Category: MLB

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: What happens if A’s win World Series?; Will that save the team from leaving Oakland?

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Former Oakland A’s owner Charlie O Finley who moved the club from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968 and won three World Series in a row. If the 2021 Oakland A’s can win the World Series this year will it help save the team? (Mercury News file photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 What will it take to convince the Oakland City Council to realize that the Oakland A’s are a viable asset to the city? Will it take the A’s going all the way this season and winning the World Series or still that wouldn’t be good enough to save the team?

#2 A’s team president David Kaval says the A’s are committed to staying in Oakland but MLB is giving the instruction to the team to make preparations to look at other markets to possibly move to we didn’t get a chance to ask you Jerry if this is more of a pressure move by MLB or they really want the A’s to consider looking elsewhere?

#3 The A’s have been having much success they’ve won seven of their last 11 games, on the field none of the talk about them having to get a new ballpark built or they will have to move has distracted them whatsoever.

#4 Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis weighed in and said that the Raiders would welcome the A’s to Las Vegas. Davis said the Oakland City Council is not capable of getting anything done from his experience with them trying to keep the Raiders in Oakland and he wouldn’t be surprised if the A’s will join the Raiders in Vegas.

#5 The A’s have had a successful series against the Boston Red Sox the will conclude the three game series tonight as A’s starter Sean Manaea who took a no hitter into the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last outing (3-1 ERA 3.07) will start against the Boston Red Sox Garrett Richards (2-2 ERA 4.54) a 4:10pm first pitch.

Join Jerry for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s beat Red Sox 4-1 gives James Kaprielian his first Major League victory

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Oakland A’s starter James Kaprielian pitches to the Boston Red Sox line up in the first inning at Fenway Park in Boston Wed May 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (23-15) sent James Kaprielian to the Hill Wednesday night to face the Boston Red Sox (22-16). Kaprielian was making his first Major League start. The young man from Southern California had his family in attendance, and he had to have some butterflies in his stomach at the start of the game.

The Red Sox welcomed him by scoring a run in the first inning. Kaprielian worked his way out of a jam and threw about 30 pitches in the frame. He settled down and kept the Red Sox off the board the next four innings. The A’s offense put four unanswered runs on the board, and James won his first game in the big leagues. 

The Red Sox drew first blood in the bottom of the first. Marwyn Gonzalez, who loves to hit against the A’s, got things going with a double to right field. Kaprielian walked Alex Verdugo and gave up a single to J.D. Martinez. The Red Sox had the bases loaded with no out and the chance for a big inning. Kaprielian retired the next two hitters. He walked Christian Vasquez to force in a run. Hunter Renfroe struck out to end the inning. Boston led 1-0 after one inning of play.

The A’s tied the game in the top of the fourth. With two out, Stephen Piscotty singled. Sean Murphy doubled to drive in Piscotty. The A’s scored two more in the top of the fifth. Mitch Moreland singled to start the rally. A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus doubled to center to send Moreland to third.

Jed Lowrie grounded out 6-3. Moreland scored on the play, Andrus advanced to third. Andrus scored when Eduardo Rodriguez committed a balk. The A’s led 3-1 midway through the fifth inning. Oakland added a run in the top of the seventh when Matt Olson blasted his eighth of the year. 

A’s manager Bob Melvin turned the pitching chores over to his bullpen after the fifth inning. Burch Smith pitched two perfect innings. With Lou Trivino pitching in the eighth, the Red Sox mounted a threat. With one out and men on at second and third, Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez grounded out to Lowrie who threw to Olson.

Xander Bogaerts committed a baserunning blunder as he tried to score from third on the play. A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, threw home to nail Bogaerts trying to score. The A’s led 4-1 after eight complete.

The A’s summoned lefty Jake Diekman from the bullpen to close out the game in the ninth. Jake retired the Red Sox 1-2-3 to preserve the win for Kaprielian.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 23-15 for the year. The Red Sox are 22-16. 

