Category: Oakland Athletics

A’s Drop Game Two In Series With Philly 11-5

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Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper (right) waves to the crowd after belting a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia as Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (left) looks on on Sat Jul 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It was a given that the Philadelphia Phillies (62-33) would come into game two determined to even the series and that is exactly what they did. They beat the Oakland A’s (36-61) 11-5 but Oakland did put up a fight.

The A’s hung in this game until the Phillies broke it open in the eighth inning. The A’s had ten hits in this game with a couple of homers from Zach Gelof and Brent Rooker. It was the four home runs that the Phillies sent out of the park that made all the difference in the game.

Game recap: Oakland took the early lead in the second inning of the game 1-0. Seth Brown doubled Brent Rooker home and Oakland felt good about their start in this game. The A’s lead was short-lived in the same inning. The Phillies Nick Castellanos hit a long ball, a two run home run off a Mitch Spence pitch giving Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

Zach Gelof tied up the game for Oakland with a 384 ft home run in the third inning 2-2. Again, the Phillies had the answer taking back the lead 3-2. Kyle Schwarber doubled to center and Garrett Stubbs scored.

The Phillies scored again in the fourth inning. They had scored runs in the second, third and fourth frames taking a 6-2 lead distancing themselves from Oakland. Johan Rojas hit a solo home run and another long ball from Trea Turner followed, a two run home run, and Philadelphia was coasting.

Mitch Spence pitched through 3.2 innings before being pulled and relieved by Tyler Ferguson. He allowed five hits, six earned runs, five walks with six strikeouts. Ferguson went 1.1 innings with some great work allowing no hits, no runs with three strikeouts. Scott Alexander relieved him in the sixth inning with much the same success with no hits and no runs.

The A’s would inch a bit closer when Brent Rooker hit a 416 foot bullet to center in the seventh inning and Oakland trailed by the score of 6-3. Oakland continued to rally putting two runners on base, Shea Langeliers on third, Daz Cameron on first with one out and Brett Harris at the plate. Harris delivered, Langeliers scored and the A’s added another run 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Phillies added to their lead with a solo shot from Bryce Harper in the bottom of the seventh inning. Going into the eighth inning, the A’s had a lot of work to do.

Oakland put two runners on base in the eighth inning with two outs and Seth Brown at the plate. Earlier in the game Brown missed hitting a home run by the narrowest of margins and unfortunately he struck out and it was on to the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Unfortunately A’s pitcher Michel Otanez took a horrible hit to the forearm when a Trea Turner shot smoked him. He was forced to leave the game and T.J. McFarland took over on the mound.

The dangerous Bryce Harper came to the plate hitting a double and both Garrett Stubbs and Kyle Schwarber scored. The Phillies had broken this game wide open. Two more runs came in and when the dust had settled, the Phillies had a 11-4 lead going into the top of the ninth inning.

The A’s had a bit of a late rally in the ninth inning. Brett Harris had a single in the inning and Miguel Andujar also singled. Zach Gelof walked followed by a JJ Bleday walk loading the bases. Brent Rooker came to the plate and a home run would have been sweet indeed but did not come to be as he struck out. The A’s finished the game with ten hits losing the game 11-5.

Game notes: The A’s against the league leading Phillies dropped game one of this three game at Citizens Bank Ballpark on Friday night. The Phillies took the early lead in game one, the A’s came around in the third inning with three runs and never looked back. The A’s had to play well offensively and defensively in game one and they did not disappoint.

They won Friday’s game 6-2 with some great at-bats which included a Lawrence Butler two run home run in the eighth. There was some great work on the mound by starter Hogan Harris and the relief core which also contributed to this win.

It was a given that Philadelphia would come out very grumpy in game two Saturday after losing Friday’s game to open the series.

Oakland’s Mitch Spence was the starter Saturday going 3.2 innings allowing five hits and six runs. The Phillies starter Tyler Phillips went six innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. The A’s were looking to take game two and the lead in the series from the best team in baseball. That would have been an ideal scenario for Oakland going into the All-Star break now the series is tied 1-1 going into Sunday.

Game three will be played Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 10:35 AM to finish off the series before the All-Star break. Joey Estes will take the mound for Oakland with a 3-4 win-loss record and a 5.53 ERA.

