Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s podcast with Lewis Rubman: Melvin talks about replay reviews in Rockies series; A’s tough loss to M’s in Seattle

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Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Lewis slides safely home to score as Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy waits for the ball in the fourth inning of a baseball game during the Mariners home opener Friday, July 31, 2020, in Seattle.Elaine Thompson/AP

On the A’s podcast with Lewis Rubman :

#1 On a play on Wednesday that saw the Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado threw to the plate to catcher Tony Wolters who tagged the A’s Matt Olson sliding on the thigh Melvin argued the replay showed that Olson was safe and it was the first of two plays that manager Bob Melvin was not in agreement on.

#2 The second play pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw a high ball to first base to get the runner but it was ruled too late the replay showed it to be a tie and it went to the runner. Luzardo took blame for it saying he threw a high lob toss giving more time for the runner to get there.

#3 Lewis it’s true the A’s have a very talented line up they have hitters and depth in the their rotation but in the Rockies series on Tuesday and Wednesday it came down to the bullpen to try and get the A’s out of situations but still dropping both games.

#4 How important is it that the A’s now have a flagship radio station Bloomberg 960 after forgoing 860 KTRB due to too much right wing programming?

#5 The A’s got one precious day off last Thursday and they will only get one day off this month of August they face the Mariners this weekend who have struggled how much of an advantage will it be for the A’s facing the Mariners after taking two tough loses in the Colorado series?

Lewis Rubman filled in for Charlie O for the A’s podcasts every other Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No power, no pitching, no win for the A’s in Seattle

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (3-4) suffered their third consecutive loss on Friday night in Seattle as the Mariners won the opening game of the four-game wrap-around series 5-3. For the Mariners (4-4), it was their third consecutive victory.

Manaea was no mystery

Sean Manaea (0-2, 7.00) made his second start of the accelerated season and the results were less than spectacular. Manaea lasted just 4.1 innings allowing five runs (3 earned) on six hits while striking out four hitters.

Manaea’s ERA currently sits at 7.00 which is the kind of number that gets you sent to Triple-A or released in the normal baseball universe. In 2020, you might expect that two poor starting performances could mean a trip to San Jose to workout with the “taxi squad”, but that is not going to happen. With A.J. Puk on the Injured List, no front line starter is going to be sent anywhere.

Manaea is known as being a tenacious worker who will do everything he can do to get his “mojo” back on the mound. The fear in a situation like this is that it could be something physically wrong and not just something wrong with his pitching motion. The A’s have not given any indication that they think Manaea has any type of potential injury problem.

The bottom line is the A’s need Manaea to find a way to win games and win them right now. Each loss in this shortened season equals 2.7 losses. That means his two losses are the equivalent of 5.4 losses in a 162-game season. That many consecutive losses would cause major panic in the front office of any major league club.

The A’s need Manaea to find a way to get a win in his next start if they are to stay competitive for a playoff spot.

Three hits will not get it done

The A’s managed to collect only three hits in the game on Friday night in Seattle. Marcus Semien hit his first triple of the season in the top the eighth inning that drove in two runs for Oakland. Semien now has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .280 in those games.

Ramon Laureano hit his second double of the year in the game and Stephen Piscotty hit a single that eventually allowed him to score on Semien’s triple.

Laureano did hit a Sacrifice Fly that produced the A’s third and final run of the contest.

Oakland left four men on base. They went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left two runners in scoring position with two out.

For a team that is supposed to be known for its power, the A’s are experiencing a real power drought.

Walker was the Mariners star of the game

Taijuan Walker (1-1, 4.35) made his second start of the season for Seattle on Friday night and he was spectacular. Walker worked seven scoreless innings allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out eight Oakland hitters. He struck out the side in the fifth inning.

Taylor Walker picked up his second save of the young season in the game.

Seattle had a good night at the plate

J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 and two runs on Friday night. He now has a five-game hitting streak with multiple hits in his last three games.

Kyle Lewis extended his hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run in the win over the A’s.