Kaprielian worked five innings and allowed one run and four hits. He struck out six and walked three. Kaprielian’s father was in attendance to watch his son start his first game in the Majors. The A’s acquired James in a trade with the Yankees in 2017. The trade sent Sonny Gray to New York. The Yankees picked Kaprielian in the first round of the 2016 draft. Kaprielian missed two years of playing time due to arm injuries. 

The A’s will be attempting to sweep the Red Sox on Thursday. The A’s pitching shut down the vaunted Boston offense allowing them three runs in the first two games of the series.

The A’s will send Sean Manaea to the hill on Thursday. Manaea was outstanding in his last performance. Garrett Richards will pitch for Boston. 

The game will start at 4:10 pm on Thursday.

Giants day off report: Giants open four game series in Pittsburgh Thursday night

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San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is seen here in as the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager in this Nov 9, 2016 photo said that he will be looking for left handed hitting for the Giants when the trade deadline comes around in July (AP News file photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The San Francisco Giants enjoyed a day off on Wednesday after a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday to sweep the two-game series and safeguard their spot at the top of the NL West. They now lead the San Diego Padres by two games and the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games.

Holding a 22-14 record, the Giants are tied at the most wins with the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland A’s and Boston Red Sox. San Francisco and St. Louis, with a .611 win percentage, are the best in the league.

The Giants are on the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds before returning to Oracle Park to host the defending champion Dodgers. First pitch for Thursday’s game at PNC Park is at 3:35 p.m.

On Tuesday, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spoke about the MLB trade deadline more than two months away, in light of how well the team is doing now. Zaidi said that last year the organization talked quite a bit about adding a left-handed bat which could have been the difference. The Giants ended up finishing last season a pitch away from making the playoffs.

“A lot of the best pieces in July are if you add a complementary piece that really addresses an area of need and can really clean up the roster. We’ll be looking at all those things,” Zaidi said on KNBR’s “Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks” show.

“It’s really early and I don’t see ourselves positioning as a buyer or a seller, but we’re in this to be competitive,” he continued. “You like to reward a clubhouse and a group that’s playing well like the way our guys are right now.”

The Giants spent much of Tuesday also celebrating a home run by right fielder Drew Robinson in their Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats. Robinson’s solo homer in the top of the second inning was cheered across the minor and major leagues because it was his first since he lost an eye in an attempted suicide in April 2020.

— _

Oakland Wins Game One Against Boston 3-2

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Oakland A’s players share congratulations after defeating the Boston Red Sox in game 1 of the three game series on Tue May 11, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston (@Athletics photo)

Oakland Wins Game One Against Boston 3-2

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday evening the Oakland A’s took on the Boston Red Sox at the storied Fenway Park in the first of a three game series. Both teams sit in first place in their respective divisions. The series will be a challenge for the A’s. This is probably the toughest series that they have faced all year, even tougher than Tampa Bay.

Ramon Laureano is back in the lineup which is great news for Oakland. They will have to call on all their resources to match up with Boston. The Red Sox have some heavy hitters; one of them Martinez who sacrificed in the first inning driving in Verdugo. After one inning the Red Sox had taken a 1-0 lead thanks to J.D. Martinez.

Chris Bassitt was on the mound for Oakland and Nathan Eovaldi pitched for Boston. With the exception of the one run in the first inning both pitchers were having solid performances through the first three innings.

It was quiet for the A’s until the fourth inning. Seth Brown walked and Matt Olson singled bringing Brown in and the game was tied 1-1. This was proving to be a highly contested ball game. Through six innings Chris Bassitt had nine strikeouts as this game remained deadlocked.

Boston’s Darwinzon Hernandez would take over on the mount in the top of the seventh inning. The A’s had a great chance in the seventh inning with Olson on third, Lowry on first with no outs. Matt Chapman singled and Matt Olson scored to break the tie 2-1. That’s all it took and after 16 pitches the Red Sox made a pitching change bringing in veteran Adam Ottavino. Elvis Andrus would single and Chapman scored to extend the lead to 3-1 in favor of Oakland.

