Category: Oakland Athletics

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Oakland to Las Vegas Shuttle

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Artists rendition of the inside of a retractable roofed Las Vegas Oakland A’s stadium as A’s vice president David Kaval and A’s front office staff returned from a visit to Vegas finalizing sites for the A’s in event they don’t get the Howard Terminal project (Artist rendition image from bleedcubbieblue.com)

The Oakland To Las Vegas Shuttle

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Dave Kaval, President of the Oakland A’s was in Las Vegas last week for meeting with area landowners. The A’s down to two possible locations, and Kaval said the hopes of announcing a final site soon. 

Steve Hill, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said that although a room tax is off the table, there are other means that could benefit the A’s if the team relocates to Las Vegas. Public assistance could be made available to help lure the team to Sin City.

Mr.Kaval has been made aware as he met with Mr.Hill, but the A’s, they do not want to negotiate in public.   Earlier this month, the A’s had a list of five possible ballpark sites, so the elimination of three indicates the process could wrap up soon.

What’s new for Las Vegas -The possibility of public assistance made available is important since throughout the year most state and local politicians seem to oppose using public money to help fund the A’s ballpark. But know, a change of strategy.

On deck- June 30 a key vote by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission which would allow the project to proceed. If this vote doesn’t get the approval, Oakland is basically out of gas. If it gets a positive vote, the next step is for the city of Oakland to come to terms with the Oakland A’s on a development agreement.

How about the lawsuits?  On April 4, 2022. Three separate lawsuits were filed in Alameda County Superior Court by Union Pacific Railroad, The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and a coalition that includes the East Oakland Stadium Alliance, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, Harbor Trucking Association, California Trucking Association, metal-shredding company Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.  The City of Oakland and the Oakland A’s are listed as defendants.

California State law: Under AB 734 which was authored by former Assemblyman Rob Bonta, who is now the state attorney general, any lawsuits challenging the environmental impact report would have to be decided within 270 days of the report getting approved.

That puts the court process on a timeline of nine months from now, or January 2023.

Meanwhile, the Oakland to Las Vegas Shuttle continues…

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Three long balls propel Mariners to a 7-6 win over A’s to open series in Seattle

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The Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriquez slugs a fifth inning single against the Oakland A’s at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Mon May 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Seattle Mariners welcomed the Oakland A’s to T-Mobile Park Monday night for three games. The Mariners dominated Oakland last year as they won 15 of the 19 games. Seattle continued their dominance as they won their 13th consecutive game over the A’s 7-6. 

The Mariners used the long ball to earn the victory. A’s starter, lefty Zach Logue, gave up three big flys to the M’s. Seattle’s centerfielder, Julio Rodriguez, blasted a three-run shot in the bottom of the third to give the M’s an early 3-0 advantage.

The A’s rallied to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Chad Pinder hit a solo homer to make it 3-1. With one out, catcher Sean Murphy doubled. First baseman Christian Bethancourt singled to send Murphy to third.

Kevin Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Murphy with the A’s second run. Bethancourt advanced to third when Elvis Andrus singled. Tony Kemp followed with a single to drive in Bethancourt with the inning’s third run.

The tie didn’t last long as Seattle put two more on the board in their half of the fourth. With one out, A’s starter Zach Logue walked Luis Torrens. Logue then served up a gopher ball to the M’s catcher Cal Raleigh to make it a 5-3 game.

The Mariners increased the lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Again, with one out, Logue walked Julio Rodriguez. The next hitter, Eugenio Suarez, took Logue deep. A’s manager removed Logue from the game. Domingo Acevedo came in from the bullpen and retired the next two hitters.

The A’s sent nine men to the plate in the top of the sixth. The A’s had four hits in the frame, and three men scored. The big hit was a double off the bat of rookie Cristian Pache. The A’s trail 7-6.

There was no more scoring in the game. The A’s relievers, A.J.Puk, Lou Trivino, and Sam Moll, kept the M’s bats quiet. The M’s bullpen did their job, too. The A’s bats went to sleep after the sixth as they wound up losing 7-6 to Seattle.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 17-27, ten games under .500. The Mariners improved to 18-25. 

