Category: MLB

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Oakland Mayor wants to keep A’s name and wants an expansion team in exchange for lease extension

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Oakland Coliseum could be the home of the Oakland A’s from 2025-2027 if they can’t land either at Oracle Park in San Francisco or at the Las Vegas Ballpark while their new park at the Tropicana on the Las Vegas strip is under construction (AP file photo)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the Oakland A’s will still be at the Oakland Coliseum next season, the Nevada Independent reported that the A’s could make an early leap for Las Vegas but that has not been determined yet. The A’s are considering many venue options one of them is using their minor league facility in Vegas which the Aviators are using. A’s president David Kaval that there needs to be upgrades and the A’s might re-think using the Aviators 10,000 seat facility.

#2 The A’s reportedly have explored playing at the Oakland Coliseum until their new ballpark at the Tropicana on the strip is ready. There in lies the problem as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao wants some concessions before the A’s get committed to the Coliseum as a lame duck team, one is the city of Oakland keeps the team name A’s and MLB commits to expanding to Oakland when expansion opens up.

#3 Kaval said that the decision of where the A’s will play after 2024 is totally up to MLB Commissioner and Rob Manfred. Kaval did say that the A’s have looked at three locations Oracle Park in San Francisco and share the park with the Giants, Aviators Park/Las Vegas ballpark in Vegas, and the Oakland Coliseum.

#4 Some have said that it’s a bad idea for the A’s to play at Aviators park because it becomes a spoiler to the A’s 2028 arrival and it kind of blows the hype of the team after being there for three years in the making and sharing the ballpark with the Giants might not be a good idea because that’s a lot of wear on the turf for 162 games.

#5 Staying at the Oakland Coliseum from 2025-2027 might be the best place and they might as well finish up what they started and visiting teams have said they want to play in Major League facility rather than playing in a minor league facility like Las Vegas.

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s open series with Ohtani and Angels tonight at Coliseum

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Shohei Ohtani returns with the Los Angeles Angels to face the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum beginning Fri Sep 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s returned home from a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Seattle. The A’s won three and lost four. 

#2 The A’s split the four-game set with a Chicago White Sox team in turmoil. The Sox fired their team’s president and general manager. There were two women who were shot on Friday when the A’s opened the series in Chicago, one got hit in the abdomen and the other shot in the leg neither suffered life threatening injuries.

#3 The A’s lost two games to the red-hot Seattle Mariners. Two of the games were very competitive. The A’s won 3-1 on Tuesday and lost 5-4 on Wednesday. The M’s took game three by a run it was a close contest but the M’s as they always do held off the A’s to take the series.

#4 Up next for the A’s is the visiting Los Angeles Angels tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. The Angels had high hopes at the start of the season. Their roster includes two superstars, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, has lost playing time the last couple of years due to injury. Trout, again his year, has been hit with another injury.

#5 The Angels will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound Friday night to face the A’s. Sandoval is 7-10 with a 3.95 ERA. The A’s will counter with J.P.Sears. Sears is having a tough season. His record is 2-11 and a 4.80 ERA a 6:40pm PT first pitch.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson each Friday for the Oakland A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Unload On Padres 7-2; SF’s Yastrzemski slugs a HR with two RBIs

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San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski, right, celebrates with third base coach Mark Hallberg after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (70-64) took on the San Diego Padres (62-73) Thursday night starting a four game series and having had some successful games they kept it going with a 7-2 win at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Giants have a lot on their plate right now. While they are in second place in the NL West and trail the Los Angels Dodgers by 14 games, the Dodgers are not their problem right now. It’s more like the Phillies, the Cubs, the Reds , the Marlins and the Diamondbacks.

Six contenders all vying for a wild card spot. San Francisco has been struggling for awhile now. It wasn’t really that long ago that the Giants trailed the Dodgers by a single game. So the Giants have some work to do and it needs to happen sooner rather than later with roughly 29 games left in the regular season.