Kyle Seager hit his fourth double of the season in the fourth inning which drove in two runs. It was his fifth extra-base hit of the season.

Up next

The first pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 6:10 PM on Saturday night. The A’s will send RHP Mike Fiers (0-0, 9.00) to the mound to face off against the Mariners LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 13.50).

 

 

 

 

 

 

A’s Preview: A’s to open four game series with Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle

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Manager Scott Servais elbow bumps Shed Long at summer camp last week at T-Mobile Park. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros, make their first road trip starting Friday. The A’s travel to Seattle to play four against the Mariners. The A’s are 3-3 so far, and the Mariners own a 2-4 record. In his fifth year as the M’s skipper, Scott Servais has a record of 321-327 during his tenure.

Servis will have his work cut out for him as the team has jettisoned many of the players from the 2019 season. Pitchers Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake, Hunter Strickland, Tommy Milone, Wade LeBlanc, have new homes. Sluggers Ryon Healy, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jay Bruce are in greener pastures. The same goes for catcher Omar Narvaez.

There will be a lot of unfamiliar names in the M’s lineup on Friday. Let’s take a look at their roster. The Mariners have three catchers on the team. Austin Nola will see the bulk of the action, and he will be backed up by rookies Joseph Odom and Joe Hudson.

Nola hit .269 last year with ten homers. Daniel Vogelbach will see time at first base. The big man hit just .208, but he hit 30 round-trippers in 2019. He will also see action as the teams’ designated hitter. Evan White and Jose Marmolejos also will see work at first.
Three players will handle the chores at second base.

In his second year, Shed Long, Jr., the veteran Dee Gordon, in his tenth, and Tim Lopes, who hit .270 in 111 at-bats in 2019.J.P.Crawford and Dylan Moore will be at shortstop. Crawford played more than Moore, but their batting averages are about the same as are their home run totals. The veteran Kyle Seager will be at third base for the tenth year. Seager hit .239 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs last year.

Rookie Jose Marmolejos will be in left field. Marmolejos can also play first base. Mallex Smith will be in centerfield. Kyle Lewis, who is off to a good start with eleven hits and a batting average of .458 will be in right field. Vogelback, Mamolejos, and Tim Lopes will see time as the designated hitter.

The M’s will use Matt Magill as their closer. Other bullpen pitchers include Dan Altavilla, Bryan Shaw, Nestor Cortes, Taylor Williams, Carl Edwards, Jr, Zac Grotz, Anthony Misiewicz, Yohan Ramirez, and Nick Margevicius.

We will now take a look at the probable pitchers for the four-game series. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland on Friday night. Taijuan Walker will oppose him. Manaea lost his first start to the Angels last Saturday.

Manaea pitched early in the game but ran out gas and didn’t make it through the fifth inning. His command was sharp as 40 of his 55 pitches were strikes. Taijuan Walker did not pitch in 2019 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Walker, back with Seattle after spending two years in Arizona, did not fare well in his first outing. In three and 1/3rd innings of work, he allowed five runs and his ERA stands at 13.50

The A’s have not announced their starting pitcher for Saturday night. Mike Fiers probably will pitch. Yusei Kikuchi will go for Seattle. Kikuchi went three and 2/3rds innings and gave up five hits, five runs, and walked four.

On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will pitch for Oakland. Kendall Graveman, the former Athletic, will face his teammates for the first time since leaving the club. Graveman also had Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in the last two years. He is 0-1 so far.

Graveman pitched four-plus innings and gave up seven runs and six hits. He would love nothing better than beating his old mates. No pitchers have been announced for Monday’s game. There is a possibility that Jesus Luzardo will make his first start for Oakland.

The A’s would like nothing better than sweeping the four-game series. A’s manager Bob Melvin wants his starters to go deeper into the game. Only one pitcher has gone at least five innings. If Melvin has to remove the pitchers too early, it will wear out the bullpen. The relievers have done their job.