The A’s have now lost 13 consecutive games to the Mariners. They hope to get back on the winning track Tuesday night. 

The time of the game was 3:24. There were 14, 415 fans in the park to watch the M’s take down the A’s. Starting pitchers on Tuesday night at T Mobile Field in Seattle for the A’s James Kaprielian (0-2 ERA 4.50) and for the Seattle Mariners George Kirby (0-1, 3.60) a 6:40 pm PDT first pitch.

One Run Or Fewer: A’s offense continues to struggle in 4-1 loss at Anaheim

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By Morris Phillips

Look at the A’s schedule: they haven’t seen much AL West competition thus far, and with those teams that know them best up now, the obvious conclusion is that things could get worse.

Things got worse this weekend in Anaheim. For that, the A’s can point to Patrick Sandoval and Shohei Ohtani. We’ll call them the usual suspects.

Ohtani homered–as did Mike Trout–and the Angels cruised to a 4-1 win over the A’s as Sandoval deftly managed his effective offerings to reach the eighth inning. If the score and result looks familiar, it’s because it is. Last Sunday in Oakland, Sandoval cruised, and Ohtani homered in the first inning in the A’s 4-1 loss. This first round of AL West rival action clearly goes to Anaheim, winners of five of the first seven of 19 contests between the clubs.

The toothless A’s have dropped 20 of 29 after an encouraging 8-6 start to the season. And Sunday marked the 16th time the team has scored one run or fewer (1-15 in those games). Against Sandoval, the A’s managed three singles and Kevin Smith’s eighth inning double. Christian Pache, mired in a 1 for 23 stretch, knocked in Smith for the A’s only run.

“For my money, when he has fastball command, he should normally be pitching in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning,” manager Joe Maddon said of Sandoval. “The way his stuff is, they don’t get good swings at it. Don’t get good looks at it.”

Sandoval’s brilliance allowed the Angels’ bats to be patient with A’s starter Cole Irvin, who was returning from a stint on the injured list. The Angels got single runs in the first, second and fifth against Irvin. Trout homered off Justin Grimm in the seventh, a laser inside the left field foul pole.

The A’s are 2-5 in a stretch of games against divisional opponents that continues through June 1. Seattle is next, then Texas and Houston. The A’s will have to pick up their offense to compete. But their gutty starters have faltered as of late too. Irvin’s loss on Sunday drops the Oakland starters to 0-6 over the last 10 games.

But the issues don’t stop there: seven A’s errors over the last nine games have the defense showing wear. Thirty errors in 43 games ranks the team near the bottom of the American League.

On Monday, the A’s open a three-game set against the Mariners in Seattle with Zach Logue facing Marco Gonzales.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Trout is just simply underrated; Irvin goes to the hill for A’s today

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The Oakland A’s starter Cole Irvin will start against the Los Angeles Angels Sun May 22, 2022 at the Big A in Anaheim. Here is Irvin pitching against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica on Mon May 9, 2022. (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout hit a big milestone against the Oakland A’s on Saturday scoring his career 1,000th run in the last of the sixth inning in the Angels 5-3 win.

#2 The Angels were on a skid before Saturday’s game losing 4 straight including a loss to the A’s on Friday night. The A’s came away with a 4-2 win against the Angels.

#3 Back to Saturday’s game the A’s again simply didn’t get the hitting in the first seven innings as Angel starter Michael Lorenzen shut them out for six innings.

#4 The A’s finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth when Sheldon Neuse hit for an RBI single and later scored on Jed Lowrie’s leftfield double.

#5 Today’s starters at the Big A for the A’s left hander Cole Irvin (2-1, 2.93) and for the Angels Partrick Sandoval (2-1, 1.91) a 1:07 pm PDT first pitch.

