Category: MLB

In the first inning of the second game of the doubleheader the shortstop Oakland A’s Marcus Semien (10) puts the tag down on the Texas Rangers Isiah Kiner-Falefa (9) on an attempted steal (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s were back on the field for game two of their double header with the Rangers after dropping the first game to Texas 5-2. It was a real sleeper with a less than a stellar offensive effort by Oakland. Chris Bassitt was starting the game for Oakland and Kolby Allard for the Rangers.

It was a slow start for the A’s in the first inning. Tommy La Stella had a single to left but that was about all the A’s could muster. Bassitt handled the Rangers easily in the bottom of the inning.

The A’s had their first hit off the bat of Matt Olson in the top of the second inning. Kris Davis would walk and the A’s had two on and nobody out. 13 batters later the A’s had busted the game wide open leading 7-0 turning the tables on the Rangers.

The A’s were at bat for 40 minutes in the inning. Ramon Laureano,Sean Murphy, Tommy La Stella, Stephen Piscotty, and Marcus Semien all had hits and Kris Davis and Matt Olson both walked. The second inning was a good one for Bassitt striking out Joey Gallo and Sam Huff. Ronald Guzman grounded out to end the bottom of the inning.

The top of the third inning was a good one for Luke Farrell who had taken over on the mound. The A’s would go three up and three down. The bottom of the third inning started out promising for the Rangers whose bats had come alive.

Eli White had doubled and Leody Taveras singled to center with only one out. It was a disappointing ending however for the Rangers when Isiah Kinesr-Faleta grounded into a double play and the game would go into the fourth inning.

It was a quick top of the fourth for Oakland. Piscotty fouled out, Olson popped out and Davis struck out swinging. The Rangers got something going in the bottom of the fourth. Gallo hit a double and Dietrick had an infield single setting up a nice opportunity for the Rangers. It was short-lived when Solak flied out and Huff and Guzman both struck out.

The 7-0 lead that the A’s had held steady going into the top of the fifth inning. The A’s would extend their lead when Marcus Semien hit his fifth homer of the season. He would bring in Murphy and Machin with the shot and the A’s now held a 10-0 lead. Bassitt handled the Rangers in the bottom of the fifth facing only four batters.

The top of the sixth inning was again a short one for the A’s. Heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Rangers finally got on the board with a Gallo home run. That was all for the Rangers who now trailed the A’s by the score of 10-1.

The game finally headed into the top of the seventh inning; a long day of baseball for both teams. Brett Martin would face Oakland in the final inning. He dismissed Semien, La Stella and Piscotty in quick order.

Closer Yusmeiro Petit came to the mound to finish off Texas. Although the Rangers had a couple of singles in the inning, Petit struck out three and that was the game with Oakland winning 10-1. “Not a surprise.”

“Whatever happens these guys respond and they just have to keep moving on,” said Bob Melvin in regards to the injuries the team is now facing. Losing Matt Chapman for the season was a blow and now losing Chad Pinder to a right hamstring strain is yet another challenge. This team is resilient and deep which is a very good thing.

Game four in this series will be played tomorrow with first pitch at 11:35.

Artist rendition a look at the Oakland A’s new ballpark at Howard Terminal in downtown Oakland. Jeremiah talks about the odds improving in getting a new park if the A’s can win the World Series this season (design photo from designboom.com)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah the Oakland A’s are hot right now winning four out of five games from the Houston Astros what would allude to as the A’s biggest strategy for their recent success?

#2 The A’s are climbing the AL West with a seven game lead over the Astros and are playing the Rangers today in Arlington in a doubleheader if they can take this series and the two game series in Colorado you can pretty say they have the west wrapped up.

#3 Successes on the team have been the addition of A’s second baseman Tommy LaStella who made some fine defensive plays and is leading off in the A’s line up.

#4 Tony Kemp has been important hitting .257 and has filled in at second when need be his speed on the base paths has given manager Bob Melvin the confidence that he could be the insurance run.

#5 The A’s and Rangers play a doubleheader today in Arlington for game one the A’s Chris Bassitt (3-2) who pitched seven innings of shutout baseball against the Astros last Tuesday will start today. Bassitt has thrown some impressive innings recently.

#6 Jeremiah if the A’s can keep this up and just maybe win the World Series would that be a big step in helping the team get their new ballpark built at Howard Terminal in downtown Oakland?