Thursday game recap: San Francisco went into this game with purpose and determination. Neither team scored in the first two innings but the Giants were first up on the board in the third inning scoring not only early but often. When the dust had settled San Francisco had a 6-0 lead. The Giants hit a slew of singles in the inning.

Joc Pederson singled LaMonte Wade Jr. home for the first run of the inning taking a 1-0 lead and the hits just kept on coming. Mike Yastrzemski singled Thairo Estrada home. Joc Pederson scored on a Padre error followed by another single, a bunt single off the bat of Wade Meckler and Yastrzemski scored.

Blake Sabol got another run on the board when he doubled and J.D. Davis scored. They would finish off the inning when Casey Schmitt sacrificed and Meckler scored for an amazing offensive inning leading 6-0. San Francisco would add one more run when Mike Yastrzemski homered in the fifth inning, a solo shot and a 7-0 Giants lead.

Through four innings the Padres were looking for their first hit. Starting pitcher for San Francisco Jakob Junis went four innings not allowing a single hit with three strikeouts. Sean Manea would relieve Junis in the fifth inning.

Through six innings the Padres had only managed two hits. Manea did get into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth loading the bases. Manea made the pitches when he needed to striking out Garrett Cooper for the third out of the inning and it was on to the seventh inning.

The Padres got a couple of base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning threatening to deny the shut out. San Diego did get on the board in the inning, a single run. Garrett Cooper doubled and Juan Soto scored for a 7-1 Giants lead.

Scott Alexander came to the mound to try and close out this game. The Padres were able to score one run but that would be all they got. San Francisco will be back on the field in game two Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 PM.

Starting pitchers for San Francisco TBA and for San Diego Michael Wacha (10-2 ERA 2.84) first pitch 6:40pm PT.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open series against Los Angeles Angels at Coliseum Friday night

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher JP Sears will get the start against the Los Angeles Angels on Fri Sep 1, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s returned home from a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Seattle. The A’s won three and lost four. They split the four-game set with a Chicago White Sox team in turmoil. The Sox fired their team’s president and general manager.

The A’s lost two games to the red-hot Seattle Mariners. Two of the games were very competitive. The A’s won 3-1 on Tuesday and lost 5-4 on Wednesday. The A’s will host another troubled franchise, the Los Angeles Angels, for three games starting Friday night.

The Angels had high hopes at the start of the season. Their roster includes two superstars, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, has lost playing time the last couple of years due to injury. Trout, again his year, has been hit with another injury.

Trout suffered a broken hamate bone and has not fully recovered. He is due back on September 15th. Shohei Ohtani, the most remarkable player in baseball, also suffered an injury. Ohtani is both a pitcher and a designated hitter.

Ohtani is in line for another AL MVP and Cy Young awards. However, it is unlikely that Ohtani will win the Cy Young trophy as he suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he will not pitch again this year.

Ohtani, as a designated hitter, leads the American League with 44 home runs and has driven in 95. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery a few years ago, and no decision has been made regarding a second surgery.

The Angels made news yesterday as they placed six players on waivers. Two of the six came to the Angels at the trade deadline. It was clear that these moves were a salary dump. Five of the six players were claimed by other teams.

The Cleveland Guardians claimed pitchers Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez. Giolito came to the Angels from the White Sox at the trade deadline. The Cincinnati Reds claimed outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The other player placed on waivers, Randal Grichuk, was not selected by another team and remains with the Angels.

The A’s are 2-5 against the Angels this year. The A’s met the Angels in the opening series of the 2023 season. The teams have yet to meet since April 27th. A lot of things have happened to both teams in that interval.

The A’s are in the midst of a rebuild. Their starting rotation is a work in progress. The A’s have used Kyle Muller, Hohan Harris, and Mason Miller in the rotation. Muller has been with the A’s and the Tripe-A LAs Vegas Aviators this year.

The same goes for Harris. Miller was injured and may return to the club in September. The current rotation of Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P. Sears, Paul Blackburn, and Zach Neal is a study of mediocrity. Neal is the only pitcher with a winning record. 1-0. Hardly sensational.

