jurickson Profar’s 14th big fly of the season to put the A’s ahead.

Fiers started the seventh by striking out C.J.Cron for the first out. Luis Arreaz doubled, and Sano walked again. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. The Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli made a counter-move by bringing in left-handed hitter Eddie Rosario to pinch hit for Jake Cave. Rosario hit the first pitch from Petit into the seats in right-center-field to give the Twins a 4-3 advantage after seven innings of play

The Twins hit two more solo jobs in the eighth. Lou Trivino was now pitching for the A’s, but he gave up homers to Mitch Garver and Cron. Twins lefty reliever, Taylor Rogers, pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn the save and preserve the win for Gibson

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s drop to 54-42. They trail the Cleveland Indians by one game for the first wild card spot. They are tied for the second spot with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays lost twice to the Yankees, and Tampa is now in a virtual tie with Oakland.

The hitting stars for the A’s were Ramon Laureano with three singles and two runs scored and Jurickson Profar with his 14th home run of the year that gave the A’s  3-1 lead,

The A’s line was three runs, six hits, and no errors. The Twins’ line was six runs, nine hits, and two errors.

Time of game was three hours and 18 minutes.

Up Next: The A’s and Twins play their second game Friday at 5:10 pm PT.