Category: Oakland Athletics

A’s Thursday off day report: Preview of A’s-Mariners series starting Friday

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s return home after a successful 6-2 road trip. The A’s were beating the Tigers in one game that was suspended due to bad weather. That game will be completed when the Tigers play the A’s in September. The two losses on the trip happened when the A’s played the Mariners in Seattle.

The Mariners and A’s have met four times this season, and the M’s have won them all. The A’s lost the first two in Japan to open the season and the last two in Seattle on May 13th and 14th. The games in Seattle were close. The Mariners won on May 13th 6-5 even though the A’s hit five home runs in that game. They beat the A’s again on May 14th, 4-3. Since that time the A’s won three in Detroit and three in Cleveland.

The A’s have also moved up in the standings in the AL Central. Oakland ‘s record is 25-25, and they are in third place just 1/2 game behind the surprising Texas Rangers. Seattle, on the other hand, played well to start the season but have fallen on hard times. They currently reside in last place in the AL West with a record of 23-29. They have lost 3 in a row and are 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

The Mariners have placed several key players on the 10-day IL. They include second baseman Dee Gordon, first baseman Ryon Healy, pitcher King Felix Hernandez, and third baseman Kyle Seager.

The Mariners still have a potent lineup. First baseman Daniel Vogelbach, DH Edwin Encarnacion, outfielders Jay Bruce, Domingo Santana, and Mitch Haniger all have power, and all of them have hurt the A’s with their bats. Infielder Tim Beckham has also punished the A’s with his power.

The pitching matchups for the series will be the following. On Friday, Oakland will send Daniel Mengden (1-1 3.65 ERA) out to pitch. Mengden is 0-2 with an ERA of 5.89 in four career starts against the Mariners. The Mariners will counter with lefty Wade LeBlanc. LeBlanc, in his last outing against the Minnesota Twins, went 2 and 1/3rd innings and gave up seven hits and seven runs. LeBlanc missed five weeks due to a strained oblique. In two starts against the A’s last year, LeBlanc held the A’s scoreless for eleven innings.

Saturdays’ game will feature Mike Fiers (3-3, 5.05 ERA) going for his fourth win of the year. Fiers has an ERA of 2.53 over his last five starts, and that includes the no-hitter that he had against the Cincinnati Reds. Fiers is 2-2 with an ERA of 6.36 in 10 starts against Seattle. Rookie Yusei Kikuchi (3-1, ERA 3.43) will go for the M’s. Kikuchi is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.03 in his last four starts.

On Sunday, The A’s will have lefty Brett Anderson on the mound. Anderson (5-3, ERA 4.14)is returning to action after he left the game last Monday in Cleveland with a cervical strain. Anderson is 8-5 and has an ERA of 2.38 in 20 games against the M’s. Mike Leake goes for Seattle. Leake is 3-5 for the year and has an ERA of 4.73. Leake is 2-2 against Oakland in nine career starts.

The A’s are playing better as the offense has come alive and the pitching has been better. The A’s have seen improvement from Chris Bassitt, Mike Fiers, and Frankie Montas. Anderson has pitched well, and Mengden is still a work in progress.

Following the three-game series with Seattle, the A’s will face the LA Angels and then host the first-place Houston Astros.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s flip the script, this is a road trip you want in a bottle; Team has now won 6 straight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 With the 7-2 win over Cleveland on Wednesday night, the Oakland A’s hit the .500 mark after sweeping Cleveland and taking three straight from Detroit, going 7-2 thus far on the road trip.

#2 A’s starter Frankie Montas improved his record as the A’s got a 7-2 win over Cleveland, Montas (5-2, ERA 2.67) pitching six innings, five hits, no runs, struck out nine and walked two.

#3 Mark Canha is proving to be the right choice as designated hitter, hitting a home run, a double and three RBIs.

#4 A’s catcher Nick Hundley is also hitting the ball, going 3-4 with a home run, double and single.

#5 The A’s open a three-game series on Friday night, pitching for Oakland Daniel Mengden (1-1, 3.65 ERA), and for the Seattle Mariners, Wade LeBlanc (2-1 ERA 7.36) at the Oakland Coliseum.

Jerry does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s stay hot, rout Cleveland 7-2 to sweep series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their sixth in a row and improved their record to 25-25. Frankie Montas continues to be the best pitcher on the A’s staff. He went six innings, allowed five hits and no runs, struck out nine and walked two. Jefry Rodriguez (1-4) took the loss for the Cleveland Indians.

The A’s offense continued to produce. They scored two in the first, and one in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. The hitting stars were Mark Canha with a home run, and a double and three RBIs. Canha was the DH as Khris Davis was unavailable due to a hip injury. A’s backup catcher, Nick Hundley, was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and single. He had two RBI’s in the game.

