Category: Oakland Athletics

Preview Houston Astros-Oakland A’s: Both clubs open a three game series Friday night at Coliseum

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Oakland Athletics’ Vimael Machin, bottom, beats the the tag going into first base as Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (top) tries to sweep down the glove for the tag during the fifth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Jul 6, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s (28-56) are hosting the Houston Astros for three games starting Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The teams last met for three games over the Memorial Day weekend here in Oakland. The Astros swept the A’s. The teams have 16 games left to play before the end of the season.

Let’s look at how each team is doing. The Astros are 53-28. They have the second-best record in all of baseball. The Astros are in first place in the American League Western Division. They lead the second-place Seattle Mariners by 13 games. On the other hand, the A’s have a woeful record of 28-56 and are in last place in the division 26.5 games behind Houston.

Managed by Dusty Baker, Houston arrives in town with a potent offense and a strong starting rotation. Their rotation features future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. The big righty has recovered from Tommy John surgery and has pitched extremely well this year.

His record of 10-3 and an ERA of 2.03 indicates that he will be a candidate for another Cy Young award. It is quite remarkable since Verlander is now 39 years old. Other stalwarts in the rotation are lefty Framber Valdez (8-3. 2.67 ERA), Jose Urquidy (7-3. 4.15 ERA), Luis Garcia, Christian Javier, and Jake Odorizzi. Urquidy, Valdez, and Odorizzi will pitch against the A’s this weekend.

The Astros also have a potent offense. They have five players in the lineup with ten or more home runs this year. Their biggest bopper is DH Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez is hitting a robust .313 with 25 home runs and 59 ribbies.

The Astros have an outstanding infield. Yuli Guriel will be at first base. Perennial All-Star Jose Altuve handles the second base chores, Alex Bregman holds down third base, and Jeremy Pena will be at short. Carlos Correa left Houston for Minnesota. Pena has played so well that fans in Houston are not lamenting Correa’s defection.

Houston’s hit master, Michael Brantley, is on the 10-day IL and will not play this weekend. Michael Tucker will be in right-field. Tucker has great power and has given the A’s pitching fits. Tucker is hitting. 262 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs. The Astros will use Mauricio Dubon, Chas McCormick, and Jake Meyers in the other two outfield positions.

The A’s offense has been anemic all season. The A’s have scored 266 runs for the first 84 games of the 2022 season. They have allowed 377 for a run differential of minus 111. The A’s team batting average is the worst in all of baseball.

In the game against Toronto on Wednesday, the A’s have seven hitters in the lineup, hitting below .230. Three of the seven’s average was below the Mendoza line. The A’s managed four hits in the loss to Toronto.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay has to find a way to get his players to overcome adversity and play confidently. When things are going wrong, players wonder what will go wrong today. They believe they can find ways to win when things are going well. The A’s found a way to take two out of three from a very good Toronto team. Let’s hope the A’s can do it again against the Astros.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Chapman comes back to haunt old teammates in finale; Astros-A’s open series Friday night at Coliseum

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Toronto Blue Jays Matt Chapman gets greeted by teammates after hitting his 12th home run of the season off Oakland A’s starter James Kaprielian in the top of the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Jul 6, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, how big was it for the Toronto Blue Jays Matt Chapman to come back and whack a tying home run against the Oakland A’s starter James Kaprielian at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Blue Jays Bo Bichette said that it was a needed win after losing five straight games and two of three games to the A’s.

#3 Bichette provided his own punch with a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning for the tie breaker to put the Jays on top 2-1.

#4 The A’s Ramon Laureano hit his sixth homer of the season that got the A’s the lead earlier in the game but it didn’t stand up in the later innings.

#5 The Houston Astros pay a visit to the Oakland Coliseum for a three game series which starts Friday night at 6:40 pm PDT. The Astros and A’s have not announced starting pitchers as of Wednesday night.

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

Jays slug two home runs beat A’s 2-1; Jays Bichette hits eighth inning deciding home run

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Oakland A’s starter James Kaprielian was dealing but was lifted in the top of the sixth inning after giving up a run and five hits against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland Coliseum (@Athletics photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Toronto Blue Jays (45-38), losers of the first two games of the three-game series, beat the Oakland A’s (28-56) 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. 

