FILE – Fans walk outside of the Oakland Alameda Coliseum before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. The Oakland Athletics have reached a tentative agreement to sell its half of the Coliseum to a private Black development group for $125 million. The Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, announcement paves the way for the African American Sports & Entertainment Group to build in a long neglected part of the San Francisco Bay Area city. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu,File)
On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah:
#1 With the Oakland A’s selling their half of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports Entertainment Group (AASEG) can the Coliseum property now be developed to house a major league franchise or will the Coliseum be a location that will not attract future sports franchises?
#2 AASEG plans to build a giant sports and entertainment complex on the Coliseum grounds. So far the pro soccer teams Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul have committed to play there. It’s very unlikely that Oakland as Mayor Sheng Thao was hoping for will get a Major League Baseball franchise. East Oakland is somewhere MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred does not want to return to and after as Manfred said Howard Terminal was over and done with Manfred decided to move the team out of Oakland.
#3 AASEG was created to enhance the economic path to equality for the black community which is the goal for East Oakland. If AASEG can successfully build a giant sports and entertainment complex at the Oakland Coliseum and lure just one professional sports franchise they would have made a start to turn things around but after losing the Raiders, Warriors and now the A’s it’s looking like a long shot to impossible.
#4 The Oakland A’s after losing two out of three to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Coliseum turned around and took two out of three from the Chicago White Sox. The Sox ended their 21 game losing streak on Tuesday night.
#5 The A’s open up a three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Both teams are in last place. The Jays have won four of their last ten games and the A’s five of their last ten. How do you see the beginning of this road trip.
Miguel Tejada former Oakland A’s shortstop was part of the 2002 A’s team and huge part of the A’s history (USA Today file photo)
2024 The Final Season of the A’s at the Coliseum- (Part X) ‘A’s 20-game winning streak
By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
According to Major League Baseball archives, the longest American League winning streak is 22, held by the 2017 Cleveland Indians. In 2022, the Cleveland Indians changed their name to Cleveland Guardians. The Oakland A’s are second with a 20-game winning streak. In 2022, A’s players Miguel Tejada, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson, among others, were in Oakland as the A’s honored that great 20-game winning streak team.
Dominican shortstop Miguel Tejada said the 2002 winning streak is among the most incredible memories of his 16-year career in the major leagues. Tejada, who was an All-Stat six times, a two-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award, and the prominent league leader in runs batted in 2004, played for the Athletics from 1997 to 2003, then went on to play for the Orioles, Astros, Padres, and Giants.
Miguel Tejada won the 18th consecutive games of that 20-game record-setting streak when he hit a walk-off home run at the Oakland Coliseum over the left field fence from a pitch thrown by Twins Eddie Guardado. “Nunca se me olvidará ese momento” trans-“I will never forget that moment”. Ironically, it will also be the Twins, not in Oakland but in Minnesota, on September 6 when they shut out the A’s to end that winning streak. Manager Art Howe was part of the ‘Moneyball’ A’s that broke an American League record by winning 20 contests in a row.
The most incredible winning streak in Athletics history, from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland, belongs to Oakland. The streak began in Oakland and ended in Minnesota. It began at Oakland on August 13 against the Blue Jays and lasted until September 6 when they beat the Twins in Minnesota, 20 consecutive in the win column.
From the electrifying clinching home run by Scott Hatteberg for the 20th consecutive win against Kansas City on September 4, 2002, to all the cast of players from Barry Zito, who won the American League Cy Young that season, to shortstop Miguel Tejada won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award to Manager Art Howe. 2002 Oakland A’s were among the most exciting teams in history, prompting Hollywood to make “Moneyball” released in 2011.
Moneyball – Film synopsis: Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the Oakland A’s general manager, one day has an epiphany: Baseball’s conventional wisdom is all wrong. With a tight budget, Beane must reinvent his team by outsmarting the richer ball clubs.
Joining forces with Ivy League graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane prepares to challenge old-school traditions. He recruits bargain-bin players whom the scouts have labeled flawed but have game-winning potential. Based on the book by Michael Lewis.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
OAKLAND–It took a whole month, but the White Sox shed that onerous 21-game losing streak on Tuesday night, avoiding the possibility of a mind-bending seventh, consecutive series in which they were swept.
