Author: rxslugger

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

A’s need ten innings to beat Tigers 1-0; Oakland’s JP Sears, bullpen shutout Detroit

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The Detroit Tigers Vierling slides in safely with the steal (right) as the A’s second baseman Jordan Diaz (13) gets the drop on the ball in the bottom of the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tue Jul 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, who usually play at the Coliseum on the 4th of July, found themselves at Comerica Park in Detroit to start a six-game road trip. The A’s, who found themselves on the wrong side of a perfect game last Wednesday, appeared headed into a repeat performance. The Detroit Tigers’ lefty, Tarik, Skubal, making his first start since coming off the IL, baffled the A’s hitters. The Tigers pitching staff allowed just a run and it was just enough for the A’s to get by 1-0.

Skubal was perfect for his four innings of work. He allowed no runs, hits, or walks and struck out six. Yogi Berra once said:” It’s deja vu all over again.” The A’s went 32 years before being no-hit last Wednesday. It looked like they would be no-hit again. This time, six days later.

The Tigers brought in Reese Olson to pitch in the fifth. Olson kept the A’s hitless in the fifth and sixth innings. With two out in the seventh, A’s catcher Shea Langeliers broke the spell with a single.

The A’s starter JP Sears pitched his best game of the 2023 season. The lefty, acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline last year, pitched seven and 1/3rd innings. Sears allowed five hits and no runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. Lucas Erceg retired the next two Tiger hitters to end the eighth. Shintaro Fujinami struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth. The game was scoreless after nine innings.

In the tenth, The A’s scored the winning run. Brent Rooker was the ghost runner at second base. A’s manager Mark Kotsay sent Tyler Wade into the game as a pinch-runner for Rooker. Jace Peterson laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending Wade to third.

A’s first baseman Ryan Noda singled to shallow left field to drive in Wade with the A’s first run. They wouldn’t need any more.

Trevor May was brought in to pitch the tenth. Tiger skipper A.J. Hinch replaced ghost runner Miguel Cabrera with Jake Marisnick. May retired Eric Haase and Zack Short. May walked Matt Vierling to put the winning run on first base.

If the Tigers could get a hit, the game would have been tied, and they would have had an opportunity to win. The hitter was Spencer Torkelson. May had his work cut out for him. May did the job as he got Torkelson to fly out to center to end the game. The A’s win 1-0

Game Notes- The A’s won for the third time in the last four games. They are now 24-63. The Tigers dropped to 37-47.

Shintaro Fujinami was the winning pitcher. He is now 5-7 for the year. The Tigers’ Tyler Holton was the losing pitcher. Trevor May earned his sixth save.

The line score for Oakland was one run, two hits, and no errors. The Tigers’ line was no runs, six hits, or errors.

The A’s won the game with two hits. On most days, teams managing just two hits find themselves as losers. Not so in baseball. The pitching for both teams was excellent. Sears did not record the win, but the A’s must be pleased with his performance. Conversely, the Tigers’ pitchers Skubal and Olson were terrific, too. Yet, the A’s found a way to win.

Game two of the three-game series will start at 3:40 pm on Wednesday. Lefty Ken Waldichuk will start for Oakland. Waldichuk is 1-5 and has a 6.78 ERA. Waldichuk has been used as an opener, and it remains to be seen if that will be his role on Wednesday. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.13) goes for Detroit.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s six-game road trip starting in Detroit on July 4th

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Oakland A’s rookie Brent Rooker is the lone selected A’s player representative at the 2023 All Star Game in Seattle. Rooker is seen here taking his hacks against the Kansas City Royals on Fri May 5, 2023 (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are heading to Detroit to start a six-game road trip and open a series on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers (37-49) at Comerica Park in Detroit. The A’s finished their last homestand against the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox with three wins and three losses. The most intriguing game during the homestand was the Yankees’ Domingo German’s perfect game last Wednesday night.

The A’s will play three against the Tigers starting Tuesday night. They finish the road trip with three against the Boston Red Sox in historic Fenway Park. The A’s will then be off until July 14th due to the annual All-Star game that will be held in Seattle this year. Brent Rooker will be the sole Oakland Athletic named to the AL All-Star team.

Let’s take a look at this year’s Tiger team. The Tigers last had success several years ago. Their last World Series appearance was in 2012, and that team was swept four straight by the San Francisco Giants. The Tigers and A’s, two iconic franchises, have been playing against each other since 1901. Like the A’s, the Tigers are not stockpiled with well-known names.

Their best player, Miguel Cabrera, is in his final season. In his 20th season, Cabrera broke into baseball with the then-Florida Marlins in 2003. Cabrera was instrumental in the Marlins’ stunning upset of the New York Yankees in the World Series.