The seventh inning was a good one for Boston as Rafael Devers homered cutting into Oakland’s lead 3-2. This game was going down to the wire.

It was a quiet eighth inning for both teams. The A’s could get nothing going in the top of the ninth and so the game was in the hands of Jake Diekman and he came through. The Red Sox made some noise in the ninth inning but came up short and the A’s won game one of the three game series.

Giants, Webb knock off Rangers 4-2; SF best record in baseball 22-14

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By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, May 11, 2021

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb picked up the win against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 11, 2021 (@SFGiants photo)

San Francisco got a quality start from Logan Webb on Tuesday, as the Giants defeated Texas 4-2 in interleague play at Oracle Park.

Webb struck out a career-high 10 in six innings as the Giants swept the two-game set from the Rangers, who are 0-5 against National League opponents this season.

Webb (2-3) earned his first win in his last three starts. He surrendered two runs and three hits. Jake McGee threw a perfect ninth inning for his 10th save.

Brandon Belt and Mike Yastrzemski each drove in runs for San Francisco.

Rangers starter Jordan Lyles (1-3) gave up two runs in five innings, while logging six strikeouts. Lyles won his first start of 2021, but has since dropped three straight decisions.

David Dahl hit his third home run of the season for the Rangers. His shot to left-center cut the Giants’ lead to 4-2. But the San Francisco bullpen responded with three scoreless innings.

Joey Gallo’s run-scoring groundout gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The Giants responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first on an RBI double by Yastrzemski and a base hit by Belt,

San Francisco added two more runs in the sixth on Texas third baseman Charlie Culberson’s throwing error.

The Rangers were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, helping San Francisco maintain MLB’s best home record at 14-4. The Giants have won five of their last six games at Oracle Park, but are 8-10 on the road,

Belt left the game in the eighth inning with what was called “mild tightness” in his left side. Giants manager Gabe Kapler called the move “precautionary.” San Francisco second baseman Donovan Solano, who has been on the injured list since April 22 with a calf strain, took BP and ground balls on Monday. He’s expected to go on a rehab assignment while the Giants are on the road.

The Giants open a four-game series in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (2-1, 2.40) will start the series opener for San Francisco,

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Oakland A’s Stadium Soap Opera – MLB to A’s “Build It or Relocate-“

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The Oakland A’s could become the Las Vegas A’s if the Howard Terminal plan falls apart for a downtown stadium in Oakland. Vegas came up as one of the top cities the A’s could relocate to. The A’s have been in Oakland since 1968. ( photo from the Las Vegas Review Journal)

Oakland A’s Stadium Soap Opera – Built It or Relocate-

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Major League Baseball instructed the Oakland Athletics to explore relocation options as the team tries to secure a new waterfront park in hopes of keeping the team at Oakland, where they have played since 1968. AP Reported that MLB released a statement Tuesday expressing its longtime determination that the current Coliseum site is “not a viable option for the future vision of baseball.”

A’s President Dave Kaval remains hopeful of a stadium deal, but there is beginning to be a time crunch; “we’re going to immediately start working with the league on exploring other markets and working hand in hand with them to identify which ones make the most sense and pursuing that right away,” A’s President Dave Kaval told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We need to keep our options know. People know, we can’t even keep the lights on here at the Coliseum.”

The goal had been to inaugurate the Howard Terminal Park in 2023, but now, even if approved by the City of Oakland City Council this summer, it would not be ready until the year 2027. So, you can draw your own conclusions, but to me it seems the City of Oakland is more focus on giving their citizens a guaranteed salary than keeping the Major League franchise in their city.

Again, we see how local politics could kill another stadium proposal, a few years ago it was Fremont, here in the Bay Area. For us who have lived most of our lives in the Bay Area, if the Athletics leave, we should not be that surprised. Remember how long it took for the San Francisco Giants to get their new park.

Las Vegas would make the most sense, they could play at their AAA park where the Aviators play, until they finish the construction of their new park and they will still be in the Western Division, but there are other options if they move out of Oakland. Other cities that were mentioned for an A’s relocation Portland, North Virginia, Vancouver, Charlotte, and Montreal.

