Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s outfielder Mark Canha (left) goes up to make the snow cone catch similar to the one that former outfielder Joe Rudi (right) made in the 1972 World Series. Canha makes the grab in game 2 of the ALWCS at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Sep 30, 2020 (photo from NBC Sports)

On the MLB The Show podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry like you said in your column yesterday game 2 of the Wild Card Series was a nail biter with the A’s leading 5-0 in the top of the eighth inning the Chicago White Sox started making noise.

#2 Jerry up to the eighth inning A’s starter Chris Bassitt had the Sox on the ropes with a 5-0 shutout until the Sox Tim Anderson led off the inning with a single and Bassitt was lifted for reliver Liam Hendriks. Hendriks pitching to the Sox Yasmani Grandal who turned on it for a two run homer getting the Sox on the scoreboard now down by three 5-2.

#3 Jerry talk about that ninth inning with the bases juiced and A’s reliever Jake Diekman pitching and he walked in a runner to make it 5-3 and the A’s season on the line.

#4 Jerry talk about the dangers of facing a hitter like the White Sox Jose Abreau who has 60 RBIs in 60 games, with 19 homers and had a home run in game 1 of Tuesday’s series.

#5 Talk about today’s game 3 starting pitchers A’s manager Bob Melvin Mike Fiers (0-0) and the White Sox manager Rick Renteria will go with Dane Dunning (0-0).

Join Jerry Thursdays thoughout the Oakland A’s post season for the A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Oakland A’s Sean Murphy (12) and Marcus Semien (10) go for the forearm bash after Semien went deep for a two run homer in the second inning of game 2 of the ALWCS at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Sep 30, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

With their backs to the wall facing elimination, The Oakland A’s, behind the superb pitching of Chris Bassitt, bounced back to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 to even the series at one apiece. The teams meet again on Thursday. The winner will advance to the ALDS, and the loser will go home.

The A’s offense, which went to sleep Tuesday, came to life Wednesday afternoon. The team knew that they were facing a tough lefty, Dallas Keuchel. They knew the White Sox have a potent offense led by Tim Anderson, Yasmany Grandal, and Jose Abreu. The A’s had to put some runs on the board early in the game if they were to stay alive. They did just that.

The A’s, wearing the Kelly green uniforms, scored two runs in the first inning. Singles by Tommy La Stella, Ramon Laureano, and Chad Pinder loaded the bases. A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, hit a sharp ground ball that bounced of Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal that went into right field, allowing La Stella and Laureano to score. After a lengthy review, the official scorer charged MAdrigal with an error. The A’ lead 2-0.

The A’s put two more on the board in the second to make it 4-0. With one out, catcher Sean Murphy singled. He trotted home ahead of Marcus Semien, who homered off Sox starter Dallas Keuchel.

In the fourth, A’s DH Khris Davis, who has been struggling at the plate all season, hit a solo blast over the fence in left-field to put the A’s ahead 5-0. White Sox manager Rick Renteria removed Keuchel from the game.

Bassitt held the potent White Sox offense in check until the top of the eighth. Sox shortstop, Tim Anderson, singled to start the rally. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, had seen enough. He brought in his closer, Liam Hendriks, to get the last six outs of the game.

It started well as Hendriks struck out Yoan Moncado for the first out. The next hitter, Yasmany Grandal, blasted his second home run of the series into the seats in right-field to make it 5-2. Hendriks gave up a single to Jose Abreu but was able to end the inning by striking out the next two hitters.

Liam Hendriks struck out the first two hitters to start the ninth. It was at this point that things began to go south for Oakland. Nick Madrigal singled. Tim Anderson had his third knock of the game to put men on at first and second.

Yoan Moncado, with one swing of the bat, could tie the game. Hendriks walked him to load the bases. Hendriks had thrown 49 pitches, and his slider was not working. Melvin brought in Jake Diekman to face Grandal.

It was a risky move as the White Sox hitters have been punishing left-handers all season. Diekman walked Grandal to force in a run to make it 5-3. He now had to face the ever-dangerous Jose Abreu.

Abreu had 60 RBIs in 60 games to lead the AL in that department. He had crushed 19 homers in the regular season and homered in the series’s first game. He was hitting .317. Abreu could tie the game with a single. Diekman won the battle. Abreu hit Diekman’s first pitch to A’s second baseman Nate Orf, and the game was over. The A’s win 5-3.

