Author: rxslugger

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

Bombs away: Rangers top A’s 7-4

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Photo credit: nbcbayarea.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Texas Rangers blasted five home runs to down the A’s 7-4 at Globe Life Park on Tuesday night.

A’s ace Sean Manaea, who was 1- 4 with a 7.18 ERA in his six starts in May, went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and two runs. Rangers’ starter Matt Moore, who has struggled all season, pitched six innings and he allowed eight hits and three runs. Neither starter figured in the decision.

The A’s took an early lead in the top of the first. With two out, Jed Lowrie started the rally with a double to left field. A’s DH Khris Davis doubled to deep left field to drive in Lowrie. Matt Olson singled to drive in Davis with the A’s second run of the night.

Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos homered in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to one. The A’s lead 2-1.

Khris Davis hit a solo blast in the top of the fifth to make it 3-1. Rangers’ Jurickson Profar sent a Manaea pitch out of the park in the sixth to make it a one-run game as they trail the A’s 3-2.

In the top of the seventh, Chad Pinder doubled to deep center field. Pinder tagged up and moved to third when Lowrie flew out. The Rangers issued a free pass to Davis, but Olson thwarted the strategy when he singled to drive in Pinder.

A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit to face the Rangers in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Delino DeShields reached on a bunt single. Shin-Soo Choo homered to tie the game at four apiece.

The Rangers’ setup reliever retired the A’s in order in the top of the eighth. The Rangers took the lead for good in their half of the inning. Rookie reliever Lou Trivino was rocketed by the veteran Adrian Beltre’s second home run of the season. Beltre has missed 28 games so far this year due to an injury, but the future Hall of Fame player showed that he can still play. Jurickson Profar walked and then scored on big Joey Gallo’s blast that propelled the Rangers to a 7-4 advantage. Closer Keone Kela, struck out Lowrie, Davis, and Olson to earn his 14th save of the year. The Rangers win 7-4.

Game Notes: The Rangers evened the season’s series at four apiece.

The A’s fall to 31-30 and the Rangers improved to 26-37.

Chris Martin was the winning pitcher, and Lo Trivino took the loss.

The A’s announced that they placed Daniel Gossett on the 10-day DL with a strained right elbow. They also sent pitcher Josh Lucas back to Triple-A Nashville.

A’s relief pitcher Liam Hendriks was activated off the 10-day DL, and as a result, they recalled catcher Josh Phegley from Nashville.

Up Next: Game 2 of the two-game series will be played at 5:05 pm PDT. Daniel Mengden will go for Oakland, and the ageless Bartolo Colon will be on the hill for Texas.

A’s end road trip with short two-game series with Rangers in Arlington

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chicagotribune.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea celebrates after pitching a no-hitter in May against the Boston Red Sox. He will get the call Tuesday night in Arlington against the Texas Rangers at the Ball Park.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland Athletics meet the Texas Rangers in Arlington for two games starting Tuesday. The A’s and Rangers have played seven games this season, and the A’s have won four games and lost three. The A’s are currently in fourth place in the American League West with a record of 31-29. The A’s won two out of three from the Kansas City Royals over the weekend and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The A’s are 15-15 at home and 16-14 on the road. The Rangers are 25-37 and trail the first-place Seattle Mariners by 12 1/2 games. They are seven games behind the A’s for the fourth spot in the division.

The A’s will send Sean Manaea to the mound Tuesday night. Manaea, who pitched a no-hitter against Boston in April and was the AL Pitcher of the Month, did not have a good month of May. His record has dropped to 5-6, and his ERA is currently at 3.60. The A’s are hoping the big lefty can get back to the form that he exhibited in April. He will be opposed by the Rangers’ left-hander Matt Moore. Moore, who had a terrible year in 2017 with the San Francisco Giants, is not doing well with Texas. Moore is 1-5 and has an ERA of 7.89. Moore came off the DL last Wednesday and allowed five runs in 5 1/3rd innings of work. Moore is 1-2 lifetime against Oakland in six career starts.

On Wednesday, Daniel Mengden will go for Oakland. Mengden has been pitching well. In his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Mengden went 8 plus innings and gave up six hits and three runs. The ageless veteran, Bartolo Colon (2-3, 4.21 ERA), will be seeking his 243rd win to tie him with the great Juan Marichal for most wins by a pitcher from the Dominican Republic.

