Author: Sports Radio Service

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s Rooker and Butler supply offense beat Angels; Oakland’s Spence pitches 5 innings for win

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

Oakland A’s Lawrence Butler (4) who hit a three run home run runs the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

#1 The A’s got hitting and pitching against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night and beat the Angels by two runs 7-5 at the Oakland Coliseum. Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler both hit a home run in the cause.

#2 A’s third baseman Brett Harris got a run double to help the A’s run production. The A’s got scored four i the fourth and three in the sixth for all their runs.

#3 Rooker’s home run came off a 0-2 knuckle ball pitch of Angels pitcher Jose Soriano. Butler’s three run home run just cleared the left field foul pole. It was the big fly that helped win the game for the A’s on Tuesday.

#4 Oakland A’s starter Mitch Spence had himself an outing pitching 5.1 innings, giving up six hits, allowing one earned run and striking out five. The A’s are hoping to get more quality starts that could help them win a few more games.

#5 The Angels and A’s play the second of this two game series at the Coliseum Wednesday starting for the Angels Davis Daniel (1-0, ERA 0.00) for the A’s Joey Estes (2-5, ERA 5.24) a 6:40pm PT start at the Coliseum.

Jeremiah regularly does A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Brandon Aiyuk Negotiations podcast with David Zizmor: Ayuik and 49ers still undecided; Both sides hoping to get deal done soon

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk catches a pass against the Detroit Lions during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Jan. 28, 2024. Aiyuk is staying away from the 49ers facility at the start of the offseason program as he seeks a lucrative long-term contract. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast:

#1 San Francisco 49ers Brandon Ayiuk is in the last year of his five year contract. Ayiuk was offered $26 million from 49ers for a new contract. The Pittsburgh Steelers offering Aiyuk $30 million is just not true the Steelers don’t want to get into trouble for tampering.

#2 Aiyuk says the loss of last season’s Super Bowl still stings he said that he’s still down from it. What are some of the things that makes Aiyuk lose interest in coming back to the 49ers? How much did losing the Super Bowl last season play a role in his future decision?

#3 Aiyuk said a recent interview “All I can do is put my head down and go to work every single day pray ask God to lead me.” Aiyuk also said about the 49ers not wanting him, “they told me they didn’t think they were on the same page.”

David Zizmor is an San Francisco 49ers analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Butler and Rooker lead the way with homers as A’s defeat Angels 7-5 at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s Zack Gelof (20) congratulates Lawrence Butler (4) after he scores in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angeles at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (36-48). 000 010 202. 5. 11. 0

Athletics (31-56). 000 403 00x. 7. 7. 0

Time: 2:40

Attendance: 5,447

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Having paused for a day after finishing their 12th consecutive losing month, the wandering A’s got off on the right foot Tuesday night at the homeless encampment that is the Oakland Coliseum by defeating the Los Angeles Angels 7-5 in a game that almost got away from them in the frame.

The nominal home team chose four year minor league veteran Mitch Spencer, whom they acquired in the Rule 5 draft last December, as their starting pitcher. The 26 year old right hander came to work at 4-4, 4.35. He began the season in the bullpen and was 3-1, 4.26 before joining the rotation. on May 17.

He was quite successful at first, going 1-1, 2.08 in his first three outings, but cooled off to the point that his record as a starter was 1-3, 4.40 overall in that capacity. This balmy evening his start lasted 5-1/3 innings, long enough to earn him his fifth win of the season and lower his ERA to 4.15.

He surrendered one run, which was earned, on six hits and a walk while striking out five. 56 of his 94 offerings were counted as strikes. Tyler Ferguson took over for him with Logan O’Hoppe on first with a one out single in the top of the sixth.

The visiting Halos went with José Soriano, another Rule 5 draftee. His Rule 5 story has an interesting twist to it. The Angels signed him as an international free agent in 2016. The Pirates claimed him as the first overall pick in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.