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

A’s come up short losing to Angels 5-3

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Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout makes it home for his 1,000th career run without a throw to the plate as Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy, left is empty handed, on an infield hit by the Angels Luis Rengifo on Sat May 21, 2022 at the Big A in Anaheim (AP News photo)

A’s Come Up Short Losing To Angels 5-3

By Barbara Mason

Saturday evening the Oakland A’s (17-25) took on the Los Angeles Angels (25-17) in game two of their series dropping the contest 5-3 at the Big A in Anaheim. Friday night the A’s won the first game 4-2 and were hoping to add game two to their win column.

The game remained scoreless through the first four frames. There was some bad news for Oakland when pitcher Frankie Montas who suffered a hand injury. He was forced to leave the game in the bottom of the second inning when he was clipped in the right hand while fielding a line drive hit off the bat of Luis Rengifo.

He did practice a few pitches but just could not continue. Domingo Acevedo took over on the mound. The A’s had to lean on their bullpen for the rest of the game.

The Angels really turned it up in the fifth inning. Rengifo hit a solo homer for the first score in this game 1-0. Once this team got going their was no stopping them. They would score in the sixth and seventh innings.

Shohei Otani and Mike Trout both crossed the plate in the sixth frame extending their lead to 3-0. Trout scored his 1,000 career run a huge milestone in his career. Andrew Velazquez hit a home run in the seventh inning driving Tyler Wade home and the Angels had a significant 5-0 lead going into the eighth inning.

Oakland made a lot of noise in the eighth frame. Sheldon Neuse hit a single driving Kevin Smith home. Next at bat Jed Lowrie hit a double and Neuse scored.

Lowrie would score on an Oliver Ortega wild pitch so the top of the eighth was a good one for Oakland scoring three runs. They would have the ninth inning to try to put some more runs up on the board.

The Angels would put the A’s away in the ninth inning. The final was 5-3 in favor of the Halo’s.

It was a tough one for Oakland but waiting until the eighth inning to start putting runs up on the board, especially with the Angels leading 5-0, was a difficult task for the A’s. It was a game of missed opportunity for Oakland.

Oakland pitcher Lou Trivino had a very tough outing giving up several hits and walking in a run. He couldn’t get anything going in this game.

The rubber game will feature the return of the A’s Cole Irvin (2-1, 2.93) vs. the Angels Patrick Sandoval (2-1, 1.91) who will be on the mound for the Angels. First pitch is scheduled at the Big A for 1:07.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Drummers of the Coliseum

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The Drummers of the Coliseum

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The drummers of the Oakland Coliseum bang the drum either slowly or fast to keep A’s fans and players in step or awake at A’s games from Oct 2, 2013 game (file photo sfgate.com)

OAKLAND–It doesn’t matter if there are 2,500, of 12,500 fans in attendance during an A’s day or night game at the Oakland Coliseum. The Drums are there banging in the outfield during each and every game. They bring the energy inside the empty spaces of one of the oldest major league ballparks.

These drummers devoted A’s fans that show all the enthusiasm regardless of how the team is doing on the field. Their mission is to bring pure energy, the energy the players recognize and admire, and to the fans, who also show their respect for their commitment. This season with the very small attendances these guys keep ‘drumming away’ as that drum sounds echoes all over the Coliseum.

In 2018, prior to covid showing up in the world, I was talking with A’s slugger Khris Davis inside the dressing room prior to a game and among other things, I mentioned to him were the drums, he told me “I love those drums man” and “they are very cool and the players here love them”.

This April Khris Davis signed a one-year contract with the Diablos Rojos of México City of the Mexican League. In case anybody forgot in the land of Oakland; only two men in Athletics franchise history have slugged 40 or more home runs over three consecutive seasons in A’s franchise history, Hall of Famer Jimmy Foxx from 1932-34 and Khris Davis from 2016 to 2018.

Davis bat is sorely missed on a 2022 team where the lack of home run power is evident. During those three years of 40 plus home runs, Khris Davis struck out a minimum of 166 times and a maximum of 195, but he could still hit it a country mile.

The A’s do not have one player this season that could hit at least 20 home runs (maybe Sean Murphy, who hit17 last season) and forget any A’s hitting 40, but that should not be a surprise since they traded all their established stars.