Estes had a rough outing last Tuesday against the Red Sox only going 1.2 innings allowing seven hits and eight earned runs. Estes will be looking for an improved effort on the mound. Right now the Phillies are undecided as to who will start in the rubber game of this series.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Last Hurrah September 26 at the Coliseum will be a Sellout

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This is what the Oakland Coliseum would look like with a sellout crowd expected for the very last Oakland Game on Thu Sep 26, 2024 before the teams moves to Sacramento for the 2025 season (MLB photo file)

The Last Hurrah. September 26 at the Coliseum will be a Sellout

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Undoubtedly, the last game of the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on September 26, against the previous World Champion Texas Rangers, the first pitch scheduled at 12:37, will be a sell-out crowd of over 42,000.

This will close a chapter that began on April 17, 1968, when they played their first ball game at the then-brand-new Coliseum against the Baltimore Orioles. They could sell many more tickets if they chose to open the Football seats.

The Coliseum has a seating capacity of up to 63,132 depending on its configuration; an upper deck dubbed “Mount Davis” by fans was added as part of 1996. According to David Rinetti, Vice President of Stadium Operations, Mount Davis will not be open for that last game, Rinetti has been with the A’s since they first opened the Coliseum.

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum will close for business as far as the A’s after this game—fifty-six years of Major League Baseball, all with four World Series titles.

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers have won more World Series among the five Major League teams in California, Next stop for the A’s, the 2025 schedule to be announced by Major League Baseball at Sutter Sutter Health Park, Sacramento. Like we say during broadcasts “stay tuned”.

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

A’s Thursday game wrap: A’s Drop Series to Red Sox In a Game Three Shutout 7-0

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck delivers against the Oakland A’s line up on Thu Jul 11, 2024 at Fenway Park in Boston in game three of the the three game series (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the Oakland A’s (35-60) got blasted by the Boston Red Sox (51-41) 7-0. Boston got three early runs and it snow-balled from there. They had three home runs in the third, fourth and six innings of the game and Oakland struggled offensively from the get-go. Oakland pitcher Luis Medina had an awful outing and the A’s came out of this game with only four hits.

Game recap: This game got off to a rocky start for Oakland giving up three runs in the first inning. Masataka Yoshida singled two runners home, Jarren Duran and David Hamilton for a 2-0 lead. Wilyer Abreu came to the plate and doubled giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead as Connor Wong came home from third base. It was not the way that Oakland had envisioned the start of this game and it really went sideways as this game progressed.

Boston hit three home runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings taking a 7-0 lead which turned out to the be the final in this game. Connor Wong homered in the third, a solo shot. In the fourth inning another solo off the bat of Wilyer Abreu and to finish it off, Masataka Yoshida hit a a 2-run homer for the final score of 7-0. The A’s only managed four hits in the game and the Red Sox had ten hits making every one of them count.

It was a rough outing for Oakland pitcher Luis Medina who gave up seven hits, seven runs, two walks with seven strikeouts through five innings. Michel Otanez relieved Medina in the sixth inning allowing two hits and another run. This game was a tough one for the A’s anyway you look at it. There would be no home runs for the A’s in this game.

The Red Sox all-star pitcher Tanner Houck contained the Oakland offense. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning striking out six batters in a great outing for Boston. The A’s only had two hits through six innings. Boston is on a roll winning their last eight games out of ten and they have won five of six against Oakland.

The A’s got into deep trouble in the first inning falling behind 3-0 and it just snowballed from there. They could not get much offense going at all. The Red Sox jumped all over them offensively from first pitch and never let up.

Game notes: Thursday evening the A’s lost to the Red Sox in the rubber match of their series in a 7-0 shutout.. Oakland won Wednesday night’s matchup 5-2 and dropped the rubber game. They won a game two in their last series with the Baltimore Orioles but just could not finish that series with a win.

The A’s have been able to win games off some very good teams but have fallen short winning series. They create a lot of momentum in single games but cannot piece that momentum together to finish with any series wins. Thursday night they couldn’t get over the hurdle getting shutout by the Red Sox starter Tanner Houck and the Boston relief staff.. Luis Medina took the mound for the A’s and giving up seven hits and six earned runs.

It does not get any easier for the A’s in their next matchup as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the best team in baseball right now, the Phillies. Hogan Harris will be the probable pitcher for Oakland in Friday’s game. He has a 1-3 win/loss record and a 3.22 ERA. Philly will more than likely send a good one in Ranger Suarez who comes into this game with a10-3 win/loss record and an outstanding 2.58 ERA.