Yusmeiro Petit pitched a scoreless seventh. A’s manager Bob Melvin, brought in Fernando Rodney to pitch the eighth. Rodney, who has not thrown well this year, had another rough outing. Rodney walked the first hitter Carlos Santana. Jake Bauers followed with a 450-foot home run to put two on the board for Cleveland. Rodney gave up a single to Jose Ramirez and then walked Mike Freeman. Melvin saw enough and brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino was sharp as he retired the next three hitters. Joakim Soria closed out the game for the A’s in the ninth.

Game Notes: Brett Anderson, who hurt his neck in his last start, will be able to make his next start Sunday.

The A’s finished the road trip with a 6-2 record. One game was suspended with Detroit due to rain. The game will be completed when the Tigers visit Oakland in September.

The A’s won the season series with the Indians 5-1.

The A’s remain in third place in the AL West as the Texas Rangers won their game and remain 1/2 game ahead of the A’s.

The Indians designated the 11-year veteran Carlos Gonzalez for assignment. Cargo started his career with the A’s, but was traded to the Colorado Rockies.

Up Next: The A’s flew home after Wednesday’s game with the Indians. They have an off day on Thursday and resume play against the Seattle Mariners Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s have played the M’s four times this season and lost all four. The A’s will send Daniel Mengden to pitch Friday night. Mengden is 1-1 and has a 3.65 ERA. The Mariners will counter with lefty Wade LeBlanc, who is 2-1 and owns a 7.36 ERA. The game will start at 7:07 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s Canha 2-run homer proves difference in 6th straight win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Charlie:

#1 The Oakland A’s picked up their second straight win over the Cleveland Indians and sixth straight win in Cleveland on Tuesday at Progressive Field 5-3.

#2 A’s slugger Khris Davis was placed on the injured list and was replaced on Tuesday by Mark Canha, who hit a two-run homer in the third off Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer.

#3 The Davis injury, a sore hip that hasn’t recovered like they thought it would. Davis sat on Saturday and played on Sunday, but suffered with it on Tuesday and had to leave the game. Davis says he’s having a hard time swinging the bat.

#4 Bauer has struggled and Cleveland is waiting for Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger to return to the rotation. Bauer against Oakland walked four, struck out five, and hit three batters.

#5 On Wednesday’s contest, the A’s will start Frankie Montas (5-2, 2.67 ERA) and the Indians will start Jefry Rodriguez (1-3, 3.45 ERA).

Charlie O reviews the A’s on the podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s continue to roll, win their fifth in a row

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s beat the Indians at Progressive Field Tuesday night by a score of 5-3. With the win, the A’s improved their record to 24-25 and are just one game below the .500 mark.

Chris Bassitt started for Oakland. He had control issues as he walked six hitters in just 3 2/3 innings of work. Trevor Bauer went for Cleveland and he, too, had problems with control. He walked six in six innings of work. He allowed four hits and four runs.

The Indians drew first blood in the bottom of the first. The Indians’ All-Star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, led off with a solo home run to right center field. The A’s tied the score in the top of the second. With one out, Bauer walked Stephen Piscotty. Bauer then hit Jurickson Profar with a pitch to put men on at first and second. Bauer retired Robbie Grossman for the second out. Bauer then walked Ramon Laureano to load the bases. Bauer’s control issues continued as he walked Josh Phegley. Piscotty scored, and the A’s tied the game without the benefit of a hit.

The A’s scored two in the top of the third. With one out, Matt Olson singled to right field. Mark Canha, pinch-hitting for A’s DH Khris Davis, hit an opposite-field home run to put the A’s up 3-1. Davis, who was injured catching a ball in foul territory when the A’s were in Pittsburgh, started the game but was still feeling the effects of the injury. It was Canha’a third career pinch-hit homer.

The Indians got a run back in their half of the third. With one out, Carlos Santana hit his eighth of the year. The A’s still led 3-2.

The A’s increased their advantage to 4-2 in the fourth on the strength of back to back doubles by Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman. The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, Bassitt walked Leonys Martin. Left-fielder Oscar Mercado doubled to left-center to drive in Martin with the Indians’ third run. Bassitt walked the next hitter, and that brought out A’s manager Bob Melvin. Melvin removed Bassitt from the game and replaced him with Liam Hendriks. Hendriks got the last out of the inning.

The A’s bullpen held the innings scoreless and allowed just one hit the rest of the way. The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth when Profar slammed his seventh of the year to put Oakland up 5-3.

Game Notes: Stephen Piscotty reached base for the 21st game in a row. The A’s Liam Hendriks pitched two innings and allowed one hit.  Hendriks was credited with the win, and he is now 2-0 for the year. Ryan Buchter, Joakim Soria, and Blake Treinen all pitched for the A’s. Treinen earned his ninth save of the season.

