Author: rxslugger

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

A’s off day report: Both on the field and potential move to Las Vegas updates

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Hogan Harris delivers during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Thu Jun 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have a travel day this Thursday. The team is going to Milwaukee to play the Brewers for three games. Milwaukee is the last stop on the nine-game road trip. The A’s are 2-4 so far on the trip. The A’s won the last two games of the three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The offense woke up as the A’s put eleven runs on the board Tuesday night and nine on Wednesday. The A’s will want a win on Friday to give them their first three-game win streak of the season.

The Brewers are currently in first place in the NL Central Division with a record of 34-28. The Brewers own a game and 1/2 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig Counsell manages Milwaukee.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay has announced his starters for the three-game set. On Friday, Luis Medina will pitch for the A’s. Medina is still looking for his first win of the year. Medina is 0-6. His ERA is 8.19. The Brewers starter will be Adrian Houser (2-1. 3.45 ERA.

Paul Blackburn will go for the A’s on Saturday. Blackburn is 0-0, and his ERA is 6.00. Julio Teheran (1-2, 1.45 ERA) will be on the hill for Milwaukee.

Lefty J.P. Sears (0-3, 4.20) will handle the pitching chores for Oakland on Sunday. The Brewers’ starter will be Freddy Peralta (5-5, 4.55 ERA).

The Brewers’ biggest name is Christian Yellich. Yellich was the MVP in 2018. Since that year, Yellich has never had the great success that he had that year. Currently, Yellich is hitting .257 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs.

Another key player, catcher William Contreras is out of action until next Wednesday. The Brewers acquired Contreras in the three-team trade, resulting in A’s catcher Sean Murphy going to the Braves, Esteury Ruiz and Kyle Muller, and two other Braves players coming to the A’s.

Other Key players for Milwaukee are first baseman Rowdy Tellez, second baseman Owen Miller, and shortstop Willy Adames. The Brew Crew’s designated hitter is Jesse Winker. Winker, who was with Seattle last year, is not producing for the Brewers. Winker is hitting. 204 with no home runs and 13 RBIs. Milwaukee’s best pitcher Corbin Burnes, the Cy Young Award winner two years ago, will not face the A’s this weekend.

The A’s, as mentioned above, have won two straight games. The players and coaching staff know all the news about the possible move to Las Vegas. People must realize that most players and coaching staff live outside the Bay Area. Players are paid mercenaries. They sign a contract for a specific time, and if not re-signed by their current team, they are free to play elsewhere.

The situation in Oakland has to be hard for the A’s players. They would love to play before large home crowds. It must be disheartening to have a big night and not see fans in the stadium. The A’s have had so many crowds, with less than 5000 fans in the seats. The fans that are there love the Green and Gold and are loyal. They are angry at the owner John Fisher, who won’t pay for players. The A’s traded away several stars last before the start of the 2022 season.

Then the club raised ticket prices. In their 56 seasons in Oakland, the A’s have won six AL Pennants, four World Series titles, and numerous division crowns. The people, if they feel they have an owner that will commit to building a winning franchise and spend the money to make the dream happen, will fill the seats in the Coliseum.

As of this writing, the Nevada Legislature has yet to vote on the A’s proposal to move to Las Vegas. If the legislature votes to approve the spending measure, the A’s will be gone. A no vote means the A’s will have to seek other options. It might mean going back to negotiations with the city of Oakland. It might mean John Fisher will have to sell the club. It might mean the A’s will relocate to another city.

The players must wear their uniforms daily and give the team 100% effort. Mark Kotsay has done a great job in not letting the club get discouraged by its poor performance so far this year. Let’s hope things will improve on the field, despite anything else happening.

Oakland A’s off day report: Athletics open 9 game road trip in Miami Friday night

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (12-46) are going to Miami to start a nine-game road trip. The A’s won two of three from the N.L. East division leader, the Atlanta Braves, in the three-game series that finished yesterday in Oakland. The A’s surprised the Braves by winning the series’ first two games. They lost a close game, 4-2, on Wednesday.

The A’s pitching held the Braves to just seven runs in the series. The Braves, World Champions in 2021, have players that know how to win. Their stars are Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and Austin Riley. The two wins over the Braves had to put a smile on manager Mark Kotsay’s face.

The A’s will face the N.L. East’s second-place team, the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are 29-28, tied with the New York Mets for second-best record in the East. Their manager is Skip Schumaker, who replaced Don Mattingly.