Game Notes-

The A’s line 5-7-0
Chicago’s 3-10-2

Chris Bassitt was the winning pitcher. He went seven-plus innings, allowing one run and six hits. He threw 92 pitches. Diekman earned the save. Dallas Keuchel took the loss for Chicago. Keuchel went three and 1/3rd innings. He allowed five runs, and two were unearned. He was touched for six hits and two home runs.

Chicago’s Tim Anderson had three hits in the game and has six for the series. Yasmany Grandal homered for the second time in the series.

The A’s offense came to life Wednesday. Semien and Davis homered for the Green and Gold. The defensive play of the game came in the top of the third. A’s left-fielder, Mark Canha, made a sensational leaping catch to rob Yoan Moncado of an extra-base hit. Canha extended as far as he could to catch the ball before it hit the wall. There were two men on with no out. Had he not made the grab, the Sox would have put one or two runs on the board.

Neither the A’s nor the White Sox have announced their starting pitchers for Thursday’s game. The A’s will have to choose between Mike Fiers or lefty Sean Manaea. The A’s probably will go with Fiers as the White Sox have a 15-0 record against lefties. The game will begin at 12:10 pm Thursday.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Wild Card series between the Oakland A’s and the Chicago White Sox began on Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s in the playoffs for the third consecutive season, the sixth time in the last nine years, and the eleventh time in the previous 21 seasons faced the White Sox, making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2008.

A’s manager Bob Melvin made a surprising choice by announcing left Jesus Luzardo would start for Oakland. Everyone thought lefty Sean Manaea would have the honor, but Melvin decided to go with Luzardo. It was also surprising as the White Sox have battered lefty pitching all season. They were 14-0 against lefties. The Sox led the American League with 96 home runs. They have a predominately right-handed batting order, and they made the A’s pay by crushing them 4-1.

White Sox manager, Rick Renteria, made a wise choice by selecting his ace, Lucas Giolito, to pitch. Giolito was perfect for the first six innings. Eighteen batters up and eighteen batters retired. Tommy La Stella singled to break up the possible no-hitter and perfect game leading off in the top of the seventh. Giolito retired the next three batters to end the seventh. The scoring summary follows below.

Chicago put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the second inning. Right-fielder Adam Engel blasted a home run over the left-field wall to make it 1-0. The White Sox added two more runs in the third. Sox shortstop, Tim Anderson, led off with a single. It was his second hit of the game. Luzardo retired the next two batters. He did not get by Jose Abreu. The big guy from Cuba sent Luzardo’s pitch way over the left-center-field fence to put Chicago ahead 3-0.
Giolito continued to mow down the A’s batters. The A’s came into the game having lost five of the last seven. The offense was not clicking on all cylinders. The ineptness continued Tuesday afternoon.

In the eighth, Sox catcher Yasmany Grandal hit a solo home run off A’s reliever, Joakim Soria, to make it 4-0. The A’s broke through in their half of the frame as they put one on the board. Giolito walked the leadoff hitter, Mark Canha. Rick Renteria walked out to the mound to talk to Giolito. He gave him a quick pep talk and left Giolito in the game A’s third baseman Jake Lamb singled, sending Canha to third. Renteria decided to go to his bullpen. He brought in Evan Marshall to pitch to Ramon Laureano. Laureano hit into a fielder’s choice. Canha scored to put the A’s on the board. Marshall struck out Chad Pinder for the second out. Catcher Sean Murphy singled to put men on at first and second with two out. Renteria brought in lefty Aaron Bummer to retire Tommy La Stella. The A’s trail 4-1 after eight.
Sox closer Alex Colome set the A’s down 1-2-3 in the ninth to record the save. The A’s lose 4-1.

Game notes- With the loss, the A’s have their backs against the wall. They must win on Wednesday. They will have to find a way to beat Dallas Keuchel. The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the mound on Wednesday. Bassitt has pitched very well this year. He will have his work cut out for him as he tries to shut down the mighty White Sox lineup. The A’s have to do something to ignite the offense. They hit just .225 as a team during the sixty-game season. Jake Lamb, as an Oakland Athletic, and Tommy La Stella were the only players in the lineup hitting over .240. They better have steak for breakfast Wednesday morning. Maybe that will get them going.

