Category: MLB

The Oakland A’s Chris Bassitt who went seven innings of seven hit shutout ball against the Houston Astros on Mon Sep 7th at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

Houston 0 7 0

Oakland 6 8 0

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Labor Day, the traditional end of summer, when men put away their straw hats and women stopped wearing white, when 16 teams in two leagues, stretching east to west from Boston to St. Louis and north to south from the hub to the nation’s capital, having survived the dog days of April, expanded their rosters and settled down for one last month of their 154 game season.

We lived in a baseball-centric country, and those who didn’t go to a game either listened to one on their portable radios or were playing softball at a Labor Day picnic.

That was then, or at least an idealized picture of what it was like then. This is now. We’re in a record-breaking heat wave, and those of us lucky enough not to have been displaced by the wild fires that accompany it have to shelter in place, our noses itching and our eyes teary. from the acrid air we breathe.

Major league baseball is playing the last month of its 60 game schedule in front of empty houses, and the two teams locked in a tight duel for its American League Western Division pennant are the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics. Indeed, they are the only two teams in the AL West with winning records, with the 23-14 A’s leading the 21-19 ‘strop by three and a half games as they entered their five game in four days series at 6:20 this evening.

Although the day’s oppressive heat had given way to a pleasant breeze by game time, the rivalry between tonight’s antagonists remained heated. The A’s are one of the many teams who feel they were cheated out of a deserved championship by Houston’s sign stealing abuse of modern technology.

The Astros resent the A’s Mike Fiers’ violation of baseball’s unwritten law against revealing team secrets. Tension between the teams reached a climax during the A’s last trip to Houston when the Astro coach Alex Cintrón goaded Ramón Laureano from the dugout to charge him, precipitating a near brawl that violated all sorts of anti-covid protocols and resulted in Laureano’s four game suspension that, tacked on to the contest postponed because of Daniel Mengden’s positive lab results, is one of the reasons for Oakland’s recent lack luster performance.

Adding to the tenuousness of the team’s grip on first place are injuries to Marcus Semien, who has been out of action since the first games of the double header in Houston on August 22 with with a sore left side, wasn’t sufficiently recovered to start tonight’s contest, and his companion on the left side of the infield, platinum glover Matt Chapman, mired in a hitting slump, strained his right hip in yesterday’s loss to San Diego, and is out of combat, at least for tonight Vimael Machín and La Stella, respectively, started in their at their positions, with Tony Kemp at second.

Houston’s infield has its own problems after being swept by the Angels in a four game series in Anaheim. Some of those problems are health related. José Altuve, the stellar second sacker (who was discovered by A’s third base coach Al Pedrique). Alex Bregman, Chapman’s closest competitor for golden glover at the hot corner, and pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr., still are on the injured list. And ex-Oakland fan favorite Josh Reddick, nursing a sore elbow, was considered day-to-day but was in tonight’s line up as designated hitter.

The A’s took an early lead against the Astros’ Cristián Javier (4-1, 3.35) when Robbie Grossman led off the bottom of the second with a single to left, stole second, and, after Stephen Piscotty struck out, scored on Kemp’s double to right center. Kemp tried to pilfer third and was called out on a close play, a decision that the A’s appealled.

He looked safe to me but not to the umpire crew viewing replays in New York. Sean Murphy didn’t let that keep him from blasting a 93 mph four seamer from Javier 404 feet overthe dead center field fence to give Oakland a 2-0 lead.

That was all the A´s managed to score against Javier, who left after finishing the fifth. Those three hits and two runs in the second were the only ones he allowed, although he did surrender three walks and hit Ramón Laureano with a pitch. Of the 94 of those he threw, 50 for strikes.

Oakland tacked on a tally against Andre Scrubb in the sixth on Murphy’s walk,La Stella’s single to right that advanced him to third, and Laureano’s foul sacrifice fly to right.

