Category: MLB

Countdown to the AL Wild Card Game

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1-Coliseum

By Charlie O. Mallonee

In just over 19 hours, Sean Manaea is going to throw the first pitch in the 2019 American League Wild Card game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics. In just over three hours (after all, it is an American League game) one team will be leaving for Houston and the other team will heading home to pack up their lockers.

Manaea gets the call

The A’s had to decide between using Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea as the starter on Wednesday night. Fiers has been “the ace” of the staff with 33 starts, a 15-4 record, a 3.90 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.19. In two starts versus the Rays, he gave up just three total runs.

Manaea was activated off the Injured List on September 1st and made five starts in the final month of the season. He posted a 4-0 record with a 1.21 ERA and a WHIP of 0.78. Manaea has always been the heir apparent to the number starter’s role for Oakland.

Jon Morosi was a guest today on the Damon, Ratto, and Kolsky Show. Morosi — who is a reporter for the MLB Network and Fox Sports — said he feels that using Manaea as the starter on Wednesday is the perfect choice between the two pitchers.

Morton is the man for Tampa

Charlie Morton will take the hill for the Rays. He posted a record of 16-6 with 3.05 ERA for the season. After the Rays made “the opener” famous last year, Morton — a classic starter — became their star this season. Morton will use his curveball 37-percent of the time in the game on Wednesday night.

The A’s love the Coliseum

The Athletics record at home this season was 52-29 (.642). You would have to think that the A’s will feel more confident playing on their home field.

The A’s and Rays this season

The two teams played seven games this season. The A’s won four games and the Rays won three. Oakland won 2-of-3 in Tampa Bay and the teams split a four-game series in Oakland.

The odds

The A’s are the favorites on the money line -125. The projected run total is 7.5.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Should A’s manager Bob Melvin be worried about wild card game?

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Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 How much worry, how much concern should A’s manager Bob Melvin take into a game like the wild card on Wednesday afternoon at the Coliseum?

#2 How big, how huge was Marcus Semien at the shortstop position for Oakland this season and as leadoff batter?

#3 Melvin sat Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Mark Canha on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners resting them for Wednesday night’s soiree at the Coliseum.

#4 Talk about how important it is for Stephen Piscotty to get into the line up after being out and just in time for the wild card game.

#5 A’s pitcher Sean Manaea might be starting on Wednesday night. He’s had such a great return now at 4-0 with an ERA of 1.21. How do you see him matching up against the Rays?

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Why Omar Vizquel would be a great pick for Giants managerial job

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By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO — Omar Vizquel was one of the best ever defensive shortstops in major league baseball history,winning 11 Gold Gloves(second most in history to Ozzie Smith’s 13) during a 24-year career with Seattle, Cleveland, San Francisco 2005-2008,Texas, Chicago White Sox and Toronto.

Vizquel ended with a solid .272 batting average in 2,968 games with 2,877 hits. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Detroit Tigers first-base infield and base-running coach. Vizquel was the Captain of the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic Team in 2016 and a member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame. He is 52 years old and bilingual in English and Spanish. He is a very smart baseball man who told me in the past his post-retirement goal was to manage in the major leagues.

The Giants will pick somebody to succeed Bruce Bochy, a future Hall of Fame manager that brought three World Series to San Francisco, a franchise that won their first World Series in 2010, the first for the club in 52 years since moving from New York. One of only 10 managers that have won three World Series, a sure thing for Cooperstown.

Vizquel received 182 votes in the 2019 ballot for the Hall of Fame, falling short of the 75% required for election, as he got 42.8 percent. His chances are good for membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in the next few years.

Vizquel is a good teacher and excellent communicator in two languages (Spanish, the second language in baseball), and there is little doubt in my mind that he will get a chance to manager in the major leagues. Maybe the Giants would give him the opportunity, among the many candidates that they will interview, if not, he will manage someplace, sooner than later. He was at the Bruce Bochy reunion this Sunday at Oracle Park. He loves the Bay Area and would be thrilled to be back here. He could be competing with another ex-player and also bilingual baseball man in Raúl Ibañez.

Amaury Pi-González is a pioneer in establishing baseball radio broadcast in Spanish in the Bay Area with the Oakland A’s since the the 1970’s and a longtime contributor to Sports Radio Service.

Wild Card preview: Rays and A’s at Oakland Coliseum

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2) removes his helmet after batting against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2019.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — After a long season of 162 games, the A’s and Rays will have to have a one-game playoff to determine which team will advance to the American League Division Series. The winner will then face the Houston Astros. The Astros had the best record in the AL, and the series will start in Houston.