The A’s hitters have shown that they love to play on the road. The team has guys up and down the lineup that can hit the ball into the stands. Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie, and Matt Olson will be in the infield positions. Lowrie leads the team in hitting, and Olson has found the stroke that got him 24 homers in 59 games last year. Olson had four homers in his last four games. Mark Canha, MattJoyce, Dustin Powell, and Stephen Piscotty play solid defense in the outfield, and all have produced.

The Rangers’ pitching has been less than stellar this season. Their ace, Cole Hamels, is 3-5 with an ERA of 3.63. Hamels wants out of Texas and wants to be traded to a contender. He’s hoping the Yankees will trade for him, but the Rangers may demand more than the Yankees want to give up. Colon, Matt Moore. Doug Fister and Mike Minor are not going to have opposing teams quaking in their boots.

The Rangers’ veteran third baseman, Adrian Beltre, has been on the DL a couple of times this season and he is hitting .304 but has just one home run and 13 RBIs. Big Joey Gallo hits a lot of home runs, but he also strikes out a lot and is hitting just .205. Shortstop Elvis Andrus is still on the DL with a fractured elbow, but he could return soon. Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor fill in at short and second baseman. Odor is having an off-year, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa will see time playing second base.

Shin-Soo Choo, Delino DeShields, and Nomar Mazara will be the outfielders.

After the two-game set with Texas the A’s return home to play four with the Kansas City Royals, three with Houston, and three with the LA Angels.

Curry makes nine 3-point shots to lead Warriors to a 122-103 rout of Cavs

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors started the game with an intensity that was lacking in Game one of the Finals and the maintained it as the beat the Cavaliers 122-103 to take lead the Cavs 2-0 in the best-seven-series.

The Warriors came out smoking and raced to an early 15-6 lead. The Warriors never relinquished the lead. The Cavaliers made several runs to get back in the game but the Warriors defense would not let them. Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson were factors in stopping the Cavalier offense. Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a change in the starting lineup that paid dividends. He started JaVale McGee in place of Kevon Looney and McGee came through with a terrific performance. His stat line showed that he scored 12 points and had 2 rebounds, but he was tenacious on defense.

The Warriors raced out to a 32-28 lead after the first quarter. The Cavs, led by LeBron James, closed the gap to four at the end of the first period. They were hoping to take the lead in the second quarter, but the Warriors outscored them 27-18 to lead 59-46 at the end of the first half.

The Warriors, who usually blow away opponents in the third quarter, scored 31. The Cavs scored 34 to cut the deficit to 10 after three periods of play. Curry, Durant, Green, and Thompson decided to not allow the Cavs back into the game. Steph made several 3’s in the third and fourth quarters. He made the shot of the game in the fourth quarter when he made a three-pointer with Kevin Love draped all over him and the shot clock was about to expire. Steph’s legend grew as he made a shot that mere mortals could only dream of making. The Dubs outscored the Cavs 32-23 and Cavs’ coach Tyron Lue put in his bench with less than 4 minutes to go in the game. The Warriors win 122-103.

Game Notes- The Warriors, led by Draymond Green, unleashed their ferocious defense and kept the Cvs’ offense to 41% from the floor. The Cavs made nine 3-point shots in 27 attempts. Draymond Green had this to say about the team playing defense:”I don’t think we’re close to our ceiling, which is good for us. I think we can play so much better.”

Steph Curry finished the night with 33 points. Kevin Durant snapped out of his scoring slump with 26 points. KD also had 7 assists and 9 rebounds. Klay finished with 20. Draymond scored just 5, but he had 7 assists and 8 boards. Shaun Livingston, coming off the bench, had 10.

LeBron James, who scored 51 points Thursday, tallied 29. He had 20 in the first half and the Warriors defense held him to just 9 in the second. Kevin Love helped the Cavs with22. Tristan Thompson added 11, and George Hill knocked down 15. The Entire Cavs’ bench had just 21.

The Warriors shot a very impressive 57.3% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Dubs 42-41. Cleveland again dominated the offensive boards as they had 16 while the Warriors had just 7.

Game Three will be played in Cleveland on Wednesday at 6 pm.