The A’s bullpen is also a work in progress. A’s closer, Trevor May, has been reliable. Austin Pruitt did a good job but is out for the season with an injury.

There are some bright spots on the A’s roster. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof has played well. Gelof has hit ten homers in his short time with the A’s. His average has dropped slightly, but he is a good hitter and has done well at second base.

Catcher Shea Langeliers does not hit for average, but he has hit four homers in his last six games. He is on track to finish the season with 20 or more home runs. First baseman Ryan Noda has a great eye at the plate. Noda is a leader in the league by drawing walks and has a good on-base percentage.

Outfielders Esteury Ruiz and Lawrence Butler have played well. Ruiz leads the AL in stolen bases. Ruiz stole two bases Wednesday against the Mariners. He has stolen 53 this season. Butler hit his second big league home run in the loss to Seattle on Wednesday.

Butler is 22 years -old and has a tremendous upside to his game. Third baseman Jordan Diaz is another player who looks to be with the A’s for a while. Outfielder Brent Rooker is having a career year, and the A’s will want to keep him on the roster.

The Angels will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound Friday night to face the A’s. Sandoval is 7-10 with a 3.95 ERA. The A’s will counter with J.P.Sears. Sears is having a tough season. His record is 2-11 and a 4.80 ERA. Sears has given up too many gopher balls this season. He is among the leaders in home runs allowed with 31. Sears pitches well for about three innings before the roof caves in on him.

Some Angel players who will perform this weekend were missing from the roster at the start of the season. Nolan Schanuel will be at first base. Schanuel has played ten games and is hitting. 324. Mike Moustakas will be at third base, filling in for the injured Anthony Rendon. Rendon, signed as a free agent after 2019, has been a disappointment.

It will be interesting to see if the A’s can win the series this weekend. The Angels are going to finish in fourth place in the AL West. The A’s will be in last place in the division. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay always has his team primed to play their best irrespective of the place in the standings. The Angels’ manager, Phil Nevin, also wants his players to give 100%. It will be interesting to see how the series goes this weekend.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: M’s hot August nights do in A’s in Seattle; A’s host Ohtani and Halos Friday at Coliseum

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Oakland Athletics’ Lawrence Butler hits a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners to score Jordan Diaz during the second inning at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Sometimes there’s no stopping the Seattle Mariners and August 2023 just so happened to be the M’s hottest August they’ve had in their franchise history ending with a series 5-4 win at T Mobile Field on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Mariners have been going so well they ended up 21-6 and the A’s were fortunate to even win the second game from the M’s on Tuesday night 3-1.

#3 The A’s didn’t have a bad road trip going 3-4 taking two out four games against the Chicago White Sox and winning one game from the M’s. The A’s are competitive but they did run into a hot Mariners team.

#4 The Mariners starter Bryce Miller went six inning against the A’s giving up seven hits and three earned runs. The M’s used three relievers behind Miller for the one run win.

#5 A’s open up a three game homestand against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum starting pitcher for the Angels Patrick Sandoval (7-10) and for the Oakland A’s JP Sears (2-11 ERA 4.80) first pitch 6:40pm PT

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Reds Encarnacion-Strand Bay Area native does a homecoming on Giants with the bat

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Cincinnati Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand Bay Area native from Pleasant Hill, right, hits a two-run home run is congratulated by Elly De La Cruz (44) in the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 You can’t keep a good man down the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park coming off that one hitter loss thrown by San Francisco Giants starter Alex Cobb on Tuesday the Reds came back on Wednesday and were not relenting in game three of the series as Christian Encarnacion-Strand belted a home run and got three RBIs as the Reds defeated the Giants 4-1.

#2 Encarnacion-Strand who comes from Pleasant Hill CA was pleased to see so many of his friends, family, neighbors, and fans to support him on his visit to San Francisco.

#3 Giants pitcher Logan Webb had a struggle against Cincinnati Reds hitters, Elly De La Cruz and Luke Maile had two hits, and Hunter Greene out pitched Webb.