The Marlins have some hitters in their lineup. Miami acquired Luis Arreaz from the Minnesota Twins. Arreaz is a lifetime .300 hitter. This year with the Marlins, he is hitting a robust .381. Arreaz is the team’s second baseman. The Marlins platoon Garrett Cooper and Yuli Guriel at first base.

Guriel, a former Houston Astro, is hitting. 281. In his days with the Astros, Guriel loved to hit against the A’s pitchers. John Berti is the Marlins shorstop. Veteran infielder Jean Segura will be at third base. The Marlins outfielders are Jonathan Davis in centerfield, Bryan De La Cruz in left field, and Jesus Sanchez in right field.

Davis is a rookie and has played in seven games. De La Cruz is hitting .296 with seven homers and 23 RBIs. Sanchez owns a.310 batting average and has three dingers and 11 RBIs.
The DH is the veteran Jorge Soler. Soler is a power hitter. He hit 48 home runs in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals. This year, Soler has hit 17 big flies and has knocked in 35 runs.

The pitching matchups for the three-game series are lefty Hogan Harris (0-0 ERA 10.13) going for the A’s Friday night against Edward Cabrera (3-4 ERA 5.02) of the Marlins. Harris last pitched on May 27th against the Houston Astros. The young lefty, pitching in relief, went five innings and allowed one hit.

Luis Medina (0-4 ERA 6.83) will be on the hill for the A’s on Saturday. Eury Perez (2-1 ERA 2.84)will pitch for Miami. Paul Blackburn (0-0 ERA 2.25) will be making his second start of the year on Sunday. In his first outing, Blackburn, an All-Star in 2022, went four innings allowing four hits and one run.

Blackburn’s opponent will be Sandy Alcantara (2-5 ERA 4.93). Alcantara was the National League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2022. Things have yet to go his way this year. He is 20-5 and owns a 4.93 ERA.

The Marlins have two former A’s pitchers on their staff. Both are left-handed. Jesus Luzardo who is a starter but will not face his old team this weekend. Reliever A.J. Puk, who has been a closer for Miami, is available on June 4th.

Mark Kotsay hopes his team will continue to play as they did against the Braves. The A’s have the worst record in baseball. They are on track to break the New York Mets record of 120 losses in a season. Let’s hope the team gets off to a good start Friday night.

Braves beat A’s 4-2 in three-game series finale

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher James Kaprielian, right, walks back to the mound as Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies, left, rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Atlanta Braves beat the A’s 4-2 on a cool Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s had won the first two games of the three-game series. A’s manager Mark Kotsay hoped his team could find a way to beat the Braves and record their first three-game winning streak of the season.

That did not happen. The A’s starter James Kaprielian pitched well for the first four innings on Wednesday. Kaprielian was seeking his first win of the 2023 campaign. The Braves put together a three-run rally in the fifth to end Kaprielian’s hope for a win. The game summary follows below.

A’s starter James Kaprielian pitched extremely well for the game’s first four and 1/3rd innings. Things went south very quickly. With one out, Eddie Rosario singled. It was just the second hit Kaprilian had allowed.

The Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies blasted his 11th home run of the season to put the Braves ahead 2-0. Shortstop Orlando Arcia singled. Kap[rielian struck out Michael Harris for the second out. Ronald Acuna doubled to left center. The ball bounced on one hop over the wall.

Arcia would have scored had the ball not been ruled a ground-rule double. The A’s intentionally walked former A’s slugger Matt Olson to load the bases. Kaprielian hit Ustin Riley with a pitch to force in Arcia with the Braves’ third run. A’s manager brought in lefty Richard Lovelady to pitch. Lovelady retired Travis D’Arnaud for the third out.

The A’s rallied to put two on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Brent Rooker doubled. Braves’ starter Jared Shuster walked Ryan Noda to put two men on with one out. The A’s right-fielder Ramon Laureano singled to plate Rooker with the A’s third run.

Noda went to third on the play. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had Noda running on the next pitch. It was a smart move, as the Braves shortstop had one play. He had to get the runner at first. Noda scored on the play. The Braves lead 3-2 after six complete.

With lefty Ken Waldichuk on the hill for the A’s in the seventh, the Braves put together a single, walk, and another single to make it a 4-2 game. The Q’s failed to score in the seventh, eighth, or ninth innings. The Braves win 4-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s record falls to 12-46. The Braves improved to 33-23.