That’s good. That’s great, really. But the challenges that put the South Siders in such a precarious position persist. After two runs in the first inning on Wednesday afternoon, eight, empty frames followed along with a 3-2 loss. The occasion of the final ChiSox game in Oakland was a bust, like the tiny Coliseum crowd, the 14-game losing spell that ended June 6, the 0-17 run following the All-Star Break, and the frustrating season as a whole.
Whatever happens next, started happening 11 hours after the Sox emptied the dugout with sheepish grins in celebration of their 5-1 win. No jumping around in a near empty Oakland Coliseum, coincidently another well-known place for baseball strife.
Instead, the youthful Sox kept it cool and applauded themselves for hanging in there without berating each other because of the losing. After recounting their saga for the media inside their less-burdened clubhouse, the Sox made a quick trip to their San Francisco hotel to prepare for the series matinee finale and sleep.
“I don’t hide away from blame. Blame is what it is. I’ve got the position, the office, that’s the chair. I would never blame our players for this season. That’s not my makeup.” -Pedro Grifol, CWS manager
Wednesday morning at 11:00 am, trade deadline acquisition Miguel Vargas was not where he needed to be and cranky, bench coach/fungo master Eddie Rodriguez was ready to light up the 22-year old infielder when Vargas materialized for warm-ups at 11:06 am.
“You said you’d be here at 11 o’clock. Everything’s picked up,” Rodriguez barked.
After a short discreet conversation, Rodriguez relented, and a fielding exercise unfolded with the veteran coach hitting grounders to the 6’3″ Vargas. The young Cuban got an opportunity to assume an everyday, middle infield role with the Dodgers in 2023, but his bat was underwhelming. He hit .195 with seven home runs in 81 games, and was demoted in July and spent the remainder of that season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. His defense wasn’t elite either, as he committed five errors as the Dodgers’ second baseman.
On Wednesday, fielding grounders didn’t change much. Vargas batted leadoff as the designated hitter, going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He was filmed after Monday’s loss sitting dejectedly outside the Sox dugout, likely trying to process his fate as a star minor leaguer given a chance to impact the contending Dodgers, but suddenly traded to Chicago to contemplate his baseball future with a moribund franchise. The White Sox envision that Vargas can settle in, but everyone in Chicago knows that plan has a limited shelf life.
Gavin Sheets gained a measure of notoriety as the son of Larry Sheets, who started all 21 games for the Orioles during their notorious, 1988 losing string that torpedoed that season. The Orioles posted a winning record and contended in 1989, which is something the father and son have discussed in their daily phone calls the last month. Gavin admitted the phone calls have been critically important for his resolve as he navigates a nearly two-month stretch without hitting a home run.
On Wednesday, Sheets broke a hitless streak with a pair of base hits while hitting seventh in the lineup. But his homerless streak reached 43 games, which is troubling for a guy billed as a power-hitting first baseman. Sheets has enjoyed some nice stretches across four seasons in Chicago, but right now, his 43 home runs in 1,173 career at-bats is a glaring negative.
Luis Robert has struggled to gain traction after missing 53 games earlier this season with a hip flexor. He came into Wednesday hitting .149 over his last 17 games with one homer over his last 21 games. The Cuban product is a performer with impressive history in Oakland, as well as a breakout season in 2023. But right now, he’s a prisoner of his thoughts.
“When you’re going well, you don’t have to think about anything,’’ he said. “When you’re struggling, that’s where the spiral goes. You have to get back to how things feel and your process.”
“I think he’s pressing,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “His swings in the strike zone are down. People forget how young this kid is. He’s learning the game. He has inconsistencies now.”
Davis Martin, in his second ever big league start on the road, was Wednesday’s bright spot for the Sox. Martin navigated six innings and kept the power hitting A’s from adding to their 148 home runs in just 115 games. Martin allowed two hits and a walk in a season-best six innings. Afterward, he exuded confidence.
“(Tommy John surgery) is hard. Sometimes you don’t have the feel for stuff,” Martin said. “The fact you can have some success in the big leagues post-TJ brings a lot of confidence the next week and the week after that. Just going forward, it’s a really good starting point for me to build off of and go from there.”