A’s bats come alive to beat the Rays 7-3; Mengden wins sixth game of the year

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@Athletics photo: A’s starter Daniel Mengden, who pitched for eight innings gets the win on Thursday afternoon over the Tampa Bay Rays to avoid a sweep at the Oakland Coliseum

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Tha A’s salvaged the finale of the four-game series as they hit three home runs to help Daniel Mengden win his sixth game of the year. Mengden was brilliant for eight innings as he allowed no runs and just three hits. He stumbled a bit in the ninth, but the A’s bullpen quelled the Rays rally to win 7-3. The Rays’ Ryne Stanek, who, usually pitches out of the bullpen, was selected to continue Kevin Cash’s program of using relievers to start.

The Rays were hoping to sweep the A’s as their pitching had held the A’s to just three runs in the last three games. The A’s hitters were scuffling, but today, they snapped out of the hitting funk. The A’s Khris Davis, who was on the 10-day DL, was cleared to play and he helped get the team going when he doubled in his first at-bat. The A’s also hit three home runs to aid Mengden’s cause. The A’s had hit just 19 at home so far this year as compared to 47 on the road. The changed the numbers when the three Matts, Olson, Chapman, and Joyce all homered.

In the bottom of the second, the A’s exploded to score three times.  The A’s had scored just three runs in the 4-game series with the Rays had to be ecstatic as the bats came alive. Khris Davis, in his first at-bat after being on the 10-day DL, doubled to right-centerfield. Chad Pinder walked to give the A’s runners at first and second with one out. Bruce Maxwell struck out for the second out. Stephen Piscotty, who has been scuffling, doubled to the left-field corner to drive in Davis and Pinder. Mark Canha followed with a single to give the A’s the lead 2-0 after two complete.

The A’s scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the seventh to take a 5-0 lead. With one out, Matt Olson hit a solo home run to right. Two batters later, Matt Chapman sent a Ryan Yarbrough pitch into outer space for his ninth of the season.

Matt Joyce joined the homer parade in the eighth. Stephen Piscotty walked to put a man on first with one out. The Rays recorded the second out of the inning when Mark Canha popped out to the Rays’ first baseman Brad Miller in foul territory. Joyce then blasted his seventh big fly to put the A’s in the driver’s seat 7-0.

A’s manager let Mengden start the ninth. Mengden gave up a single to C.J.Cron and Joey Wendle to put men on first and second with no out. Rays’ catcher Wilson Ramos doubled to drive in Cron and Wendle. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Josh Lucas to pitch. Mengden received a standing ovation from the 12, 070 fans in attendance. Lucas struck out Daniel Robertson for the first out. He then walked Brad Miller. Lucas struck out Rob Refsnyder for the second out. He needed one more out to get the save, but he couldn’t retire Christian Arroyo. Aroyo slammed a double into left field to drive in Ramos. Miller stopped at third base. Melvin brought in closer Blake Treinen to end the game. Rays’ right fielder Josh Field hit a blooper that looked as if it was going to fall in for a hit. Chad Pinder made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch to end the game. It was not easy as the ball bounced off Pinder’s glove, but he somehow was able to grab the ball with his bare hand as he fell to the ground.  The A’s win 7-3

Game Notes: Mengden had his scoreless streak end at a career-high 25 innings. It was the longest streak by an A’s pitcher since Sean Doolittle in 2014 (26.1) and the longest by an A’s starter since Corey Lidle in 2002 (32.0). Mengden also pitched 16 consecutive innings without issuing a walk. He has won four consecutive games for the first time in his career. Blake Treinen recorded his 13th save of the year, and it was his 10th save in May tying him with Dennis Eckersley for the most saves in May in Oakland history.

The A’s seven runs ended a 14-game consecutive streak of 4 runs or less. They finished the month with a record of 15-14 which was the first winning record in May since 2014.

The line score for Oakland was 7 runs, 7 hits, and no errors. The Rays’ line was 3 runs, 7 hits, and 2 errors. The A’s improve to 29-28 while the Rays fall to 28-27.

Up Next: The A’s start a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals Friday night in Kansas City. They are off on Monday before going to Texas for two more with the Rangers. Frankie Montas, who pitched well in his last start, will handle the pitching chores for the Green and Gold and the Royal will start the veteran righty, Ian Kennedy. Kennedy is 1-5 and has an ERA of 5.15. Game time is at 5:15 pm PST.

A’s come up short in 4-3 loss to Rays

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Photo credit: @RaysBaseball

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Tampa Bay Rays edged the A’s 4-3 in the second game of the four-game series at Oakland Coliseum Tuesday night.