The A’s line was two runs, three hits, and no errors. Atlanta’s line was four runs, seven hits, and one error. 

The winning pitcher was Jared Shuster. Shuster improved to 2-2 for the year. Kapielian took the loss, and he is 0-6.

There was just one home run in Wednesday’s game. The Braves Ozzie Albies homered for the 11th time this year.  

The A’s are off on Thursday. They are headed east to play three games with the Miami Marlins, three with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and three with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lefty Logan Harris (0-0 ERA 10.13) will pitch for Oakland Friday night against the Marlins. The Marlins will counter with righty Edward Cabrera (3-4 ERA 5.02).

The time of the game was very fast, 2:14. 6429 fans were on hand to watch the A’s lose their 46th game.

A’s continue to lose skid reaches six; Mariners beat Oakland 6-1

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Oakland Athletics’ Ryan Noda walks away after striking out against Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller during the first inning at the T Mobile in Seattle on Wed May 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s woes continued once again on Wednesday night. The Seattle Mariners (25-24) sent the beleaguered team down to the seventh consecutive loss by a score of 6-1. The A’s are now 10-41 for 2023. The A’s needs to play better. The starting rotation has an earned run average of 7.5 runs per game.

Teams can only win games with good pitching. A’s manager, to his credit, has his players giving 100%. There is no quit on the team, but the A’s do not have the talent to win. It’s a very sad situation. The A’s coaching staff hopes things will turn around. Oakland has yet to have a one-game losing streak this year. As the losses pile up, players must wonder when things will change. They may, but it appears hopeless at this point in the season.

The A’s played a bullpen game Wednesday night. Reliever Austin Pruitt started the first inning and allowed one hit. Lefty Ken Waldichuk was next as he was brought in to pitch to start the second inning. The A’s lefty gave up three hits to the M’s in the second inning and struck out the side in the third, but things went south in the bottom of the fourth.

The Mariners put five runs on the board. M’s catcher Cal Raleigh started the rally. Waldichuk struck out Teoscar Hernandez for the first out. Waldichuk walked Jose Caballero, sending Raleigh to second. A.J. Pollock singled to load the bases. Sam Haggerty, playing first base instead of the injured Ty France, doubled to drive in two. Pollock stopped at third. J.P. Crawford singled to drive in Pollock with the M’s third run.

Julio Rodriguez singled to make it 4-0. The bases remained loaded. Waldichuk walked Eugenio Suarez to force in the fifth run of the inning. A’s manager replaced Waldichuk with Lucas Erceg. The M’s sent eleven men to the plate in the fourth, leading 5-0.

The A’s put a run on the board in the top of the seventh. JJ Bleday led off the frame with a single. Ramon Laureano struck out. Jace Peterson singled, sending Bleday to second. Aledmys Diaz doubled down the left-field line to drive in Bleday with the A’s first run.

The Mariners’ Teoscar Hernandez, 0-for-11 in the series with the A’s, led off the bottom of the seventh with his ninth big fly of 2023. A’s reliever Sam Long settled down and retired the next three hitters to end the seventh. The Mariners now lead 6-1.

The Mariners bullpen kept the A’s scoreless in the eighth and ninth to secure the win for Seattle. The Mariners beat the A’s 6-1.

Game Notes- The A’s lost for the seventh time in a row and the ninth time in the last ten games. The hapless A’s now own baseball’s worst record, 10-41. The Mariners are now 25-24.

The line for Oakland was one run, seven hits, and no errors. Seattle’s line was six runs, 11 hits, and no errors.

Ken Waldichuk was the losing pitcher. He is now 1-4 with an astronomical 7.40 ERA. The Winning pitcher was Bryce Miller. Miller improved to 3-1.

The Mariners have beaten the a’s all six games played in 2023. The M’s are 29-8 in the last 37 games between the two teams.

The only stats of note for Oakland belonged to Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz leads Major League baseball in two categories. Ruiz has the most stolen base with 26 and has been hit with a pitch 11 times. Ruiz had his eight-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday night as he went 0-for-three.

The A’s wrap up the four-game series Thursday night in Seattle. Left J.P. Sears (0-3 ERA 4.99) will pitch for Oakland. Logan Gilbert (2-2 ERA 3.81) will be on the hill for Seattle. The game will start at 6:40m pm PT.