A’s Take Game Two In Red Sox Series 5-2; A’s-Sox meet for rubber game Thursday

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Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (23) puts the tag on the Boston Red Sox Jamie Westbrook at the plate in the bottom of the fifth at Fenway Park in Boston on Wed Jul 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday the Oakland A’s (35-59) beat up on the Boston Red Sox 5-2 (50-41) winning the series. JP Sears had a terrific outing going 5 2/3 innings allowing four hits and one earned run. Mason Miller was up to his usual excellence closing out the game earning a rubber match.

Wednesday evening the A’s and the Red Sox met in game two of their three game series. The two teams met under cloudy skies, but unlike yesterday there was no rain in the forecast but conditions did get very windy in this game. Oakland evened up this series against a very tough opponent with a 5-2 win. JP Sears took the mound for the A’s and went 5.2 innings allowed four hits and one run and for the Red Sox Nick Pivetta went 6.2 innings, allowed six hits and two earned runs.

Game recap: There would be no scoring through the first two innings of this game. As in Tuesday’s game the A’s on Wednesday night got the first lead of the game in the third inning. Langeliers scored the first run of the game with the bases loaded and Oakland had the early 1-0 lead. The A’s would add to their lead in the third when Lawrence Butler doubled and Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker scored for a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox did not answer in the third, in fact, they would not score until the sixth inning. JP Sears had some great innings in this game going three up and three down in the second, third and fourth innings.

He threw a pitch in the sixth inning that Rob Refsnyder connected with for a solo home run. With two outs, Austin Adams relieved Sears to try and get out of the inning. Adams was perfect and the only damage in the sixth inning was the single run. Sears had gone 5 2/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run. He had a terrific outing.

Oakland extended their lead in the seventh inning when the long overdue JJ Bleday connected for a double bringing Max Schuemann home and giving the A’s a 4-1 lead. T.J. McFarland relieved Adams in the bottom of the seventh inning.

When Adams allowed two runners on base, Lucas Erceg came in to relieve. It was not his finest hour as he walked the first at-bat he faced loading the bases. With two outs the Red Sox scored one run but Oakland got out of the inning still leading 4-2. It was a shaky seventh for the A’s but the damage was minimal and the insurance run the A’s scored in the seventh really came into play.

In the top of the eighth inning the A’s had loaded em up with no outs and Oakland had another great opportunity to add to their lead. Tyler Nevin hit a sacrifice fly and Brent Rooker scored for a 5-2 Oakland lead.

Oakland took the 5-2 lead into the ninth inning, three outs away from tying up this series. It’s always so much fun to say “it’s Miller time” as the reaper got warmed up. All-Star pitcher Mason Miller took the mound in the ninth to finish off the Red Sox and he did so with ease, as we have seen so often. The A’s tied up this series winning the game 5-2 and there would be a rubber match played Thursday.

Game three of this series will be played Thursday evening with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 PM. Probable pitchers for game three will be Luis Medina (2-3, 4.37) for Oakland and for Boston Tanner Houck (7-6, ERA 2.68).

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s announcer Vince Cotroneo announces retirement after 41 years behind the mic

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Oakland A’s broadcasters Vince Cotroneo, left, and Ken Korach talk in the radio booth before the start of the game against the San Francisco Giants Sunday May 21, 2006 at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. This was Cotroneo’s first year with the A’s. (Bay Area News Group, Bob Larson/Staff Archives)

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

After 41 years of calling professional baseball Oakland A’s broadcaster Vince Cotroneo is hanging up the microphone. This is my 32nd year calling Major League Baseball.” Cotroneo said, “2024 will be my last year broadcasting for the Athletics.”

Cotroneo joined the A’s after the passing of legendary broadcaster Bill King in 2006. Cotroneo worked minor league games from various locations from 1984-1990. In the 1991 season he got his break with his first Major League job in 1991 broadcasting Houston Astros games until the 1997 season. Cotroneo called Texas Rangers games from 1997 to 2003 and was out of broadcasting in 2004 and 2005.

It was not until 2006 after the passing of Bill King that Cotroneo was hired to be the number two announcer in the A’s radio booth behind lead announcer Ken Korach. Last season (2023) after A’s TV play by play announcer Glen Kuiper who used the N word on live TV and was fired by the A’s Cotroneo stepped in and did a spectacular job as the TV play by play announcer.