Rays’ starter, Blake Snell, improved his record to 7-3 as he baffled the A’s, allowing just one run, which was unearned, and two hits. He struck out seven.

A’s starter Daniel Gossett allowed three runs and eight hits. He was tagged with the loss. He gave up three consecutive home runs in the third inning.

The Rays scored three times in the third inning. Gossett struck out the first two hitters that he faced. The next three hitters, C.J. Cron (former A’s second baseman), Joey Wendle, and Rays’ catcher Wilson Ramos, all hit solo home runs.

It was the first time since August 1st, 2017 that the Rays hit back-to-back homers against the Houston Astros, and it was the first time since they hit three consecutive dingers in a game since September 21st, 2016 when they did it against the New York Yankees.

The A’s put one on the board in their half of the third. Catcher Bruce Maxwell reached on an error. Snell retired the next two hitters. Jed Lowrie, the designated hitter, doubled to left field to drive in Maxwell. The run was unearned. Rays lead 3-1 after three complete.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Rays’ pitcher Jamie Schultz made his Major League debut and had quite a debut as he struck out all the hitters he faced. Welcome to the Bigs, Rook!

The A’s had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rays’ reliever, righty Chaz Roe, walked Marcus Semien to start the inning. The next batter, Matt Chapman, had a broken bat blooper that fell in safely in right field. Semien made it third, and Chapman reached second on Carlos Gomez’ throwing error. Roe struck out Lowrie and Mark Canha and retired Chad Pinder on a routine ground ball out. The Rays still lead 3-1 as the teams head into the ninth inning.

In the ninth, Rays’ shortstop, former A’s farmhand, Daniel Robertson clobbered his sixth dinger of the year to give Tampa Bay a 4-1 lead. The A’s rallied to score twice. Sergio Romo, who was a closer for the San Francisco Giants, was Ray.s manager Kevin Cash’s choice to finish the game. Matt Olson singled off Romo to start the rally. Stephen Piscotty doubled down the left field line to drive in Olson. Piscotty went to third on a ground ball out and scored on Bruce Maxwell’s ground ball to first base. Romo dodged a bullet when Marcus Semien hit a long fly ball that had the distance for a home run, but the ball went foul. Romo then retired Semien for the final out of the game.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s drop to 28-27 and the Rays improve to 27-26.

The Rays’ line was four runs, 10 hits, and two errors. All four of the Rays’ runs were the result of solo homers.

The A’s line was three runs, five hits, and one error.

Time of game was two hours and 55 minutes.

A very sparse crowd of 7,521 fans were on hand to see the A’s lose.

Up Next: Wednesday night’s game will feature the A’s big lefty Sean Manaea (5-5, 3.34 ERA) pitching for Oakland and righty Nathan Eovaldi going for the Rays. Manaea has been scuffling lately, and he will be hoping to return to the form that he showed earlier in the season. Game time is set for 7:05 pm PST.

Rays shut out A’s 1-0 in 13 innings

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Photo credit: @RaysBaseball

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — It was a sizzling, sun-drenched day in Oakland. The temperature at the start of the game was 78 degrees, and the 10,881 fans in attendance thought they might see a few home runs in the game. The ball usually carries well on hot days, but that did not happen as the A’s, and Rays’ pitchers were sensational. The Rays scored the winning run in the top of the 13th. The A’s had their chances,but could not get a hit with a runner in scoring position.

The A’s starter, Trevor Cahill, had his best game of the year. Cahill went eight innings, allowed just four, didn’t walk a batter, struck out six, and did not allow a run.

The Rays’ starter, Chris Archer pitched six scoreless innings, He kept the A’s scoreless and allowed just 4 hits, too. Both bullpens were terrific. The Rays were a wee bit better as they won the game 1-0.

The Rays scored the only run of the day in the top of the 13th. Chris Hatcher, the A’s fifth pitcher of the day, retired the first two hitters in the 13th. He then gave up singles to John Field, Jesus Sucre, and center fielder Mallex Smith. The Ray’s Ryne Stanek retired Matt Joyce for the first out. Marcus Semien walked. Jed Lowrie fouled out. Rays’ manager Kevin Cash made a pitching change. He brought in the lefty Jonny Venters to pitch to Matt Olson. Venters struck out Olson for the final out.