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

(AP News photo) The Oakland A’s Matt Olson (28) comes home after hitting a grand slam in the first inning and is greeted by teammates Tommy La Stella, second from left rear, Ramon Laureano and Marcus Semien, right rear while Mark Canha (20) looks on

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The A’s are flying high. After taking four of five from the Astros in a five game set this week, the A’s headed out on the road for a weekend series against the Texas Rangers. The A’s, who up until Friday night had been 5-1 against the Rangers this season were looking to continue their great stretch of ball.

The A’s did just that. The A’s got out to an early advantage in the first inning. The first three innings the A’s walked followed by a Matt Olsen grand slam home run to take the 4-0 advantage. The A’s didn’t look back the rest of the way as they built a 9-1 lead going into the seventh inning.

The A’s bullpen, which has been stellar this season had a minor blip in the seventh. JB Wendelken gave up two runs after Mike Fiers started off the inning giving up a home run. Note I did say minor blip since the A’s bullpen finished out the game only giving up one more run to win 10-6.

Mike Fiers pitched pitched six plus innings with six hits and four runs all earned while striking five and walking two. He was countered by Luis Garcia who wasn’t able to get an out. He gave up three walks and a hit which was a grand slam and was pulled in the first inning.

Leading the way for the A’s on offense was Matt Olsen, Sean Murphy, and Robbie Grossman who combines for six hits and three home runs.

The A’s have now won 5-6 and appear right on track following the COVID lay-off after Daniel Mengden tested positive a few weeks ago.

The A’s will play the Rangers again in Arlington on Saturday for a double header starting at 2 PM PST. Starters in the front game Oakland starter Daulton Jeffries (0-0 ERA 0.00) and for the Rangers Nick Goody (0-0 ERA 6.23) in the night cap for the A’s Chris Bassitt (3-2 ERA 3.12) and for the Rangers Kolby Allard (0-5 ERA 7.22)

 

 

Oakland A’s Robbie Grossman left and Matt Olson (28) share congratulations after Olson hit a two run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum against the visiting Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon (AP News photo)

A’s Win Astros Series 4 games to 1 – Basically won the Division

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Athletics will not have to face the Houston Astros anymore during this “regular” 2020 season. They won four games of the five game series at Oakland, from Monday, through Thursday.

A’s manager Bob Melvin, who said he wanted to open-up a larger lead on the second place team, got his wishes. The first place A’s left for a road-trip with a 6 1/2 game lead over the Astros, their largest lead in the division since September, 24, 2013, that 2013 the Athletics won the division with a 96-66 record, 5 1.2 games over the Texas Rangers.

With a record of 27-15 and with just 18 games left to complete the 60-game season, the Oakland Athletics have basically the AL Western Division inside their pockets.

The club embarks on their last long road trip of the season. Tomorrow open a 4 game set at Arlington, vs. Texas Rangers, then move on to Seattle for 2 games (a double header) on Monday, before they fly to Denver for 2 games in 2 days against the Colorado Rockies.

They are scheduled to return home the 18th for a three game weekend series against the San Francisco Giants, whom they swept earlier in August during a three-game weekend series at Oracle Park.

The Athletics bullpen continues to lead all bullpens in baseball this season. Their starters, during this series against the Astros, completed seven innings of work in three of the last five starts.

The Houston Astros left Oakland in a very precarious situation. Astros only lead the third place Seattle Mariners in the standing by a couple of games. Although they still have a chance to advance to the postseason, this current team who won the division in 2019 with 107 wins, is very shaky.

They need José Altuve to comeback healthy, keep Alex Bregman also in the lineup and no more injuries the rest of the way. Those are manager Dusty Baker plans. Baker recently said he expects his top starter Justin Verlander to return to action by the end of the season.

POST SEASON: Reports (not-confirmed yet), have all MLB division winners hosting at least a division series. Best of three wild-card rounds to be held at the home site of the top four teams in each league. For example the A’s would open the first round at the Oakland Coliseum. American League: As the postseason advances, Southern California locations, Angel Stadium(Anaheim), Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles and PETCO Park (San Diego). National League: Minute Maid Park (Houston) and Globe Life Field (Arlington)

Stay well and stay tune.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio lead play by play talent on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea threw for seven innings gave up two hits and one run against the Houston Astros for the A’s fourth win in five games against the Astros on Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

Houston 1 2 0

Oakland 3 5 0

September 10, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–No one who saw Sean Manaea pitch two years ago can doubt his bona fides as a top of the line. Just ask the Red Sox; he no hit them on April 21 of 2018. But by August 26 a sore shoulder in his pitching arm sent Manaea to the disabled and then to surgery, another stay on the DL, prolonged and closely monitored rehab, until, finally, on September 1, 2019, he returned to active duty as the rosters expanded all over MLB.