While recovering from Tommy John surgery at the end of the ’21 season, all of which he spent on the IL, Soriano was returned to the Angels. He made his big league debut with them last year and went 1-3, 3.64. He was 4-5, 3.48 when he took the mound.

He left it trailing 4-1, on his way to the loss that made his record 4-6, 3.77. All of the four runs charged to him were earned. They came on three hits, two of which went yard, a walk, and a hit batter. He struck out four Athletics and threw 62 pitches, 30 counting as strikes.

There was no scoring for the first 3-1/2 innings. Then the A’s bats came alive in their half of the fourth. Brent Rooker to a Soriano knuckle curve 405 feet deep over the right center field fence for a solo home run. Shea Langeliers singled to left, and, an out and a Zack Gelof single later, Lawrence Butler’s third homer of the year made it 4-0.

Poor fielding and some wildness on Spence’s part cost the A’s a run in the visitors’ fifth. With Brandon Drury on first with a lead off single and one down, the A’s starter unleashed a wild pitch to Jo Adell that allow the runner to take second.

Adell then sent a soft fly to center that JJ Beday let fall to his feet for a single that put Drury on third. Nolan Schanuel lifted a sacrifice fly to left that narrowed the Athletics’ lead to 4-1. Soriano didn’t come out to the mound in the bottom of the frame.

Hans Crouse relieved him and kept the separation at three runs. José Marte took over for the sixth and coughed up three runs on a hit batter (Gelof), Butler’s single that Taylor Ward caught on a short hop and almost resulted in Gelof getting put out in a rundown between first and second, and Brett Harris’s two RBI double. The green and gold now was up, 7-1.

A walk to Brandon Drury and a Mickey Moniak double put two runners in scoring position before Ferguson fanned Adell for the first out in the top of the seventh. Then Kotsay and Co. pulled him in favor of Scott Alexander, who surrendered a two run single to Schanuel.

The runs were charged to Ferguson. Alexander then closed out the inning with a twin killing, Max Schuemann, unassisted at short, to Tyler Soderstrom at first. Lucas Erceg hopped on the merry-go-round at the start of the eighth allowed nothing but a leadoff single to Luis Rengifo.

Hunter Strickland was the Angelinos’ fourth and final pitcher. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth, so the score remained 7-3 in favor of the Athletics when Miller Time went into effect. Mason Miller gave up a leadoff walk to Drury anf retired Moniak and Adell, before allowiing an RBI double to Schanuel and an RBI singe to Rengifo. At last, he fanned Ward, sealing the A’s 7-5 victory.

6:40pm PT Wednesday, evening is the scheduled time for the second of this three game series. Joey Estes (2-3, 5.24) will start for the Athletics; Davis Daniel (1-0, 0.00) for the Disneyland Dandies.

Las Vegas Aces Top Indiana Fever – Winning Their Fifth In a Row 88-69

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Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) drives in front of the Indiana Fever’s guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the first half at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It was a game that fans were really looking forward to as the Las Vegas Aces (10-6) took on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever (8-12). Over 20,000 fans attended this game many of them Caitlin Clark fans.

The game was fairly close going into the fourth quarter but that is when they put the Fever away, the final score 88-69. Kelsey Plum had an epic game with 34 points, five assists and six rebounds. A’ja Wilson had 28 points and nine rebounds holding Clark to 13 points.

The Aces have been through the grinder this season. They had a great start that soured as the season wore on. They had a number of losses in a row something you don’t commonly see from this team.

They were missing Chelsea Gray, a core part of their starting roster, and then it all began to turn around. Chelsea Gray returned after missing play since last year’s playoffs. The Aces began to string wins together and tonight the Aces took on Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

Clark has drastically changed the complexion of the Indiana Fever and stadiums are packed as fans from around the country flock to catch a glimpse of this rookie superstar Tuesday night’s game was the WNBA’s fifth largest crowd in history. She has not disappointed scoring four points and providing some valuable defense for the Aces. The Aces held Clark to just 13 points.