The Marlins traded Cabrera to the Tigers a few years later, and Cabrera has posted numbers that will take him to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Cabrera is a lifetime .307 hitter. He has recorded 3,127 hits, 508 home runs, and 1,859 RBIs. He owns a lifetime .904 OPS(on-base plus slugging percentage.) Cabrera has yet to play much this year. If he does play, he will be the DH.

The Tigers infielder will feature Spencer Torkelson at first base, Zach McKinstry at Second, the veteran Javier Baez at shortstop, and Andy Ibanez at third base. Baez starred with the Chicago Cubs for seven years and won a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016 when the Cubs ended a 108-year drought.

The outfield will have Akil Baddoo in left, Jake Marisnick, a former Oakland Athletic, in center, and Matt Vierling in right. Backups are Tyler Nevin and Kerry Carpenter. Carpenter will also be seen as the Tigers’ DH.

The A’s will have JP Sears on the hill Tuesday night. Sears will be looking for his second win of the year. The Tigers will counter with lefty Tark Skubal. Skubal has no record, and it will be his first appearance this season.

The A’s have not announced their starters for the Wednesday and Thursday games. The Tigers will have another lefty, Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.13 ERA), handling the pitching chores. Michael Lorenzon will start for the Tigers on Thursday.

The Tigers’ are four games behind the AL Central leaders, the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are in first place with a record of 42-43. There is no team in the Central Division with a winning record. The A’s are now 23-63 for the year. The A’s do not want to set the record for most losses in a season. Oakland has some bright spots in their lineup.

Brent Rooker leads the team with 14 home runs. Rooker will represent Oakland a week from Tuesday at the All-Star game. Another bright spot has been the play of Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz is leading all of baseball with 41 steals. He had played well defensively in center field. He is hitting about. 260 has been able to hit in the clutch with men in scoring position. Ryan Noda has shown potential at first base. Noda has a great eye at the plate. He has walked 57 times and has an OPS of .374.

The Tigers’ pitching staff is better than the A’s on paper. The Tigers’ run differential is minus 76. That means the Tigers’ pitching has allowed 74 more runs than the runs provided by the Tigers’ offense. The A’s run differential is a staggering -237.

The A’s rotation has been a disaster for most of the season. The A’s Paul Blackburn returned to action after a stint on the IL. Blackburn, an All-Star in 2022, pitched well for his first three or four starts. The White Sox sent him to an early shower on Sunday as they beat the A’s 8-7.

Blackburn lost his first game this year. The A’s bullpen has also been an arson squad. The A’s have been shuttling pitchers back and forth from their minor league team in Las Vegas.

After the three games with the Tigers, the A’s face the Red Sox in Boston. A’s manager Mark Kotsay would love to win both series. Players and fans alike know that anything can happen in a short series. No one would have ever expected Domingo German to throw a perfect game. The A’s could win all six games. They could lose all six. Baseball is so unpredictable. That’s why people love the game.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Yanks route A’s 10-4 win rubber game of three-game series at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s Tony Kemp (5) considers rounding second base as the New York Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe (11) looks for the possible throw at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Jun 29, 2023 (@Athletics photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s met the New York Yankees in a day game on Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum. Both teams, the A’s and the Yankees, wanted to win the rubber game of the three-game series. The A’s had to rebound from having been the recipients of Domingo German’s perfect game Wednesday night. The Yankees beat the A’s 11-0 and wanted to continue putting runs on the board.

Well, the Yankees found their offense again on Thursday as they erupted in the sixth inning to score eight times to break open the game and coast to an easy 10-4 win over the hapless A’s.

The A’s starter, lefty Hogan Harris, was pitching relatively well heading into the sixth. Harris had held the Yankees to just two runs in his first five innings. The A’s scored one in the first, two in the third, and led 3-2 heading into the fateful sixth inning. The Yankees sent 13 men to the plate in the sixth, scoring eight times. The game summary follows.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Tony Kemp led off the inning with a single. Kemp stole second and went to third on an errant throw from Yankees’ catcher Jose Ramirez. JJ Bleday’s sacrifice fly to left drove in Kemp for the score.

The Yankees tied the game with a run in the top of the second. Yankees left fielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa sent one of Harris’ pitches over the wall in center field. Esteury Ruiz tried to make a leaping catch. Ruiz had the ball in his glove, but his momentum crashing into the fence caused the ball and his glove to drop on the other side. 

The A’s plated two runs in the third to lead 3-1. Yankees’ starter Clarke Schmidt walked Ryan Noda and JJ Bleday to start the inning. Seth Brown singled to deep right field to drive in Noda, and Bleday went to third on the play. Carlos Perez’ Sacrifice fly drove in Bleday with the A’s third run.

The Yankees put their second run of the game on the board in the fourth. Harrison Baded doubled to get things going. Josh Donaldson’s ground out sent Bader to third base. Kiner-Falefa drove in BAder with a sacrifice fly. The A’s led 3-2 after four complete.