Both starters were on the top of their game. A’s starter, James Kaprielian, went six innings and allowed five hits and one run. His only mistake was a gopher ball to his good friend and former teammate, Matt Chapman. Kaprielian was able to use all of his pitches effectively.

His fastball topped out at 95 miles per hour. His changeup came in at 84 miles per hour. Toronto’s starter Jose Berrios was slightly better.

Berrios worked six innings and allowed four hits and one run. The one mistake was an 0-2 pitch that Ramon Laureno jumped on and sent into the left-field seats. The A’s offense did not get a hit after the sixth inning. The game summary follows below.

Kaprielian worked his way out of a jam at the top of the sixth. He walked Jays’ shortstop Bo Bichette to start the inning. Vladimir Guerroro, Jr. singled to send Bichette to second. Kaprielian got the rookie catcher Alejandro Kirk to ground into a double play.

Teoscar Hernandez walked to put men on at first and third with two out. Kaprielian retired Lourdes Guriel for the third out. The A’s put the first run of the game on the board in their half of the inning. Ramon Laureano, as the A’s DH, sent Jose Berrios’ 0-2 pitch into the left-field seats. It was Laureano’s sixth home run of the year. The A’s lead 1-0 after six.

The lead didn’t last long. Kaprielian’s good friend and former teammate, Matt Chapman, tied the game with his 13th homer run. Mark Kotsay brought in lefty Sam Moll to pitch. Moll Retired the next three hitters. The game is tied 1-1 midway through the seventh.

The Blue Jays Bo Bichette led off the top of the eighth with his 13th dinger. Domingo Acevedo was on the hill for the A’s. The Jays lead 2-1 with the A’s coming to the plate in the bottom of the eighth.

The A’s failed to score in the eighth and went down 1-2-3 in the ninth. The Blue Jays win 2-1.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 28-55. Toronto’s record improved to 45-38. The Jays are in fourth place in the AL East and are in a tough race with the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox for second place.

The line score for Oakland was one run, four hits, and no errors. Toronto’s line was two runs, eight hits, and no errors. All the runs in the game were the result of a homer. Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette homered for Toronto. Ramon Laureano hit the big fly for the A’s. 

Toronto’s Adam Cimber was the winning pitcher. Jays’ closer Jordan Romano earned his 18th save. Domingo Acevedo took the loss for Oakland.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They host Houston for a three-game series starting Friday night at the Coliseum starters for Friday night have not been announced.

The time of the game was a crisp 2:39. 6,330 fans were on hand to see the A’s lose their 55th game.

A’s Piscotty swings for the fences; Oakland picks up second straight win over Toronto 5-3 at Coliseum

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Stephen Piscotty (25) gets congratulated by Oakland A’s third base coach Darren Bush (51) after hitting a bottom of the fifth inning home run at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jul 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

Toronto (44-38). 3. 10. 1

Oakland (28-55). 5. 4. 0

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–One swallow does not a summer make, but two downed Blue Jays in a row can be cause for hope and after tonight’s 5-3 win by the outhit A’s (28-55) over the previously fairly high flying Blue Jays (44-38), there was hope and joy in Oakland

Kotsay & Co. chose right handed rookie Adrián Martínez, recalled five days ago from Las Vegas, to face the Jays this evening. The 25 year old native of Mexicali came to the mound with a 1-1,6.30 record for the year, having gotten the win against Detroit on May 10 with 5-1/3 innings of shutout ball and having lost lto Seattle after yielding seven runs, all earned, in only 4-2/3 frames.

Originally signed by the Padres, Martinez underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016. Martínez ended up going five plus innings, enough to qualify for the win which he got, with more than a little help from the bullpen. He allowed three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, to have them quadrilaterals, and no walks. 30 of his 82 pitches were balls. He now has a won-loss balance of 2-1 and a lower ERA of 6.00.

The A’s first faced Yusei Kikuchi, who started this evening for the Jays, on March 21, 2019, Japan time, at the Tokyo Dome, where he gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings as the Seattle Mariners’ starter, in Ichiro Suzuki’s farewell performance.

That was his MLB debut. He came to Ontario as a free agent after three years with the Mariners, and brought 3-4, 4.74 record for the season and a lifetime US mark of 18-28, 4.94 with him. Kikuchi had held current A’s players to a BA of .208 during his tenure as a Mariner.