M’s send A’s down to sixth loss in a row Seattle wins 3-2

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BY Jerry Feitelberg

There was good and bad news for the Oakland A’s in Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners. The good news was that the A’s played better than Monday night. The bad news was they still lost.

The Mariners ruined a good start by the A’s starter, Luis Medina. The 24-year-old Dominican Republic Medina pitched well for four and 2/3rd innings. Luis allowed a single in the first inning and held the M’s hitless until there were two out in the fifth.

Another bit of good news was the two runs the A’s scored in the first inning. The bad news was they managed just two hits over the next eight innings. Seattle’s three runs in the fifth were enough to give them a 3-2 win over the A’s. The loss marks the worse MLB start since the 1932 Boston Red Sox.

The A’s put two runs on the board in the top of the first. Esteury Ruiz got the rally going with a single to left. The hit extended Ruiz’s hitting streak to eight games. Ruiz stole second to get into scoring position. For Ruiz, it was his Major League-leading 25th steal.

Ramon Laureano singled to shallow right. Ruiz scored, and Laureano went to second on the throw home. Jesus Aguilar grounded out 5-3, and Laureano went to third on the play. Catcher Carlos Perez singled to drive in Ramon with the A’s second run. The Mariners did not score in their half of the first. The A’s lead 2-0

The Mariners scored three times in the fifth. Luis Medina had not allowed a hit since the first inning. Medina retired the first two Mariner hitters in the fifth. With two out, catcher Tom Murphy doubled. The next hitter, left-handed hitter J.P. Crawford, took Medina deep.

Crawford’s home run was his second of the year. The ball went out of the park in right-center field. Medina now had to face Ty France. Median retired France the first two times he faced him. Not this time, as France homered to left-center field to give the Mariners a 3-2 advantage after five.

The Mariners’ starter Marco Gonzales settled down and allowed the A’s two hits before he left the game after the sixth inning. The Mariners’ outstanding bullpen set the A’s down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to secure the win.

Game Notes- with the loss, the A’s have lost six in a row and nine of the last ten played. The A’s are 10-40 for 2023. The Mariners evened their record at 24-24.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, five hits, and one error. The Line for Seattle was three runs, five hits, and no errors. Home runs by J.P. Crawford and Ty France were the big hits in the game.

Luis Medina was the losing pitcher. His record in 0-3. Marco Gonzales was the winning pitcher.
The A’s sent lefty Kyle Muller to Triple-A. Muller was the losing pitcher Monday night. Oakland activated pitcher Trevor May from the 10-day IL. May saw action in the eighth inning, and what an inning it was.

May hit Ty France on the wrist with a wayward fastball. May was barely moving due to the pain. He did get up and made his way to first base. Sam Haggerty replaced him. The next hitter Julio Rodriguez hit a ball down the right-field line.

As Ramon Laureano went to catch the ball in foul territory, it appeared a fan interfered with it. The first base umpire ruled the batter out. The M’s challenged the call, but the review upheld the call. May retired Jarred Kelenic for the second out.

He then hit Eugenio Suarez with a pitch. The Seattle fans were enraged at the events. May stayed in the game to get the third out.

There was more bad news for the Oakland fans. The Nevada Independent reports that the A’s and major Nevada state officials have reached a loose agreement for a public financing package including $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in bonds issued by Clark County.

The A’s still have two games left to play with Seattle before returning home to face the Houston Astros Friday night. It will be a battle of left-handed pitchers. Ken Waldichuk (1-3 ERA 6.85) will pitch for Oakland, and Bryce Miller (2-1 ERA 1.42) will be on the hill for the Mariners. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

Mariners trounce A’s 11-2; Fifth loss in a row for Oakland

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Kyle Muller reacts after walking Seattle Mariners’ AJ Pollock during the second inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Mon May 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Seattle Mariners welcomed the A’s to T-Mobile Park Monday night. The Mariners sent righty Luis Castillo to the hill to face the A’s. Oakland countered with lefty Kyle Muller. The A’s were hoping to snap a four-game losing streak. The Mariners wanted the win to get to just one game below the .500 mark. The Mariners got their wish by punishing the A’s 11-2. The game summary follows below.