The A’s hitters have to get their game going, too. Khris Davis is 0-for-15 to start the season. The team cannot get off to a so-so start. The season is only 60 games, and if they are not playing well in the early going, it won’t be easy to finish in one of the two top spots in the AL West. Let’s hope things fall into place for the Green and Gold this weekend.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s struggling to get around the baseball out pitched during Rockie series

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(San Francisco Chronicle photo) The Oakland A’s Khris Davis (right) after a fourth inning RBI sacrifice gets an elbow bump from A’s manager Bob Melvin (left) on Mon Jul 20th’s game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Angels. Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry during the A’s series with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday they scratched out only four runs how does A’s manager Bob Melvin account for the lack of run production in that two game series?

#2 Jerry talk about the Rockies German Marquez who had command on the A’s line up going six innings, four hits, giving up just a run and the vital statistic eight strikeouts.

#3 Six of the Rockies in the line came to Oakland hitting over .300 and on Tuesday they put on a run production with a five run 8-3 win they’ve got some guys in that line up that can swing the bats.

#4 The A’s Khris Davis sat out Wednesday night against the Rockies after going hitless in 15 at bats has this been a matter of not seeing the pitches that he wants to hit or as Melvin said he’s struggling right now.

#5 The A’s now hit the road to face the Seattle Mariners at Safeco for a four game series on Friday night in Seattle. The Mariners are struggling in their own right and have lost four of their last five games as of Tuesday night could series give the A’s a chance to take advantage of the Mariners recent struggles and get back in the win column?

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

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Broadcasting Road Games from Home

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(@JessieSanchezMLB file photo 2012)  Oakland A’s Spanish broadcaster and author of That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary Amaury Pi Gonzalez (left) and Manolo Hernandez Douen bring you live A’s action from the Oakland Coliseum on 1010 KIQI San Francisco

Broadcasting Road Games from Home

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–This season the major league teams will not travel, all 30 of them. The road games will be broadcasted from the city where the visiting team resides, i.e. if the A’s are playing in Seattle, the A’s radio and television announcers are calling the game from Oakland. It could be from the park, or from the radio or television studios. Maybe a new experience for some of my younger colleagues.

Through the years I have done many games from home when my team was on the road. Sometimes at the baseball park inside the booth where the home games are done, many other times, (years ago) from the main radio studios.

Nowadays, it is probably easier, because of social media, you can have the lineups and all the stats you need to call a game in the palm of your hands on your smart-phone. But that was not the case before social media.

I remember if the team was away and I was at home (and I do not mean my house) but the park where my team played or at the radio station of my team. I would have to call the city where the team was playing and talk to a team media-relations person who would dictate to me the lineups, and some of the information I needed. Later when FAX machines ‘came about’, it became easier for me, since I would call the media person and request he/she fax me the game’s lineups as well as the team notes.

Imagine yourself sitting in front of your television, with a microphone that goes directly to the radio and it is live. This is what announcers do when they are “recreating” from the studio when they are not traveling with a team.

Here is a memory from years ago….a broadcast of the Oakland A’s from the Oakland Coliseum when the club was playing the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida. I remember that there was a delay during that game, due to a lighting strike that hit Tropicana Field. The lights went out. I was doing the game from our regular broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum. The television went black, my partner and I keep talking baseball explaining to the radio audience what had happened.

It was a coincidence that during that game Carl Stewart from the Bay Area News Group was writing a story about our production, and he was in awe as Manolo Hernández-Douen and yours truly, who kept talking baseball during blackout in Tampa. Many minutes later, the game was back on our screen and we continued the regular play by play and commentary coverage of the game.

Today, when the Athletics are at home and the game is on local television, you can go to the SAP channel and watch the game while you listen to our broadcast in Spanish. Today we have all the technology, but I understand what my colleagues, who used to travel all the time, will be going through, by calling these road games from the city where the team is from a television screen. It is not easy, even for the most experienced broadcasters, because there is nothing, like calling the game where the game is taking place, in the same stadium, the normal way.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the radio play by play Spanish voice for Oakland A’s baseball on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rockies’ pitchers keep A’s bats quiet 5-1; A’s swept in two-game series

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Rocked out: The Colorado Rockies form a congratulatory conga line after taking the two game set from the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon (sfgate.com photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland-The Colorado Rockies’ pitcher held the A’s to just five hits to win 5-1 and sweep the short two-game series. Matt Chapman had the A’s only extra-base hit as he hit a solo dinger in the first inning. The A’s managed just four hits in the next eight innings.

