Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s starter Joey Estes (right) is excited after completing a shutout against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Jul 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (36-49) 000 000 000 0 5 1

Athletics (32-56) 020 012 00x 5 10 0

Time: 2:14

Attendance:14,837

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Oakland, CA

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The A’s made it two in a row this balmy Wednesday evening on the eve of the fourth of July, with their 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels behind the strong—to say this least—pitching of Joey Estes, who went the route for the first complete game by an Athletics hurler since June 1, 2021.

He was supported by a variegated offense that included two home runs and in which the only member of the lineup who didn’t get at least one hit was JJ Bleday, who was due up after Max Schuemann made the team’s last out.

Estes had come within a questionable ball-strike call and a decent follow up reliever of, at the minimum, a no decision in his most recent previous start last Wednesday at the Big A. He ended up being the losing pitcher in a 5-2 defeat, which brought him to this balmy evening’s midweek, pre holiday contest at 2-3, 5.24. Tonight he turned what might have been into what was the outstanding A’s pitching performance of the year.

The 22 year old righty threw 92 pitches, only 24 of which were balls, to 30 batters and held them to five hits, all of them singles, and a walk while striking out four and inducing three twin killings.

Davis Daniel, who started for the team previously known as the Los Angeles Angels, the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, before coming, weary at heart, back where they started from, once more the Los Angeles Angels was drafted by the Halos in the June 2019 draft but didn’t play that year because he had undergone Tommy John surgery in April.

He missed the next season because the minor leagues didn’t operate in 2020. From 2021 through ’23 he had a minor league record of 11-16, 3.95. He went 1-1, 2.29 for the in three games for the Angels last year and was 1-0, 0.00 for them when he toed the rubber Wednesday night.

The 27 year old righty lasted 5-1/3 innings before yielding to Matt Moore with runners on first and second with two outs and the carpetbagger A’s ahead, 4-0. Daniel was charged with a post humus run for a total of five.

One run was unearned, but Daniel himself committed the second inning error that led to its being scored. Moore allowed Brett Harris the single that drove in the inherited runner but didn’t allow any runs of his own. Carson Fulmer pitched the last two innings for the Anaheim nine, allowing two hits but no walks or runs while striking out three.

Matt Shuemann’s 376 foot round tripper to left put the A’s ahead in the bottom of the second. Brett Rooker’s 389 foot blast, also to right, in the sixth was their other four base hit. The A’s also played small ball. Lawrence Butler singled in the second and went to third on Daniel’s throwing error on a comebacker by Brett Harris. Then, with Schuermann at the plate, Harris was picked off, but Butler scored in the run down for the A’s second tally.

The Athletics’ fielding was sharp, as shown by their trio of double plays. Also noteworthy was Harris’s eye catching grab at third of Luis Rengifo’s scorching line drive in the top of the first.

The A’s will—dare I say this?—go for the sweep in a fourth of July day game Thursday at 1:07pm PT. They’ll sent southpaw JP Sears (4-7, 5.00) against right hander Roansy Contreras (3-0, 3.82).

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

Oakland A’s Lawrence Butler (4) who hit a three run home run runs the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

#1 The A’s got hitting and pitching against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night and beat the Angels by two runs 7-5 at the Oakland Coliseum. Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler both hit a home run in the cause.

#2 A’s third baseman Brett Harris got a run double to help the A’s run production. The A’s got scored four i the fourth and three in the sixth for all their runs.

#3 Rooker’s home run came off a 0-2 knuckle ball pitch of Angels pitcher Jose Soriano. Butler’s three run home run just cleared the left field foul pole. It was the big fly that helped win the game for the A’s on Tuesday.

#4 Oakland A’s starter Mitch Spence had himself an outing pitching 5.1 innings, giving up six hits, allowing one earned run and striking out five. The A’s are hoping to get more quality starts that could help them win a few more games.

#5 The Angels and A’s play the second of this two game series at the Coliseum Wednesday starting for the Angels Davis Daniel (1-0, ERA 0.00) for the A’s Joey Estes (2-5, ERA 5.24) a 6:40pm PT start at the Coliseum.

Jeremiah regularly does A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Zack Gelof (20) congratulates Lawrence Butler (4) after he scores in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angeles at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jul 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (36-48). 000 010 202. 5. 11. 0

Athletics (31-56). 000 403 00x. 7. 7. 0

Time: 2:40

Attendance: 5,447

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Having paused for a day after finishing their 12th consecutive losing month, the wandering A’s got off on the right foot Tuesday night at the homeless encampment that is the Oakland Coliseum by defeating the Los Angeles Angels 7-5 in a game that almost got away from them in the frame.

The nominal home team chose four year minor league veteran Mitch Spencer, whom they acquired in the Rule 5 draft last December, as their starting pitcher. The 26 year old right hander came to work at 4-4, 4.35. He began the season in the bullpen and was 3-1, 4.26 before joining the rotation. on May 17.