The line score for Chicago was 4-9-0. For Oakland 1-3-0.
Tim Anderson had three hits for the Sox. Home runs accounted for all of the runs that Chicago put on the board.
The A’s had three hits. They struck out nine times.
It is do-or-die for Oakland on Wednesday. The A’s have not won a playoff game since 2013. They lost the last game of the 2013 ALDS to the Detroit Tigers. They lost the Wild Card game to the Kansas City Royals in 2014. They Lost to the New York Yankees in 2018. The Tampa Bay Rays did them in last year. The baseball gods have not been kind to Oakland. It’s time for the Green and Gold to right the ship and get a win. There is no tomorrow if they lose. The game starts at 12:10 pm.

The Oakland A’s Matt Olson prepares to take his cuts in the cage as the Oakland A’s hold workouts at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Sep 28, 2020 in preparation of the ALWC series against the visiting Chicago White Sox (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The 2020 American League playoffs start on Tuesday, September 29th. The Oakland A’ finished with a record of 36-24 to win the American League Western Division title. The A’s will be the second seed in the AL.

The Minnesota Twins also had the same record as the A’s. They will be the third seed as their intradivision play’s record was not as good as the A’s. The A’s will now play the seventh seed, the Chicago White Sox.

Had the A’s been the third seed, they would have been playing the Houston Astros. The Astros finished with a record of 29-31 and were 3-7 vs. the A’s this season. The A’s now face a team with a better record. Chicago was first in the Central Division on September 19th. The team went into a tailspin at the end of the regular season and was 1-7 in their final eight games. They finished with a record of 35-25.

It will be difficult to predict a winner in this best two out of three Wild Card series. The A’s lost the one-game Wild Card to New York in 2018. The Tampa Bay Rays sent the A’s home last year as they beat the A’s at the Coliseum.

A’s manager Bob Melvin will probably use lefty Sean Manaea in the first game, Chris Bassitt in the second, and Mike Fiers in the third game. All three have been pitching well lately. The A’s bullpen has been stellar all season. Melvin will have starters Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo available to pitch in relief.

He will call on Yusmeiro Petit, T.J.McFarland, Jake Diekman, Joakim Soria, Lou Trivino, and closer Liam Hendriks to shut down the Chicago offense. The A’s offense has been an area of concern for the team. They are hitting, as a team, a woeful .225. They are striking out too much. The A’s, in a short series, have to correct the hitting problems. If not, they will not be advancing to the AL Division Series.

The A’s pitching will be facing a team loaded with power hitters. The White Sox have two players that are in the running for the AL MVP trophy. Their big first baseman, Jose Abreu, is hitting .317, with 19 home runs and 60 RBI’s in 60 games.

Shortstop Tim Anderson’s numbers are .322, ten dingers, and 21 RBIs. Their power-hitting DH is the veteran Edwin Encarnacion. Carnarcion is not hitting for average, but he still can belt the ball out of the park. Nick Madrigal will play second, and Yoan Moncado will be at third.

Leftfielder Eloy Jimenez is hitting .296, with fourteen bombs and 41 ribbies. The young man from Cuba is living up to his potential. Former Texas Ranger, Nomar Mazara, will be in center-field, and rookie Luis Robert, also from Cuba, will be in right. Robert is hitting .233 and has eleven big flys and 31 RBIs.

Yasmani Grandal and James McCann will handle the catching chores for the Chisox. Grandal, a switch-hitter, will see most of the action.

The White Sox have announced that Lucas Giolito will start the Tuesday game. Giolito has never started a game in Oakland. A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, is four-for six with two home runs facing Giolito. Chad Pinder is 2-for 5.

Lefty Dallas Keuchel goes on Wednesday. Keuchel is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in the playoffs. Chisox relievers include Evan Marshall, Matt Foster, lefty Gio Gonzalez, Jace Fry, Codi Heuer, Jimmy Cordero, Aaron Bummer, Carlos Rodon, and closer Alex Colome.

It should be an exciting series. Will the A’s pitchers be able to shut down the potent White Sox Offense? Will the A’s bats come alive in the series? Whose bullpen will be better? The A’s hope to have the answers as they try to advance to the ALDS. The first game of the series will start at noon PDT on Tuesday.

The stage is set for Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum as the Chicago White Sox face the Oakland A’s in the best of a three game wild card series (@whitesox image)

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s lost five of their last seven games not ideal to end the regular season but they ended the season on a winning note with a victory over the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 The A’s now host the Chicago White Sox for the best two out of three series which starts at the Coliseum on Tuesday this has to be a better wild card set up than the one and dones the A’s have had in past years.