The A’s had men in scoring position in the fourth, sixth, and ninth innings but could not score. The A’s drop to 28-26 while Tampa Bay improves to 26-26.

The line score for the Rays was 1 run, 7 hits, and 1error. The A’s line was no runs, 7 hits, and no errors.

Chris Hatcher was the losing pitcher, and Ryne Stanek recorded the win.

Game 2 of the four-game series will be played Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Daniel Gossett (0-2, 6.28 ERA) will pitch for the A’s, and the Rays will send lefty Blake Snell (6-3, 2.78ERA) to the hill. Game time is at 7:05 pm PST.

Warriors destroy Rockets 115-86 to force Game 7

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter. The Rockets, behind James Harden and Eric Gordon, came out blazing and outscored the Warriors 39-22 in the first quarter. The Warriors turned the ball over, and shots were not falling for Golden State. The fans were starting to squirm as it looked as if the Rockets had found the key to their fourth victory in the best-of-seven series.

However, the Warriors started to play better in the second period. Klay Thompson started making shots, and the Warriors improved on defense. They won the quarter 29-21 and trailed Houston 61-51 at the end of the first half.

The Rockets were led by Harden’ 22 points. Eric Gordon made four 3-point shots and finished with 16. Trevor Ariza had 14, and he knocked down two from downtown.

Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant each had 14. Steph Curry had 13, and the Warriors bench did not make a significant contribution.

The Warriors knew that the season was on the line as they started the second half. They had to find a way to stop the Rockets attack and a way to get going on offense.

The Warriors executed that plan to perfection. They started the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time since early in the game when they lead 4-3. The Rockets’ main man, James Harden, responded by making two 3-pointers to put Houston ahead 69-66.

Thompson hit a three to tie the game at 69. The Rockets rebounded to go up by four points 74-70. It was at this point that the Warriors took control of the game and went on a 14-3 run to end the third period leading 84-77.

The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth quarter when they went on a 27-6 run and held the Rockets to just nine points for the entire period. The Warriors won the game 115-86. They meet the Rockets in Houston Mondy night for the Western Conference title.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were magnificent in the second half. They outscored the Rockets 64-25. They went from being down by 17 and winning by 29. That was quite a turnaround.

The Rockets were without the services of guard Chris Paul, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5.

The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala, so needed for his defensive skills, was unavailable for the third game in a row due to a bone bruise. He is day-to-day and may be available Monday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr felt terribly for Paul — and others who have gone down.

“More than anything, I feel bad for Chris. The guy is a phenomenal player and competitor, and pretty much willed his team the last two games. He’s just been haunted by these types of injuries in his career, and it’s a shame,” Kerr said.

“I hate when anybody gets hurt. I hated when Andre got hurt. I hate to see Kevin Love last night, Kyrie (Irving). These guys train so hard, and they’re here, and they’re competing, and you want everybody to be healthy, but just the reality is it usually doesn’t work out that way. So you’ve just got to keep playing with whoever’s there and keep going.”

After the game, Klay Thompson had this to say about the win: “I don’t want to go home. It shows you what you are made of. We are the best defensive team in the league.

The stats show that the Warriors, as a team, outrebounded the Rockets 47-38. Also, on defense, they had 11 steals and 10 blocked shots. They forced the Rockets to commit 21 turnovers.

On offense, Klay Thompson was on fire. He ended the night with 35 points, and he made nine threes.

Steph Curry finished with 29. Curry made just one three the first half, but he found his shot in the final 24 minutes as he hit four 3-pointers.

Kevin Durant finished with 23. Draymond Green, on offense, scored just nine points but he had nine assists. He was a terror defense. He had 10 rebounds to go along with four steals and five blocked shots.

The Warriors needed the Big Four to produce, and that is exactly what the did as they shut down the Rockets after the first period.

James Harden led the Rockets with 32. Eric Gordon had 19, and Trevor Ariza finished with 14. The Warriors held Harden to 10 points in the second half. Gordon added just three and Ariza was held scoreless. Gerald Green was the only other Rocket in double figures with 11.

Up Next: The deciding game of the West Final series will be Monday night in Houston. Game time will be at 6:00 pm PST.

A’s nip Mariners 4-3 to win series finale

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s won the final game of the three-game series as they defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-3. However, the Mariners won the series two games to one and are 6-3 over Oakland so far this season.