If you wonder if rebuilding at the Coliseum location was a possibility (like many have said in the past) MLB said in a statement today “it is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for all the play by play of Oakland A’s baseball with Manolo Hernandez Douen on the A’s flagship station 1010 KIQI LaGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Just a rough outing for A’s Irvin last Sunday; Angels Maddon says Pujols didn’t yell at him upon release

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Oakland A’s pitcher Cole Irvin seen here throwing against the Toronto Blue Jays back on Tue May 4, 2021 took a tough loss on Sun May 9, 2021 against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s had Monday off and nearly swept the Tampa Bay Rays at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday but were edged out by the Rays who scored a tie breaking run in the top of the sixth that held up for the win.

#2 The frustrating part of Sunday’s game was the A’s got off to a early 3-0 lead but A’s starting pitcher Cole Irvin allowed three runs for the Rays in the top of the fifth. For Irvin was it a matter of his getting tired or were the Rays picking up on how to hit him?

#3 The A’s will start Chris Bassitt (2-2 ERA 3.70) who will be matched up against the Boston Red Sox’ Nathan Eovaldi (4-4 ERA 4.62) for a 4:10pm first pitch at Fenway Park. Amaury tell us how you see this match up of two of the American League’s best teams.

#4 Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon said former Angel Albert Pujols didn’t yell at him as was reported by USA Today on Wednesday for leaving him out of the line up that ended with Pujols getting designated for assignment. Maddon also said he didn’t yell at either general manager Perry Minasian and club president John Carpino during a post game meeting upon Pujols learning of his release.

#5 Pujols had said upon leaving after his last day as an Angel that he still wants to play and that might happen if his former manager Tony LaRussa considers him for some role with the Chicago White Sox as a fill in DH or first baseman if Pujols would accept such a role.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish play by play lead announcer for flagship station 1010 KIQI LaGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wood, Giants find the time and the place to get past Texas, 3-1

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Texas Rangers have been rough on left-handed starting pitchers this season, so Alex Wood and the Giants knew they’d need a special performance on Monday night.

Special and timely.

The Giants waited until the last possible moment to pounce, but they did just that with a two-run, seventh inning rally that carried them past the Rangers, 3-1 at Oracle Park.

With Wood lifted from the game for pinch-hitter Darin Ruf, the Giants lefty appeared destined for a no-decision despite allowing just four hits and a run in seven innings of work. But Ruf singled, following Austin Slater’s walk and preceding Mauricio Dubon’s tie-breaking base hit. Suddenly, Wood was in business, cheering loudly from the dugout and leading 2-1.

For those scoring at home, that’s three, consecutive right-handed hitting pinch-hitters–with spotty records–coming through with two outs and the game on the line.

“I liked that (Giants manager Gabe Kapler) used all his pinch hitters there. If they had not scored, then we had them in trouble,” Texas manager Chris Woodward recounted. “We just didn’t execute a pitch there at the end.”

How spotty? Ruf had managed just one hit in ten pinch-hitting appearances coming in, and Dubon, the last guy any manager would want hitting deep in a count, had just one hit in 31 plate appearances this season with a two-strike count.

So what does Dubon do with the game in the balance? He fouls off five, consecutive pitches and singles to center field on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to give his team the lead.

“If you don’t end up scoring a run, you’re almost out of players,” Kapler said. “Dubon’s at-bat was excellent, that’s the one that’s going to stand out. But Slater’s was equally as good and Ruf’s was awesome.”

The Rangers then contributed to the Giants’ fortunes when third baseman Charlie Culberson one-hopped his throw across the diamond for an error that allowed Mike Yastrzemski to reach and Ruf to score.

Wood improved his record to 4-0 (in just five starts) by avoiding any explosive hits outside Khris Davis’ triple off the bricks in the fifth, and hanging around in a matchup with Texas’ Kyle Gibson, who has a similar reclamation story to Wood’s and was almost as good on Monday.