#3 A’s manager Bob Melvin said that it’s been a difficult season on the players with the protocols and not being allowed to see your family and friends and just going from the park and to hotel each night.

#4 The White Sox come to the Coliseum ten games over .500 at 35-25 from the regular season and the A’s regular season record 36-24 have the home field advantage through the wild card series.

#5 The A’s have not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday but it’s likely that Sean Manaea might get the call from Melvin. The White Sox have and are going with Lucas Giolito (0-0) whose making his first career appearance pitching at the Oakland Coliseum in his last start he threw 119 pitches 11 for strikeouts.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn (58) is lifted by A’s manager Bob Melvin (not pictured) in the third inning. Blackburn pitched just 2.1 innings giving up five hits and seven runs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Seattle Mariners at the Oakland Coliseum Sat Sep 26, 2020 (AP News photo)

Oakland 3 9 0

Seattle 12 12 1

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Robbie Grossman quickly took the sting out of the A’s extra inning loss in the first game of today’s doubleheader. Batting in the number two slot for the “visiting” Oakland Athletics in the second game, he blasted a 2-2 four seamer from the Seattle Mariners Justin Dunn and drove it 350 over the right field wall to give Oakland a 1-0 lead with one out in the first.

And that’s your A’s Highlight of the Game.

The Mariners scored eight runs in the third inning in the 12-3 laugher over the  A’s. Seven of them were charged to Paul Blackburn, making his first appearance of the season. He had been added to Oakland’s roster as the additional player allowed during double headers.

His stint lasted two and a third innings, during which he surrendered the aforementioned seven runs, all of them earned, on five hits and two walks. He also managed to strike out a couple of Mariners.

In the terrible third, Seattle sent thirteen batters to the plate (i.e., five came up once, and four made two appearances). Dee Strange-Gordon, possessor of the best big league moniker since Van Lingle Mungo, went two for two in the third, and Joseph Odon, JP Crawford, Kyle Seager, Ty France, Tim Lopes, Evan White, and Braden Bishop all connected for base hits.

Two of those safeties, White’s RBI infield single and Strange-Gordon’s second single (also a run producer) came off James Kaprielian, who relieved Blackburn and, after giving up those two hits and a walk, got the two final outs of the frame.

Yeah, the A’s got a run back in the fourth and Robbie Grossman slammed a homer to right in the fourth, but that upped the A’s total run production to three, where it stood until the game mercifully with Tommy La Stella hitting into, what else?, a double play.

Meanwhile, Seattle crossed the plate three more times, once in each the fourth and sixth and twice in the fifth, to bring their total to eleven. Oakland’s total hit count was a respectable nine, three of which were contributed by Robbie Grossman.

Every Mariner except José Marmolejos and Branden Bishop got at least one hit. Crawford, Lopes, and Strange-Gordon each got a pair, and Evan White went three for four to bring his average up to .180. It was that sort of an afternoon.

Both teams rested some of their best players, Semien and Laureano among them, so there’s little reason to fear that dropping today’s twin bill to the M’s will damage the Oakland team’s morale in any significant way.

Blackburn was, of course, charged with the loss. James Kaprilian, Jordan Weems, and TJ McFarland each contributed, and none of them failed to yield at least one run. The longest stint of any of the relievers was Karielian’s one and two-thirds innings; the others pitched an inning apiece.

The Mariners’ Justin Dunn pitched decently enough, allowing three earned runs on six hits in five innings. He now has four wins in set against his single loss. Walter Lockett gave up three hits but didn’t allow a run to score in his two innings of mop up relief.

Marco González (7-2, 3.06) will battle against Frankie Montás (3-5, 6.32) starting tomorrow at 12:10. When that game is over and the dust has settled around the rest of MLB, we’ll see who it is who’ll be coming to The Coliseum on Tuesday.

Unless, as has been known to happen this year, something new and completely different occurs.

The Seattle Mariners starter Justus Sheffield delivers in the first inning against the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum on Sat Sep 26, 2020 (AP News photo)

Seattle. 5. 7. 0

Oakland. 1. 6. 1

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Last night’s thrilling (and chilling) walk off victory of the A’s over the visiting Seattle Mariners may have seemed meaningless, but it wasn’t. Oakland already had clinched its berth in the wild card free for all; it even had a lock on home field advantage. But the question of who their opponent will be still was—and still is—an open one. Take a look at the records of the eight teams have qualified for the shoot out.