Game recap: As expected the stands were packed with hundreds of Caitlin Clark fans. The Aces sell out regularly so the arena was rocking. Las Vegas took the early lead in a close quarter with the Aces coming out on top 26-24. Las Vegas led at the half 46-37 after winning the second quarter 20-13. A’ja Wilson had another epic half and right alongside her Kelsey Plum was off the charts.

The Fever rallied to some extent in the third quarter coming out on top winning the quarter 22-19 but still trailed 65-59. Las Vegas really began to dial it in extending their lead to double digits in the blink of an eye.

Going into the fourth quarter the Fever were still within striking distance but as the quarter wore on, the Aces began to distance themselves from Indiana. Las Vegas put on a great show leading by 19 points for much of the final quarter. The Aces crushed the Fever 23-10 in the fourth quarter winning the game 88-69 in a dominant finish in this game.

This was the Aces fifth win in a row. Kelsey Plum finished with 34 points, A’ja Wilson with 28 and Jackie Young scoring 15 points. Kiah Stokes was on fire defensively with 12 rebounds.

Thursday night, the Aces will take on the Washington Mystics at Michelob ULTRA Arena looking for win number six. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Las Vegas is looking to provide some more fireworks in this matchup on the Fourth of July.

Giants start tough road trip with 5-3 win over Braves in Cobb County

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Jorge Soler provides some power for the San Francisco Giants belting a top of the fifth inning home run against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Field in Cobb County GA on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Truist Park

Cumberland, Georgia

San Francisco Giants 5 (42-44)

Atlanta Braves 3 (46-37)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (1-0)

Loss: Dylan Lee (2-2)

Save: Camilo Doval (15)

Time: 2:45

Attendance: 34,047

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants got off to a strong and impressive start in their tough six-game road trip, as they came into Cobb County tonight to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3.

The Giants were coming off a 5-2 homestand, which they closed out by taking two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend. After a brutal 11-inning 14-7 loss to their hated rivals on Saturday, the Giants took it to the Dodgers with a 10-4 win on Sunday.

Now, they were back on the road in the hot and muggy confines of Truist Park in Cobb County, Georgia, just 11 miles northwest of Atlanta, to take on the Atlanta Braves. Tuesday night, the Giants’ offense, which has been swinging the bats much better over the last two weeks, would face a major challenge in the MLB ERA leader, Reynaldo Lopez.

Lopez pitched a scoreless top of the first inning, and Hayden Birdsong, who was making his second big league start, threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the first for the Giants.

Michael Conforto drew a one-out walk in the top of the second, and Mike Yastrzemski, in his first at-bat back from the Injured List, singled to right-field to move Conforto to second base with two outs. The Giants had an chance to strike early against the dominant Reyes, but Nick Ahmed flew out to left to end the inning.

Austin Riley hit an absolute bomb to the second deck out to left with one out in the bottom of the second, and Sean Murphy made it back-to-back with a bomb to left-center. Former Giant Adam Duvall nearly made it back-to-back with a double off the top of the wall in left-center, but Birdsong was able to escape further damage without Duvall scoring.

The Braves had a 2-0 lead with one of the best pitchers in Baseball this season on the mound going to the third. However, Truist Park is one of the most live ballparks in Baseball, and the Giants were not going to make things easy for Reyes.

Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey drew two-out walks in the top of the third, and Matt Chapman hit a shot out into the gap in right-center, but center-fielder Jarred Kelenic robbed Chapman with a running catch to end the inning. It was already the second time Tuesday night that Kelenic had robbed Chapman of a base-hit, as he also did so to Chapman his first time up in the second.

Birdsong settled back down with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third, and both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the fourth. While the Giants had yet to get on the board, they were getting a lot of pitches out of Reyes.

The red-hot Jorge Soler led off the top of the fifth with a low-hanging home run to left to put the Giants on the board, and LaMonte Wade immediately followed it up with a home run to right-center to tie it. Ramos struck out swinging, but with the fact that Reyes had thrown 101 pitches, his night was over after just four and a third innings.