He was quite successful at first, going 1-1, 2.08 in his first three outings, but cooled off to the point that his record as a starter was 1-3, 4.40 overall in that capacity. This balmy evening his start lasted 5-1/3 innings, long enough to earn him his fifth win of the season and lower his ERA to 4.15.

He surrendered one run, which was earned, on six hits and a walk while striking out five. 56 of his 94 offerings were counted as strikes. Tyler Ferguson took over for him with Logan O’Hoppe on first with a one out single in the top of the sixth.

The visiting Halos went with José Soriano, another Rule 5 draftee. His Rule 5 story has an interesting twist to it. The Angels signed him as an international free agent in 2016. The Pirates claimed him as the first overall pick in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.

While recovering from Tommy John surgery at the end of the ’21 season, all of which he spent on the IL, Soriano was returned to the Angels. He made his big league debut with them last year and went 1-3, 3.64. He was 4-5, 3.48 when he took the mound.

He left it trailing 4-1, on his way to the loss that made his record 4-6, 3.77. All of the four runs charged to him were earned. They came on three hits, two of which went yard, a walk, and a hit batter. He struck out four Athletics and threw 62 pitches, 30 counting as strikes.

There was no scoring for the first 3-1/2 innings. Then the A’s bats came alive in their half of the fourth. Brent Rooker to a Soriano knuckle curve 405 feet deep over the right center field fence for a solo home run. Shea Langeliers singled to left, and, an out and a Zack Gelof single later, Lawrence Butler’s third homer of the year made it 4-0.

Poor fielding and some wildness on Spence’s part cost the A’s a run in the visitors’ fifth. With Brandon Drury on first with a lead off single and one down, the A’s starter unleashed a wild pitch to Jo Adell that allow the runner to take second.

Adell then sent a soft fly to center that JJ Beday let fall to his feet for a single that put Drury on third. Nolan Schanuel lifted a sacrifice fly to left that narrowed the Athletics’ lead to 4-1. Soriano didn’t come out to the mound in the bottom of the frame.

Hans Crouse relieved him and kept the separation at three runs. José Marte took over for the sixth and coughed up three runs on a hit batter (Gelof), Butler’s single that Taylor Ward caught on a short hop and almost resulted in Gelof getting put out in a rundown between first and second, and Brett Harris’s two RBI double. The green and gold now was up, 7-1.

A walk to Brandon Drury and a Mickey Moniak double put two runners in scoring position before Ferguson fanned Adell for the first out in the top of the seventh. Then Kotsay and Co. pulled him in favor of Scott Alexander, who surrendered a two run single to Schanuel.

The runs were charged to Ferguson. Alexander then closed out the inning with a twin killing, Max Schuemann, unassisted at short, to Tyler Soderstrom at first. Lucas Erceg hopped on the merry-go-round at the start of the eighth allowed nothing but a leadoff single to Luis Rengifo.

Hunter Strickland was the Angelinos’ fourth and final pitcher. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth, so the score remained 7-3 in favor of the Athletics when Miller Time went into effect. Mason Miller gave up a leadoff walk to Drury anf retired Moniak and Adell, before allowiing an RBI double to Schanuel and an RBI singe to Rengifo. At last, he fanned Ward, sealing the A’s 7-5 victory.

6:40pm PT Wednesday, evening is the scheduled time for the second of this three game series. Joey Estes (2-3, 5.24) will start for the Athletics; Davis Daniel (1-0, 0.00) for the Disneyland Dandies.

Stephen Lucero (left) who designed a baseball card stands with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (center) and Lucero’s wife Chrissy (right) at the mayor’s office on Tue Nov 7, 2023 in their push to keep the A’s in Oakland. This was well before a recall was being considered to oust Thao. (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 Recently Scott Ostler at the San Francisco Chronicle posed a scenario that if Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was to be recalled a new mayor could come in and work with the Oakland A’s in the event the Las Vegas deal falls through a long shot and Ostler did mention it’s a dream scenario.

#2 Thao didn’t seem to get along with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and A’s owner John Fisher. Was it her approach. Was it how the proposal for a Howard Terminal ballpark and how it was to be budgeted failed to have all parties come to an agreement?

#3 The most recent news coming off Thao’s FBI house raid going on two weeks ago. Thao was at a meeting in the City Council chambers and in the middle of the meeting she walked out. Thao left some of her personal items at the desk where she had been sitting and had someone go in and get it for her. It was reported that she was not taking any questions regarding the raid at the meeting.

#4 On the field with the Oakland A’s just not enough hitting for the A’s in their last game Sunday in Arizona against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The A’s were beaten 5-1 and Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt pitched six inning giving up six hits and one run. The A’s hitters just couldn’t figure Pfaadt out.

#5 The A’s who were swept by the Los Angeles Angels the last time these two teams met will meet the Angels again tonight. Starting pitcher for the Angels RHP Jose Soriano (4-5, ERA 3.48) for the A’s Mitch Spence 4-4, ERA 4.35) first pitch 6:40pm PT in Oakland.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for KWAI 1080 in Honolulu