The Yankees had a huge inning in the sixth. The New Yorkers sent 13 men to the plate and scored eight runs. They had seven hits, one walk, and two batters hit by a pitch. Harrison Bader singled to get the rally started.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson, much maligned by Yankee fans for his poor showing this year, crushed a pitch that went 472 feet off the facing of the second deck in left field. Donaldson’s blast was the eighth-longest home run hit by any player in baseball this season.

Harris retired Kiner-Falefa for the first out. Anthony Volpe singled. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Lucas Erceg to pitch. Erceg hit Jose Trevino with a pitch. DJ LeMAhieu walked to load the bases. Glyber Torres singled to drive in Volpe and Trevino to make it a 6-3 Yankee lead.

The onslaught continued. Erceg hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch. Giancarlo Stanton doubled to drive in two more. Bader’s single drove in Rizzo with the Yankees’ ninth run and the seventh of the inning. The A’s brought in lefty Ken Waldichuk to pitch. Kiner-Falefa drove in his third run with a single to make it 10-3. The Yankees blew the game open.

The Yankees did not score after the sixth. The A’s scored a meaningless run in the eighth. The Yankees won 10-4 and won the series two games to one.

Game notes: The A’s have lost 12 of the last 14 games played. Their record is now a dismal 21-62. The Yankees improved to 45-36.

Hogan Harris was the losing pitcher. His record is 2-2. Hogan’s line was five and 1/3rd innings pitched. He allowed nine hits, five runs, four earned, walked two, struck out two, and gave up two home runs. Reliever Lucas Erceg did not record an out. He allowed three hits and four runs. 

The line score for Oakland was four runs, eight hits, and one error.

The Line score for New York was ten runs, 13 hits, and one error. 

When a pitch hit Anthony Rizzo in the sixth inning, it was the 212th time he was hit in his career. Only seven other players in all of baseball history have been hit more times.

Seth Brown’s three singles were the only bright spot for the A’s. 

The A’s welcome the Chicago White Sox to the Coliseum for three games starting Friday night. The A’s will send Luis Medina (1-7, 6.84) to the hill Friday night. The White Sox have yet to announce their starter. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

A’s off day report preview: A’s open three game series against Yankees at Coliseum Tuesday night

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Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn gets the start against the New York Yankees on Tue Jun 27, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (San Francisco Chronicle photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (20-60) finished the six-game road trip to Cleveland and Toronto with a record of one win and five losses. After a seven-game winning streak, the A’s have lost ten of the last 11 games. Many of the games were competitive.

The A’s lost four one-run games in a row. The team showed signs of improvement. However, in the last two losses to the Toronto Blue Jays, the A’s showed much work still to be done. The A’s lost 7-3 on Saturday and were routed 12-1 on Sunday.

The A’s are off on Monday as they prepare to start a six-game homestand against the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees entered the 2023 season with high hopes. The Yankees last won a World Series in 2009.

The Bronx Bombers have been in the playoffs several times since then but have yet to be able to get to the big prize, the World Series. The Yankees’ biggest star, Aaron Judge, the current AL Most Valuable Player, is on the injured list with a torn ligament in his toe.

Judge, a Northern California native, is out of action until August 1. The injury jinx has wreaked havoc on the Yankees’ pitching staff. The Yankees signed form San Francisco Giant starter Carlos Rodon as a free agent. Rodon had a terrific season in San Francisco last year.

This year, Rodon has yet to throw a pitch for the pinstripes. Lefty Nestor Cortes, who pitched well in 2022, is also on the IL. Frankie Montas, acquired by the Yanks from the A’s at the trading deadline, is out until September first. Reliever Lou Trivino, another former Athletic, is out for the season.

The Yankees are currently in third place in the AL East Division. The Yankees are 43-35 and are nine and 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Toronto Blue Jays are ready to catapult into third place as they trail the Yankees by just 1/2 game.

Several key players on the Yankees’ roster are having a down year. Third baseman Josh Donaldson was benched for the last three games against the Texas Rangers. Donaldson, a former Athletic and 2015 MVP with the Toronto Blue Jays, is hitting a minuscule .125 with six home runs and eight RBIs.

Donaldson has hinted that 2023 may be his last season in baseball. Another player having a down year is DJ LeMahieu. LeMAhieu is a career .294 hitter. This year, he is hitting .230 with seven homers and 25 RBIs. The Yankees hope he can find his stroke against the A’s pitching staff.

Another player with disappointing numbers is big Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, in his career, has hit 384 home runs. H’s career batting average is .263. This year, Stanton’s numbers show that his batting average is below the Mendoza line at .194. Stanton has six home runs and 14 RBIs. These numbers are different from what the Yankees need to win.

The players to watch in the series will be first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Second baseman Glyber Torres, Shortstop Anthony Volpe, and centerfielder Harrison Bader. Rizzo’as average is at .270, and he has hit 11 dingers and driven in 37. Rizzo, a left-handed hitter, has been helped by baseball’s ban on the shift.