#4 Greene had a great outing for the Reds going 5.1 innings and striking out six batters. It was his third win and first win since June 17th to defeat the Giants. Greene gave up three hits and had help from his bullpen as the Reds used five pitchers.

#5 Giants open a four game series in San Diego against the Padres at Petco Park on Thursday night starter for the Giants has not been announced and for the Padres Pedro Avila (0-1 ERA 2.63) first pitch 6:40pm PT.

Stephen Ruderman was filling in for Michael Duca who does the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mariners’ two-run rally in seventh sends A’s down to another loss 4-3 at T Mobile

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Oakland Athletics’ Lawrence Butler rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run to score Jordan Diaz against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T Mobile Center in Seattle on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s hoped to stop the powerful Seattle Mariner offense Wednesday afternoon. The A’s beat the M’s Tuesday night. The A’s pitchers held the Mariners to four hits. Could the A’s do it again? The Mariners did not have Julio Rodriguez in the lineup on Wednesday. The 22-year-old superstar was out with discomfort in his left foot.

The answer to the above question was no, and the A’s could not beat the M’s for a second straight game. Oakland tried hard as they went ahead 4-3 when they scored a run in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately for Oakland, the Mariners scored twice in their half of the seventh to go ahead 5-4. The Mariners bullpen held the A’s scoreless in the last two innings of the game to win 5-4.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the second inning. A’s third baseman, Jordan Diaz, singled to get the rally going. Mariners’ starter, Bryce Miller, struck out catcher Carlos Perez for the first out. Miller was now pitching to centerfielder Lawrence Butler. Butler hit his second career home run.

There was no doubt about the ball going out of the park. The ball left the bat at 109 miles per hour and landed 431 feet away in the right-centerfield seats. The ninth hitter in the lineup, Esteury Ruiz singled. Ruiz stole his 52nd base of the season and went to third on M’s catcher Cal Raleigh’s throwing error. Ryan Noda doubled to drive in Ruiz with the A’s third run. Oakland leads 3-0 midway through the second inning.

The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the third. A’s starter Zach Neal retired the first two hitters. Neal walked Eugenio Suarez. Cal Raleigh doubled to put men on at second and third. To get out of the jam, Neal would have to retire Teoscar Hernandez for the third out. That did not happen. With one swing of Hernandez’s bat, the game was tied. For Hernandez, it was his 23rd bomb of the season.

The A’s broke the tie in the top of the seventh. Justin Topa was now pitching for Seattle. With one out, back-to-back doubles by Aledmys Diaz and Esteury Ruiz produced Oakland’s fourth run. Ruiz stole third. Teoscar Hernandez caught Ryan Noda’s fly ball to shallow right field.

Ruiz tagged, and the play at home was close. The home plate umpire called Ruiz safe. The Mariners asked for a review, and the call was overturned. The A’s led 4-3 midway through the seventh.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay summoned lefty Kirby Snead to pitch the seventh. The first two Mariner hitters were left-handed hitters. The strategy failed. Dominic Canzone led off the inning with a double. M’s DH Mike Ford singled, sending Canzone to third.

Snead walked Dylan Moore to load the bases with no out. Snead struck out Josh Rojas for the first out. M’s shortstop J.P. Crawford singled to drive in Canzone and pinch-runner Jose Caballero to put Seattle ahead 5-4. Kotsay brought in Dany Jimenez to end the M’s rally. Seattle leads 5-4 after seven.

The Mariners’ Matt Brash held the A’s scoreless in the eighth, and closer Anders Munoz set the A’s down to secure the win for Seattle.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 39-95. The Mariners improved to 76-57. The Mariners record for August is 21-6. It is the first time in M’s franchise history that the team has won 21 games in a month. The Mariners needed the win as the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The teams are in a virtual tie for first place in the AL West. The Texas Rangers lost to the New York Mets to fall one game behind the leaders.