As mentioned above, the A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first when Chapman took Rockies’ starter, German Marquez, deep. The Rockies tied the game in the top of the second. A’s starter, Frankie Montas, walked Daniel Murphy, gave up a single to Ryan McMahon, and walked Garrett Hampson to load the bases. Tony Walters singled off the right-field wall to drive in Murphy. Montas retired the next two hitters to get out of the jam.

The Rockies added a run in the fourth. McMahon and Sam Hilliard singled to put men on at first and third with no out. Garrett Hanson drove in McMahon with a sacrifice fly to left. Wolters hit into a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the A’s had men on at second and third with two out. Stephen Piscotty hit a sharp ground ball to the third baseman, Nolan Arenado. All Arenado had to do was throw to first, and the inning would be over.

Arenado, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, made a rare mental error. Instead of throwing to first, he threw home to get Matt Olson at the plate. The play was close. The umpire called Olson out. The A’s asked for a review. The replay showed that Olson appeared to have reached home safely. However, the call was upheld, and the inning ended with the Rockies still leading 2-1.

The Rockies added a run in the eighth. Rockies’ shortstop singled and then scored on Charlie Blackmon’s double into the left-field corner. The A’s had an opportunity to put some runs on the board in their half of the frame.

Marcus Semien led off with a single. Rockies’ reliever, Jairo Diaz, walked Ramon Laureano. Diaz retired Chapman and Olson. He hit Mark Canha with a pitch to load the bases. The next hitter, Robbie Grossman, who had a single and a double, struck out to end the threat.

The Rockies scored two unearned runs in the ninth to make it a 5-1 game. The A’s went down 1-2-3, and the game ended.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are now 3-3 for the year. The Rockies improved to 4-1. German Marquez was the winner, and the loss went to Frankie Montas. Montas was the first A’s pitcher to go at least five innings this year. He allowed two runs and five hits in his five innings of work. He threw 77 pitches. Jesus Luzardo replaced him to start the sixth inning. The young leftie went three and 2/3rds innings. He gave up four hits and three runs. Only one run was earned. He threw 67 pitches.

The A’s managed just five hits. The big blow was Chappie’s dinger in the first. Robbie Grossman had a single and a double. The A’s were o-for- 14 with men in scoring position. The A’s need to get their offense going. They are off on Thursday. They travel to Seattle for a four-game series with the Mariners beginning Friday night.

Rockies pound out 13 hits to down A’s 8-3

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Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, left, scores against Oakland Athletics catcher Austin Allen in the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

 The visiting Colorado Rockies pounded out 13 hits to defeat the A’s 8-3. The Rockies’ manager, Bud Black, loaded his lineup with seven left-handed hitters. The A’s starter, Daniel Mengden, had trouble last year with the lefties. The lefties hit over .300 against him. Mengden went just four innings. He threw 87 pitches and allowed five hits and three runs.

The Rockies put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Trevor Story singled. Charlie Blackmon followed with a single to send Story to third. Nolan Arenado hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Story.

The A’s tied the game in their half of the third. With one out, Ramon Laureano singled. Rockies’ starter Anthony Senzatela walked Matt Chapman and Matt Olson to load the bases. Mark Canha hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Laureano with the tying run. Khris Davis struck out to end the inning.

In the fourth, the Rockies scored twice to take the lead 3-1. Designated hitter Ramiel Tapia singled with one out. Left-fielder Sam Hilliard hit a hanging curve into the seats in rightfield.

Jordan Weems made his Major League and A’s debut when he took the mound to start the fifth. He struck out the first hitter, Trevor Story, that he faced. Things did not go well for him after that. He gave up four straight singles and a sacrifice fly.