The Sox have 45 games remaining, starting with a series on Friday against the Cubs back home at Guaranteed Rate Field. They need to win 13 of those to avoid finishing with a worse record than the 1961 Mets that finished 40-120.
Thirteen wins shouldn’t be too taxing, except:
The Sox have won just 17 times at home (17-40).
And they’ve won just 11 times on the road (11-49).
And Thursday started with the hardly unexpected news that Grifol was let go after compiling a record of 89-190 in less than two seasons after he replaced Miguel Cairo to start 2023.
Stayed tuned. The losing streak has ended, but another one could be coming like a wind storm gathering off Lake Michigan. If so, it won’t be pretty for Chicago.
Oakland A’s reliever Mason Miller (right) gets a hug from catcher Kyle McCann (left) after retiring the Chicago White Sox in the top of the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)
Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Oakland, California
Chicago White Sox 2 (28-89)
Oakland Athletics 3 (48-68)
Win: T.J. McFarland (2-1)
Loss: Touki Toussaint (0-2)
Save: Mason Miller (16)
Time: 2:14
Attendance: 6,964
By Stephen Ruderman
OAKLAND–We weren’t going to see history today at the Coliseum, but it was still a beautiful day for a baseball game, and the Oakland A’s rewarded the faithful who showed up with a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox to take the series in a Wednesday matinee.
Tuesday night, the A’s suffered the misfortune of being the team that the White Sox beat to snap their historic 21-game losing streak. Wednesday, the A’s still had a chance to take the series behind their young right-hander, Joey Estes.
Estes started the afternoon inning with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Davis Martin made the start for White Sox, and he also pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first.
Andrew Vaughn doubled to right field to start the top of the second and advanced to third base on an error. That brought up Andrew Benintendi, who hit a home run to right-center to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
The A’s had a rally for free going against Martin in the bottom of the second. However, Martin struck out the side, and the A’s were unable to come through.
Both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the third. Estes had to deal with a pair of two-out singles in the top of the fourth, but Nicky Lopez grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. Martin then threw another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth.
Both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the fifth, and Estes was done after five innings. Estes was a bit shaky, as he gave up six hits, but he limited the damage to two runs.
Will Klein pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth for Oakland, and Martin did the same for Chicago in the bottom of the sixth to cap off his afternoon. Martin went six shutout innings, giving up just a pair of hits and striking out four. The fact that he was done after six innings and 82 pitches was a bit surprising, but hey, I’m not the manager.
The A’s were trailing 2-0 going to the seventh, and they were nine offensive outs away from losing two-straight to a team that had just snapped a 21-game losing streak. T.J. McFarland pitched a scoreless top of the seventh for Oakland, and when Touku Toussaint came in for the White Sox in the bottom of the seventh, the A’s finally pounced.
Brent Rooker lined a base-hit to left to lead off the inning, and Abraham Toro walked with one out. That brought up Armando Alvarez, who flipped a base-hit to left. Rooker scored, and the A’s were on the board. Zack Gelof then flipped a base-hit to left, and Toro scored to tie the game. After a fielder’s choice moved the runners to second and third, Lawrence Butler gave the A’s the lead with a sacrifice fly to left.
Tyler Ferguson came in for the A’s in the top of the eighth, and he pitched a 1-2-3 shutdown inning. John Brebbia then pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.
Mason Miller, who last pitched on July 22 against the Houston Astros before breaking his left pinkie finger, was activated off the 15-Day Injured List prior to today’s game, and he came in for the top of the ninth to try and notch down the save. Miller didn’t miss a beat, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to close it out
“I’m just excited to be back and part of the group,” said Miller, who didn’t pitch in a rehab assignment and convinced the A’s he was ready to go after throwing live batting practice on Monday. “
T.J. McFarland got the win; Touki Toussaint took the loss; and Mason Miller got the save.
The A’s improve to 48-68, and they will head north of the border to play the Toronto Blue Jays for three this weekend. After a day off Thursday, the two teams will kick off a three game series Friday night. Mitch Spence (7-7, 4.40 ERA) will make the start for Oakland, and the Blue Jays have yet to announce who they will go with.
First pitch will be at 7:07 p.m. in Toronto, 4:07 p.m. back home in Oakland.