The Indians’ Trevor Bauer saw his record drop to 4-3. He went six innings and allowed four hits, four runs, and six walks.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Indians in the finale of the three-game set Wednesday. Frankie Montas (5-2, 2.67 ERA) goes for the A’s. Montas went 8 2/3 innings in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers. Montas struck out 10 in that game. He will be opposed by Jefry Rodriguez (1-3, 3.45 ERA). Game time will be at 10 am.

A’s down the Indians 6-4 to win fourth in a row

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their fourth game in a row downing the Cleveland Indians 6-4 on Monday in Cleveland. The A’s offense was paced by solo home runs by Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson. Matt Chapman hit a two-run blast in the ninth to give the A’s a three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s scored one run in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth take a 3-0 lead. Profar homered in the second, Olson in the third, and doubles by Robbie Grossman and Josh Phegley produced the A’s third run in the fourth.

The Indians put one on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Indians’ third baseman Jose Martinez doubled leading off the frame. He went to third on a ground out and scored on Omar Mercado’s single. The A’s still lead 3-1 after five.

In the bottom of the sixth, Indians’ second baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a double. Anderson retired Carlos Santana for the first out. It was at this point that Bob Melvin came out of the dugout and after a short conference with Anderson, removed him from the game. Yusmeiro Petit relieved him and retired the next two hitters.

The A’s added a run in the seventh. Shortstop Marcus Semien doubled down the left field line, and when Mercado misplayed the ball, he went to third. Matt Chapman singled to drive him in with the fourth run of the game for Oakland. The Indians got the run back in their half of the seventh when the Indians’ catcher Roberto Perez led off with a home run. Ryan Buchter came in to pitch, and he retired the next three Cleveland hitters.

The Indians made it a 4-3 game in the eighth. Lou Trivino had control issues. With one out, Trivino walked Kipnis and Santana. He struck out Jake Bauers for the second out. Ramirez singled to drive in Kipnis. Trivino walked Perez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin made his decision. He brought in closer Blake Treinen to get a four-out save. Treinen got Martinez to ground out to end the inning.

The A’s added two insurance runs in the ninth when Matt Olson homered with a man on to make it 6-3. Treinen retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth. He did not get by Francisco Lindor. Lindor homered to make it 6-4. Treinen got Kipnis to ground out to preserve the win.

Game Notes- Brett Anderson improved his season record to 5-3. He was diagnosed with a cervical strain. It is nor known at this time if he will have to go on the 10-day IL. Blake Treinen earned his 8th save of the season.

The A’s are now 23-25 are in third place in the AL West just 1/2 game behind the second-place Texas Rangers.

The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill Tuesday night. Bassitt is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.93, and he will be opposed by the Indians’ Trevor Bauer. Bauer is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.76. Game time will be at 3pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Curry’s wife on Jada Pinkett show to talk about lack of attention from men; Kerr says Green’s a wrecking ball; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: buzzfeednews.com

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 On the Facebook Red Table Talk show with Jada Pinkett, NESN.com reported Golden State Warriors wife Ayesha Curry said that while she didn’t like groupies hanging around her husband, she had developed a bit of “an insecurity” and getting “zero male attention.” One writer Bari A Williams tweeted Ayesha might feel this way is because she’s 30, has three kids and might not feel and look the same way she did before she had kids.

#2 Golden State Warriors head coach Steven Kerr said that Draymond Green was a wrecking ball in Game 3 on Saturday with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals, and a blocked shot.

#3 St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington said about San Jose Sharks Timo Meier’s one hand pass assist that led to the Sharks’ game-winning goal in Game 4 for the overtime win on Eirk Karlsson’s goal: “It’s just madness. You hope for the best and try to close the door.” The Blues were pretty angry and took it out on Game 5 in San Jose on Sunday for the win 5-0 to take a 3-2 series lead.

#4 The red-hot New York Yankees have won 10 of their last 14 games and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said of the 17 starters or key players who are on the injured list the replacement by the younger players have come out and done a great job. ”Young guys are stepping up, they realize this is an opportunity that they might not otherwise have had and they’re making the most of it.” said Steinbrenner.

#5 The Oakland A’s, during this current road trip after losing two straight in Seattle, won three straight in Detroit. The A’s regrouped after the pair of losses to the Mariners and are really making a go of it in Detroit.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez on the News and Commentary podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a freelance reporter for Area Grande Spanish Newspapers

A’s-Tigers suspended due to rain, game to be completed Sept. 6 in Oakland

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Gamesmanship courtesy of the groundskeepers? If you’re the Detroit Tigers trying to avoid an embarrassing, franchise record 16th consecutive loss to the Oakland A’s, why not?

With a light rain falling–and the A’s sporting a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh–home plate umpire Tim Timmons stopped Sunday’s series finale with Liam Hendricks facing Josh Harrison leading off.