He was not effective against the Oakland lineup he faced Tuesday evening, lasting a mere 2-1/3 innings, in which he managed to allow four runs, all earned although one was posthumous, on two hits, five walks, and two hit batsmen. He threw 52 pitches. A full 30 of them were balls. He took the loss, making him 3-5, 5.12 for the year..

Oakland took an early lead. The first two batters in their lineup Nick Allen and Ramón Laureano walked, and Christian Bethancourt drove in Allen with the A’s first run, sending Laureano to third. He notched the green and gold’s second tally as the team’s offense fizzled; Cristian Bethancourt bounced into a 1-4-3 double play, and Stephen Piscotty ended the inning by grounding out to second.

Matt Chapman received the expected ovation when his appearance at the plate was announced with Cavan Biggio on base with one down in the top of the second. He took two pitches for balls and then erased the hosts’ brief lead with a 424 foot blast to center for his 12th home run and 38th and 39th runs batted in of the season. It came on a 93mph sinker.

Oakland loaded the bases with no one out in the third. Allen lined a single just over the glove of a diving Biggio at first. Then Kikuchi plunked both Laureano and Bethancourt. Murphy´s sac fly to right scored Allen and allowed Laureano to take third.

A four pitch walk to Piscotty reloaded the bases and sent Kikuchi to the showers, Trent Thornton taking over pitching duties for the Jays. He got Andrus out on a pop up to second but walked in the A’s second run of the inning by issuing a free pass to Pinder before getting a called third strike on Neuse to close out the frame.

That 4-2 Athletics’ lead was shortened in the Toronto fourth when Teoscar Hernández took advantage of the warm Oakland evening and a 93mph slider to send the ball 420 feet into straightaway center for his ninth round tripper of 2022.

It took a diving catch by Piscotty of Santiago Espinal’s dying quail to right with two out and two on to get Martínez out of the jam with Oakland clinging to a 4-3 lead. He pitched a scoreless fifth that ended with Murphy throwing out Bichette.

Piscotty gave the A’s a little breathing room going 431 feet deep into left with two down in the bottom of the fifth. He unloaded on a 94 mph four seamer for his second dinger of the year, a blow that drove Thornton from the mound, where David Phelps took over for him to retire the side.

Martínez clearly had very little effectiveness left in the sixth. He gave up back to back singles to Kirk and Biggio to open the frame before being rellieved by AJ Puk. Jays´ manager Charlie Montoyo countered that move by sending in Vladimir Guerrero to pinch hit for Biggio.

He flew out to left, but Chapman laced a single to the same field. Kirk, who had been on second, seemed almost certain to score, but an exciting relay play, Pinder to Allen to Murphy, who handled Allen’s offline throw excellently to tag Kirk, cut him down at the plate.

Puk then proceeded to fan Tapia to preserve Oakland´s 5-3 advantage. Domingo Acevedo took Puk’s place on the mound to start the seventh and set the Jays down in order.

Trevor Richards pitched a scoreless seventh for Toronto.

Zach Jackson mounted the A’s merry-go-round to pitch the top of the eighth. Pinder made a great attempt to catch Bichette’s foul that fell under the A’s bullpen bench before Jackson struck him out swinging.

Kirk provided another moment of uncertainty when he sent Skye Bolt to the wall just to the left of the 400 foot sign in center to track down his towering fly before Jackson fanned Hernández.

Tim Mayza pitched to Oakland in their half of the eighth, giving up only a single to Pinder, who was thrown out by Springer trying to stretch it to a double.

That brought in Lou Trivino to try for his sixth save in seven attempts. He fanned Guerrero. He went 3-2 on Chapman, who then sent a fly that Bolt corralled in deep center.

That brought up Tapia, who hit a grounder to Andrus’s right. He made a spectacular backhanded grab, jumped, pivoted, and threw while in air … too late to get Tapia and first. With the potential tying run at the plate in the person of Espinal, Trivino earned his save by getting him to hit a routine grounder to short that Andrus handled easily, ending the game.

Oakland now is assured of winning the series, which will end Wednesday, in a game that’s scheduled to start at 12:37. James Kaprielian (2-5,5.43) will pitch for the home team, and José Berríos (6-4, 4.74) will be on the mound for the visitors.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Fans struck by gun fire during fireworks show at Coliseum

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Fireworks display outside of the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Jul 4, 2022 where four fans were shot by bullet shrapnel during the show none of which received life threatening injuries. Authorities believe the shots came from outside the Coliseum during the fireworks show (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F

#1 Jerry, four fans were struck by gun fire at the Oakland Coliseum none received life threatening injuries during Monday’s firework’s show does something like this strengthen the argument of A’s team president David Kaval that the team needs to get out of the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 Players are concerned as you might know after something like this not only for the employees and fans safety but for their own safety too.