Gibson pitched six innings, allowing four his and a run while striking out six. He did surrender a solo shot to Brandon Belt, the game’s first run in the fourth inning.

Wood became just the third lefty starter to defeat the Rangers joining Steven Matz and Mike Minor, who both accomplished the feat in the season’s first week. Since then, the Rangers have compiled a major league-best 12 wins against left-handed starters, including the last six opportunities consecutively.

The Rangers lost in interleague play for the 13th time in their last 14 matchups. The Giants improved to 13-4 at home, tying their best start to a season at home in their San Francisco history.

The teams conclude their brief series Tuesday afternoon with Texas’ Jordan Lyles facing Logan Webb.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Angels dismissal of Albert Pujols

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The Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout (right) says it hit him a lot when he found out that Albert Pujols (left) was released for assignment by the Angels and some veteran players felt it wasn’t right what happened to Pujols (photo from the New York Post)

The Angels Dismissal of Alberto Pujols

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Last week the Los Angeles Angels designated for assignment/released the future Hall of Fame player (maybe unanimously) Albert Pujols. Logically, anybody that is following the Angels knows that with Japanese two-way superstar Shohei Othani, when he doesn’t starts a game on the mound, he is the team’s Designated Hitter and the resurgence of young first baseman Jared Walsh who is hitting over .300 with enough power to hit 30 or more home-runs this year, Pujols was not getting the playing time and at bats he wanted. That is a given.

However, to designate for assignment a player of Albert Pujols caliber, on the last year of his ten-year contract at the beginning of the month of May is not something you see every day and the team made the decision after only 29 games he had participated and them showed him the door.

Management is entitled to make their decision, that is what management in a front office does, but in my book the Angels did not show much grace to a man that played and who represented them very well since he signed ten seasons ago. In retrospect; could the Angels have spoken to him and told him of the possibility that he might be let go, depending how things worked as the season unfolded?

–More on this further down–This is a very emotional decision. The Angels want to win this year, they play in the same market as the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers who have won eight consecutive Western Division titles in the National League, plus the 2020 World Series and the Angels have not made it to the Postseason since 2014, and counting, with what many still consider the best player in the game, Mike Trout.

This looked (to me) like a decision that should had been made differently. It looked like it was not thought through. The LA Angels probably believe that a man that was hitting under .200 is “done” and they want to contend this year for a division title, so they dumped Albert Pujols so that Shohei Othani and Jared Walsh could handle the DH and 1B position, without interruption.

By the way hitting under .200 for everyday players at this time in baseball history should not be the main factor. If that is the reason. then most teams most release three or four players right away. Albert Pujols is one of the best players of this or any other generation. His ten-year $240 million salary ends this season, but the Angels are still responsible for paying remainder of his $30 million this year.

I called the 600th Home-run of his career one night at Angel Stadium for Fox Sport West (Español). Pujols is as dedicated to his craft as anybody I have seen in this game, Mike Trout (who himself is on his way to a Hall of Fame career) would always look to Pujols for hitting and guidance overall, not to mention many Latino players on the team. Pujols led by example, never a scandal, always on time for practice, always there for the team, always representing the Angels and the game of baseball as good as anybody.

Albert Pujols did not want to retire; he believes he still has something left in the tank. It would be interesting to see if another team would pick up Pujols. Tony LaRussa, back as manager with the White Sox has always been a big fan and friend of the Dominican-born player, when he played in St Louis and LaRussa was his manager, however, the Chicago White Sox are a young team with Yermin Mercedes, who is often a designated hitter and who is having a very nice season. If Albert Pujols gets the opportunity to play again if would be in the American League where he can DH. We can discount the National League.

According to reports five days after his release, Pujols wanted to be released if he could not get enough playing time. Anyway we look at it; it is not a good ending of a story. In reality, we might have seen the last of a Hall of Fame player.