The Throwin’ Samoan was masterful in his first start and went 4-0, 3.55 in the 29-2/3 innings he pitched over the rest of the season. But his performances were progressively weaker as the pennant race ran down until he was driven from the box after having surrendered four runs in two innings against Tampa Bay in the wild card game.

This year, the concerns about his mound work center around his reduced velocity and the difficulty he has getting past the second time around his opponents’ batting order. He hadn’t thrown more than 5-1/3 innings before today, and his record stood at 3-2, 5.09, although manager Bob Melvin had been encouraged by the lefty’s last outing, in which he held San Diego to one run on four hits in five innings.

Today he showed that Melvin had reason to feel as he did. If Manaea’s work this afternoon at the Coliseum didn’t all but concern him to rest, they sure went a long way towards doing that. – Menaea and Houston’s José Urquidi traded zeroes—and I mean zeroes, no runs, no hits, no errors—for the first four innings. The only men to reach base were Marcus Semien and Matt Olson, whom he walked in that frame.

Josh Reddick broke Manaea’s string on perfect innings with a lead off double down the right field line that was just barely fair. He advanced to, but stopped at, third when Aledmys Díaz followed with a line drive single to center.

It was good, conservative base running not to try to score in a no out situation like that, but it also was a tribute to Ramón Laureano’s strong arm. Martín Maldonado then hit into a 4-6-3 double play, La Stella to Semien to Olson, to wipe out Díaz, and Manaea struck out George Springer to escape further damage.

That one run deficit looked pretty imposing as the A’s came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. The situation seemed more dire when Urquidy got La Stella out on a warning track drive to right (which gave rise to some hope that the right handed wizard might be weakening).

Urquity got the second out, a grounder to Correa, his Astro counterpart at short. But then Urquidy walked Laureano on four pitches, and this time Houston’s hurler paid a price for his lack of control.

Olson blasted the first pitch Urquidy sent his way, a 93 mph four seamer, 377 feet to right for his twelfth homer and 30th and 31st RBI of this truncated campaign.It put Oakland ahead 2-1. Not bad for a guy who entered the game with a batting average of .190.

Urquidy had pitched an excellent game. In his six innings of work, he had given up two runs on only two hits to go with his one strike out. Although he had thrown only 88 pitches and might have lasted another frame, he had given signs of tiring.

So Dusty Baker called on Andre Scrubb to relieve his starter at the beginning of the home half of the seventh. Scrubb had surrendered one hit in two-thirds of an inning against the A’s last night. This afternoon, the toll was one hit and one run over the same distance.

Mark Canha led off by walking and stole second with Vimael Machín at bat. Chad Pinder, subbing for the still injured Matt Chapman at third, drove the runner home with a single to center. Houston was paying dearly for the bases on balls its pitchers were allowing, and Oakland went into the eighth ahead, 3-1.

Manaea had gone seven full innings, the longest stint of the year, and they were excellent. LIke Urquidy he had allowed two hits but only one run. He struck out four and, what’s very important, didn’t allow a single free pass. Indeed, of his 61 pitches, only 20 were balls.

Jake Diekman continued his nearly immaculate relief work, shutting out the ‘stros without a hit in the eighth (although he did surrender a base on balls to Reddick). That made 16 innings pitched by the southpaw reliever, with nary a run scored against him.

The Athletics wasted a chance for an insurance run in the eighth when Brad Peacock, pitching in relief of Scrubb, picked Robbie Grossman off at first. Umpire Adrian Johnson had ruled him safe, but that call was overturned on video review. Canha’s subsequent double to left was, as a consequence, unproductive.

Liam Hendriks mowed down the Astro , 1-2-3, in the ninth, earning his 12th save in 13 opportunities.

The A’s widened their lead over the Astros to 6 1/2 games. They trail Tampa Bay by a half a game for the best record in the American League and are in third place, four games behind the Dodgers for the top seat in MLB.

Melvin’s minions will continue their relentless pursuit of the pennant by flying this evening to Dallas-Ft. Worth, where they’ll meet the Texas Ranger tomorrow evening. The weary road warriors will return to the Coliseum on Sep 18th for a three game weekend series against the Giants.