The A’s finished the season with a record of 97-65 to earn the right to host the Wild Card game. The A’s are 52-27 at the Coliseum this season. The Rays are a good road team, and they will not be intimidated having to play in Oakland. The Rays are 48-37 away from home and that record is the second-best in the MLB.

The Rays believe that they have a slight advantage as they will send Charlie Morton to the hill Wednesday night. Morton had a career-year with a record of 16-6. He pitched 194.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.05. Also, he struck out 240 batters and was very stingy in issuing walks. Morton was effective against right-handed hitters. The A’s lineup is loaded with righties as Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, and Khris Davis will have their collective hands full trying to get to Morton. Morton limited righties to just four home runs in 351 at-bats.

The A’s have not announced their starter as of Monday afternoon. People are speculating that Bob Melvin will go with either Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea. Fiers, like Morton, had a career year. Fiers was 15-4 for the year and had an ERA of 3.90. Fiers also pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati in May. Manaea made five starts for Oakland after coming off the IL in August. Manaea was 4-0 and was quite effective. He pitched 29.2 innings. Manaea had to learn how to deal with a declining velocity on his fastball. He threw at 93-94 MPH before being shut down with a shoulder injury last summer. His fastball has been clocked around 90 MPH this year, but he has been throwing strikes and moving the ball in the zone.

While the A’s might not have the edge in the starting pitcher department, they do have a better bullpen than the Rays. If the A’s starter, whoever that may be, falters, Melvin will not hesitate to bring in the relievers. The bullpen, missing Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, has been bolstered by the additions of lefties Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, and Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo has pitched very well and can be used as a closer. Melvin will also rely on Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks. Hendriks has performed exceptionally well and went to the All-Star Game this year.

The Rays’ bullpen includes Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, and Oliver Drake. The long relievers are Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks. Current Cy Young winner Blake Snell is back and throwing well. Six-foot seven-inch Tyler Glasnow will also be available. They will be ready to shut down the A’s offense when called on.

The A’s will also have the advantage on offense and defense. The A’s have three players in the infield that hit over 30 homers each this year. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson led the team with 36 dingers each. Semien had a career-high 33 round-trippers. Chapman and Semien are candidates for AL Most Valuable Player. Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Chad Pinder, Jurickson Profar, and Josh Phegley can all drive the ball out of the park.  On defense, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are again candidates to win a Gold Glove. Marcus Semien at shortstop has worked hard to improve his defense. He worked with Ron Washington to get better and he, too, is a Gold Glove candidate.

The Rays offense is led by Austin Meadows. Meadows had 33 home runs to lead the team. The Rays’ other hitters are Jesus Aguilar, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, and Nate Lowe. Fans on the West Coast may not be familiar with these names, but they are the reason that the Rays won 96 games this season.

The A’s won the season series four games to three. The Rays are a very determined team. The A’s are also highly motivated to move to the ALDS. This will be the A’s third Wild Card game since 2014, and the first-ever in Oakland. The A’s lost a wild one 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals in 2014. They fell to the Yankees last year 7-2 in New York. The A’s believe that they can go to the World Series. The first step will be defeating the Rays. The Houston Astros are hoping the A’s win. They won the season series 11-8. The Astros have to be careful about what they wish for. The A’s won six of the last eight played. They have the confidence to do it.

The game with the Rays should be very close. The Rays do not quit. Neither do the A’s. Each team knows that they have to win or go home. The A’s will have a large crowd cheering their every move. Let’s hope the home field advantage will prove beneficial to Oakland. I think the A’s will prevail and win by a score of 5-3.

Dodgers spoil Bochy’s going away party with a 9-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @Dodgers

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On what was the last game of Bruce Bochys 25-year managerial career, it was not much of a game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a five spot in the first inning on their way to a 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a sellout of 41,909 at Oracle Park.

Dereck Rodriguez got the first out of the inning, but then the wheels fell off the wagon and Rodriguez, who gave up those five runs.

Max Muncy got the rally started, as he walked then A.J. Pollock and Cody Bellinger each singled and then Corey Seager cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. Will Smith then unloaded his 15th home run of the season and the game was pretty much over by then.

Rodriguez lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits, walking two and striking out two before giving way to Sam Selman.

The Giants as an offense could only three hits during the entire game, as Buster Posey singled in the bottom of the first inning and the Giants did not get a hit until Jaylin Davis singled in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mike Yastrzemski got the Giants last hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.