#3 The A’s during the Monday night game against the Toronto Blue Jays drew the largest crowd of their season 24,403 and Oakland Police said the gun fire came outside of the Coliseum.

#4 Crime Stoppers of Oakland and the Oakland Police are offering an $20,000 award for the arrest of the suspect in this case.

#5 The shots took place as fireworks were being displayed for fans at the Coliseum and when the bullets came down they struck fans.

Jerry Feitelberg is a beat writer for the Oakland A’s at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Vogt provides offensive punch with homer and sac fly in A’s 5-1 win

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Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt forearm bashes with teammate Elvis Andrus at the Oakland Coliseum after Vogt’s home run on Mon Jul 4, 2022 against the Toronto Blue Jays (AP News photo)

Toronto (44-37).   1.  5.  1

Oakland (27-55).   5.  7. 0

Monday, July 4, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND-Baseball players and fans are used to losing. I don’t know if, as a rule, they get over it, but they do get used to it. A’s fans and players have had a lot to get used to recently.

Sunday’s second consecutive 2-1 loss at Seattle, combined with the loss to injury of Frankie Montás, whose imminent trade deadline departure is widely anticipated, raises the dosage of resignation that the uncertainty of the A’s future home and the misery of the A’s current performance to new highs. 

So far, Montás hasn’t been removed from the active roster, but his absence is as notable as the green and gold’s lack of success. They came into the game at 26-55 at the season’s halfway mark, 11-35 since May 14.

But Oakland and its fans didn’t have to deal with a loss this evening. 

Monday’s game recap: Behind the stellar hurling of their starter, Cole Irvin, they dominated Toronto, 5-1.

 Irvin took a 2-6, 3.58 record with him to the pitching rubber when he threw the opening pitch at 6:08 in a warm, sunny evening, perfect home run weather at the Coliseum. Since his return from the injured list, Irvin had gone 0-5, 3.97 in eight starts, most recently in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees in Bronx, where he gave up all five runs, and they were earned, on six hits, two of which left the ball park.

Today, the A’s staked a three run first inning, Irvin was in control for the eight full innings he pitched. He allowed but a single run, earned, on four hits and no walks. His work was very efficient; he threw only 95 pitches, of which only 28 were balls. He got the win, which made his won-lost record 3-5 and lowered his ERA to 3.35.

The Blue Jays sent right hander Alex Manoah and his 9-2, 2.09 record against the floundering residents (for now) of the east bay. His opposing batters average was, appropriately enough, also .209. The 24 year old, now in his second big league season, allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits while going six innings, to gain the win in Toronto’s 4-2 victory. 

He had an eight start winning streak from September 23, 2021 through April 28 of this year. He didn’t live up to his advance billings tonight. He left with the Jays trailing the A’s 5-1 after throwing 101 pitches, of which 67 were counted as strikes,  in only 5-2/3 frames.

Four of the five runs he allowed were earned, and they came on six hits, two of them for all the distance, two walks, a wild pitch, and a hit batter. He struck out five. He was the losing pitcher and ended the day with a record of 9-3, 2.33.

Oakland put a crooked number on the board in their first turn at the plate. Ramón Laureano walked with one out and advanced to second on Seth Brown’s single to right. Manoah plunked Sean Murphy with a 92 mph sinker to load the bases.

Sentimental favorite Stephen Vogt brought Laureano home with a sacrifice fly to center, and George Springer’s wildly off line throw allowed the two other runs to move up a base each. Elvis Andrus’s two bagger to left brought them home.

There was another sentimental favorite on the field tonight. Matt Chapman was playing third for the Blue Jays, and the former Athletic platinum glove winner got a warm ovation when he came to the plate in the visitors’ half of the third for his first AB. (He fouled out to the catcher).

Irvin kept the Blue Jays off the basepaths for the first 3-2/3 inning. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. ended that string of out with a resounding double just over Skye Bolt’s head in center on a 92 mph four seamer.