The Mariners put the A’s into a 5-0 deficit after the game’s first two innings. In the first inning, with two out and a man on first, Jarred Kelenic blasted his tenth dinger of the year to give the M’s an early 2-0 lead. The M’s added three more in their half of the second. M’s catcher Cal Raleigh singled to get things going for Seattle. A’s starter Kyle Muller issued A.J.Pollock a walk to put two men on with one out. The Mariners’ second baseman Jose Caballero sent his second dinger of the year over the wall in center field. The Mariners lead 5-0.

The Mariners added another run in the bottom of the fifth. Kyle Muller kept the M’s off the board in the third and fourth innings. He appeared to be in a groove. The A’s were hoping Muller could give them six innings. The M’s, however, had other thoughts. Julio Rodriguez, leading off in the fifth, doubled. The next hitter Jarred Kelenic singled to drive in Rodriguez with Seattle’s sixth run of the night. It was Kelenic’s third RBI of the night to put the M’s ahead 6-0.

The A’s mounted a threat in the top of the sixth. The M’s starter Luis Castillo held the A’s to just two hits in the first five innings. In the sixth, the A’s loaded the bases with two outs. Singles by Ryan Noda and Seth Brown put men on at first and third with two out. Castillo walked JJ Bleday to load the bases. Castillo retired Jace Peterson for the third out.

The Mariners continued to torment the A’s pitching staff. Seattle plated two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Adrian Martinez was pitching for the A’s. Martinez walked A.J. Pollock to start the M’s rally. Martinez retired the next two hitters. Ty France singled, followed by Julio Rodriguez’s second double of the game. Kelenic walked to load the bases. Eugenio Suarez singled to drive in Ty France with M’s eighth run.

The A’s made it 8-2 in the top of the eighth. They put together a single walk, a wild pitch to advance the runners and two ground outs to put the runs on the board.

The Mariners answered with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach. Shintaro Fujinami, after retiring the M’s in order in the seventh, lost command of the strike zone.

He walked a batter, hit another with a pitch, and a single by Kelenic drove in the M’s ninth run. Suarez singled to drive in Rodriguez with the tenth run. Kelenic went to third on the play and scored on an infield out. 11-2 M’s after eight. M’s reliever Chris Flexen set the A’s down in order in the ninth to secure the win.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 10-39. The Mariners improved to 23-24.Kyle Muller was the losing pitcher. He is now 1-4, and his ERA is a horrendous 8.04. The winning pitcher was Luis Castillo. Castillo won his third game of the year. When Castillo struck out Shea Langeliers in the fifth inning, the crowd gave Castillo a standing ovation as he notched his 1000th career strikeout.

The A’s line was two runs, five hits, and no errors. Seth Brown, just of the IL, had two hits. Esteury Ruiz’s single in the eighth extended his hitting streak to seven games.
The line score for Seattle was 11 runs, 13 hits, and no errors. Eugenio Suarez, Jarred Kelenic, and Jose Caballero each had three RBIs. Kelenic and Caballero homered for Seattle.

On Tuesday, Luis Medina (0-2, 6.88 ERA) goes for Oakland. Lefty Marco Gonzales (3-1,6-10 ERA) will be on the hill for the M’s. The game will start at 6:40 pm.

Oakland A’s off day report: A’s open three game series in Houston Friday night at Minute Maid

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FILE – Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. watches during the second inning in Game 6 of baseball’s World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, in Houston, Nov. 5, 2022 (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s are in Houston to start a three-game series against the World Champion Houstons starting Friday night. The Astros, managed by longtime fan-favorite Dusty Baker, are currently in second place in the AL West Division. They trail the Texas Rangers by two games.

Baker has had to juggle his starting rotation as the Astros lost the 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to free agency. Verlander signed with the New York Mets for the 2023 season. Two other starting pitchers are currently on the IL. Lance McCullers is on the 15-day IL with a forearm issue, and Jose Urquiddy is on the 15-day IL with a shoulder problem.

The Astros’ starting rotation still has lefty Framber Valdez available to pitch. Valdez is 0-4 with a 3.09 ERA. Other starters are Cristian Javier (1-3, 2.93 ERA), Hunter Brown, J.P. France, and Brandon Bleak. The guys out in the bullpen are Ryan Montero, Hector Neris, Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, and closer Ryan Pressley.

The Astros saw first baseman Yuli Guriel leave for the Miami Marlins. Guriel loved to torment the A’s pitchers. He was a great clutch hitter as a member of the Astros. Former Chicago White Sox first baseman and former AL MVP Jose Abreu replaced Guriel.

