Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s Jed Lowrie goes deep for a three run homer in the top of the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica in Detroit on Thu Sep 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s scored early and often as they raced out to an early 8-0 lead over the Detroit Tigers. Their ace, Frankie Montas, pitched well until the seventh inning. The Tigers, down 8-1, sent nine men to the plate in the seventh and put five runs on the board to close the gap to 8-6. Andrew Chafin and Sergio Romo were able to shut down the Tiger offense to secure the win.

Here’s how the A’s won the game. The Tigers sent Matt Manning to face the A’s. The young man from the Sacramento area had his hands full as the A’s put four on the board in the first inning. With one out Manning walked Starling Marte.

He retired Matt Olson for the second out. Matt Chapman worked manning for a walk to put men on at first and second. the next hitter, A’s DH Jed Lowrie, one of the best hitters in baseball with runners in scoring position, hammered Manning’s pitch over the wall in left-center-field to put the A’s ahead 3-0. It was Lowrie’s 14th homer of the year. The next hitter, Mark Canha, blasted his 14th dinger of the year into the seats in right-field. The A’s led 4-0. 

 In the top of the second inning, with two out and a man on first, Starling Marte doubled off the wall in left field to make it a 5-0 game. The A’s offense was relentless. In the top of the third, with two out, Manning walked Canha. Tony Kemp followed with a single to center.

A’s catcher Yan Gomes long fly to left-center-field went over Robbie Grossman’s glove for a double. Canha and Kemp scored on the play to the A’s in the driver’s seat 7-0 after three complete. 

In the fourth inning, singles by Matt Olson and Matt Chapman put a runner in scoring position again with two out. The A’s sent Khris Davis to the plate to pinch-hit for Jed Lowrie. Davis was making his first appearance since being recalled from Las Vegas. Davis sent the ball into the left-field corner for a double to drive in Olson with the A’s eighth run of the game.

The A’s starter, Frankie Montas, was masterful for the first four innings of the game. He held the Tigers scoreless and allowed one hit. Things began to change in the fifth. Tigers’ third baseman Harold Castro, who had three hits, including a home run Tuesday night, led off the bottom of the fifth with his third home run of the year. The A’s still had a commanding lead 8-1.

Then came the fateful seventh inning. The Tigers sent nine men to the plate as they scored five runs on five hits, including two home runs. Tiger shortstop Niko Goodrum worked Montas for a walk to get the rally going. Second baseman Willi Castro hit into a fielder’s choice for the first out.

Montas retired Victor Reyes on a fly ball to Marte in center-field. The next hitter Montas faced was Akil Baddoo. Baddoo also homered Tuesday night. Baddoo ended Montas’ game when he hammered his twelfth homer of the year to make it 8-3.

A’s manager brought in Deolis Guerra to pitch. Guerra, who has been very good all season, could not get the job done. He pitched to four hitters and could not get an out. He gave up singles to Jonathan Schoop and Robbie Grossman.

Jeimer Candelario then homered to make it an 8-6 contest. Melvin let Guerra face one more hitter, Eric Hasse. Hasse singled. Melvin brought in lefty Andrew Chafin to put out the fire. Chafin retired Harold Castro for the final out.

Chafin allowed a hit in the eight but escaped unscathed. Bob Melvin called upon Sergio Romo to close out the ninth. The veteran reliever gave up a walk but was able to get the needed three outs to secure the win for Oakland by a final score of 8-6.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s picked up 1/2 game on the idle Houston Astros. They now trail the Astros by four and 1/2 games for the A: West division crown. They can pick up a game on the Red Sox if Boston should lose to Tampa Bay later today. If Boston wins, the A’s will remain two games behind in the Wild Card race.

The A’s had 12 hits in Wednesday’s game. It was the third game in a row with more than ten plus hits. They had two more home runs on Wednesday and seven for the series. Their line was eight runs, twelve hits, and no errors. Khris Davis had a double and a single in his first game back as an Oakland Athletic. Yan Gomes and Elvis Andrus each had two hits.

Frankie Montas won his 11th game of the season. He is now 11-9. Sergio Romo picked up his second save.

The Tigers’ hitting stars were Jeimer Candelario, Victor Reyes, and Harold Castro. In the seventh, Candelario’s hit a three-run homer to help Detroit close the gap to 8-6. Reyes had three hits in the game. Reyes tripled in the third. He was thrown out attempting to score on a grounder to shortstop Elvis Andrus. Andrus’ throw him was on the mark, and Reyes was out. Manning was the losing pitcher, and his record is now 3-6.

The A’s are on their way to Toronto to play three games against the Blue Jays. Sean Manaea will go for Oakland, and Toronto will counter with Alek Manoah. The game will start at 4:07 pm.

The Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera watches the flight of his 502nd career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit against the Oakland A’s on Wed Sep 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

There was good and bad news in Wednesday night’s game between the Oakland A’s and the Detroit Tigers (63-71). The good news was the As’ offense produced ten hits and six runs. The bad news was the Tigers pounded out ten hits, including three home runs, to beat the A’s 8-6.

The Tigers’ starter Wily Peralta lasted four innings. The A’s scored an unearned run in the first inning and two more in the fourth to chase Peralta.