Alejandro Kirk drove Guerrero in with a single to right, but Vimael Machín’s magnificent diving grab of Lourdes Gourriel, Jr.’s drive down the left field line and fast, accurate throw to first saved Irvin’s bacon and kept Oakland ahead, 3-1.

They tacked on another tally with one down in the fifth when Laureano blasted Manoah’s first pitch, a change of pace, 417 feet deep into the left field seats for his fifth home run  and 14th RBI of the year.

The A’s further stretched their lead with Vogt’s fourth round tripper of the season and second run batted in of the evening. It came as he led off the home sixth and was a no doubter, hit 426 feet deep into straightaway centerfield.

The veteran still can get around on a 91 mph four seamer. Three batters later, Bolt singled to third on Manoah´s 101st delivery, and that was it was the Blue Jays starter.

Sergio Romo, the one time Giant, one time A, relieved him, retired Allen, and was replaced by Anthony Banda for the home seventh, and Jordan Romano for the eighth. The three of them kept the A’s off the board.

Irvin shotdown ten Jays in a row  between Kirk’s single that followed Guerrero’s double and Espinal’s one out single in  the bottom of the eighth, Toronto’s fourth hit. Espinal was left stranded at first.

Zach Jackson came in to pitch the top of the ninth for Oakland. Bo Bichette hit a resounding leadoff double to center and moved on to third on Guerrero’s fly out to deep right, Kirk’s fly to shallow right, just inside the foul line made it two down. Jackson got two quick strikes on Teoscar Hernández.

Then a ball. And a second ball. Hernández then hit a weak grounder to the ground. Jackson grabbed and ran to first for the final out. The Curse of the Leadoff Double strikes again!

The A’s will go for a two game winning streak tomorrow at 6:30 pm PDT. Toronto will send  southpaw Yusei Kikuchi (3-4, 4.74) against Oakland’s righty Adrián Martínez (1-1, 6,30)

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Rodriguez does all the damage as M’s edge A’s 2-1 at T Mobile

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The Oakland A’s Cristian Bethancourt (23) stands in against the Seattle Mariner pitching at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Sun Jul 3, 2022 (@Athletics photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Things got off to a rocky start when the Seattle Mariners (39-42) leadoff hitter Julio Rodriguez slugged a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning to get thing rolling for the Mariners 1-0.

#2 Mariners starting pitcher pitcher Robbie Ray threw 6.2 innings, four hits, one earned run for Ray’s seventh win of the season. Ray kept Oakland A’s (26-55) hitters off balance for most of the game.

#3 Bottom sixth Rodriguez was up to his old hitting tricks again with a double that scored Dylan Moore to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

#4 The A’s finally got on the board with an Elvis Andrus top of the seventh inning home run to left center field but it wasn’t enough as the A’s couldn’t produce enough offense to win it for a 2-1 loss.

#5 The A’s return to the Oakland Coliseum Monday night for a July 4th contest hosting the Toronto Blue Jays (44-36) the Jays will start right hander Alek Monoah (9-2, 2.09), the A’s will start Cole Irvin (2-6, 3.58) a 6:45pm PDT first pitch.

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Broken Record: A’s fall to the Mariners 2-1, again, and lose Montas in the first inning

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By Morris Phillips

Frankie Montas didn’t seem concerned about his shoulder injury, but it’s likely he has some other concerns.

Like his future in Oakland with the A’s.

Montas threw just 13 pitches in the A’s loss to the Mariners in Seattle at which point the alarming news from the radar gun forced manager Mark Kotsay’s hand.

“He had some tightness in the back of his shoulder and just didn’t feel like he could get fully extended. In that situation we are going to err on the side of caution,” Kotsay said of the readings from the radar gun that showed Montas well off the usual speed on his fastball. “We’ll just go day to day from here.”

I don’t have any concern,” Montas said. “I don’t think it’s anything bad, just probably some inflammation. Didn’t have enough time to recover (after his last start).”

Montas’ importance as a trade piece at the upcoming trade deadline has been well documented. But in that atmosphere, the 29-year old has been the A’s most impressive performer, more often than not keeping the A’s in a tight ballgame whether the offense responds to support him or not.

On Sunday at T-Mobile Park, the offense again was absent. The A’s lost 2-1 for the second, consecutive day and they now stand 1-29 in games they score one run or less. With an offense that feeble the home run Montas allowed to Julio Rodriguez on the first pitch Montas threw put the A’s under tremendous pressure.