Duvall led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk, and Forrest Wall immediately followed it up with a bunt single to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Zack Short laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over to second and third, and Birdsong would have to bear down, which is exactly what he did.

Birdsong struck out Kelenic for the second out, and Ozzie Albies flew out off the end of the bat to left field to end the inning. Birdsong got out of it without any damage to finish his night, and the game remained tied going to the sixth.

Birdsong gave up two hits and four runs over five innings. It was a solid outing, but against a powerful offense in a live ballpark in his second-career start, it was quite impressive.

Left-hander Dylan Lee, who finished the top of the fifth, was back out for the sixth. Michael Conforto greeted him with a double to start the inning, and Brett Wisley sacrificed Conforto over to third. Bob Melvin had the right-handed-hitting Luis Matos pinch-hit for Yastrzemski, and Braves Manager Brian Snitker countered by bringing in former Giant Pierce Johnson.

Snicker had the infield play in with the go-ahead run at third. Matos hit a bullet to third that went off the glove of Braves’ third-baseman Austin Riley, which allowed Conforto to score and give the Giants their first lead of the night.

Something quite incredible also happened on this play. Riley was given an error, which has for probably obvious reasons, has become a very rare thing here in 2024.

Randy Rodriguez came in for San Francisco in the bottom of the sixth, and with his parents in the stands to watch him pitch in a big league game for the first time in his career, he threw a 1-2-3 inning. Nick Ahmed helped with a nice play to rob Marcell Ozuna of a hit to start the inning, so Rodriguez owes him one for that.

The Giants had runners at first and second off Johnson with one out in the top of the seventh, but Chapman grounded into a double play to end the inning. Ryan Walker came in for Rodriguez, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh.

Left-hander Aaron Bummer was the new pitcher for Atlanta in the top of the eighth, and Wisely lined a one-out double off the end of the bat to left. Matos lined a base-hit to left to move Wisely over to third, and Snitker brought in the 40-year old vet, Jesse Chavez to face Ahmed. Ahmed then got Wisely in with a sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-2.

The normally-reliable submariner, Tyler Rogers, ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth. Kelenic lined a double off the wall down the right field line with one out, and Albies singled on a chopper up the middle and over the mound into center field to score Kelenic and make it 4-3.

Albies stole second to put the tying run in scoring position when Ozuna struck out for the second out, and Matt Olson grounded out to second to end the inning, which kept the Giants’ lead intact going to the ninth.

Chavez, who made his major league debut all the way back in 2008 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, would be back out for the top of the ninth. The Giants got their run back when Ramos hit an opposite-field home run to right with one out.

It was another two-hit night for Ramos, who has made adjustments after pitchers started to figure him out. Ramos has bumped his average back up to .298, and it is now legitimate to talk about him potentially going to the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas two weeks from Tuesday night.

It was 5-3 Giants going to the bottom of the ninth, and Melvin of course brought in his closer, Camilo Doval. While Doval blew the save against the Dodgers Friday night, he has been pitching much better his last few times out.

Austin Riley led off the bottom of the ninth and hit a line-drive out to left-center, but center-fielder Heliot Ramos ran to his left and made a tumbling catch to rob Riley of a hit. Doval then struck Sean Murphy and Duvall both out swinging to end it, as the Giants won the series opener 5-3.

For Giants’ starter Hayden Birdsong, he gets his first big league win. Good going, kid! Dylan Lee takes the loss, and Camilo Doval picks up his 15th save.

In addition to Heliot Ramos’ two-hit night, Mike Yastrzemski also picked up a pair of hits in his return for the IL. It would have been more had Bob Melvin not pinch-hit Luis Matos, but it was a move that very much paid off.

The Giants have now won six of their last eight, as they get back up to two games under .500 at 42-44.