The A’s were facing their nemesis, Felix Hernandez, once more. Hernandez has owned the A’s over the years and his 26-10 lifetime record is a testament to his dominance. Thursday’s game in Oakland did not go King Felix’s way. The A’s tallied four runs in the bottom of the first, and that was enough to win the game. Hernandez and three Mariner relievers allowed the A’s just one hit after the first inning. Josh Lucas went two innings for the A’s and gave up two runs. The A’s bullpen was fantastic as they kept Seattle off the board until the eighth and Blake Treinen closed out the game to preserve the win.

The Mariners jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. The A’s starter Josh Lucas gave up singles to M’s shortstop Jean Segura and center fielder Guillermo Heredia. Lucas walked the ever-dangerous Mitch Haniger to load the bases with no out. Lucas now had to face the M’s slugger Nelson Cruz. Cruz, who has killed the A’s in the past, hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Segura scored. Lucas struck out Kyle Seager to end the inning. The A’s roared back in their half of the frame as they scored four times to take a 4-1 lead.

The M’s ace Felix Hernandez gave up singles to Matt Joyce and Marcus Semien to put men on at first and third with one out. Jed Lowrie flew out to left field. Joyce tagged up and scored on the play. Matt Chapman walked to put two men on with two out. Stephen Piscotty doubled to drive in Semien and Chapman. Piscotty scored the fourth run of the inning when Dustin Fowler singled.

The Mariners scored a run in the second inning to make it a 4-2 game.  With two out, Andrew Romine walked. He then stole second and scored on a single by M’s catcher David Freitas.

There was no more scoring in the game until the top of the eighth inning. A’s manager brought in rookie Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino gave up a single to Jean Segura and walked Heredia to put men on at first and second with no out. Mitch Haniger hit a sharp grounder that was fielded by the third baseman Matt Chapman. Chapman stepped on third base for the first out, threw to second for the second out, but Haniger was safe at first as the throw arrived just a split second late. Nelson Cruz singled to send Haniger to third, and Cruz went to second base on the throw. Bob Melvin decided to use his closer, Blake Treinen to get the final out of the eighth. Kyle Seager singled sharply to drive in Haniger with the M’s third run. Cruz stopped at third base. Treinen retired Daniel Vogelbach on a fly ball to center field for the final out of the inning. The A’s are still in the lead 4-3.

Treinen retired the M’s in order in the top of the ninth. Ben Gamel flew out to left field for the first out. Treinen then struck out pinch-hitter Ryon Healy on a 99-mile-an-hour four-seam fastball for the second out, Treinen then struck out Mike Zunino for the final out. The A’s win 4-3.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improve to 26-24 while Seattle drops to 29-20. The A’s used five pitchers in the game, and the winning pitcher was Yusmeiro Petit. Petit is now 2-1. Blake Treinen earned his 11th save. Felix Hernandez is now 5-4 for 2018.

Time of game was two hours and 44 minutes, and there were 12,633 happy fans in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s will now face the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games starting Friday night in Oakland.

Sean Manaea will oppose Patrick Corbin in a battle of left-handed pitchers Friday night.

Daniel Mengden will hurl for Oakland Saturday, and he will be opposed by the veteran Clay Buchholz.

Sunday’s game will feature Trevor Cahill going against one of the best pitchers in baseball, former Cy Young award winner Zach Greinke.

A’s fall to Mariners 1-0 after pitching duel

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Photo credit: @Mariners

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s and Mariners received outstanding pitching performances from their starters. The only problem for Oakland was they could do nothing against lefty Marco Gonzalez while Seattle was able to win on an unearned run that spoiled Daniel Gossett’s best start ever as an Oakland Athletic. Gossett, making his first start since being recalled from Nashville, went seven innings, allowed just four hits and the only Seattle run was unearned.

The Mariners’ Marco Gonzalez was brilliant. In his seven innings of work, he allowed just two hits and no runs as he won his fourth game of the year by a score of 1-0.

The Mariners drew first blood in the top of the fourth. Mariners’ centerfielder Guillermo Heredia lined a double down the left field line. Nelson Cruz flew out to right field, and Heredia was able to tag up and advance to third on the play. The A’s brought the infield in order to get the runner at home in a ground ball to any one of the infielders. Gossett got former A’s first baseman, Ryon Healy, to hit a ground ball to A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien fielded the ball cleanly, but he dropped the ball as he attempted to throw him. He was charged with an error and Heredia crossed the plate with the first run of the game. The run was unearned. That run was the only run of the game as both the A’s and Mariners’ bullpens did their jobs and did not allow any runs to be scored.