Chris Bassitt, the A’s starting pitcher, has had his good days and his bad days this season. He had a very good one in Houston on August 7, when he held the Astros to one earned run in seven innings as the A’s won 3-2. He showing against them in the Coliseium on the 29th wasn’t as effective. The A’s lost 4-2, and Bassitt surrendered four earned runs in six frames.

Tonight, he pitched himself in and out of trouble, leaving two men on base in the each of the first and third and one on in the second and sixth. Astro batters reached deep into the warning track in the fourth and six innings and twice in the seventh.

But no one scored on him in his seven innings of work, over whih he scattered as many hits, struck out four and gave up no walk, bringing his ERA down to a respectable 3.12. He threw 89 pitches, 58 for strikes . Bassitt also helped his own cause with a nifty bit of fielding in the fifth, going to his right to grab George Springer’s bouncer and throw off balance to nab the speedy Springer at first.

The A’s stretched their lead once more in the eighth. Cy Sneed walked Matt Olson, who advanced a base on Grossman’s grounder to second and scored on Piscotty’s single to left center. Chad Pinder, who had replaced Kemp when Cionel Pérez replaced Javier in the sixth, doubled to left, sending Piscotty to third. Murphy came thorugh again, singling both men home, and the A´s were ahead 6-o.

Jake Diekman shut down the ‘stros with the help of a double play, and it took Lou Trivino all of three pitches, two of which Houston’s Kyle Tucker and Carlos Correa drove to the warning track, to shut down the visitors in the ninth.

Bassitt got the well earned win and is now 3-2. Javier took the tough loss, and his record standsat 4-2 (3.38).

The two rivals will go at it again tomorrow in a day-night make up double header. Each game is scheduled for seven innings, with Oakland, as the visitors, sending Frankie Montás (2-3,6.06) to the mound against Zach Greinke (3-0,2.91) at 3:10. Three hours later, with Oakland as the home team, it’ll be Mike Minor (0-5, 5.94 overall; 0-0, 18.00 with the A’s) making his Oakland starting debut against 2B Announced.

Oakland A’s third base Al Pedrique coach (left) gives the elbow bump to Matt Olson (right) after hitting a two run triple  in the first inning Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It has been a challenging time for the Oakland A’s between all the racial unrest and topping it off with a positive corona test within the organization. Pitcher Daniel Mengden tested positive and is quarantined at home in Houston going on a ten-day injured list. He is asymptotic and feeling fine. Thankfully no one else has tested positive in their traveling party and for right now there is no clue as to how he contracted the virus.

Last night the A’s were slammed by the Padres to the tune of a 7-0 final. They had a very tough offensive night and it was very obvious that the long lay-off did them no favors. They were back on the field in Oakland for game two looking for a very different outcome. Sean Manea was the starter in today’s game and it will be Chris Paddack for San Diego.

Manea dismissed the Padres in the first inning setting the stage for a productive bottom of the first for Oakland. Tommy LaStella singled and Matt Olson tripled to deep right scoring LaStella and Mark Canha who had walked giving the A’s an early 2-0 lead. The A’s would add a couple more in the second inning now leading 4-0. Stephen Picottty and Heim both singled and LaStella doubled to deep right in the bottom of the frame extending that lead.

The top of the third inning was productive for the Padres, however, the A’s were able to contain the damage with a bases loaded situation allowing only one run. Former A Jurickson Profar was able to score when Eric Hosmer grounded into a fielders choice and the Padres were on the board 4-1. There was not much action for the A’s in the bottom of the third but there would in the fourth inning. Sean Manea had struck out five through three innings and was having what could probably be his best showing of the year.

It was a quick top of the fourth for Manea and the A’s would try to extend their lead in the bottom of the fourth. It was a speedy inning for Paddack as well taking care of Oakland and the score remained 4-1 in favor of Oakland.