Glyber Torres is at .246 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs. Volpe, in his rookie season, is also under the Mendoza line. His average is just .196. He does have some pop in his bat, as he has slugged ten home runs and knocked in 28.

Yankees’ skipper Aron Boone has several players to play in left or right field. Jake Bauers can play in either position. Billy McKinney or Isiah Kiner-Falefa may see action this week.

The starting pitchers for Tuesday night’s game are the Yanks Jhonny Brito(4-3, ERA 4.89) going against the A’s Paul Blackburn (0-0, ERA 4.21 ). Domingo German (4-5, ERA 5.10) will go for New York on Wednesday. Former Yankee JP Sears(1-5, ERA 4.10) will pitch for Oakland. Clarke Schmidt (2-6, ERA 4.32) will be the Yankees’ starter on Thursday. The A’s have yet to announce their starter.

The Yankees’ bullpen will feature Clay Holmes as their closer. Ron Marinaccio and Michael King have also recorded several saves. Other pitchers that will see action in the series are Jimmy Cordero, Albert Abreu, and Nick Ramirez.

The A’s and the Yankees have been playing each other since 1901. The Yankees, in the early days, were known as the Highlanders. The Yankees have had a long tradition of winning. They have won forty American League Championships and 27 World Series. The A’s are tied with the Boston Red Sox with nine World Series rings in their storied existence. The A’s have won 13 AL Pennants.

This year has been an exceptionally down season for the A’s. The team has a record of 20 wins and sixty losses. The team’s pitching could have been better. The starters own an ERA of over seven. The bullpen should be known as the arson squad. The A’s have a run differential of -224. The second-worst run differential in baseball is the Colorado Rockies’ -123.

Yet, the A’s would love to upset the Yankees’ apple cart. Yankee fans will be at the Oakland Coliseum to cheer their team to victory. As fans of the 29 other baseball teams know, Yankee fans can be loud, rude, and obnoxious. Hopefully, A’s fans will visit the park to see the games.

Woes continue Guardians send A’s down to their eighth straight loss 6-1

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Oakland Athletics right fielder Brent Rooker catches a ball hit by Cleveland Guardians’ Josh Bell during the second inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Thu Jun 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland A’s left starter JP Sears had his best game of the year for the A’s. Sears gave the A’s seven innings and allowed four hits and two runs. It was certainly a quality start. Unfortunately for Sears, the A’s offense did not back the pitcher with enough of an attack to win the game.

The A’s offense produced three hits, all singles, as the A’s fell to the Cleveland Guardians 6-1 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The A’s only run came in the fifth inning, and it came without the benefit of a hit.

Sears retired the first 11 batters he faced on Thursday. The Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez singled with two out in the fourth to break the spell. Ramirez was caught stealing to end the inning. In the top of the fifth, the A’s scored their only run in the game, and that happened without the benefit of a hit.

Here’s how it happened. A’s left Fielder Tony Kemp walked. Esteury Ruiz was at the plate. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had Kemp running on the pitch to Ruiz. Amed Rosario fielded Ruiz’s ground ball. Rosario’s throw to first nipped Ruiz for the out.

Kemp motored to third base on the play. Ryan Noda’s sacrifice fly drove in Kemp with the run. Cleveland answered with two runs in their half of the fifth. Sears retired DH Josh Naylor for the first out. First baseman Josh Bell blasted a 430-foot home out of the park to tie the game.

It was Bell’s seventh of the year and the 18th home run allowed by Sears. Sears leads baseball in that department. Serving up gopher balls has been a problem for Sears this year. Sears gave up the second run when Andres Gimenez singled. Gimenez stole second and scored on Myles Straw’s triple. The Guardians led 2-1 after five innings.

The Guardians scored four times in the bottom of the eighth. The A’s summoned Yacksel Rios from the bullpen to pitch. Rios was making his A’s debut. It was a performance that he would like to forget. Rios threw 44 pitches in the inning. He struggled to find the strike zone.

The Guardians scored four times. Rios gave up two hits, walked four, and threw two wild pitches. The Guardians led 6-1 after eight innings. Reliever Eli Morgan set the A’s down to end the game.

Game Notes- The A’s lost their eighth game in a row. Their record fell to 19-56. The Guardians swept the three-game series to improve to 36-38.

The line score for Oakland was one run, three hits, and no errors. Cleveland’s line was six runs, six hits, and no errors.
JP Sears’ line was seven innings pitched, four hits, two runs, eight strikeouts, one walk, and one home run allowed. Sears threw 106 pitches and 79 strikes. The Guardians’ starter Logan Allen went four innings and allowed two hits and no runs.

Kemp and Esteury Ruiz had their hitting streaks stopped Thursday afternoon.