For the 2024 season Cotroneo went back to doing radio and the A’s had announced in the off season that they would be moving to Sacramento to play for the interim while their Tropicana ballpark is being built in Las Vegas. With Sutter Health Field being a minor league facility a smaller venue to work in for radio it might have been part of the reason why Cotroneo is leaving.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Lose Game One In Series With Boston Red Sox 12-9

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Oakland A’s Lawrence Butler (4) is congratulated by teammate Shea Langeliers (23) after hitting a three run home run in the top sixth against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on Tue Jul 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (34-59) had a nice start taking an early 2-0 lead but a horrendous second inning that gave Boston Red Sox (50-40) eight runs after scoring 3 in the first inning made all the difference in the game. The Red Sox only scored one run for the rest of the game. Each team had 13 hits but those stats that indicated a close game were clearly inaccurate. Boston had control of this game from the second inning on.

Tuesday afternoon the A’s traveled back to Boston to take on the Red Sox in a another tough set of games. Again the A’s face another giant in the American League East. Every team in this division is a tough customer and the Red Sox are currently in third place.

Oakland is enjoying some pretty decent offense and in the second game of their last series, they managed 19 hits and 18 runs in a blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles. These guys can hit and were looking to be more consistent over their past two series against the Orioles and the Angels and they had some success.

Joey Estes started for Oakland and went 1.2 innings, allowing seven hits, eight earned runs, and struck one batter. For the Red Sox starter Brayan Bello pitched 5.1 innings allowing nine hits and five earned runs.

Game recap: Oakland got a great start scoring two runs in the opening inning as they got going early. Brent Rooker doubled Miguel Andujar home and Shea Langliers singled Brent Rooker home for the early 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox answered back in the same inning scoring three runs and taking the 3-2 lead. A couple of singles from David Hamilton and Rafael Devers brought runners home and Oakland had given up the lead. A’s pitcher Joey Estes began to struggle early.

Joey Estes’ struggles continued into the second inning and when the dust had settled, he had given up seven hits and eight earned runs in a disastrous 1.2 innings. Tyler Ferguson relieved Estes looking to stop the bleeding but did not fare much better giving up three more hits and three more runs in 0.1 innings.

Boston now led 11-2 and Oakland was digging a huge hole with a lot of game still left to play. The Red Sox had an amazing second inning with a Ceddanne Rafaela triple, a Rafael Devers double, a Masataka Yoshida single and back to back home runs. Wilyer Abreu had a three run homer and Dominic Smith a solo home run.

Boston had dismantled both Joey Estes and Tyler Ferguson. As if things were not going bad enough for Oakland, rain began to fall over the ball park. This game had turned lopsided early.

Michel Otanez relieved Ferguson in the bottom of the fifth inning giving up no hits, no runs with two strikeouts.

Oakland made a bit of noise in the sixth inning. Going into the sixth the A’s had not yet hit a home run but Lawrence Butler turned that stat on it’s ear hitting a three run homer. Butler, Shea Langeliers and Zach Gelof scored on that long ball.

Otanez started to struggle in the bottom of the sixth inning with back to back walks and Boston had two runners on base with two outs. That was it for Otanez relieved by Scott Alexander. Alexander got Oakland out of the inning unscathed and the score remained 11-5 in favor of Boston going into the seventh inning.

With no outs, the A’s had runners on the corners, with Brent Rooker on third and Tyler Soderstrom on first. Zach Gelof sacrificed and Rooker scored and Oakland inched a bit closer 11-6. The A’s now had 11 hits through eight innings and had 15 runners on base leaving too many runners stranded.

Boston scored another run in the eighth inning extending their lead to 12-6. Wilyer Abreu sacrificed and Rafael Devers scored. Austin Adams had taken the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning for Oakland, walking Rafael Devers and hitting both Connor Wong and Masataka Yoshida to start the inning. Adams had gotten out of the inning with minimal damage.

Oakland went into the ninth three outs away from dropping game one to Boston. With two outs, the A’s had runners on the corners for the third time in the game. Zach Gelof came to the plate hitting home run #10, a three-run home run. Butler popped out for the third out and Boston had won game one 12-9. Both teams finished with 13 hits. It was the bottom of the second inning that turned this game around for Boston.

The A’s will be back at work in game two with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 PM with toasty temperatures getting up to 90 degrees and no rain predicted.