In the top of the fifth inning Manea would go through the Padres in quick order. Having a bit of a drought, Matt Chapman would strike out for the third time in the fifth and Oakland couldn’t get very much going in that inning.

Yusmeiro Petit would successfully take over on the mound to start the sixth inning. The Oakland pitchers were keeping the Padres offense pretty quiet. The A’s would extend their lead when wonder kid Jonah Heim connected for his second hit of the game. Ramon Laureano would come to bat and hit his fifth homer of the season and the A’s led 7-1 after six innings.

The seventh inning would see Jake Diekman take over on the mound. It had been another good showing from the A’s bullpen. Oakland had a nice seventh inning as Matt Olson would have his third hit of the game, Piscotty had an infield hit and Canha who had walked scored and the game was now 8-1. It was a very good thing to see the great showing by the Oakland offense. Laureano, La Stella, Olson, Piscotty, Machin and Heim all had one or more hits. It was a great turnaround from yesterday’s game.

Joakim Soria would start the eighth inning. San Diego would have a great offensive eighth. Austin Nola would homer, Wil Myers would double to deep left and Jake Cronenworth had an infield single that scored Myers. The Padres still trailed by the score of 8-3 as the game went into the bottom of the eighth. The Padres Trevor Rosenthal handled things from the mound and the game had reached the ninth inning.

The A’s were three outs away from a win as the ninth inning got underway. Liam Hendriks would come in and try to finish this game and give the A’s their 23rd win of the season. He would strike out Profar to start the inning. Trent Grisham would single to right and Fernando Tatis Jr. came to the plate and doubled to right center. Manny Machado hit a sacrifice fly to center and Grisham scored. The Padres were not going down easy now trailing 8-4 but also looking at two outs. It would be up to Mitch Moreland to keep the Padres alive. Hendriks had other plans striking him out and the A’s would win by the score of 8-4.

The final game of the series will be tomorrow with first pitch at 1:10.

A’s pitcher Daniel Mengden will stay under quarantine at his Houston home until he passes two Covid tests. The A’s will be taking a look at who will fill his spot as a long reliever in the meantime (sfgate.com file photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s were back Friday night hosting the San Diego Padres after having five games postponed the A’s were anxious to get back to work. Unfortunately the Padres had other ideas and got a three pitcher 7-0 shutout over the A’s.

#2 A’s general manager David Forst says that pitcher Daniel Mengden is staying at his Houston home recovering from Covid-19 and should be back after his quarantine is over.

#3 Mengden is a long reliever and with his absence the A’s are looking for someone who can fill that bill. Will that add pressure to A’s newest acquisition Mike Minor?

#4 Marcus Semien who suffered an injury in Houston sat out for Friday night’s game the A’s used newly acquired Tommy LaStella at second and Vimael Machin at shortstop to replaced Semien?

#5 Jeremiah taking a look at today’s starting pitchers for the San Diego Padres Chad Paddack (3-3 ERA 4.43) and for the A’s Sean Manaea (2-2 ERA 5.64)

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

Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo is lifted by A’s manager Bob Melvin in the fifth inning in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres. The first of a three game series. (AP News photo)

San Diego 7-11 -0

Oakland 0-4 -2

September 4, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This evening, the Athletics threw their first pitch and took their first swings in anger since dropping a double header to the Astros on August 29. Those five days of inaction were in response to Daniel Mengden positive for covid-19 test.

The good news is that Mengden is asymptomatic and that there have been no reports of anyone else in the organization having had a similar lab result since then. The bad news is that this is 2020.

From a purely baseball perspective, the hiatus raises a few questions. The unscheduled break certainly gave the team a chance to get some physical rest, although it could also have done some damage to the players’ timing.

The wait also probably took a psychological toll on the club. The deadline trade for Mike Minor bolstered the mound corps with an all-star southpaw who can be used as a spot starter or long reliever. In doing so, however, it brought into the fold a pitcher who had been a major disappointment for Texas this year.