Starling Marte led off the fourth with his tenth dinger of the year. Matt Olson walked and scored on Jed Lowrie’s double to give the A’s the lead 3-1 midway through the fourth. The A’s starter James Kapielian went four-plus innings.

The Tigers tied the game 3-3 when they put two on the board in the third. Kaprielian walked Ronnie Grossman leading off in the bottom of the fourth. Kaprielian had to face future Hall of Fame player Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera showed the A’s his greatness when he sent a hanging changeup into the seats into the left-field seats to tie the game. It was Cabrera’s 502nd career home run and 2962nd hit.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the fifth. Josh Harrison and Starling Marte singled to put two men on with no out. Matt Olson doubled to deep center-field to drive in both. Matt Chapman was retired for the first out.

A’s DH Jed Lowrie, one of the best hitters in baseball with men in scoring position, doubled to drive in Olson with the A’s third run of the inning. The A’s led 6-3.

The Tigers got one back in their half of the fifth. The Tigers’ left-fielder, Akil Baddoo, sent one of Kaprielian’s pitches into the right-field seats to make it 6-4. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Petit retired the next three Tiger hitters. The A’s led 6-4 after five complete. 

The Tiger bullpen held the A’s to one hit and no runs over the last four innings of the game. The A’s bullpen could not hold the Tigers down. They scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh, and one more in the eighth. The Tigers win 8-6.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-60 for the year. They remain five games behind the Houston Astros in the race for first place in the American League West. The Seattle Mariners beat Houston 1-0. The A’s now trail the Boston Red Sox by two games for the second Wild Card in the American League. The Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Wednesday.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Jed Lowrie, and Matt Olson. Harrison had a double and two singles. He has six hits in the first two games of the series. Starling Marte had a home run and a single. Jed Lowries had two doubles and two RBIs. A’s reliever A.J. Puk was the losing pitcher. 

The hitting stars for Detroit were Akil Baddoo, Miguel Cabrera, and Harold Castro. Baddoo was two for four with a home run and a single. Cabrera, as mentioned above, had two hits. Cabrera hit his 502nd of his illustrious career to go along with a single.

He has 2963 hits and needs 37 to reach the 3000 for his career. Cabrera is 28th on the all-time home run list. He needs three to pass Eddie Murray. Tigers’ reliever Joe Jimenez received credit for the win. He is 5-1 for the year. Tiger closer Gregory Soto earned his 17th save when he set the A’s down in order in the ninth.

The teams will play the rubber game Thursday. The game will start at 10:10 am. The A’s will send Frankie Montas (10-9, 3.66 ERA) to the hill as Detroit will counter with Matt Manning (3-5, 5.46 ERA).

Oakland A’s Matt Chapman hits a top of the third inning home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit in the first of a three game series on Tue Aug 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (73-59) started a six-game road trip beating the Detroit Tigers (62-71) at Comerica Park in Detroit 9-3. The A’s swept the Tigers four straight when they met in Oakland in April. The Tigers started the season 8-19. A.J.Hinch, who won a World Series title in 2017 with Houston, helped turn the Tigers’ ship around.

The Tigers, entering Tuesday night’s game, were 54-51 since the slow start. The A’s knew the Tigers would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. 

The A’s won their last two games against the Yankees over the weekend. The offense was still in the doldrums, but they were able to eke out two wins. They beat the Yanks 3-2 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

Oakland’s skipper Bob Melvin was hoping the offense would come to life against Detroit. He got his wish as the A’s offense produce nine runs and 12 hits. Three of the hits were home runs.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Robbie Grossman, who was with Oakland the previous two seasons, slammed his 20th big fly of the year to give the Tigers the advantage. Grossman set a career-high with the blast. 

The A’s put three runs on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Starling Marte doubled to right field. Matt Olson followed with a double to drive in Marte with Oakland’s first run. Tiger starter, Tarik Skubal, retired Yan Gomes for the second out.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman sent Skubal’s pitch over the fence in left field to give the A’s a 3-1 lead. It was Chappie’s 22nd homer of the year.

In the fifth, the A’s put three more on the board. Singles by Marte and Olson put men on at first and third with no out. Yan Gomes drove in Marte with Oakland’s fourth run on a sacrifice fly. Mark Canha hit an opposite-field dinger to put the A’s in the driver’s seat 6-1.

Cole Irvin ran into difficulty in the bottom of the fifth. Tigers’ catcher, Dustin Garneau, another former Athletic, led off the frame with his first homer of the season. Cole retired shortstop Zack Short for the first out. Tiger centerfielder Derek Hill homered to make it 6-3.

Cole retired Jonathan Schoop for the second out. Cole gave up a single to Grossman and walked Miguel Cabrera. Bob Melvin had seen enough. He brought in Deolis Guerra to pitch. Guerra retired Jeimer Candelario for the third out. 

The A’s added two more in the eighth. Chad Pinder started the frame with a single. Elvis Andrus’ double sent Pinder to third. Josh Harrison’s third hit of the night plated both of them. In the ninth, Matt Chapman sent Tigers’ reliever Derek Holland’s pitch over the wall in centerfield with two out. The A’s led 9-3.