Game Notes and Stats: The only run of the game was scored when Marcus Semien misplayed a ground ball that allowed Guillermo Heredia to score from third.

Right fielder Stephen Piscotty made two fantastic plays on defense. In the fourth, he robbed Mike Zunino of a home run as he leapt high and with his glove outstretched over the wall, came down with the ball for the out. Piscotty made a diving catch in short right field to rob John Andreoli of a hit.

In the ninth inning, Mark Canha had Mike Zunino shaking his head as Canha also made a running, diving catch in left field to take another hit away from Zunino.

The A’s reliever, Ryan Dull, was hit on the hand by a line drive in the eighth inning. Dull couldn’t make the throw to first and went to the ground writhing in pain. Bob Melvin and the trainer raced to the mound and checked out Dull’s hand. Ryan said he was fine and stayed in the game.

The A’s announcer that they placed Khris Davis on the 10-day DL with a strained right groin injury. The doctors determined that it was a Grade 1 strain and healing takes from one to three weeks. The A’s recalled Daniel Gossett and Franklin Barreto from Nashville.

The line score for Seattle was one run, six hits, and no errors. The line score for Oakland was no runs, three hits, and one huge miscue. Jed Lowrie led the A’s attack with two singles.

Time of game was two hours and 43 minutes and there were just 6991 fans in attendance to see a very well played game.

Up Next: The A’s and Mariners cap off the series Thursday afternoon at 12:35 pm PST.

Josh Lucas will start for the A’s on Thursday and Seattle will send Felix Hernandez to the mound to handle the pitching chores. The Mariners are now 6-2 against Oakland this year and will be going for the sweep. Hernandez is 26-10 in his lifetime against the A’s.

Mariners rally late to edge A’s 3-2 in 10 innings

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Photo credit: @Mariners

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s, returning home after a successful 7-3 road trip to New York, Boston and Toronto, wasted another excellent outing bt the veteran Trevor Cahill as they lost the opener of the three-game series to the Seattle Mariners 3-2 at Safeco Field Tuesday night.

The Mariners’ Mike Leake and the A’s Trevor Cahill both pitched well. Each pitcher received a no-decision for their effort, but each could have won with a little more run support from their respective teammates. The A’s scored an unearned run in the fourth. Leake did not help his cause as he was the player that committed the error. He gave up an earned run in the fifth. With two out, he hit Mark Canha with a pitch. Matt Joyce singled to send Canha to third and Canha scored when Marcus Semien singled.

The Mariners tied the game in the seventh. With one out, Cahill walked the M’s designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach. The next hitter, catcher Mike Zunino, took Cahill deep to tie the score at two apiece.

Neither team could score in regulation, and the game went into extra-innings. In the top of the 10th. The Mariners took the lead. Shortstop Jean Segura singled to right. Guillermo Heredia doubled to center. Segura was sent home on the throw by third base coach Scott Brosius. Segura’s hand touched home plate before A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy could apply the tag.

The Mariners brought in Edwin Diaz to close out the game. Diaz retired the first two hitters. Marcus Semien nearly tied the game when he sent a Diaz fastball over the fence in left field. There was just one problem. The ball was about three feet foul. Diaz then struck out Semien to end the game.

Game notes and stats: With the win, the M’s are now 28-17 and remain just two games behind the first-place Houston Astros. The A’s drop to 25-23.

The A’s Trevor Cahill went seven innings and allowed just four hits and two runs.

The line of M’s Mike Leake was 6 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed six hits and two runs, one of which was unearned.

The A’s Yusmeiro Petit was charged with the loss, and Edwin Dian recorded his 16th save of the season.

The M’s announced that they placed Dee Gordon on the 10-day DL with a fractured toe.

The M’s designated hitter Nelson Cruz was not in the lineup Tuesday night.

The M’s manager, Scott Servais, was ejected late in the game for disputing calls on ball and strikes.

Up Next: The A’s will send Daniel Fossett to the mound to pitch on Wednesday. Gossett was recalled from Nashville to make a start. Marco Gonzalez will hurl for Seattle. Game time will be at 7:05 pm PST at the Oakland Coliseum.