Last year Minor went 14-10, 3.59 for the 78-84, third place Rangers. He joined the A’s weighed down with a record of 0-5, 5.60 so far in this, our season of discontent. On the brighter side, he threw six innings of shutout ball against the all but invincible Dodgers in his last outing before being dealt to Oakland. He performed considerably less satisfactorily than that tonight.

To add to the Athletics’ problems, their sparkplug, Marcus Semien, still wasn’t able to return to action this evening.

Meanwhile, Houston has continued to prosper, but at game time the A’s still led them by two games in the AL West.

The men in green and gold will need all the extra energy and stamina they stored while waiting to be cleared for a return to action. They’re scheduled to play 14 games in the next 11 days.

They will make up the postponed August 30 contest against the Astros by playing a double header against them at the Coliseum on September 8, and the three games missed in Seattle will be folded into doubleheaders on the 14th at Safeco Field and the 26th on the banks of I-880.

Oakland’s opponent for tonight was a formidable one. The Padres entered tonight’s fray in second place for the NL West crown at 23-16, trailing the MLB-leading Dodgers by five and a half games in the division race.

Zach Davies, the Friars’ starter took the mound with a record of 5-2, 2.61. He relies less on his fast ball, which is unimpressive by today’s standards, than on the effective use of his change up, which comes in at about 10 mph less than his heater.

Opposing San Diego’s six-foot right hander was Jesús Luzardo, who toed the rubber with a mark of 2-1, 3.74. That one loss came in his last appearance, when he gave up three runs, all earned, in six and two-thirds innings against Texas on August 24.

Building up Luzardo’s arm strength has been one of Oakland’s goals after the lefty’s injury plagued 2019, and his loss in Arlington was his longest outing of this shortest of seasons. Luzardo’s endurance, however, was less of a concern tonight than it had been earlier since one advantage the A’s obtained from their long lay off was that the team’s highly effective bullpen came to work well rested. Unfortunately, the bullpen’s performance left a bit to be desired.

Luzardo had surrendered all three tallies to Texas in his first two innings of work. Tonight, he held his opponents scoreless for the first four and two thirds frames before San Diego broke through for four runs on a lead off bunt single by Wil Myers, who advanced to second with one out when Luzardo plunked Luis Campusano with a 2-2 curve.

Luzardo almost escaped unscathed after he struck out Jurickson Profar, but back to back doubles by Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatís, Jr., and back to back singles by Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer did him in. JB Wendelken was called in to put out the fire. All four of the runs allowed by Luzardo were earned. He gave up six hits, walked none, and struck out four. 43 of his 78 pitches were strikes.

The A’s had come within miliseconds of taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Matt Olson was called safe at home after Robbie Grossman lined a two out double to right. But the Padres appealled the decision, and Olson was ruled out, 9-4-2, Myers to Cronenworth to Nola.

Minor made his Oakland debut, releving Wendelkin, in the top of the seventh, with the A’s still trailing, 4-0. Three pitches later, it was 5-0. Tatís had blasted a change up for 396 foot homer to right center.

The next batter, Machado outdid him, taking a fast ball deep for a 435 foot roundtripper to straight away center. Minor left after that nefariious episode, followed by TJ McFarlane,who allowed a 343 foot four bagger to right hit by Luis Campusano, his first safety of the season.

Javy Guerra and Craig Stammen mopped up for San Diego in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Davies got the win.He’s now 6-2, with an ERA of 2.23 He threw 105 pitches, 59 of them strikes, gave up all of the A’s hits,walked four and struck out five.

Luzardo’s loss brings his record to 2-2, 4.23.

When the game ended in Oakland, Houston was trailing the Angels, 5-2 after eight innings of play, so the A’s might find themselves still holding a two game lead when all is said and done.

At 1:o7 tomorrow afternoon, the A’s and Padres will go at it again. Sean Manaea (2-2, 5.64) will face Chris Paddack (3-3, 4.33).