The A’s bullpen of Guerra, Yusmeiro Petit, Andrew Chafin, and A.J. Puk gave up four hits and no runs to secure the win for Oakland.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-59 for the year with the win. They picked a game on the Boston Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Sox 8-5. The A’s are now one game behind Boston in the race for the second American League Wild Card slot. The Tigers are 62-71 for 2021.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison with a double, two singles, and two RBIs. Starling Marte had a double and a single. Matt Olson also had a double, single, and an RBI. Matt Chapman had two hits, both home runs. He drove in three with the two bombs. Chappie has 23 for the year. Mark Canha hit his 13th of the year and drove in two.

Cole Irvin went four and 2/3rds innings. He gave up seven hits and three runs. The Tigers hit three solo homers. Cole did not go the necessary five innings to get the win. Deolis Guerra was the winning pitcher. He went one and innings.

Derek Hill led the Tiger attack with three hits. He was three-for-five with a home run, double, and single. Former A’s players Robbie Grossman and Dustin Garneau each homered to torment their former mates. 

The A’s brought up Skye Bolt from Las Vegas to replace Mitch Moreland on the roster. Moreland is out with a sore wrist.

The second game of the series will start at 4:10 pm. The A’s will send righty, James Kaprielian, to the hill. Wily Peralta will pitch for Detroit.

Oakland A’s pitcher Cole Irvin is seen here on Aug 19, 2021 at Guarantee Rate Field Chicago throwing against the White Sox. Irvin will get the start on Tue Aug 31, 2021 at Comerica Park in Detroit against the Detroit Tigers in the first of a three games series. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are heading to Detroit to start a three-game series with the Tigers (62-69) starting Tuesday night. The A’s had a must-win game Sunday afternoon against the red-hot New York Yankees. After losing the first two games of the series, the A’s, behind terrific performances by Frankie Montas, Paul Blackburn, and the bullpen, won the final two games by scores of 3-2 and 3-1.

The A’s are now 72-59 for the season. They trail Houston by five and 1/2games in the AL West. The A’s picked up a game on Boston and are now two and 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the second AL Wild Card quest. The Detroit Tigers, under manager A.J.Hinch, are at 62-69 for the year.

The Tigers are playing a makeup game Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers got off to a slow start this year. They are playing better now and have a goal of finishing the season with a mark of .500 or better. The A’s beat the Tigers four straight in April during their 13-game win streak.

The A’s would love nothing better than sweeping the three-game set. The road to the playoffs doesn’t get any easier as the A’s meet the Blue Jays in Toronto for three games this weekend. The A’s split the four-game series with Toronto in Oakland.

The Blue Jays have a powerful lineup featuring Vladamir Guerrero, Jr., George Springer, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Guriel, Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, and former former former Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. The A’s return home to face the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox took three out of four from Oakland. If the A’s are to make the playoffs, how they do in the next nine games could make or break the season for the A’s.

The Detroit series’s pitching matchups will see Cole Irvin (9-12, 3.68 ERA) going for the A’s. The Tigers will counter with lefty Tarik Skubal, who is from the Bay Area. The A’s beat Skubal earlier this year. James Kaprielian pitches on Wednesday, and Willy Peralta will be on the Hill for Detroit. On Thursday, the A’s will send Sean Manaea to the hill, and his opponent will be Matt Manning.

Some of the key players for Detroit are first baseman/ Designated hitter Miguel Cabrera, first baseman/second baseman Jonathan Schoop, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, outfielders Robbie Grossman and Akil Baddoo. Miguel Cabrera, who is now 38 years old, is on his way to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Cabrera, this year, is hitting .251 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs.

For his career, Cabrera is a lifetime .311 hitter. He is the last player to win baseball’s Triple Crown. He has 501 home runs, 1787 RBIs, and 2961 hits in his illustrious career. He won a World Series championship with the Florid Marlins in 2003. He helped the Tigers win two American League pennants in 2006 and 2012. Jonathan Schoop has found a home with the Tigers.

Schoop is hitting .284 and has 18 dingers and 70 RBIs. Robbie Grossman, who played with the A’s for a couple of seasons, has hit 19 big flys and has 57 RBIs for the Tigers. Candelario is at .275 with ten dingers and has driven in 48. Baddoo’s numbers are .258, ten homers, and 45 ribbies.

Lefty Gregory Soto is the closer for the Tigers. He has recorded 16 saves this season. Other bullpen members that will see action in the series include former starter Michael Fulmer, Jose Cisneros, Kyle Funkhouser, Joe Jimenez, former SF Giant Derek Holland, Alex Lange, and Miguel del Pozo.

The A’s are in the homestretch. How they do in the next two weeks will determine their season. They need to get the offense going. A’s manager Bob Melvin can add two more players to the roster after September 1st. They will not be available for the playoffs.

The A’s are considering bringing back Khris Davis to Oakland. Currently, at Triple-A Las Vegas, Davis has hit nine home runs with the Aviators. The A’s need his bat in the lineup. They are hoping that there is still life in his bat. It should be interesting to see what happens.