Rodriguez backed it up in the sixth with an RBI double that gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead. The A’s response–Elvis Andrus’ homer in the seventh–wasn’t enough as the A’s fell for the 25th time in their last 31 games, putting them on track to have their worst season record in over 100 years dating back to their Philadelphia days.

Robbie Ray pitched into the seventh inning and struck out 12 Athletics, energizing manager Scott Servais, who has seen his squad surge from a sluggish start to the season with wins in 10 of 13 games.

“Riding the Robbie Ray train is what we do, and what we will continue to do because he is really good and he is fun to watch,” Servais said.

“My four-seam (fastball) and my slider have been really good but that two-seamer throws a wrinkle into it and allows (the other two pitches) to be that much better,” Ray said.

If the A’s had a “star” on Sunday it was Austin Pruitt, who replaced Montas and retired 13 consecutive batters.

The A’s open a six-game home stand against Toronto on the 4th of July with Cole Irvin, winless in his last eight starts, facing the dynamic Alex Manoah, who has a 9-2 record.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Everything was fine until the eighth inning for A’s

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Seattle Mariners Abraham Toro (right) gets the waterworks from teammate Adam Frazer (left) after hitting the game winning single in a walk off in the bottom of the ninth against the Oakland A’s at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Sat Jul 2, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, the Oakland A’s started off the ball game with a Sean Murphy single that scored Tony Kemp from third base for a 1-0 lead over the Seattle Mariners and that’s the way it stayed for eight innings.

#2 The A’s got some good pitching out of starter Paul Blackburn who pitched a shutout into the seventh going 6.1 innings, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

#3 In the bottom of the eighth inning the M’s Justin Upton hit the tying home run to get back in back into the ball game 1-1.

#4 In the bottom of the ninth inning the M’s Abraham Toro slugged a single with the bases loaded to score pinch runner Marcus Wilson and the Mariners got a walk off single for the 2-1 win.

#5 The A’s are back today to face the Mariners for the fourth and final game and the A’s hope to pick up a second win in the series to come away with a 2-2 split. The A’s will be starting Frankie Montas (3-8, 3.20) and for the Mariners Robbie Ray (6-6, 3.78)

Join Charlie O every other Sunday for the A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.

A’s lose to Mariners on Toro’s 9th inning single 2-1 at T Mobile

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Tony Kemp (5) slides into third base before he was to score on a Sean Murphy sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning. It would be the only run the A’s would score all game long against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Field in Seattle on Sat Jul 2, 2022 (@Athletics photo)

A’s Lose To Mariners in a Walk Off 2-1

By Barbara Mason

After winning Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners (38-42) the Oakland A’s (26-54) were looking to take the series lead with a win on Saturday as they started Saturday’s game with the series tied at 1-1. It was not to be as the A’s couldn’t hold a 1-0 lead and lost it in the eighth and ninth innings 2-1 at T Mobile Field in Seattle.

The A’s got on the board in the first inning when Sean Murphy hit a sacrifice fly and Tony Kemp scored giving Oakland the early 1-0 lead. The A’s would not score again through nine innings.

Oakland starter Paul Blackburn had an excellent outing going 6 1/3 innings, five strikeouts and no walks. Domingo Acevedo came in to relieve Blackburn in the seventh inning. The A’s ended the inning with their second double play of the game and the Seattle threat was thwarted for a second time in this game.

The defense for the A’s had been spectacular all afternoon as Oakland hung onto the slim 1-0 lead going into the eighth inning.

Seattle would tie up the game 1-1 in the eighth off a Justin Upton home run and this game took on an ugly turn.

Seattle would load the bases in the ninth inning with Marcus Wilson, Carlos Santana and Cal Raleigh aboard. The Mariners would register the walk off when Abraham Toro hit a single and Wilson scored for the M’s win.

It was a tough loss for the A’s but we saw a lot of good things happen in this game for Oakland. Paul Blackburn was excellent. The A’s defense was really good through eight innings. They just fell short in the ninth inning when it really counted. The home run in the eighth inning for the Mariners was the turning point in this game.

The A’s will get the opportunity to tie up this series tomorrow. Frankie Montas will take the mound for Oakland. He comes in with an ERA of 3.20. The Mariners Robbie Ray comes in with an ERA of 3.78. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM PT.