On this day, the longtime rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers was put aside, as Madison Bumgarner came out to pinch hit for Brandon Crawford in the bottom of the fifth inning and longtime rival Clayton Kershaw was on the mound in relief for the Dodgers.

In what could be his last at-bat as a Giant, Bumgarner was given a standing ovation by the sellout crowd.

Crawford told Bumgarner to hit a homer for him, but unfortunately there was no joy in San Francisco, as Bumgarner lined out to Jedd Gyorko for the final out.

After the line out to Gyorko, Bumgarner stood at the plate and admired the crowd one last time during the 2019 season.

In an act of total sportsmanship and respect, Kershaw then tipped his cap towards Bochy, who reciprocated in doing the same towards Kershaw.

He is a class act, said Posey about Kershaw.

Gavin Lux drove in the Dodgers sixth run of the game in the top of the seventh, as he walked with the bases loaded to score Matt Beaty.

The Dodgers added three runs in the top of the eighth inning to put the final touches on their team record 106th victory of the season.

UP NEXT: There will be a new manager in 2020 for the Giants when the team begins Spring Training in February.

Does It Matter?: A’s off their game day after securing Wild Card home field against the Rays, lose 3-1

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By Morris Phillips

With 97 wins in the bank and an important date booked for the Coliseum on Wednesday, the A’s weren’t in the mood to make any more deposits on Sunday.

The final day of the regular season played out without fanfare, as the A’s dropped the series finale to the Mariners, 3-1. Kyle Seager’s two-run homer in the first inning off Tanner Roark probably prompted the A’s disinterest as much as anything else.

“It was a 12 o’clock game, last game of the season, we’ve already clinched a wild-card spot, so I’m sure you guys can imagine where our minds are at,” Roark admitted afterwards.

Saturday provided all the clarity the A’s needed: the Rays dropped their penultimate game to the Blue Jays, and then the A’s held on to a nail-biter, 1-0 victory over the Mariners a few hours later. That combination clinched home field advantage for the A’s on Wednesday, which is a big deal given the fast exit the A’s made last season, spending more time flying to New York to face the Yankees, then they did as a postseason participant, losing to the Bombers, 7-2.

Sunday was significant only for loose ends. Stephen Piscotty, fresh off the disabled list, got a start in right field to shake off the rust. And Marcus Semien started then departed, playing in all 162 games in a season for the first time in his career.

“Give him 161 and cut him off, but that’s not going to happen,” manager Bob Melvin said of Semien’s achievement. “So we’ll get him an at-bat today. He deserves it.”

Mark Canha was a non-participant because of his groin injury. The outfielder missed the entire Seattle series, putting his Wild Card participation in doubt.

The A’s will choose between Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers as the starting pitcher versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

MLB The Show Postseason 2019 podcast with Daniel Dullum: Taking a look at wild card matchups; Bochy gets ready for retirement; plus more

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photo from the olympian.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano makes his way through the dugout after hitting a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners’ Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Playoff pairings are almost set: A’s to host AL Wild Card vs. Tampa Bay

2 Giants hope to give Bochy a good sendoff against Dodgers

3 Verlander gets 3,000th K, Astros clinch home field; Mets’ Pete Alonso sets MLB rookie HR mark

4 Look for managerial changes in the next few days

5 After 72 seasons, Cubs play final game on WGN-9

The MLB The Show podcast with Daniel is heard every Sunday and through the postseason on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s ready to begin workouts at Coliseum and host Tampa Bay for wild card Wednesday

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano hits a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the A’s podcast with Joey F

#1 The Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays will workout at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the AL wild card game on Wednesday it will give both teams some time to adjust to two days off and getting ready for the contest.

#2 There’s no doubt that having home field advantage is huge for the Oakland A’s for a one and done wild card game.

#3 Talk about Wednesday’s starting pitcher for Oakland Sean Manaea since returning recovering from Tommy John surgery he’s gone 4-0 with an ERA of 1.21.

#4 The Rays come into the Coliseum with a winning 96-65 the A’s 97-64 both are evenly matched the Rays have players to look for Travis d’Arnaud, Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe, and Tommy Pham.

#5 The A’s have some big boppers Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, and Mark Canha all have home run success this season and they might apply that for post season.

Joey Friedman does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The A’s beat the Mariners and secure home-field advantage for the Wild Card

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AL Wild 1
Graphic/Photo: @Athletics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday night to win their 97th game of the season which tied their win total from the 2018 season. More importantly, the win guarantees them home-field advantage for the single-game Wild Card contest with the Tampa Rays on Wednesday night.