Abreu has yet to homer for Houston. In 42 games, he has driven in 17 runs. Many people are wondering if Abreu will be the answer at first base. The Astros’ All-Star second baseman, Jose Altuve, has been out with a thumb injury. A pitch hit Altuve, and he has not played a game in the regular season.

He may suit up for Friday night’s game against the A’s. Mauricio Dubon, a former San Francisco Giant, will be at second in place of Altuve. Third baseman Alex Bregman has had a slow start for the 2023 season. Bregman is hitting .217, with three home runs and nine ribbies. The Astros hope Bregman can get going against the woeful A’s pitching staff. Jeremy Pena will be at shortstop.

The Astros will be without the services of hit master Michael Brantley. Brantley underwent shoulder surgery last year. He suffered a setback in spring training, and it isn’t certain when he will return. Corey Julks is taking Brantley’s spot in left field. Chas McCormick will remain in center field, and Kyle Tucker is the right fielder. Tucker is another Astro that loves to feed off the A’s pitching staff. Yordan Alvarez is the Astros’ DH.

The A’s are off to the worst start in their storied history. The team was founded in 1901, and the 10-35 record has them on target to surpass the 120-loss season the New York Mets put up in 1962.

Even with the terrible record, the A’s have had some bright spots. Esteury Ruiz has played well in center field. Ruiz is a threat to steal a base anytime he gets on base. He is very good at the plate with runners in scoring position. Brent Rooker has been a huge surprise.

Rooker got a chance to play when Seth Brown was injured. He is making the most of his opportunity to play. Rooker is hitting a smidge under .300, has 11 homers, and over 30 RBIs. Catcher Carlos Perez has also hit well for the A’s. Catcher Shea Langeliers also gives the A’s a hitter with a lot of pop in his bat.

The A’s pitching staff, relievers, and starters have been a problem for A’s manager Mark Kotsay. The team’s collective ERA is about 7.50 runs per game. The team’s 10-35 record reflects the bad pitching.

The Astros have owned the A’s for three or four years. Oakland would love nothing better than turning the tables on the Astros. It’s highly unlikely, but as they say in baseball: ” you never know.”

Starting for Oakland on Friday left hander Ken Waldichuk (1-2 ERA 7.02) going for Houston Brandon Bielak (0-1 ERA 3.29) first pitch 5:10pm PT.

D-Backs win rubber game from A’s of three-game series 5-3

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Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera, left, tags out Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp at home plate during the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Arizona D-Dacks rebounded from a 9-8 defeat in 12 innings Tuesday night to beat the A’s 5-3 Wednesday afternoon. The two starters, Oakland’s Luis Medina and Arizona’s Kyle Nelson were in a pitchers’ duel for the game’s first six innings.

Nelson allowed a single to Esteutry Ruiz in the first and kept the A’s hitless until he left the game in the sixth. Medina allowed three hits in his six innings. Two of the hits were home runs. He allowed a solo blast in the second to Christian Walker and a two-run shot of the bat of Corbin Carroll in the sixth. 

The D-Backs won the series two games to one.

The D-Backs drew first blood in the top of the second inning. Leadoff hitter Christian Walker sent Luis Medina’s 79 mph curveball over the wall in left field. For Walker, it was his 11th dinger of the year. Medina settled down and retired the next three hitters. Arizona leads 1-0 midway through the second inning.

The D-Backs plated two more runs in the top of the sixth. With one out, Luis Medina issued a walk to Geraldo Perdomo. The next hitter, right-fielder Carbin Caroll sent Medina’s 91 mph four-sea1m fastball over the wall in center field. Esteury Ruiz tried to make a leaping catch, but the ball went past his grasp.

It was Carrol’s sixth blast of the year. The D-backs lead 3-0. D-Backs’ starter Ryne Nelson, who had allowed the A’s one hit in the first five innings, suddenly couldn’t find the strike zone in the bottom of the sixth. He walked three batters to load the bases. He also uncorked a wild pitch. The A’s had two chances to get runners in. The D-Backs’ manager, Torey Lovullo, brought Luis Frias to pitch. Frias did the job by retiring the next two hitters to end the inning. The D-Backs lead 3-0 after six.

The A’s tied the score in the seventh. Still pitching for Arizona, Luis Frias walked the first two batters in the inning. Frias now had to deal with Ramon Laureano. Laureano settled the issue by blasting his fifth home run of the season out of the park to tie the game.