 292,47 fans were in the park to watch the game. The attendance for the three-game series was over 110,000. When teams win, people will show up. Put a good product on the field, and the fans will come.

The A’s are off on Thursday. Oakland will host the Los Angeles Angels for three games starting Friday night. Friday’s starting pitchers for the Angels Patrick Sandoval (7-4 ERA 3.95), starting for the A’s JP Sears (2-11 ERA 4.80) a 6:40pm PT first pitch at the Coliseum.

San Francisco Giants Lose 4-1 To Cincinnati Reds Wrap Up Six Game Homestand At Oracle

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Cincinnati Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand, right, hits a two-run home run in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In a day game coming off of Alex Cobb’s almost no-hitter, the San Francisco Giants faced the Cincinnati Reds to complete their series and the Giants are wrapping up their six game homestand. Logan Webb takes the mound for San Francisco and Hunter Greene for the Reds. This game for the Giants was to hold a spot for the NL wild card, especially after the D-Backs loss the night before. 

 A pitcher’s duel between Webb and Greene for five innings as we saw a scoreless game with seven hits total, but in the top of the sixth, the drought ended as Spencer Steer and Eddy De La Cruz got on base from singles.

Smart baserunning play got the first run as De La Cruz attempted to steal second and Patrick Bailey tried to throw him out, but was unsuccessful and as the ball left Bailey’s hand, Steer was successfully home, 1-0 Reds.

The very next run came from an RBI single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand which scored De La Cruz, 2-0 Reds with one out. Webb escaped the inning with a beautiful double play where he stopped the ball on a dime, threw to second, and then a play at first, but the damage was done and in the bottom of the sixth for the first time in this game, the Giants played from behind.

They started this at bat with Casey Schmitt hitting a lead-off double and carried on with a Thairo Estrada single. This rally caused Cincinnati to make a pitching change and bring in Ian Gibaut, but the rally continued as a wild pitch, moved the lead-off Schmitt who was on third score at home and Estrada to second, 2-1 Reds. Gibaut was able to get out the inning, but the energy in the park was still high as we entered the seventh. 

The Giants decided to sit Webb down after six innings, seven hits, six strikeouts, and two runs, so they brought Ryan Walker in the seventh and he got back to back strikeouts, but after a single they switched him with Taylor Rogers to provide relief.

After the seventh inning stretch, the Reds brought in Fernando Cruz and he didn’t crack under the pressure, upholding that lead for Cincinnati. The eighth came and the Giants swapped one Rogers brother in for another as Tyler Rogers took the hill.

It looked Tyler Rogers was holding his own, but Encarnacion-Strand got his second RBI of the game with a two run shot to center field that scored De La Cruz making this game 4-1 Reds. 

The ninth inning started off with Luke Jackson shutting down the Reds to hopefully spark some type of comeback for San Francisco. Patrick Bailey was the leadoff guy and was walked, so the hopes for a comeback rally began to fill Oracle Park.

Yastrzemski popped out for the first out, but the energy was still hovering around the park. J.D. Davis grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out and that’s when fans began to try to beat the traffic. Wade Meckler being the last hope to keep this comeback alive and on a full count he was struck out and that’s the ball game, 4-1 Cincinnati. 

Even though the Giants didn’t sweep the series, they walked away with a series win and their homestand ended here. San Francisco has no time to think about this loss, because they find themselves headed to San Diego the very next day to face the Padres.

The Giants haven’t announced who will start in this four game series at Petco Park in San Diego, but they know they will face Pedro Avila (0-1, 2.63) of the San Diego Padres and hopefully the Giants can go in to the month of September with momentum to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Troy Ewers is a beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The A’s bullpen sparkles as the A’s beat the Mariners 3-1

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Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker hits a single against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Tue Aug 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s upset the Seattle Mariners apple cart Tuesday night in Seattle. The lowly A’s pitching staff held the hard-hitting Mariners’ lineup to just four hits, two of which came in the ninth inning with two out. A’s starter, Ken Waldichuk, pitched well for three innings.