JP Sears will take the mound for Oakland with a 5-7 win-loss record and a 4.74 ERA. The Red Sox will start Nick Pivetta who has a 4-5 win-loss record and a 4.06 ERA.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s Miller going to All Star Game; Oakland opens 3 game series in Boston Tuesday

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Oakland A’s pitcher Mason Miller whose been lights out all season in relief has been selected by the American League to represent the A’s at the 2024 All Star Game in Arlington Texas (image from the Oakland A’s)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Oakland A’s reliever Mason Miller has done it all season shutting the door on opposing teams and tossing flame thrower pitches over 100 MPH. He leads all rookie pitchers with saves in MLB with 14, he has 66 strikeouts in 37.2 innings and manager Mark Kotsay says he’ll represent the A’s well at the All Star Game in Arlington.

#2 Tough way to finish the three game series for the A’s on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. The A’s facing the O’s with the series tied 1-1 just couldn’t get enough run production in a 6-3 three run loss Sunday.

#3 The Orioles after getting embarrassed on Saturday in a 19-8 loss to the A’s turned it around on Sunday and opened up the contest with four runs to establish the lead early in the contest.

#4 The Orioles Heston Kjerstad set the tone in the top of the first inning with a three run home run off A’s starting pitcher Mitch Spence. The A’s ended up making three errors in the game for the loss.

#5 The A’s will try to see if they can pick up a series win as they open up a three game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The A’s will be sending out Joey Estes (3-3, ERA 4.39) against the Red Sox starter RHP Brayan Bello (8-5, ERA 5.19)

Join Barbara Mason for the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2024: The Final Season of the A’s at the Coliseum (Part VII) -Jim Palmer Loves the Coliseum

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Baltimore Orioles broadcaster and former pitching great Jim Palmer who was at the Oakland Coliseum over last weekend with the Orioles (Fox TV photo)

2024: The Final Season of the A’s at the Coliseum (Part VII) –

Jim Palmer Loves the Coliseum

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND–The Baltimore Orioles visited the Oakland A’s for the last time in their history. One of the great pitchers, the one and only Jim Palmer, was there as a commentator for Orioles television. Jim Palmer won three Cy Young Awards (1973-1975-1976) as the best pitcher in the American League.

Palmer ended his career with a record of 268-152, an ERA of 2.86, and 2,212 strikeouts. In his 19 seasons with the Orioles, he pitched 3,948 innings and never gave up a Grand Slam. Plus, he also won 4 Gold Gloves Awards.

Now, that is a career. Because the Orioles are an Eastern Division team, they only make one trip to Oakland. They won two of the three games against the A’s and remained in first place over the second-place New York Yankees in what promises to be like two horses going down the stretch until the last day of the season, while Alex’s Cora’s the Red Sox are lingering in third place and looking to join the party.

I always speak with Jim Palmer, but because this was the last trip, he always remembers that the O’s were my childhood team, mainly when they used to hold Spring Training in Miami. As a teenager, I worked for them as a bat boy and sometimes ball boy during those Spring Training games in the old Miami Stadium, which used to be the home of the Miami Marlins of the old Florida State League, many years before the current Miami Marlins were born in the National League.

As an Orioles fan, I have followed his career since the 1960’s. They were the first major league team I saw in the US, and it was like my first love with baseball, I could never forget. During this visit to Oakland, he told me he would not attend the official induction ceremony on Sunday, July 21, in Cooperstown because he has a significant personal affair to attend.

This year’s inductees, Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton, received enough votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America to enter the most famous Hall of Fame in sports. For the record, Jim Palmer was inducted into Cooperstown in 1990.

When I asked Palmer what his magic was in not allowing one Grand Slam in over 3,000 innings he pitched, he quickly responded, ‘I walk the guy.” At 78 years old, Jim Palmer is as sharp as ever. As far as coming for the last time to Oakland, “I love the Coliseum,” he said, referring to Oakland as a pitcher’s park with all the foul territory, where a pitcher gets more outs, something the A’s pitcher Dave Stewart told me years ago.

No pitcher in baseball won more games during the 1970s decade than the right-hander born in New York. Although it was not in Oakland, he pitched a no-hitter against the Athletics on August 13, 1969, at the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, Palmer was a spokesman and was shown in television commercials for Jockey brand men’s brief. I told him he probably had more fans of the opposite gender because of those television commercials, and he smiled. But in fact, the commercials did make him more famous than he was in the baseball world.

The same effect happened to another Hall of Fame member, Joe DiMaggio, known as “The Yankee Clipper,” but later generations knew about him as a “Mister Coffee” coffeemaker on television. In a time where a starter that goes six innings and allows few runs, is called a “quality” start, nobody seems able to go the distance, and 20 game winners are like the Dodo bird (no pun intended) an extinct species.