The A’s blew an opportunity for another run when Tony Kemp got thrown out at home. After Laureano’s homer, Kemp singled. Nick Allen laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending Kemp to second. Esteury Ruiz, so good when hitting with runners in scoring position, singled to short center field. Kemp was thrown out attempting to score on the hit. The game is now tied 3-3 after seven.

With Shintaro Fujinami on the mound to start the ninth, the right-hander from Japan had things go south quickly. The D-Backs’ leadoff hitter, Lourdes Guriel, Jr, doubled leading off for Arizona. Fujinami retired Pavin Smith for the first out. The A’s issued an intentional walk to Dominic Fletcher.

Fujinami walked Emmanuel Herrera to load the bases with one out. A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, brought Adrien Martinez in to pitch to Jose Herrera. Herrera hit a sacrifice fly to drive the D-Backs’ fourth run of the game. Ketel Marte singled, and Arizona plated another run. The D-Backs lead 5-3. The A’s failed to score in their half of the ninth. Arizona wins 5-3.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 10-35. The D-Backs improve to 25-19. 

The A’s starter Luis Medina gave up three hits in six innings. Two hits were home runs, and the other was a double. Medina’s line was six innings, three hits, three runs, two homers, six strikeouts, and two walks. Arizona’s starter Ryne Nelson allowed one hit and no runs in five and 1/3rd innings. He struck out six and walked four. After giving up a hit to Esteury Ruiz, the leadoff hitter in the first inning, Nelson held the A’s hitless until his exit in the sixth inning. 

The hitting start for Oakland was Ramon Laureano. Laureano’s home run in the seventh tied the game. 

The line score for Oakland was three runs, five hits, and no errors. Arizona’s line was five runs, six hits, and no errors. 

The A’s are off on Thursday. The A’s will travel to Houston to face the Astros at Minute Maid Park For three games starting Friday night. Left Ken Waldicchuk (1-2, 7.02 ERA) goes for Oakland Astros manager Dusty Baker has not named a starter for Friday night’s game.

The time of the game was 2:51 minutes. 4,133 were on hand to watch the A’s lose for the 35th time this season.

Yankees four home runs beat A’s 7-2

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The New York Yankees were knocking on the door of the base knock all night which led to a five run win to open a three game series against the Oakland A’s at Yankee Stadium on Mon May 8, 2023 (@Yankees photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The New York Yankees won the first game of three-game series with the Oakland A’s 7-2. In the first four innings of the game, the A’s starter JP Sears allowed the Yanks just one hit. Things went south in the fifth. The Yankees’ right-fielder Oswaldo Cabrera homered with a man on board to give the Yanks a 2-0.

The A’s tied the score in the next inning. Sears gave up a solo home run to Glyber Torres and a two-run blast to D J LeMahieu. New York added two more in the seventh when Aaron Hicks hit a two-run dinger to put the game out of reach.

The Yankees put two runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Center fielder Harrison Bader led off the frame when he tripled into the gap in left-centerfield. Sears retired Isiah Kiner-Filefa for the first out. The next hitter, Oswaldo Cabrera, homered over the 318-foot marker in left field. New York leads 2-0 after five complete.

The A’s tied the game in the top of the sixth. Brent Rooker singled to start the rally. Yankees’ starter Nestor Cortes walked Jesus Aguilar to put men on at first and second. JJ Bleday singled to right to load the bases. The Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone brought in Ron Marinaccio to pitch.

A’s skipper Mark Kotsay sent up Tony Kemp to pinch-hit for Jordan Diaz. Kemp reached on an infield single to drive in Rooker with the A’s first run. Sheal Langeliers struck out. Kotsay sent up left-handed hitter Jace Peterson to pinch-hit for Kevin Smith. Marinaccio walked Peterson to force in the A’s second run. Nick Allen hit into a double play to end the inning. The score is tied 2-2 midway through the sixth.

The Yankees sent JP Sears to the showers in the sixth. Sears struck out Anthony Volpe for the first out. Sears served up a gopher ball to Glyber Torres. The Yanks led 3-2. The next hitter Anthony Rizzo singled. DJ LeMahieu blasted his fifth home run of the year to give the Yanks a 5-2 advantage after six innings.