The A’s are 52-29 at the Coliseum this season and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. The Rays are 48-32 on the road in 2019 and 7-3 in their last 10 games. The tarps will be off on Mount Davis and the crowd could be up to 59,000-plus fans on Wednesday night to cheer the Athletics on to victory and into the AL Playoffs. The Coliseum can be an intimidating place for a visiting team.

The difference on Saturday night

It was a home run by Ramon Laureno that made the difference for the Athletics on Saturday night. Laureno hit his 24th HR of the season off Seattle pitcher Marco Gonzales in the top of the third inning with two out and count of 3-2. The ball traveled 392-feet over the left-field wall.

The A’s have hit 35 home runs versus the Mariners this season tying their franchise record for the most home runs in a single season against a single opponent. Oakland also hit 35 home runs against the Rangers this season.

Anderson gets the win

Brett Anderson was credited with the win. He now a 13-9 record for the season with a 3.89 ERA. Anderson worked 5.0 innings allowing no runs off three hits. He walked one and struck out three Mariners.

“I was willing to let him go out for the sixth. He got a little bit of elbow tightness so we took him out. But, I mean, good stuff. The best [velocity] of the year. I know it’s been eight, or nine or ten days or whatever. But we saw some 94s, some 93s, it looked good. (He) just felt a little something after the fifth. We didn’t want to push that,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin.

Luzardo gets the save

Jesus Luzardo worked 2.0 innings to earn his second save of the year. He allowed no runs off one hit. Luzardo walked none and struck out three.

A’s manager Bob Melvin said, “(He was) pretty calm. And we’ve seen him, in bases loaded nobody out situations in Texas too. I don’t think the nerves are really there. (He) hits a guy, then makes good pitches with his breaking balls in the last at-bat. And (Tim) Lopes is
swinging pretty good too. That’s kind of how we look at it today, we didn’t want him throwing too many pitches, but as long as he was under 30, we felt good about it. Now, three days rest for him as well…”

Melvin on Wild Card Home Field Advantage

“There’s going to be 50,000 people in Oakland, I got a feeling. When we get that bigger crowd at home, they have an effect. So, we’re excited about going home in front of our fans. There’s a great bond between us and the fans there, and they can get pretty loud.”

 

 

Ryu helps out own cause in Dodgers’ 2-0 win

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Photo credit: ktla.com

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Hyun-Jin Ryu helped out his own cause with just one swing of the bat when it was needed the most.

Ryu hit a single by Evan Longoria to score Gavin Lux form third base in the top of the fifth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Francisco Giants 2-0 before a crowd of 37,518 at Oracle Park.

Max Muncy extended the Dodgers lead up to 2-0, as he deposited a Logan Webb pitch onto the arcade over the right-center field wall in the top of the sixth inning.

It was the 35th home run of the season for Muncy, tying his career-high that was set just last season.

This was the 16th time this season that the Giants have been shutout and the seventh time at home. It is the most that the Giants have been shutout in a season snice they were also shutout 16 times during their first World Championship season of 2010.

On the other hand, the Dodgers picked up their 17th shutout of the season and fourth versus the Giants.

The 105 win by the Dodgers tied the 1953 Dodgers for the most wins in team history. That season, the Dodgers made it to the World Series, but lost to the New York Yankees in ix games, as the Yankees won their fifth straight World Series.

Ryu, who is getting ready for the playoffs, went seven innings, allowing zero runs on five hits, walking no one and striking out seven on his way to his 14th win of the season for the National League Western Division Champion Dodgers.

Webb was the unfortunate hard luck losing pitcher in his last start of the season, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking just one and striking out six and his finished the season with a 2-3 record.

The rookie got his first major league hit in the bottom of the fifth inning, but was nearly thrown out at first base by Joc Pederson for what would have been the third out of the inning.

Over his last two starts to end the season, Webb posted an earned run average of 2.25, as he allowed just three earned runs in 12 innings of work. Webb also struck out 12 times in those two starts.

Tyler Rogers struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning, as his earned run average since he made his debut on August 27 is the fifth lowest amongst National League relievers.

NOTES: Mike Yastrzemski saw his 18-game on-base streak end, as he went 0-for-1 after he flew out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Bruce Bochy managed his 4,031st game of his career, passing Sparky Anderson for seventh-most in major league history.

UP NEXT: Dereck Rodriguez takes the mound in the season finale on Sunday afternoon for the Giants, while Rich Hill will close out the regular season for the Dodgers, who will open up defense of their back-to-back National League Championships on Thursday at Dodger Stadium versus the winner of the Wild Card game.