Waldichuk held the M’s hitless in those innings. In the meantime, the A’s put three runs on the board after two innings of play. Seth Brown hit a solo homer in the first, and Shea Langeliers blasted a two-run job in the second. That was all the offense the A’s would need. 

Two things happened to help the A’s get the win. George Kirby was supposed to start for Seattle. Kirby was scratched due to not feeling well. M’s skipper, Scott Servais, inserted Luke Weaver into the starting role. Weaver made two mistakes.

One was the home to Brown, and the second was Langeliers’ big fly. The other thing was the absence of superstar centerfielder Julio Rodriguez. J-Rod, the hottest hitter in baseball, was sidelined with discomfort in his left foot. J-Rod had four hits in Monday’s win over the A’s.

As mentioned above, Waldichuk was good for three innings. Things did not go well for him in the fourth. Teoscar Hernandez singled, leading off the inning. It was the M’s first hit in the game. Waldichuk walked catcher Cal Raleigh to put two men on with no out.

Mike Ford, hitting for Ty France, flew out to right field. Waldichuk struck out Dominic Canzone for the second out. Dylan Moore walked to load the bases. Waldichuk’s wildness continued as he walked Cade Marlowe to force in a run. Jose Caballero pooped up to shortstop Nick Allen to end the inning. The A’s led 3-1 after four.

A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, sent Waldichuk to pitch the fifth. Kotsay had Waldichuk on a short leash. Waldichuk’s pitch count was high. Kotsay would remove him from the game if nothing was left in the tank. Waldichuk walked the leadoff hitter, J.P. Crawford.

Kotsay brought in Lucas Erceg to pitch. Erceg got the next three outs. The A’s Sean Newcomb, Dany Jimenez, and Kirby Snead kept the M’s off the board. The Mariners got their second hit of the night in the bottom of the eighth.

The stage was set for closer Trevor May. May had to face the bottom of the Mariners’ lineup to earn the save. May struck out the first two hitters. Pinch-hitting for Jose Caballero, Josh Rojas singled to keep the Mariners’ hopes alive. J.P. Crawford then doubled down the left-field line to send Rojas to third.

The two hits electrified the 44,280 fans in the park. All the Mariners needed was a single. The batter was the dangerous Eugenio Suarez. Suarez had doubled twice in Monday night’s game. The fans were on their feet. Could Trevor May rise to the occasion for Oakland? The Answer was yes. May struck out Suarez to end the game. The A’s win 3-1.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 39-94. The A’s need four more wins to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets record of 120 losses. The Mariners record dropped to 75-57. The Mariners are in a dogfight with the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros for first place in the AL West Division. The Rangers and Astros won Tuesday night, and the three teams are in a virtual tie for the lead.

The line score for Oakland was three runs, nine hits, and one error. The winning pitcher was Lucas Erceg. The line for Seattle was one run, four hits, and no errors. The losing pitcher was Luke Weaver.

The A’s beat the Mariners for the first time this season. They are 1-8 and will finish the three-game series Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Field in Seattle.

Zach Neal (ERA 6.88) will pitch for Oakland, and Bryce Miller (8-4 ERA 3.90) will be Seattle’s starter choice. The game will start at 1:10 p.m.

Giants Cobb practically perfect; Reds Steer doubles to break up no-no in ninth lose to SF 6-1

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb threw no hit ball for 8.2 innings before surrendering a double to the Cincinnati Reds Spencer Steer at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

Cincinnati (68-66). 000 000 001. – 1 1. 1

San Francisco (69-73). 023 000 01x. – 6 7 1

Time: 2:15

Attendance: 26,078

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–It was all about Alex Cobb tonight at Oracle Park on Tuesday night. He came within one out of pitching a no hitter, getting 26 outs before giving up his first safety while his teammates scored six runs in a resounding 6-1 triumph for the suddenly strong home team.

Sunday’s resilient win over the hard hitting Atlanta Braves and last night’s victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds, especially the stellar performance by the heralded rookie hurler Kyle Harrison, certainly lifted the spirits around Third and King.