The Oakland A’s will be giving away an Oakland Coliseum replica at the last home game on Thu Sep 26, 2024 against the Texas Rangers the final home game in Oakland history for the A’s before moving to Sacramento in 2025 (Oakland A’s photo)
The one “Must See” Baseball Game this Year in the Bay Area
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
OAKLAND–The last game of the Oakland A’s at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is scheduled for September 26 against the Texas Rangers. It will be a Thursday afternoon game, with the first pitch at 12:37.
Fans in attendance will receive a Replica Coliseum Stadium, a memorable giveaway to remember the stadium many of you and your family have visited for generations. It has been a popular spot for sports and entertainment in the Bay Area for over 50 years.
For that historic last game at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s might open the Mount Davis seats in center field, approximately 12,000 extra seats. The decision is imminent. One way or another, it will be a sellout, and the following day, three million people in the Bay Area will tell you they were there and were part of history.
It always happens like that. But it is “all good”, It is the last time you will hear vendors walking by your seat selling hot dogs, beer, and popcorn or welcoming you at the entrance with a friendly smile like Kenny Keltz did for years; this is part of the experience of attending a baseball game in Oakland.
The people who worked at the Coliseum are part of our community; they live, work, and pay taxes like everybody. September 26 will be an extraordinary day in Oakland, where the Oakland A’s have played and won numerous championships, including Four World Series.
The only other California team to have won in their park more is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have played in Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium since 1958 and have five World Series titles. The Dodgers were recently here and some of the media from LA share the nostalgia of the Oakland Coliseum, and they will never return to watch a game here.
Understandably, A’s fans are distraught for the A’s to leave town. Baseball is a generational sport; kids were raised going to these games with their parents and friends, and after all, it is not every day that a Major League team leaves the city and place they have played for over a half-century.
Of course, people are upset for many reasons, which we all know, from ownership to poor leadership by politicos in Oakland City Hall and all reasons in-between that we are very familiar with, at least those of us who made our home in the Bay Area.
But this last game at Oakland should be a memorable game, as we will close the book inside our brains of attending games here. For me although I have broadcasted for a total of five different major league teams (including the Giants) and traveled with them, the Oakland Coliseum has been my baseball home since the early 1970’s and I always comeback to work here, because this is my home and I love the Bay Area. It will be a sad day, but a memorable and unforgettable day, at least for me. September 26, will be the One Must See Baseball game in the Bay Area in 2024.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Chicago White Sox Andrew Benintendi watches the flight of his two run home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)
On the Oakland A’s podcast with Morris Phillips:
#1 The Chicago White Sox ended their 21 game skid against the Oakland A’s. The A’s know about losing streaks and can appreciate the services the Sox went through.
#2 How relieving does it got to be for a ballclub that’s suffered through all this to get that weight off their backs.
#3 The Sox got home run help from Andrew Benitendi who hit a two run home run and the Sox didn’t look back winning it 5-1.
#4 The A’s starter Ross Stripling suffered his 11 loss. Pitching 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs, walked one and struck out two hitters.
#5 The White Sox and A’s wrap up the three game series today at the Coliseum. Starting pitcher for the Sox RHP Davis Martin (0-1, ERA 7.11) and for the A’s RHP Joey Estes (5-4, ERA 4.77). How do you see today’s match ups.
Chicago White Sox Andrew Benintendi (right) is congratulated by third base coach Eddie Rodriguez after hitting a two run home run against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Aug 6, 2024 (AP News photo)
By Daniel Dullum
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
The Chicago White Sox snapped a streak no team wants on Tuesday at the Coliseum, as the Sox’s 21-game losing skid came to an end by defeating Oakland 5-1. An announced crowd of 5,867 watched the contest between two last-place clubs.
Chicago’s historic drought tied the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the longest losing streak in American League history. With the win, the White Sox avoided chasing the major league mark of 23 consecutive losses set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961.
It was Chicago’s first victory since July 10, when it defeated Minnesota, and their first win since the All-Star break. The White Sox are a MLB-worst 28-88, while the A’s fell to 47-68.
The White Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Andrew Benintendi cracked his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Oakland starter Ross Stripling (2-11).
The Athletics got a run back when Zak Gelof hit a solo home run – his 14th – off winning pitcher Jonathan Cannon (2-5). The White Sox added two runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Andrew Vaughn, followed by Brooks Baldwin scoring on a wild pitch.