Note: The 1971 Orioles are the last team and only second club in history(1920 Chicago White Sox) to have four 20-game winners in a season the 1920 White Sox were Red Faber, Lefty Williams, Eddie Cicotte, and Dickie Kerr. The 1971 Orioles were Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson in 1971. The only one alive today is Jim Palmer.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Lose 6-3 To The Baltimore Orioles To End Series; A’s Mason Miller selected for All Star Game

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Oakland A’s pitcher Mason Miller was selected as the lone representative for the A’s at the 2024 All Star Game in Arlington (Athletics Nation file photo)

Sunday, July 7th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

Oakland, CA – In the Oakland Coliseum, it’s the final game of this series between the Oakland A’s and the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles fell to the A’s, 19-8 in the second game of the series. Baltimore has won seven of their last 10 games after dropping their previous five, the team’s longest since May 13-18 2022 (6 games). On the other hand, the A’s have won four of the last five games, but are 8-18 (.308) over the last 26 games… are 17-40 (.298) dating back to May 5, which is the lowest winning percentage in the majors. 

On the mound for both teams, Mitch Spence (5-4, 4.15) for the A’s and Grayson Rodriguez (10-3, 3.45) for the Orioles. 

Sunday the MLB will announce the rest of the American League and National League All-Star teams at 5:30pm EST. The A’s have announced that pitcher Mason Miller will be their representative at the All Star Game in Arlington. Miller has had an amazing season saving games the leading rookie with 14. Miller also has 66 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.

Two Orioles are already named starters, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. First time the O’s have multiple starters in the Midsummer Classic since Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz in 2014. The A’s couldn’t get some of those 19 runs they scored on Saturday and lost by three runs to the Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday 6-3. Losing two out of three in the series.

Game started with an immediate bomb being dropped on the A’s. With two outs Anthony Santander hit a solo home run off Spence, 1-0 Baltimore. Right after two straight singles, Heston Kjerstad hits a three run homer and the Orioles take 4-0 lead in the first inning. 

In the third inning, an inning where Santander got on base after Brett Harris lost the ball in the sun, Kjerstad got his second hit and brought Santander home with an RBI triple, because both JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler lost the ball in the sun, 5-0 Orioles. 

A’s show signs of life in the sixth inning with 2 big runs. Tyler Soderstrom hits a double that scored Bleday to make it 5-1, but Shea Langeliers follows up Soderstrom with a sac fly to left that scored Brent Rooker, 5-2 Orioles as we headed into the seventh inning. 

In the seventh, Oakland kept fighting for their life as Bleday hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Butler, 5-3 Orioles still up, but the A’s showed they’re not out. 

The gap being closed to a 2 run game showed life for Oakland, but at the top of the ninth Gunnar Henderson hit a single that scored Jorge Mateo, who pinch ran for Ryan Mountcastle, 6-3 Orioles.

The A’s came into the bottom of the ninth down three runs and one final chance to get the W. Despite one single, the Orioles shut down the A’s and won the game 6-3. 

Grayson Rdriguez gets the win, Mitch Spence gets the loss, and Craig Kimbrel gets the save. 

Both teams have a day off on Monday, but the A’s next series will be Tuesday, July 9th in Boston against the Red Sox with Joey Estes (3-3, 4.39) and Bryan Bello (8-5, 5.19) on the mound for the first game.

Oakland A’s podcast with Titus Wilkinson: All Runs scored by A’s were at the assist of home runs Saturday

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Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (center) is congratulated by teammates Miguel Andujar (22) and Daz Cameron (right) in the top of the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Titus:

#1 Titus, Saturday the Oakland A’s got a lot of runs particularly in the second inning when they scored seven runs against one of the best teams in the Majors the Baltimore Orioles.

#2 All 19 of the A’s runs were scored by the home run which when you think of it was an tremendous effort by the long ball.

#3 Brent Rooker and Max Schuemann both hit three run homers, the A’s had five home runs total in the 19-8 landslide. The A’s had been struggling for some run production in previous games and this might be a start of their ability to get around the ball.

#4 The A’s previous to this series with the Orioles shut out the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday and Thursday by identical scores 5-0. Do you believe that this was some carry over from that series to this series against the Orioles a close 3-2 loss on Friday to the 19-8 laugher on Saturday?

#5 The A’s give it a go and try and win game three of the series at the Coliseum against the Orioles. The Orioles after that loss Saturday might be out for revenge after getting beat in that landslide.

Titus Wilkinson is podcast contributor at http://www.sporrtsradioservice.com