The pair of consecutive victories inched San Francisco a bit closer to Arizona, with only a half game separating the two teams in the race for the National League’s final wild card spot. No less important is that Monday’s defeat of Cincinnati dropped Cincy to a game and half behind San Francisco in the same ranking. Tuesday night’s events dropped the Reds another game behind the Giants.

Slugger Mitch Haniger was back in the Giants’ lineup after having missed 64 days thanks to a broken forearm he suffered in St Louis when hit by a pitch. He’d been batting .230 when he went out of action. He was the DH tonight, batting fourth and went 0-4 but scored a run.

Alex Cobb, an 11 year veteran whose game time record of 6-5, 3.74, while perhaps respectable, didn’t inspire much confidence in the context of his last 15 games, in which he went 3-4, 4.87, and his last seven, in which he posted a 0-3, 6.14 mark.

Tuesday night, he threw a complete game one hitter. The only Cincinnati batter to reach base safely in 8-2/3 innings was Nick Senzel, who got to first on a throwing error by third baseman Casey Schmitt in the third. Cobb struck out eight Reds on his way to his seventh win against five losses and reduced his ERA to 3.57. He threw 131 pitches, 83 for strikes, to 30 batters.

The Rhinelanders sent 25 year old left hander Brandon Williamson to the mound. His six pitch repertoire had earned him a record of 4-3, 4.18 so far in this, his rookie season. He was 3-2, 3.00 in his previous ten starts, indicating that he’s making good progress on the big league learning curve, he threw 105 pitches in six innings, during which he allowed five runs, three of which were earned.

He threw 105 pitches in six innings tonight, allowing five runs, three of which were earned, surrendering six hits, including a four bagger. He didn’t walk anyone but did throw a wild pitch and commit a balk. He took the loss and now is 4-4, 4.20. Ex Athletic Sam Moll relieved him and pitched a perfect bottom of the seventh, followed by Derek Law in the eighth.

San Francisco took an early lead. With one out in the second, Patrick Bailey and JD Davis hit back to back singles to right and right center, respectively, bringing up Paul DeJong. With the count 0-2 on the Giants’ shortstop, who had gotten a hit after his first game with the club, Williamson attempted to pick Davis off at first but in doing so committed a balk, bringing Bailey home and sending Davis to second. After DeJong struck out swinging, Luis Matos doubled into the right field corner, driving in Davis with the Giants’ second run.

Austin Slater’s third inning two bagger off the Uber Eats ad in right overcame The Curse of the Leadoff Double. Williamson retired Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores but unleashed a wild pitch to Haniger, which allowed Slater to charge home with San Francisco’s third tally.

It looked as though that would be all they’d get when Haniger grounded to third, but Nelvi Marte’s throw to first was wild, and Haniger reached base. That set the stage for Bailey to blast an 84.6 mph change of pace into the Cincinnati bullpen for his seventh home run of the season and a 5-0 lead for San Francisco.

The orange and back tacked on another run in the eighth. Law issued a leadoff walk to Slater, who scored on Estrada’s down the line double to left, giving the Giants an even half dozen.

Cobb received a nearly unanimous standing ovation when he came out to pitch the top of the ninth. He had thrown 113 pitches. Marte flew out to right on the 114th. Nick Senzel followed and drew the first base on balls Cobb had issued all night.

TJ Friedl flew out to deep right for the second out. Then, on Cobb’s 125th offering, Spencer Steer drove a double to deep right field for a double that ended Cobb’s bid for a no-hitter and a shutout, driving in Senzel, who had gone to second on defensive indifference. Cobb closed out his magnificent performance by striking out Elly De La Cruz looking at a 93.3mph sinker.

This three game series will conclude tomorrow, Wednesday Logan Webb (9-10, 3.51) scheduled to throw the Giants’ first pitch at 12:45. Fellow righty Hunter Greene (2-5, 5.06) will take the mound for Cincinnati.