The A’s finish the six-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays. The A’s starter will be James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.38 era). Former A’s starter Chris Bassitt will be on the hill for the Blue Jays. Bassitt is 7-5 with an ERA of 4.16. The game will start at 4:07 pm.

A’s lose another one run game fall to Guardians 7-6; Loss is Oakland’s 7th straight

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Oakland Athletics’ Ryan Noda watches his three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams during the third inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Wed Jun 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg.

The Oakland A’s (19-57) lost another one-run game to the Cleveland Guardians (35-38) Wednesday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The final score was 7-6. After winning seven straight games, the A’s have lost seven in a row, including the last four games, by a single run.

The A’s gave starter Paul Blackburn a 4-0 lead in the top of the third. Cleveland scored three in their half of the inning. Cleveland tied the game in the fifth. The As’ went ahead 6-4 in the top of the seventh. The A’s needed the bullpen to stop the Cleveland offense in the seventh and eighth to secure the win.

Unfortunately for Oakland, the pen couldn’t keep the Guardians off the board. The Guardians’ big first baseman, Josh Naylor, blasted his ninth home run of the year to make it a one-run game, 6-5 in favor of the A’s after seven.

Naylor also drove in his 55th RBI with the homer. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay summoned Austin Pruitt from the bullpen to pitch the eighth. The Guardians found a way to put two more runs on the board. The rally began when Myles Straw singled with one out.

When he singled, Bo Naylor, Josh’s younger brother, recorded his first Major League hit, sending Straw to second. It was Bo Naylor’s first hit in Major League baseball. Pruitt now had to face the Guardians’ left-fielder Steven Kwan, the young man from Fremont doubled to drive in Straw with the Guardians’ sixth run of the night.

Ramon Laureano’s throw to second base went awry, and Naylor was able to score on the errant throw. The Guardians led 7-6 after eight. The Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase squirmed out of a jam in the ninth to earn his 22nd save of the year. With Tony Kemp at first and no out, Clase received a gift from the home plate umpire.

Aledmys Diaz was called out on strikes when charged with a time clock violation. Diaz stepped out of the batter’s box and nodded to the umpire for time. When Diaz stepped back into the box, the umpire called the violation, and Diaz was out.

Confusion reigned as Diaz and Kotsay argued for clarification. It was to no avail. Esteury Ruiz singled, sending Kemp to third. Ruiz stole second. It was Ruiz’s second steal of the game and 38th of the year. Clase struck out Ryan Noda for the second out and retired Seth Brown on a fly ball to center.

The A’s scored four in the third. Kemp and Tyler Wade singled to get the rally going for Oakland. Ruiz singled to drive in Kemp with the A’s first run Ryan Noda followed with his ninth big fly of the season to make it 4-0.

The Guardians scored three times in their half of the third. Catcher Bo Naylor walked to start the rally. Singles by Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor produced three runs. Cleveland sent eight men to the plate in the inning.

In the fifth, Jose Ramirez tripled to right field, leading off the inning. Josh Naylor’s infield single drove in Ramirez with Cleveland’s fourth run. The score remained tied until the top of the seventh. The A’s scored twice to take a 6-4 lead.

With one out, Tony Kemp singled. Aledmys Diaz, pinch-hitting for Tyler Wade, singled, sending Kemp to third. Terry Francona brought in setup reliever Trevor Stefan to pitch. Esteury Ruiz singled driving in Kemp. It was Ruiz’s second RBI of the game.

Stefan retired Ryan Noda for the second out. Seth Brown broke an 0-for-14 slump with a single to drive in Ruiz with the A’s sixth run. As mentioned above, Cleveland scored in the bottom of the seventh when Josh Naylor Homered. Cleveland added two more in the eighth to win 7-6.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 19-57. Cleveland improved to 35-38. The line score for Oakland was six runs, nine hits, and two errors. The line for Cleveland was seven runs, 13 hits, and no errors.
The Winning pitcher was Elijah Morgan. Austin Pruitt took the loss.

A’s starter Paul Blackburn went five innings and allowed nine hits and four runs. He struck out seven and walked one. Cleveland’s starter, rookie Gavin Williams went five and 2/3rds innings. He allowed four hits and four runs. Williams struck out four and walked three.

The A’s Esteury Ruiz had three hits, all singles, drove in two and stole two bases. Tony Kemp also had three hits. The hitting stars for Cleveland were Hosh Naylor and Jose Ramirez. Naylor had three singles and a home run. Ramirez had two singles and a triple.

The A’s finish the three-game series with Cleveland on Thursday. It will be a battle between two lefties. JP Sears will go for Oakland, and Logan Allen will oppose him. The game will start at 10:10 am.