The Giants can make it three-straight in the second game of this series Wednesday night. Jordan Hicks (4-4, 3.36 ERA) will take the ball for San Francisco, and he will be opposed by the veteran all-star left-hander, Chris Sale (10-3, 2.79 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:20 p.m. in Cobb County, 4:20 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

With Yastrzemski’s return from the Injured left, right-handed pitcher Landen Roupp, who had been called up prior to Sunday’s game against the Dodgers, was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento.

The Giants claimed left-handed pitcher Kolton Ingram off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. Ingram will report to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Will a change in Oakland Mayors bring A’s back to the table? A’s prepare for Angels tonight

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Stephen Lucero (left) who designed a baseball card stands with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (center) and Lucero’s wife Chrissy (right) at the mayor’s office on Tue Nov 7, 2023 in their push to keep the A’s in Oakland. This was well before a recall was being considered to oust Thao. (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 Recently Scott Ostler at the San Francisco Chronicle posed a scenario that if Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was to be recalled a new mayor could come in and work with the Oakland A’s in the event the Las Vegas deal falls through a long shot and Ostler did mention it’s a dream scenario.

#2 Thao didn’t seem to get along with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and A’s owner John Fisher. Was it her approach. Was it how the proposal for a Howard Terminal ballpark and how it was to be budgeted failed to have all parties come to an agreement?

#3 The most recent news coming off Thao’s FBI house raid going on two weeks ago. Thao was at a meeting in the City Council chambers and in the middle of the meeting she walked out. Thao left some of her personal items at the desk where she had been sitting and had someone go in and get it for her. It was reported that she was not taking any questions regarding the raid at the meeting.

#4 On the field with the Oakland A’s just not enough hitting for the A’s in their last game Sunday in Arizona against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The A’s were beaten 5-1 and Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt pitched six inning giving up six hits and one run. The A’s hitters just couldn’t figure Pfaadt out.

#5 The A’s who were swept by the Los Angeles Angels the last time these two teams met will meet the Angels again tonight. Starting pitcher for the Angels RHP Jose Soriano (4-5, ERA 3.48) for the A’s Mitch Spence 4-4, ERA 4.35) first pitch 6:40pm PT in Oakland.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for KWAI 1080 in Honolulu

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s injuries has played role in team’s struggles

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Oakland A’s pitcher Kyle Muller made his second start with Triple A Las Vegas and is working on making his way back to the big club from rehab (Kyle Muller instagram photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, the Oakland A’s open up a series against the Los Angeles Angels the last time these two teams met the Angels swept them no doubt this Angels team has improved over the course of their earlier struggles which had them at one time in last place.

#2 Amaury, the A’s have a number of injuries how much does that play into their struggling record?

#3 Amaury, the A’s pitcher Aaron Brooks has cleared wavers and is set to play for the Triple A Las Vegas Aviators. Brooks had been designated for assignment to make room for pitcher Jack McLoughlin. The A’s were hoping that Brooks would clear wavers so he could stay with the organization.

#4 On June 28th A’s pitcher Kyle Muller made his second rehab appearance going 1.1 innings at Triple A Las Vegas. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said he was please with Muller’s appearance. Muller will pitch again for the Aviators on July 2.

#5 It’s been a long time coming but the A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz who had suffered with a left wrist injury and was the 10 day IL since May 23. Ruiz is now taking swings off the tee and Kotsay is monitoring his rehab which is coming along.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

#2

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s hope to rebound after losing series to D-Backs; Oakland hosts LA Angels Tuesday

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (left) fields the ball against the Oakland A’s Tyler Nevin (right) in the top of the ninth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sun Jun 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Once again the Oakland A’s struggled to get any kind of run production on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks as the A’s lost in a four run contest 5-1. The Diamondbacks scored three times in the bottom of the seventh that pretty much sank the A’s boat.

#2 The Diamondback Brandon Pfaddt pitched six innings allowed five hits, one earned run and walked two batters and struck out eight.