Meantime, win or lose, the loyal A’s Drummers of the Coliseum do not miss one game.

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

A’s take first game of Angels series 4-2; Angels drop fourth game in a row

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Oakland A’s hitter Seth Brown goes deep for two run fifth inning home run in front of Los Angeles Angels catcher Chad Wallach and plate umpire Larry Vanover during Fri May 20, 2022 game at the Big A in Anaheim (AP News photo)

A’s Take First Game of Angels Series 4-2

By Barbara Mason

After dropping two of a three game series against the Angels (24-17) a week ago the Oakland A’s (17-24) took another crack at the Halo’s in a three game series at Angel stadium.

The A’s scored early in the first inning leading 1-0 when Jed Lowrie homered to right. The A’s would load the bases in the opening inning but fail to score another run. The Angels would answer when Anthony Rendon singled bringing Shohei Otani home to tie up the game 1-1. The A’s had walked Otani who would go on to steal second base.

The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Mike Trout doubled driving in Taylor Ward.

In the fifth inning, the A’s took a two run lead 4-2. Seth Brown would hit a home run, the second for the A’s in the game, and Lowrie scored. Kevin Smith hit a sacrifice bringing Luis Barrera home for a very productive fifth inning.

Neither team would score in the game again and Oakland took the first game of the series 4-2.

In the seventh inning A’s pitching would strike out Otani and Mike Trout. Oakland had two more strike outs in the eighth inning and would be looking to close out this game in the ninth

A’s pitchers got the job done in this game. Starting pitcher Paul Blackburn went 4 2/3 innings. Relief pitching had 4 1/3 no hit innings.

First pitch for game two of this series is schedule for 6:07 pm PDT tomorrow. Frankie Montas (2-4 ERA 3.67) will take the mound for Oakland and for the Angels Michael Lorenzen (4-2 ERA 3.57) will get the nod.

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Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s hope to turn the tables on Angels this Friday at the Big A

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Oakland A’s Luis Barrea makes the catch and the slide for an out on the Minnesota Twins Max Kelper at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue May 17, 2022. Barrea and the A’s battle the Los Angeles Angels Fri May 20, 2022 at the Big A in Anaheim for a three game series (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s who lost three out of four to the Los Angeles Angels the last time the two teams met last week. The A’s open a three series Friday at the Big A in Anaheim. During that last meeting Angels star Shohei Ohtani slugged two home runs.

#2 Things have changed in 2022. The A’s are in a rebuild mode. The A’s have revamped their lineup. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, Yusmeiro Petit, Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Yan Gomes are no longer with the club.

#3 The A’s team batting average is one point below the Mendoza line. The team payroll is about 48 Million dollars, the second-lowest in Major League Baseball.

#4 Shohei Ohtani won the MVP last year. Ohtani is a player that should be on every fan’s must-see list. Ohtani is hitting. 253 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs.

#5 For the opening game of the series the Angels will be sending starter Paul Blackburn to the hill (4-0, 1.67) and for the Angels Chase Silseth (1-0, 0.00) a 6:38 pm PDT first pitch.

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

Preview of A’s series with Los Angeles Angels starts Friday night at the Big A

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Every time the Los Angeles Angels win a game the halo shines on the Big A scoreboard in Anaheim. The visiting Oakland A’s will try and prevent that from happening on Fri May 20, 2022 as the A’s and Angels open a three game series. (file photo from Wikipedia)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (16-24) are going to the Big A in Anaheim to face the Los Angeles Angels (24-16) for three games this weekend. The A’s and Angels have been opponents since 1961 when the Angels entered the American League as an expansion team.

The A’s were in Kansas City at that time, but since 1968, they have become intrastate rivals. There is a natural rivalry between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles area. The two areas compete for economic as well as political power.

The sports teams also reflect the rivalry. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have been in California since both teams moved to California in 1958. The Dodger-Giant rivalry has been in existence since their days in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since 1968, not including this year, the A’s and Angels have played 832 games.