It takes ten innings for Cleveland Guardians to down A’s 3-2

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Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Luis Medina walks to the dugout after a groundout by Cleveland Guardians’ Will Brennan during the sixth inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Tue Jun 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (19-56) lost for the sixth straight game Tuesday night. The A’s lost 3-2 in ten innings. While the pitching has improved in the last two weeks, the A’s could not snap the five-game losing streak. They needed a key hit in the tenth, but they could not get the one they needed. The Cleveland Guardians(34-38) rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the seventh to tie the game. Cleveland scored in the tenth to end it. The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the top of the third. Singles by Tony Kemp and Esteury Ruiz put men on at first and third with one out. A’s first baseman Ryan Noda’s ground out drove in Kemp with the run.

The A’s went ahead 2-0 in the seventh. Tony Kemp slugged his second home run of the year into the seats in right field. Cleveland tied the game in their half of the inning. Center fielder Myles Straw started the Guardians’ rally with a double.

With one out, A’s manager replaced Luis Medina with lefty Sam Moll. Moll retired Steven Kwan for the second out. Sam Moll gave up a single to Amed Rosario. Straw scored to make it 2-1. Jose Ramirez was the next hitter. Ramirez, a switch hitter and very dangerous in the clutch hit a line drive that got by a diving Seth Brown in left field. The ball rolled to the wall. Rosario scored on the play to tie the game.

Neither team scored in the eighth or the ninth. In the tenth, with Shea Langeliers as the ghost runner, Guardians’ reliever Enyel De Los Santos shut down the A’s offense. The Guardians scored in the tenth. Jose Ramirez was the ghost runner. The A’s issued a free pass to Josh Naylor.

Tyler Freeman laid down a sacrifice bunt. The A’s tried to nail Ramirez at third. The throw did not get there in time. The Guardians had the bases loaded with no out. All Cleveland needed was a sacrifice fly to win the game. The next hitter, Andres Gimenez, settled the affair with a single to right field to win the game for Cleveland. The A’s lost 3-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 19-56. The guardians improved to 34-38.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, six hits, and no errors.

Cleveland’s line was three runs, ten hits, and one error.

The A’s Ken Waldichuk started the game. He was the opener and went one and 2/3rd innings. Luis Medina replaced him, and he pitched 4.1 innings. He gave up four hits and one run. Sam Moll replaced Medina and allowed two hits and one run. 

The Guardians’ starter Aaron Civale gave his team a quality start. He went six and 2/3rd innings of work. Civale allowed five hits and two runs. 

Tony Kemp had a single and a home run to extend his hitting streak to five games. Esteury Ruiz singled in the third and has now hit in six straight games.

The hitting star for Cleveland was Amed Rosario. Rosario had two singles and a double.

Game two of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night. The A’s will send Paul Blackburn to the hill. Blackburn is 0-0, with a 3.48 ERA. The Guardians’ starter will be Gavin Williams. Williams will be making his Major League debut. A 4:10pm PT first pitch at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Oakland A’s day off report: Medina gets the call to open series in Cleveland on Tuesday; Ruiz leads off and has MLB stolen base lead

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Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz slides home safely after scoring on a Ramon Laureano single against the Seattle Mariners Tue May 23, 2023 in first inning action at T Mobile Field in Seattle (AP file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s finished an up-and-down week, ending the seven-game homestand with two wins and five losses. The A’s had won seven games in a row before they lost two to the Tampa Bay Rays and three to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The A’s seven-game win streak saw them win two against the Pittsburgh Pirates and a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates and Brewers are in a dogfight for first place in the NL Central. The A’s won the first two games of the four-game set with the Rays.

It was no easy task as the Rays own the best record in baseball. The team had almost 28,000 people in the seats on Tuesday, June 13th. Organizers of a reverse boycott hoped to show A’s owner John Fisher and baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred the fans would support the team in Oakland.

Fisher, as usual, said nothing. Manfred dismissed the effort as meaningless as he said their effort was no better than the average attendance at a game in Major League baseball. Manford also said the city of Oakland needed to do more.

Oakland needed a program in place to build the stadium. Manfred is tone-deaf. Oakland had raised over 400 million dollars in grants for infrastructure needs. The City Council was two days away from a vote. The A’s ownership had turned the fans off by trading away their best players and leaving the fans with a team with the worst record in all of baseball.

Winning brings people into the seats. Then, to make matters worse, the Nevada legislature voted to approve $380 million to give to the A’s to help build a stadium in Las Vegas. The Nevada governor signed the bill.

The only hope the A’s fans have is that the owners of the other 29 teams will reject the move. Manfred has said baseball will waive the $300 million relocation fee. The owners share those fees. Many of them say they want Las Vegas to get an expansion team. The fees for an expansion team are around two billion. That’s a lot more money to share.

None of the drama on the relocation situation should affect what’s happening on the field. The A’s still have to go out and play the game. A’s manager Mark Kotsay has to be pleased with his team’s performance in the last 12 games.

They went 7-5. During the winning streak, the A’s starters and relievers pitched well. The A’s offense came to life, and the team showed improvement. They split four games with the Rays. They lost three games to the Phillies. Two of the losses were by one run. The Phillies are the hottest team in baseball. They have won fourteen of the last 16. The Phillies were in the World Series last year.