Lenyn Sosa completed the scoring for Chicago with a run-scoring single in the top of the ninth.
Baldwin and Benintendi each had two of the White Sox’s seven hits. Gelof, Brent Rooker and Miguel Andujar each collected two hits for the A’s. Cannon gave up one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out five to get the win, Stripling gave up four of the five Chicago runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The two teams finish their three-game set on Wednesday afternoon. Davis Martin (0-1, 7.11) starts for the White Sox, facing Oakland’s Joey Estes (5-4, 4.77). Game time is 12:37 p.m PT.
The long faces say it all the Oakland A’s used to know something about losing streaks well the Chicago White Sox ran their losing string to 21 games just two games shy of tying the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies at 23 straight loses on Mon Aug 4, 2024 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
Monday night the Oakland A’s (47-67) took on the Chicago White Sox (27-88) in game one of their three game series. The White Sox came into this game on a 20 game losing streak and the A’s handed them their 21st loss with a 5-1 win. Oakland will be looking to add to Chicago’s woes in game two Tuesday.
Game recap: Tyler Nevin sacrificed in the first inning getting this game underway with a Daz Cameron run for an early 1-0 lead. Oakland would hold the 1-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi singled Andrew Vaughn home to tie up this game 1-1 and it was a new ball game.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Oakland loaded the bases with one out. The A’s Max Schuemann took advantage of the opportunity hitting a hard single to left allowing two runners, JJ Bleday and Zach Gelof to both score taking a 3-1 lead.
Bleday had doubled and Gelof walked to get on base. Ky Bush had walked five runners so far in the game. He had also hit Darell Hernaiz for a base on ball in the fourth inning. Oakland had loaded the bases in the first inning finishing that inning with their first run.
After giving up the two runs in the fourth inning coupled with the five walks that was it for Chicago’s Bush. He finished pitching through four innings allowing two hits and three earned runs, five walks and three strikeouts. Justin Anderson would relieve him on the mound. He came in with a 5.12 ERA.
Anderson went on to walk two runners back to back. With JJ Bleday and Tyler Nevin on base Oakland had another scoring opportunity but with two outs, Zach Gelof struck out swinging and it was on to the top of the sixth inning with Oakland continuing to lead 3-1.
The top of the sixth inning was a one two three inning for JP Sears. The White Sox had a pitching change to start the bottom of the sixth inning putting Chad Kuhl on the mound. It was a tough inning for Kuhl giving up a Lawrence Butler solo home run, Butler’s 13th of the season giving Oakland a 4-1 lead. The White Sox have not won a single game this year when trailing after the sixth inning so this was troublesome for Chicago.
The top of the seventh inning was another one two three inning for JP Sears as this game reached the seventh inning stretch. JP Sears had sizzled finishing seven innings with three hits, one run, one walk and five strikeouts. Chicago’s Jared Shuster would relieve Kuhl in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Austin Adams took over pitching duties to start the eighth inning for Oakland. The White Sox did hit a double in the inning, a Miguel Vargas shot but one of the huge problems for Chicago this year is bringing runners home.
Adams had two strikeouts in the eighth inning striking out Lenyn Sosa for the third out. Oakland extended their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Zach Gelof scored from third adding another run to their tally 5-1.
Oakland was three outs away from handing the White Sox their 21st straight loss. The A’s Tyler Ferguson closed this game out with a one, two, three, inning and the victory was Oakland’s.
Game notes: After losing their last series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend, the A’s took on the White Sox Monday night to start a three game series at the Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox have endured a disastrous season having extended their losing streak to 21 games on Monday.
The A’s took advantage of the White Sox struggles and take game one with a four run 5-1 win at the Coliseum. A’s starting pitcher JP Sears got the win pitching seven innings seven innings allowing three hits and one run. Meanwhile White Sox starter Ky Bush pitched four innings, allowed two hits and three runs in the loss.
Tuesday the A’s will go into game two of this series. They will be eyeing a second win and handing Chicago loss #2 in a row. The A’s will be counting on Ross Stripling to handle the White Sox at the plate. He has a 2-10, 5.64 ERA record. The White Sox will send Jonathan Cannon to the mound with a 1-5 win/loss record and a 4.11 ERA with a 6:40pm PT first pitch.
Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (25) celebrates hitting a two run homer with teammate JJ Bleday (33) in the bottom of the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sun Aug 4, 2024 (AP News photo)
On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:
#1 Barbara, the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday took two out three games from the Oakland A’s defeat the A’s 3-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. The Dodgers Kike Hernandez hit an RBI double which made the difference in a one run decision.
#2 The Dodgers with their win snapped their six road series losing streak. The Dodgers on Saturday also snapped a three game losing streak with a 10-0 win over the A’s.
#3 Dodgers rookie pitcher River Ryan pitched 4 2/3 innings allowed two runs, four hits, four strikeouts and four walks. Ryan did not get the decision in Sunday’s contest and has not figured in a decision in his last three outings.
#4 The A’s Brent Rooker hit a two run home run for his 28th of the season a two run blast in the first inning but it wasn’t enough as the A’s lose by a run to conclude the series with the Dodgers.
#5 The A’s host the Chicago White Sox Monday night for the first of a three game series. The White Sox are on a 20 game losing streak and could tie the Major League record for consecutive loses if they lose all three games to the A’s. Starting pitcher for the Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-5, ERA 4.11) for the A’s JP Sears (8-8, ERA 4.53) first pitch at the Coliseum slated for 6:40pm PT
OAKLAND—The Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation is a mess.
But for the third, consecutive start, River Ryan provided the NL West leaders a neat option. The rookie right-hander pitched into the fifth inning and departed with a 3-2 lead over the A’s that would stand as the final score. In his first three major league starts, all since July 22, Ryan’s been on the winning side each time, and manager Dave Roberts has his unlikely rotation option penciled in for a fourth start Saturday after a convenient extra-day of rest.
“I thought River was good,” Roberts said. “We didn’t push him too much.”
“Warming up, I knew I wasn’t going to have my best stuff today,” Ryan said, as he took inventory of his strengths and weaknesses while warming up before the game in the bullpen.
Ryan, who started the season in the Arizona Complex League, and also pitched for Double-A Rancho Cucamonga and Triple-A Oklahoma City, wasn’t a rotation option at any point, until he was the option. With Walker Buehler slow to recover from Tommy John surgery, and flashy free agent signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto sidelined with a shoulder issue, two, critical spots opened in the rotation. In addition, the timeless Clayton Keyshawn didn’t debut until July 25. Tyler Glasgow and Gavin Stone have been the two constants, but neither are beyond getting replaced now that prized deadline acquisition Wade Flaherty has arrived and pitched well in his initial start.
Two other options, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, are on the injured list as well. And all the uncertainty and issues brought Roberts and GM Brandon Gomes looking for Ryan.
Ryan admittedly hasn’t been fantastic, but he has been steady, allowing no home runs in 15 innings of work, the logical flip side to allowing three walks in each of his starts. Ryan’s reminder to himself ties it all together.
“If you fall behind guys, you give them a chance to do damage,” he said.
Sunday’s win gave the Dodgers their first series victory on the road in their last six opportunities, something that didn’t seem likely after Friday’s 6-5 loss. That dropped Los Angeles’ division lead to just four games, which is as close as the NL West race had been since May 30. But Roberts simply asked his club to stay focused, and put on blinders.
“You have to remain steadfast, and eliminate the noise,” Roberts said.
DODGERS-A’s SERIES NOTES: The Oakland Coliseum was made memorable in the movie “Moneyball” for being the location of the A’s record 20th win in a row in 2002. Now, the Coliseum could gain notoriety as the location of a Chicago White Sox’ record-tying 23rd loss in a row this week.
The Sox experienced another dreadful afternoon in Minneapolis on Sunday, falling behind 7-0 to the Twins after two innings, before losing 13-7. Chicago has now lost 20 straight games, the longest losing streak in MLB in the last 36 years.
The Sox play their next three games in Oakland, meaning they could be in line to tie the all-time record of 23 losses held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon.
The A’s won 17 of 24 games against the Dodgers at the Coliseum with the lifetime series now concluded. That success allowed the A’s to claim the best record against the Dodgers of any team all-time (24 wins, 21 losses).
Brent Rooker homered on Sunday, giving him 15 home runs and 37 RBI over his last 32 games.
Sports Radio Service 