The timing of Timmons’ decision surprised both teams. It turns out the heavy rain that normally would force suspension of play wouldn’t arrive until ten minutes later. Since the A’s broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in top of the inning, the Tigers had to be afforded an opportunity to bat in their half of the seventh. Instead of declaring a rain-shortened 5-3 A’s win after the 101 minute rain delay that would follow, the teams are required to resume play September 6 in Oakland.

“We could’ve scored three runs real quick and not have to make it up,” said an optimistic Harrison. “It wasn’t the first time I had the game stopped in the middle of an at-bat, but it was due to it actually raining, not because of the threat of rain.”

“I was inside when it started raining,” said A’s starting pitcher Mike Fiers, who was lifted after the sixth. “I wasn’t out there to judge what was going on. The weather guys, I guess they saw something coming on the radar, so they stopped it.”

And the mysterious conversation between Timmons, the rest of the umpiring crew and the Comerica Park groundskeepers before the start of the seventh? It will remain a mystery, but could the groundskeepers have embellished the nature of the impending storm, influencing Timmons to go with the abrupt stoppage prior to a 2-0 pitch from Hendricks to Harrison?

Who knows? But the timing of the stoppage kept the Tigers current losing streak at six, and–at least for now–prevented the four-game sweep at the hands of the A’s.

“(The umpires) were told that once it started raining, it was going to rain really hard. If they have orders to do that, I get it. I’m not a weather man, either, just wasn’t raining very hard,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin.

The A’s continue their road swing in Cleveland on Monday. Brett Anderson will face the Indians’ Carlos Carrasco in the 4:05 pm start.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s getting great starting pitching and timely hitting during their 3-game win streak

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 Nothing cures the Oakland A’s like a road trip to Detroit. The A’s have won three of the four games after struggling to open the road trip in Seattle early in the week.

#2 The 4-1 win on Saturday over the Tigers marks their 15th consecutive win over Detroit.

#3 A’s pitcher Daniel Mengden got the win for Oakland, pitching seven innings, one earned run, three hits and five strikeouts, 95 pitches and 62 for strikes.

#4 A’s catcher Nick Hundley hit a two-run homer to help the cause. Hundley has been a plus behind the plate and with the bat

#5 To conclude Sunday’s contest in Detroit the A’s will start former Tiger Mike Fiers (3-3, 5.12 ERA) vs. Detroit’s Gregory Soto (0-2, 13.50 ERA).

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s make it three wins in a row over the Tigers with a 4-1 victory on Saturday

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Det4
Graphic/Photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics would be very happy to play the Detroit Tigers every day for the rest of the season. On Saturday afternoon in Detroit, the A’s defeated the Tigers for the 15th consecutive time. That winning streak dates back to May 6, 2017, which means Oakland has not lost a game to Detroit in over two years. That is nothing short of incredible.

The Mustached One wants to stay in Oakland

The pitcher with the handlebar mustache — Daniel Mengden — made his second start of the season for the A’s on Saturday. He made it a quality start by working seven complete innings. Mengden allowed one run (earned) off three hits. He struck out five Detroit hitters while walking just two batters.

Mengden threw 95 pitches (62 strikes) en route to his first win of the 2019 season. This outstanding performance may have earned Mengden a regular spot in the A’s starting rotation.

Lou Trivino relieved Mengden in the eighth inning and held the lead for the starter. Trivino allowed no runs and gave up just one hit.

Blake Treinen came on in the ninth inning to close it out for Oakland. He did not allow the Tigers to score and gave up just one hit. He also struck out one batter. Treinen earned his seventh save of the season.

Det3
Graphic/Photo: @Athletics

The A’s scored first and never looked back

The Athletics put the first runs up on the board in the top of the third inning when Nick Hundley hit a home run to right field with Profar on base to give his team a 2-0 lead. Ultimately, that would be all the runs Oakland would need to win the game, but they were not done scoring for the day.

In the top the fifth inning, Jurickson Profar hit his fifth double of the year to left field that drove Robbie Grossman home to score the A’s third run of the contest.

Chad Pinder put the icing on the cake in the top of the seventh inning when he hit his fifth home run of the year to left center field to give the A’s a 4-1 lead.

The Tigers scored their only run in the fourth inning when Ronny Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch thrown by Mengden.

Boyd took the loss for the Tigers

Det5
Graphic/Photo: @Tigers

Matthew Boyd made the start for Detroit and he was hung with the loss. Boyd worked 6.1-innings giving up four runs (all earned) on seven hits. He struck out eight Oakland hitters, but he also allowed two home runs.

Boyd’s record now stands at 4-4 for the season.

Season Series Finale on Sunday

The A’s and Tigers will wrap up their 2019 season series on Sunday in Detroit. Former Tigers pitcher Mike Fiers (3-3) will take the ball for the A’s while LHP Gregory Soto (0-2) gets the call to the mound for the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time.