1) Tampa Bay (38-20, 6.55) 2) Oakland (34-22, .614) 3) Minnesota (35-23, 6.03) 4) Cleveland (34-24, 5.86) 5) New York (32-26, .553) 6) Houston (29-29, .500) 7) Chicago (34-24, .586) 8) Toronto (31-27, .534)

The top four will be the home teams, with the leading team, Tampa Bay, playing the team with the worst record of the eight, the second place team, the A’s, facing the team with the next worst record, the White Sox, and so on. Oakland, going into today’s games, had three more left to play, all against Seattle. Both Minnesota and Cleveland have two games left. That makes it mathematically possible for Oakland to be the fourth seed when tumult and the shouting have died down.

Regardless of who ends up coming to the East Bay for the best of three series scheduled to begin on Tuesday, the home field advantage, although reduced by the absence of paying fans, is real. The A’s know how to deal with the Coliseum’s spacious foul territory and treacherous wind currents. That counts for a lot.

Seattle sent Justus Sheffield to the mound to face the Athletics in the first of today’s two seven inning contests. The 24 year old southpaw is a formidable opponent. He was the Indians’ first round draft choice in 2014. He had gone 4-3, 3.75 this year with the M’s and has given up only five earned runs in his last 20 innings of work. He pitched a good game today.

Mike Minor was the A’s starter. The question was which Mike Minor would show up, the 2019 all-star or the 1-6, 5.92 version of 2020. Oakland’s share of that record was 1-1,6.61, which included a seven inning, two hit shutout against the Mariners at Safeco Field on September 14.

By the bottom of the second, the A’s were back to their tantalizing ways, loading the bases on back to back singles by Mark Canha and Matt Olson and a walk to Stephen Piscotty, with Khris Davis’s fly out to right interspersed. It was all for naught because Jake Lamb was called out on an infield fly to short and Jonah Heim flew out to right.

In the first three frames, La Stella erased Semien twice by grounding into DPs. They’re a good double play combination, but that’s not the type of twin killing the A’s are looking for in them.

Oakland finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Canha led off with a double to right. He moved on to third on Olson’s single to left and scored on Khris Davis’s sac fly to right. But the double play once more dashed Oakland’s hopes. Stephan Piscotty’s hard line drive went straight into first baseman Evan White’s glove. White whipped the pellet over to France, and that was it for Oakland in the fourth.

Number nine hitter Branden Bishop greeted Minor with a double to left to open the visitors’ sixth. Crawford’s single to left brought him home to tie the score. That was it for Minor, who finished his day’s work with a line of one run (earned) on four hits and no walks over five full innings. He struck out seven and 55 of his 80 pitches were strikes.

Minor’s replacement, Joakim Soria, had to deal with a hairy situation. Canha, the hero of last night’s fray, mishandled Crawford’s hit, an error that allowed him to advance to second. Sic transit gloria mundi.

France lined Soria’s first offering to the warning track in right center field, putting Crawford on third with only one out. But Soria kept barred the door to the Mariners by striking out Kyle Lewis and, after a declared walk to Kyle Seager, getting Luis Torrens to fly out to Laureano in center.

Liam Hendriks threw a 1,2,3 seventh, but couldn’t finish eighth. After Bishop sacrificed the emplaced pinch runner, Dee Strange-Gordon, Crawford drove him home with what proved to be the winning run by singling to center.

He then stole second and scored on France’s single to left. A rare losing performance by the mainstay of the Athletics’ bullpen. Lou Trivino came in to wipe up what was left of Seattle’s inning, but the wiper became the wipee when Kyle Seager took him deep to bring Crawford home, the Mariners’ fourth and fifth tallies.

Sheffield got the win. He’s now 5-3 with an ERA of 3.58. He gave up one run (earned) on five hits in five innings of work. He walked two and struck out one. His pitch count was 82, with 49 strikes.

It was a disappointing loss for the A’s. But they will have a chance to revenge it in about a half an hour in a make up of the game scheduled to have been played on the banks of the Puget Sound on September 3. Oakland, as the putative visitors, will bat first. And, as I mentioned at the start of this dispatch, there still is a lot to be decided in this short, action packed season.