#3 The Diamondbacks Blaze Alexander hit for two run RBI single that was part of the D-Backs three run seventh, A’s pitcher TJ McFarland was the pitcher of record and was charged for the three runs, giving up a hit and one walk.

#4 The A’s continue to struggle Barbara losing 12 of their last 13 games and the A’s starters continue to struggle as they’re ERAs continue to climb after since Luis Medina’s start it’s gone up to 8.31.

#5 The A’s head back to Oakland Tuesday after a day off on Monday to face the Los Angeles Angels at the Coliseum. Starting pitcher for the Angels RHP Jose Soriano (4-5, ERA 3.48) for the A’s RHP Mitch Spence (4-4, ERA 4.35) first pitch 6:40pm.

Join Barbara Mason for the Oakland A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Giants come off successful series with Dodgers; SF opens 3 games with Atlanta Tuesday

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Hit Parade: San Francisco Giants line up to congratulate each other at Oracle Park after taking two out of three games from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sun Jun 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman led the way with his 11th home run of the season, Chapman has now hit safely in each game of the seven game homestand.

#2 The Giants came out big slugging ten doubles against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their six run win at Oracle Park 10-4. They no doubt got some run production.

#3 The Giants 10-4 win on Sunday helped set a Giants record of the most runs against the Dodgers in Oracle Park history with 21.

#4 Giants RHP Spencer Bivens who pitched five innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, and struck three helped keep the Dodgers runs down. Bivens got help from three relievers in the win. Bivens improves his record to 2-1.

#5 The Giants move onto Atlanta on Tuesday after taking a day off on Monday. The Giants will start RHP Hayden Birdsong (0-0, ERA 5.79) and the RHP for the Atlanta Braves Reynaldo Lopez (6-2, ERA 1.70) a 4:20pm PT first pitch.

Join Marko for the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Mid-Season Report- Not to Lose 100 Again?

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Oakland Athletics’ Mason Miller pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Has been a big part of the A’s closing opportunities and could be on the trade deadline in July or could be one of the future foundations for the A’s (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A’s Mid-Season Report: Not to Lose 100 Again?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s have played 86 games, and they are already into the second half of this 2024 season. Their record of 30-56 is seven games over last season, when at this same time of the season, they had a 23-63 record. From July 2 of last season to July 2 this season, the A’s have seven more wins and seven fewer lost games. What does this mean?

Does it mean they are going to lose 100 games again? They might not lose 112 games as they did in 2023, but they could also end with at least 100 games in the lost column. With a day off Monday, July 1, the A’s return to Oakland after a 1-5 road trip, swept in Anaheim and lost 2 of 3 in Arizona.

They will face the Angels on Tuesday for a three-game series, who swept them last week in Disneyland. They will be followed by the Baltimore Orioles, one of the best teams in baseball. The O’s have been taking turns on first place with the New York Yankees, and more than likely, one of those two teams will win the AL East. The O’s and Yanks are on the list of possible World Series winners this year.

Since they began to play in Oakland in 1968, it was in 1979 (another transition season) that the A’s ended with a 54-108 record. In 2022, with 60-102, and last season in 2023, with 50-112. They could quickly lose 100 or more again.

They continue to rebuild and are in transition, with their main goal to develop the players that, in the future, could make their team like the Orioles. The Orioles also leased the cellar not long ago, but they drafted many good players; a few are headed soon to the All-Star Game in Texas, traded for others, and are a young powerhouse. We will see these O’s soon after the Angels visit Oakland; as a matter of schedule, the Orioles are here next Friday for a 3-game soiree with the young Athletics.

Bleday, Gelof, Soderstrom, Langeliers, Miller, Medina, Rooker, Erceg, and Butler are some of the new names and faces in Oakland who could be the foundation for a better future. However, the trade deadline is at the end of this month, and nobody should be surprised if some of the young talent will also be departing, making room for… more young talent for that long-awaited future.

But as far as this season, who is counting?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com