The Yankees continued the homer parade in the seventh. With one out, catcher Jose Trevino singled. The next hitter, the much-maligned Aaron Hicks, who had been hearing from the boo birds after his first two at-bats in the game, homered. The booing stopped as all Hicks heard was the cheering from the crowd when he crossed the plate with the Yanks’ seventh run. The Yanks lead 7-2.

The Yankees bullpen kept the A’s scoreless after the fifth inning to secure the win. The Yankees beat the A’s 7-2 to take game one of the three-game series.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are now 8-28. The Yankees improved to 19-17.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, ten hits, and no errors. New York’s line was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. Four of the nine Yankee hits were home runs. Sears was the losing pitcher. He is now 0-3 for 2023. Ron Marinaccio was the winning pitcher.

Sears’ line was five and 1/3rd innings pitched. He allowed five runs and six hits. Three of the hits were homers.
The A’s play game two of the series Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Drew Rucinski (0-2 ERA 7.71) will go for Oakland, and the Yankees will send Clark Schmidt (0-3 ERA 5.83) to the mound to face the A’s. The game will start at 4:05 pm.

The time of the game was 2:34. 33,011 fans were on hand to watch the Yankees beat the A’s.

Lakers hold off Warriors’ late charge in 117-112 win

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots while defended by Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue May 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of the best of seven Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Lakers, fresh off a series win over the Memphis Grizzlies last Thursday, had fresher legs as the Warriors had to beat the Sacramento Kings last Sunday in Sacramento.

The big question was how the Warriors would attack the Lakers’ defense. The Warriors are an undersized team. Kevon Looney, at six feet nine inches, is the tallest Warrior. Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are about six feet seven inches.

The Lakers, Anthony Davis, is four inches taller. LeBron James is the same height as Looney. Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham had Jarred Vanderbilt guard Stephen Curry. Curry is six inches shorter than Vanderbilt. The Warriors’ other scorers, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, would have to make plays to stay competitive. In the end, it was the Lakers’ strategy that would prevail. The Lakers won the game 117-112.

The teams played a very entertaining first half. The Warriors could not stop Davis. Known as “the Brow,” Davis scored 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the first half. LeBron had 12, and Dennis Schroder, coming off the bench, had 13.

Thompson paced the Warrior offense with 18. With Jarred Vanderbilt draped all over him, Curry managed to put 10 points on the board. Poole kicked in with 13. Wiggins had nine. The Lakers won the first half by one point, 65-64. The Warriors made 13 threes, the Lakers one. The Warriors had three free throws in the first half, the Lakers had 17 and made 16. The Warriors could not drive to the rim and get foul calls. They were shooting from downtown and were able to make threes.

The Warriors stayed close for about half of the third quarter. With the score tied at 73, the Lakers went on a 13-3 run to lead by ten, 86-76. The Warriors now had to play catch up. The Lakers finished the quarter leading 96-88. LA made four threes in the third quarter. While an eight-point disadvantage is not difficult to overcome, the Warriors needed to get Curry heated up in the fourth quarter. 

The Lakers continued to keep the Warriors from scoring in the paint. Davis was a force at the rim. The Lakers increased the lead to 14, 112-98. The Warriors went on an 11-0 run to close within three, 112-109. Curry, Thompson, and Poole led the charge. The fans were on their feet as there was hope. Curry then hit another three to tie the score 112-112. The Lakers did not fold.

Game Notes: The Lakers now own home-court advantage. The Lakers will have three home games, the Warriors three. If the Warriors are going to win the series, they will have to win one in LA and the three left at the Chase Center. It will take work. 

Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, Thompson had 25, Poole had 21, and Wiggins had 15. Looney had his fourth game in the playoffs with over 20 rebounds. Kevon scored ten points and had 23 rebounds and five assists.

Looney had to battle Davis the entire game but came through for the Warriors. The Warriors made 21 threes. They had six free throws and made five. The Lakers went to the line 29 times and made 25. The 20-point differential won the game for LA. 

Davis had a monster game with 30 points and 23 rebounds. LeBron had a double-double with 22 points and 11 boards. As a former Warrior, D’Angelo Russell finished with 19, as did Dennis Schroder. Austin Reaves finished with ten points. Reaves made two threes in the third quarter to help propel the Lakers into the lead in the third quarter. Jarred Vanderbilt had eight.

The Lakers and Warriors will play game two of the series Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 6 pm and will be televised on ESPN.