The A’s start a six-game road trip in Cleveland Tuesday night. The A’s will play three against the Guardians and then finish the road trip with three against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Guardians are in second place in the AL Central with a record of 33-38.

They are two and 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins. Manager Terry Francona is in his 11th year as the skipper of the Guardians.

The A’s will send Luis Medina (1-6, 7.55) to the hill Tuesday night. Cleveland will counter with Aaron Civale(2-2, 2.67). Righty Paul Blackburn (0-0, 3.49) goes for the A’s on Wednesday. The Guardians have not announced a starter. Lefty JP Sears(1-4, 4.24) will be on the mound on Thursday. Logan Allen (3-2, 3.95) goes for Cleveland.

The key players for the Guardians are first baseman Josh Naylor, third baseman Jose Ramirez, and outfielders Stephen Kwan and Will Brennan. Their catcher is Josh Naylor’s younger brother Bo Naylor. Closer Emmanuel Clase leads the Guardians bullpen. Clase is 1-4 but has recorded 20 saves this year.

Their setup guy is Trevor Stephan. The Guardians do not have a left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. The A’s will see relievers Sam Hentges, Enyel De Los Santos, Elijah Morgan, Nick Sandlin, Xzavion Curry, and two recently recalled from Triple-A, Daniel Norris and Tim Herrin. The A’s will not see the Guardians’ ace Shane Bieber in the series.

The A’s want to get some wins on this road trip. They will need better pitching and timely hitting. They know they can win on the road. They are looking for players such as Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, JJ Blesday, Ramon Laureano, Roberto Perez, and Shea Langeliers to get back on the hit parade. Blackburn has pitched well since coming off the IL.

Also of note A’s leadoff hitter Ruiz leads the majors in stolen bases with 36 for the season and could get some good coverage on the base paths that could help Oakland get a leg up for this upcoming road trip.

Medina has improved, and Kotsay wants him to give the A’s a quality start on Tuesday night. JP Sears, acquired in the trade that sent Frankie Montas to the New York Yankees, has to find a way to stop serving up gopher balls. Sears has allowed 17 dingers in his starts this year.

The A’s still are the worst team in baseball. Kotsay continues to have a positive outlook. He has seen some improvement in the last two weeks. The A’s would love nothing better than winning each series against the Guardians and The Blue Jays.

A’s win for fifth straight time 8-6 to complete three game sweep over Brewers

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Oakland Athletics’ Seth Brown reacts after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What’s going on with the Oakland A’s? The A’s started the nine-game road trip with a record of 12-46. They lost the first four games to fall to 12-50. Suddenly, the A’s won two from the Pittsburgh Pirates and three straight against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The A’s finished the sweep by beating the Brewers 8-6 Sunday afternoon at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The win took work. The A’s leading 5-3 after eight put three insurance runs on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth. Oakland thought they were going to coast to an easy win.

They rallied to put three on the board to lead 8-3. Reliever Trevor May retired the first two hitters she faced in the bottom of the ninth. All the A’s needed was one more out.

May could not do the job. May walked William Contreras on a 3-2 count. He gave up a single to Adames. He walked Yellich and Victor Caratini to force in a run. Mark Kotsay brought in lefty Sammy Long to finish the game. Long gave up a single to Abraham Toro to make it an 8-6 game.

The Brewers had men on at first and third with two out. All the Brewers needed was one swing of the bat, and they would have won the game, but Sammy Long retired Blake Perkins for the final out. A’s starter, lefty J.P. Sears, finally won his first game of the year.

The Brewers started the scoring in the bottom of the second. With one out, left-handed hitter Christian Yellich hit an opposite-field home run to give the Brew Crew an early 1-0 lead. It was Yellich’s eighth dinger of the year and the 14th home run allowed by Sears this year.

The Brewers added a run in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Second Baseman Andruw Monistario led off the inning with a single. Monistario stole second and scored on Owen Miller’s double down the left field line. Sears regained focus and retired the next three hitters.

The Brewers’ started Freddy Peralta coasted through the game’s first three innings. His only blemish was a walk to Ryan Noda in the first inning. Things changed in the fourth. A’s first baseman Ryan Noda doubled to start the rally. Peralta plunked Ramon Laureano with a pitch to put two men on with no out.

A’s left Fielder Seth Brown engaged Peralta in an epic battle. On the twelfth pitch that Brown saw from Peralta, Brown connected and sent the ball over the wall in right field to give the A’s a 3-2 lead. It was Brown’s fourth home run of the year. A’s DH Brent Rooker didn’t waste any time as he sent Peralta’s pitch into the second deck n left field. The A’s lead 4-2.