Albert Pujols, 41 years old. three Time National League Most Valuable Player— Rookie of the Year— ten-Time All-Star– two-World Series Titles– two Gold Glove–six-Silver Slugger–Batting Title–National League Championship Series MVP– Among the Top Five players in MLB history in Home-runs 667, Runs-batted-in 2,100, Extra-base hits 1,352.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland Athletics Spanish radio network and on flagship station 1010 KIQI LaGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Preview of the A’s-Red Sox series By Jerry Feitelberg

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Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt will start against the Boston Red Sox to open the series at Fenway Park on Tue May 11, 2021. Bassitt is seen here pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wed May 5, 2021 (photo from AP News)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s start a nine-game road trip Tuesday evening against the Boston Red Sox. The A’s then play three in Minnesota and finish the trip in Houston with three against the Astros.

The Red Sox and A’s have been rivals since 1901. Both teams are charter members in the American League. The A’s have represented three cities-Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland. The teams have played in Fenway Park since 1912. Each team has won nine World Series Championships.

The A’s and Red Sox have met four times in the AL Playoffs. The Red Sox beat the A’s in 1975 to go to the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The A’s sent the Red Sox home in 1988 and 1990. The A’s went to the World Series in those years. Boston beat the A’s in 2003 in the AL Division series. Boston did not make it to the World Series that year.

Both teams are in first place in their respective divisions. The A’s record is 21-15. They own a two-game lead over the Houston Astros. The Red Sox are 22-13 and are leading the New York Yankees by 3 1/2 games. The Red Sox are finishing a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles Monday night.

The A’s have announced that righty Chris Bassitt will go for Oakland Tuesday night. Bassitt is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.70. Bassitt has pitched well for Oakland and has been reliable so far this year. The Red Sox will counter with Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi is 4-2 with an ERA of 4.62. In seven career starts against Oakland, Eovaldi is 1-2 with an ERA of 4.28.


On Wednesday, the Red Sox will send lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to the hill. Rodriguez is 5-0 with an ERA of 3.82. Due to injuries to Mike Fiers and Jesus Luzardo, the A’s have not announced a starter for either Wednesday or Thursday. Garrett Richards, the former Angel, will go for Boston on Thursday. Richards, this season, is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.54. In 18 games(14 starts), Richards is 3-4 with an ERA of 4.29.

The Red Sox did not fare well in the 2020 season. The ace of the staff, Chris Sale, had Tommy John surgery. Sale will pitch later this year. Eduardo Rodriguez came down with Covid-19 last year. Rodriguez had complications and missed the entire year. Nathan Eovaldi was hurt.

The Red Sox bullpen was a mess. Things have changed for Boston in 2021. The Starters have been reliable, and General Manager Chaim Bloom has rebuilt the bullpen. The Red Sox are currently in first place in the AL West. The Sox, as usual, are loaded with guys that can hit. Their designated hitter, J.D. Martinez, has been on a tear to start the season. Martinez is hitting .331 with ten home runs and 31 RBIs.

His ten dingers tie him with Shohei Ohtani for first in the AL. He leads the AL with 31 RBIs. His OPS of 1.075 is third-best in the league. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is hitting .349. Bogaerts has seven homers and 20 RBIs. His OPS is .985. Leftfielder Alex Verdugo, who came to Boston in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, is hitting .306 with four dingers and 16 RBIs.

Third baseman Rafael Devers’ batting average is .288. Devers has slammed eight home runs and driven in 28. The Red Sox will have Bobby Dalbec at first base, Marwyn Gonzalez at second. Franchy Cordero will be the centerfielder, and Hunter Renfroe will be in right field. Christian Vasquez will handle most of the catching.

The Red Sox bullpen will be staffed by Darwinzon Hernandez, Matt Andriese, Garrett Whitlock, Hirokazu Sawamura, Adam Ottavino, and the closer’s role is handled by Matt Barnes. Barnes has eight saves in eight opportunities so far this year.

The A’s need t get their offense going if they hope to have success in Fenway. The A’s need big games from Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson, and Matt Chapman. The Red Sox can put a lot of runs on the board. The A’s pitchers need to shut down the Boston offense. If the A’s get good pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense, they can hold their own with Boston’s Big Boppers. The A’s would love to get the first win Tuesday night to get the road trip off on a high note.