The A’s own the advantage 450-382, a winning percentage of .541. The A’s have made the playoffs six times since 2012. The Angels’ only appearance in the same period was in 2014. They lost in the AL Divisional round.

Things have changed in 2022. The A’s are in a rebuild mode. The A’s have revamped their lineup. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, Yusmeiro Petit, Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, and Yan Gomes are no longer with the club.

The A’s team batting average is one point below the Mendoza line. The team payroll is about 48 Million dollars, the second-lowest in Major League Baseball.

The A’s are 16-24 for the season. They are 6-14 at home and 10-10 on the road. The A’s are in fifth place in the AL West and trail the first-place Houston Astros by nine games.

The Angels are 24-16 and are just one game behind the Astros in the AL West. They are 12-7 at home and 12-9 on the road. The Angels have two MVPs on their roster. Their star centerfielder Mike Trout has won three MVPs so far in his career.

Shohei Ohtani won the MVP last year. Ohtani is a player that should be on every fan’s must-see list. Ohtani is hitting. 253 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. He leads the team in that category. As a starting pitcher, Ohtani is 2-3 with an ERA of 2.81. Trout is hitting .320 with 11 dingers and 23 RBIs.

The Angels have other stellar performers in their lineup. Rightfielder Tayor Ward has been a surprise this season. Ward is hitting .375 with nine big flies and 23 knocked in. Third Baseman, Anthony Rendon, has hit five balls out of the park and has 21 ribbies.

Other key performers are first baseman Jared Walsh and left-fielder Brandon Marsh. Walsh is hitting .248, with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. Marsh has an average of .282 with four homers and 22 RBIs. If they hope to get into the win column this weekend, the A’s pitchers will have to be at the top of their game.

The A’s Seth Brown leads Oakland with 18 RBIs. The A’s feature young players like Cristian Pache, Kevin Smith, and Sean Murphy in their lineup. Their veterans include journeymen like Chad Pinder, Tony Kemp, Stephen Piscotty, Christian Bethancourt, and Seth Brown.

The A’s bullpen has been remade. There are lots of new names out there. Pitchers like Justin Grimm, Kirby Snead, Sam Moll, and Domingo Acevedo. Last year’s closer, Lou Trivino, has been replaced by Dany Jimenez. Trivino has to regain his confidence if he hopes to get back as the closer.

The A’s will not be facing Ohtani or Noah Syndergaard this weekend. The Angels will use Chase Silseth on Friday, Michael Lorenzen on Saturday, and Patrick Sandoval on Sunday. The A’s pitchers will be Paul Blackburn on Friday and Frankie Montas on Saturday. The A’s have not announced a starter for Sunday’s game.

The A’s would love to spoil the Angels’ weekend. They will have to grind out the wins if they can. It won’t be easy, but as they say in baseball, you never know what will happen.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s have now lost 11 of last 13 games; Lack of hitting hurting run production

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The Oakland A’s hitter Kevin Smith (1) puts his all into this broken bat swing for a base hit against the visiting Minnesota Twins on getaway day at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed May 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s (16-24) lost by a landslide to the visiting Minnesota Twins (22-16) on Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum 14-4 and the Twins Carlos Correa was seeing the ball well with two hits upon his return from the injured list from a bruised finger.

#2 Correa missed a large amount of games 11 in all while swinging the bat he was hit in the hand by a pitch.

#3 The A’s who have lost 11 of their last 13 games got RBI singles from Seth Brown and Christian Bethancourt. The A’s for the most part suffering in the run production department and have lost a number of those game because of a lack of hitting.

#4 A’s starter Daulton Jefferies went under an MRI after suffering bicep tightness. Jefferies pitched four innings and gave up six earned runs.

#5 The A’s open a three game series against the Los Angeles Angels at the Big A in Anaheim on Friday night. The A’s will start right hander Paul Blackburn (4-0 ERA 1.67) the Angels will start right hander Chase Silseth (1-0 ERA 0.00) first pitch 6:38 pm PDT

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