The Rockies own a 5-1 lead. The A’s got one back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Laureano singled. Matt Olson singled to send him to third. Laureano scored on Nolan Arenado’s error to make it a 5-2 game.

The Rockies plated three more in the eighth to put the game out of reach. A’s reliever Lou Trivino did not have a good outing. Hoping to regain the magic he had in 2018, Trivino allowed three runs, a walk, and three hits. The A’s plated their third run of the night in the bottom half of the eighth. The A’s lose 8-3.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are now 3-2 for the season. The Rockies improved to 3-1. The winning pitcher was Anthony Senzatela. He threw 40 pitches in the first inning, but settled down and finished five innings of work. Tyler Kinley, Daniel Bard, and Carlos Estevez ended the game for the Rockies. The story of the night was Daniel Bard. Bard had not pitched in the Majors since 2013.

He left due to a severe case of the “yips.” Baseball is a mental game. He had lost his confidence and couldn’t get his pitches over the plate. He regained his confidence and pitched and allowed just one run in two innings of work Tuesday night.

The A’s designated hitter, Khris Davis, had opportunities to do some damage but failed. Davis has not had a hit so far this year. The fans know that he is a streaky hitter. Tonight would have been an excellent time to get it going. He left nine men stranded. In the first inning with the bases loaded, he popped out. In the third with two men on, he struck out. In the fifth with two men on, he hit into an inning-ending double play. In the eighth, with a man on third, he struck out.

The teams meet again to complete the short two-game series. Frankie Montas goes for Oakland, and German Marquez will take the hill for Colorado.

A’s blank Angels 3-0 take three out four from LA

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Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) who started and threw for five innings was one of six pitchers who combined in a nine hit shutout of the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday afternoon (athleticsnation.com)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Oakland A’s beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 to take three out four to start the 2020 season with a 3-1 record. The Angels had Albert Pujols back in the lineup after giving him the day off on Sunday.

Also back in the lineup was Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani, who pitched yesterday, was the designated hitter. Ohtani typically has the day off after throwing. He did not get out of the first inning and did not retire a hitter.

The A’s sent righty Chriss Bassitt to the hill to face the Angels. Bassitt was making his first start of the year. The Angels countered with Griffin Canning. Bassitt had his work cut out for him.

The A’s pitchers have to work hard to retire the Angels hitters. The Angels lineup with David Fletcher, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Ohtani, and Tommy LaStella can make life rough for any pitcher. A’s manager Bob Melvin had a 70 pitch limit for Bassitt on Monday. Bassitt threw a lot of pitches in the first and second innings and left the game after four innings of work.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, second baseman Tony Kemp walked. Marcus Semien beat the shift as he singled to right-center to send Kemp to third. Ramon Laureano hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Kemp with the first run of the game. Semien tagged up and advanced to second on the play. A’s third baseman Matt Chapman doubled to deep centerfield to drive in Semien with the inning’s second run. The A’s lead 2-0 after three complete.

In the top of the fourth, the Angels blew an excellent opportunity to get on the board and possibly tie the game. Justin Upton led off the frame with a single. Tommy LaStella, who loves to hit against the A’s, doubled to send Upton to third.

The next hitter, future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols hit a rocket to third baseman Matt Chapman. Chappie, sure-handed as ever, picked up the ball, and his throw home got Upton trapped in a rundown. A’s catcher Sean Murphy tagged Upton for the out.

LaStella could not advance to third on the play. Angels’ catcher Jason Castro singled to load the bases with one out. Bassitt got out of the inning when he got Andrelto Simmons to ground out into a 1-2-3 double play. The A’s bullpen did their job and held the Angels scoreless the rest of the way.

Mark Canha led off the bottom of the fourth with his first home run of the year to make it 3-0. That ended the scoring for the A’s. The Angels threatened in the ninth as they had two men on with two out. A’s reliever, Joakim Soria, had to face the American League MVP Mike Trout. Trout could tie the game with one swing of the bat.