Lefty Sam Moll was on the hill to start the bottom of the sixth inning. The Brewers’ shortstop Willie Adames singled, leading off the inning. Moll struck out Yellich for the first out. Moll hit Luis Urias with a pitch.

Right-fielder Brian Anderson hit a ball that appeared to head over the centerfield wall. Esteury Ruiz ran back to the wall and made the catch of the day as he leaped and carraled the ball before it left the park. Blake Perkins singled to drive in Adames with the Brewers’ third run. Lucas Erceg came in from the bullpen to get the final out of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Kevin Smith, the A’s light-hitting shortstop, surprised everyone in the ballpark when he homered into the second deck in left field. It was Smith’s fourth home run, giving the A’s a 5-3 lead.

The A’s plated three insurance runs in the top of the ninth. As mentioned above, it appeared they were going to cruise to an 8-3 win. Trevor May was summoned from the bullpen. He retired the hot-hitting Owen Miller on a groundout to second baseman Tony Kemp.

He struck out Joey Wiemer for the second out. All May needed was one more out. That did not happen. The Brewers scored three runs. A walk, single, two more walks, and another single produced three runs for Milwaukee. A’s reliever Sammy Long got Blake Perkins to ground out to end the game and earn his second consecutive save and second career save. The A’s win 8-6.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are 17-50. The five-game winning streak is the first one since the 2021 season. The Brewers fall to 34-32.

J.P.Sears was the winning picture. His record is now 1-2. Freddy Peralta took the loss and is now 5-6.

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, six hits, and one error. The A’s hit three home runs in the game. The line for Milwaukee was six runs, ten hits, and one error. Christian Yellich had Milwaukee’s only home run.

The A’s won their second series in a row. They beat the Pirates two games to one and swept The Brewers three straight. The A’s finished the road trip with five wins and four losses. It was the A’s first winning road trip this year.

The A’s will be at the Oakland Coliseum to play four games against the Tampa Bay Rays starting Monday night. The Rays beat the Texas Rangers Sunday afternoon 7-3 to improve to 48-20. The Rays are in first place in the AL East Division and have the best record in baseball. The A’s will send James Kaprielian to the hill Monday night. Kap is 1-6, with an ERA of 7.21. His opponent will be Zach Elfin. Elfin is 8-1, and his ERA is 2.97. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

A’s win their fourth in a row take down Brewers 2-1

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Milwaukee Brewers catcher Victor Caratini tags out Oakland Athletics’ Jonah Bride during the second inning at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Sat Jun 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their fourth game in a row as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in ten innings. The A’s starter Paul Blackburn was on the top of his game. Blackburn was in All-Star form as he went six innings and allowed four hits and no runs.

Blackburn threw 95 pitches, and 64 were for strikes. The A’s bullpen performed well except for just one pitch that Milwaukee’s DH William Contreras sent out of the ballpark in the eighth inning. The game summary follows below. 

The A’s put a run on the board in the top of the fifth. A’s second baseman Jace Peterson singled to start the rally. The Brewers’ starter Julio Teheran struck out Jonah Bride for the first out. A’s shortstop Aledmys Diaz singled, sending Peterson to third. Teheran retired J J Bleday on a fielder’s choice, and Bride scored. The A’s led 1-0. 

Blackburn held the Brewers scoreless in the sixth. Austin Pruitt pitched a scoreless seventh inning. In the eighth, A’s skipper Mark Kotsay brought in left Richard Lovelady to pitch. Lovelady retired the first two hitters.

The Brewers manager Craig Counsell sent in William Contreras to pinch-hit for the DH Rudy Tellez. Contreras came through for the Brewers with a blast that went over the centerfield wall to tie the game at 1-1. It was Contreras’ eighth home run of the year.

 Neither team scored in the ninth, and the game went into extra innings.

In the tenth, with Tony Kemp running for Jonah Bride, Aledmys Diaz singled up the middle to drive in Kemp with the winning run. It was Diaz’s third hit of the game. Left Sammy Long pitched a scoreless tenth to preserve the win for the A’s. Oakland wins its fourth straight game 2-1.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 16-50 for the year. The Brewers, tied for first place in the NL Central Division with the Pittsburgh Pirates, fell to 34-31. The A’s have beaten the Pirates twice and the Brewers twice in the last four games.

The hitting star for the A’s was Aldemys Diaz, with a double and two singles. 

The winning pitcher was Shintaro Fujinami. Fujinami pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get the win. He is now 3-6 for the year. Lefty Sammy Long earned his first save. Brewers’ reliever Joel Payamps, who was with Oakland last year, was the losing pitcher.

The Line score for Oakland was two runs, seven hits, and no errors. The Line for Milwaukee was one run, six hits, and one error.

Oakland will play the Brewers on Sunday. The game will start at 11:10 am.

Lefty J.P.Sears will go for Oakland. Sears is 0-3 with a 4.20 ERA. The Brewers will counter with righty Freddy Peralta (5-5, 4.55 ERA).