Soria struck him out looking. Trout argued the call but to no avail. The A’s win 3-0. Game Notes- The A’s bullpen continued their outstanding work again on Monday. In four games, they have given up just one run.

The A’s used five relievers. Burch Smith, who took over for Bassitt in the fifth, worked two innings and received credit for his second win. T.J.McFarland, Yusmeiro Petit, Jake Diekman, and Soria all saw action.

A’s manager Bob Melvin said the play that changed the game’s momentum was Chapman’s throw to nail Upton. it was a “big swing.” Melvin said this about Chris Bassitt: “we feel good when he’s on the mound.”

The big news around baseball was the story about the 14 people in the Miami Marlin organization that became infected with Covid-19. So far, 11 players and three other personnel contracted the disease.

The Marlins tested the players after yesterday’s game with the Phillies, and results are expected back today. The Marlins’ games with the Baltimore Orioles have been postponed. The Phillies and Yankees games were also postponed. Melvin’s comment about the outbreak was succinct: “it worries you.” The A’s host the Colorado Rockies Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 6:40 pm.

The O in Ohtani stands for zero outs in A’s 6-4 win over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

Major League Baseball has quite a bit of anonymity running through it these days, so here goes in recapping the Angels and A’s on Sunday:

The biggest name came up a little bit short, the most transcendent name didn’t last long, and the newest name went the furthest in the A’s 6-4 win at the Coliseum.

The A’s took full advantage of Shohei Ohtani’s unraveled return to the mound, striking for five runs out the gate before the two-way star was removed without recording an out. But the A’s were stymied by starter-turned-reliever Matt Andriese (5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief) and superstar Mike Trout (4 RBI) which turned a rout into a tense game in the fifth.

We pause at this point to examine how Ohtani’s 11th major league start–and his first since Tommy John surgery in 2018–became his worst, and how Trout came tantalizing close to rescuing his teammate with a second, three-run homer in the game’s first five innings.

Ohtani, the singular big league talent who combines a home run swing with a nasty, mid 90’s fastball-slider combo wiped out the A’s in his second big league start, a 12-strikeout masterpiece littered with unhittable sliders in April 2018 at the Coliseum.  Despite being used conservatively by the Angels, as an occasional DH and having a no less than a full week between starts, Ohtani experienced arm discomfort that truncated his rookie season as a pitcher.  He kept hitting that season before having the surgery in the off-season, then missing all of 2019 as a pitcher, while continuing his designated hitter duties.

Ohtani’s summer camp procceded naturally–and trouble free–a ramp up of velocity and length over three appearances. He appeared ready to pitch effectively on Sunday, his first start for new manager Joe Maddon.

Marcus Semien, with just one hit in his first eight at-bats, took Ohtani back up the middle for a leadoff single. The next three batters all walked as Ohtani took deep breaths on the mound and looked less than comfortable. Singles by Mark Canha and Robbie Grossman increased the A’s lead to 4-0, and forced Maddon’s hand after the Japanese star faced just six batters.

“He just didn’t throw the ball very well,” Maddon said. “I can’t sit here making excuses for him. I’m not going to do that. It just wasn’t his day. The fastball wasn’t coming out, there was no deception in his pitches.”

Tellingly, Ohtani hit 94 mph as high–slightly off the 96 mph he regularly hit in 2018–and threw just two sliders. No doubt, healthy, but tentative, not surprising given his injury and infrequent pitching assignments going back over three years now.

“Right now I feel like I was throwing the ball rather than pitching,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “There is still a little rust. I have to come up with a game plan.”

Trout came up in an advantageous situation in the third with a pair of runners aboard and gifted a 3-0 count by Fiers. Not through granting gifts, Fiers looked to get back in the count with a batting practice fastball that Trout launched. Not surprising, but the bomb was the first of Trout’s 286 career homers to come on a 3-0 count. In fact, only five times in 210 situations had Trout resolved an at-bat on a 3-0 pitch with a swing, and that produced just one single. Needless to say, Fiers had little to fear, except…

When Brian Goodwin and David Fletcher opened the fifth, as they did in the third, with back-to-back singles, Fiers got a relatively early hook as well. But Yusmeiro Petit back the starter with three consecutive outs, including a sacrifice fly that reached the warning track induced off Trout’s bat. That smash would have given the Angels the lead, instead it made Petit the game’s subtle hero.

Four other A’s relievers followed, concluding  with Liam Hendriks’ four-out save, and none allowed a run. The heroes in Oakland’s 2-1 start to the season? The bullpen with one run allowed in 15 plus innings of work.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Bob Melvin noted. “We knew the bullpen would be very important in the beginning of the year. They’ve been up to the task.”

Sean Murphy, the first A’s catcher to truly be handed the keys to the car by Melvin since Stephen Vogt departed, finished the Halos with a 455-foot home run in the sixth. First pitch swinging against reliever Noe Ramirez, Murphy was everything Trout wasn’t with his controlled, home run swing in the third: violent and powerful.

“He’s about as strong as anybody and can hit the ball as far as anyone on our team. All it takes for a guy like him is one pitch,” Melvin said of his young catcher.

The A’s conclude the wraparound, four-game series on Monday with Griffin Canning facing familiar face, Chris Bassitt for the A’s.

The Angels and Bundy bounce back on Saturday to hand the A’s a 4-1 loss

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics were not able to capitalize on their big Friday night extra-inning win on Saturday. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim came out and played the game as if Friday night never happened. In a term every little leaguer knows, “they just flushed it!” and beat the Athletics 4-1.

Dylan Bundy made the difference for LAA

Bundy (1-0) made his debut as an Angel after having been with Baltimore his entire career. As a former number one draft pick, much was expected of Bundy, but many have graded his time as an Oriole as a disappointment. He posted a record of 38-45 in 127 starts with a 4.67 ERA. During most of that time, the Baltimore baseball operations department has been less than stellar.

Bundy came to the Angels in an off-season trade in exchange for four minor league players.

On Saturday, Bundy gave up just one run (earned) on three hits while striking out seven and walking none in 6.2 innings. He faced 24 batters and threw 90 pitches (64 strikes).

Manaea was not a mystery on Saturday

Justin Upton put the Angels up on the board in the fourth inning when took a 1-1 pitch from Manaea over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season. It was also the 299th home run of Upton’s career.

Manaea had retired the previous 11 hitters he faced.

The fifth inning proved to be Manaea’s downfall. The Angels scored three runs off four hits. That sent Manaea (0-1) to the showers as J.B. Wendelken came on in relief.

With their 4-0 lead, the Angels never looked back.

A’s threatened in the seventh

With two out in the bottom of the seventh, Stephen Piscotty doubled down the left-field line. After a pitching change, Robbie Grossman drove Piscotty home with single to left. Grossman was able to steal second base and Chad Pinder walked. Grossman moved up to third on a wild pitch by Keynan Middleton. Austin Allen then grounded out to end the inning.

That would be all of the scoring for Oakland in the game.

The highlight for the A’s

Jesus Luzardo entered the game in the top of the sixth inning for Oakland. Everyone was anxious to see if the young pitcher could pick up where he left off from last season.

Luzardo threw 3.0 scoreless innings allowing just one hit while striking out two and walking one batter. He faced 10 hitters and tossed 44 pitches (28 strikes).

Luzardo ended 2019 with four scoreless outings and now has a 10.0-inning scoreless streak. He has given up just two runs in 15.0 career innings with 1.20 ERA.

Up next

There will many eyes watching the game on Sunday. The Angels will send their two-way superstar – Shohei Ohtani – to the mound to make a pitching start for the first time since 2018. He was unable to pitch in 2019 while recovering from “Tommy John Surgery’. In 2018, Ohtani posted a record of 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts. He recorded a 1.16 WHIP.

Mike Fiers will make the start for the A’s. Fiers finished 2019 with a record of 15-4 in 33 starts and an ERA of 3.90. He worked 184.2 innings and struck out 126 batters with a 1.19 WHIP.