Category: Oakland Athletics

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Raiders’ Crowell injured in team practice, out for season; Kentucky Derby coming up, will dying horses spell an end for industry?; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo bleacherreport.com: 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. The Kentucky Derby kicks off this Saturday.

On the Headlines Sports podcast with London Marq:

#1 The Oakland Raiders’ running back Isaiah Crowell, during a team workout, suffered a season-ending injury, tearing his Achilles. Crowell is a five-year NFL veteran and played with the New York Jets last season. He was signed on with the Raiders for this season for $2.5 million.

#2 With the Kentucky Derby coming up this Saturday, all the talk has been about horses dying at Santa Anita in just seven months. Looking at the year between 2017-18, a reported 37 deaths have been reported, and the New York Times reported since 2018 to the present, the deaths have not subsided. The questions raised were why? Was it that the horses are physically driven to exhaustion on race days, was it the medications the injury-masking painkillers? Is the sport due to die out because of these horse deaths?

#3 If it wasn’t for the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees could very well be the top team in the AL East. The Yankees are just 2.5 games behind first place Tampa have won eight of their last 10 and also swept the San Francisco Giants and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks behind CC Sabathia’s 3,000 career strikeout. The Yanks lost the game, but Sabathia went down in the record books.

#4 The Oakland A’s are really off track. The club has lost six straight games. They’re coming off getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox and have three more road games with the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on Friday night at PNC Park.

#5 Could the Golden State Warriors put the Houston Rockets away? It even looks a lot easier for Golden State than it did last postseason last year when they played the Rockets. Kevin Durant (29), Klay Thompson (20), and Stephen Curry (19) were the top three scorers for Golden State in Game 3. The Warriors lead the series 2-0.

London Marq does the Headlines Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Red Sox sweep series to extend A’s losing streak to six games

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s lost to the Boston Red Sox Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park again to extend their losing streak to six games. The Red Sox won the game 7-3 and swept the series from the A’s and won the season series 4-3. The A’s offense slumbered through eight innings before waking up in the ninth when they put two runs on the board. It was too little, too late.

Mike Fiers started for Oakland and took the loss. Fiers pitched five innings and allowed three runs on five hits. Fiers allowed his ninth round-tripper of the year when Mitch Moreland hit a solo homer into the seats of the Green Monster in the fourth inning.

The A’s grabbed the early lead in the top of the second. The Red Sox tied the game in their half of the second. The Sox added one run in the fourth on Moreland’s blast and one in the fifth to take the lead 3-1 and end Fiers’ day.

The Red Sox added three in the bottom of the sixth. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in J.B.Wendelken to pitch. Boston had the bases loaded with two out when Tzu-Wei Lin reached on an infield single. Andrew Benintendi singled to left center to drive in two more, and Boston was in the driver’s seat 6-1.

Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez homered to lead off the seventh and extended Boston’s advantage 7-1.

The A’s offense came to life in the top of the ninth. Matt Chapman led off the frame with a double to center field off Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg. Khris Davis followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Davis. Thornburg retired the next two A’s hitters, but Chad Pinder was able to beat him with a double to drive in Davis. The A’s could do no more, and the game was over.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s fall to 14-19. Mike Fiers saw his record drop to 2-3. The Red Sox improve to 14-17. The winning pitcher was Marcus Walden, who pitched three innings to see his record improve to 4-0.

The A’s used five pitchers while Boston primarily played a bullpen game. Hector Velasquez started and went just two innings. Marcus Walden pitched the next three. The Red Sox used four more pitchers to finish the game.

The A’s are 0-6 on the nine-game road trip. They are 4-11 so far this year on the road. The line score for Oakland was three runs, seven hits, and no errors. They had just four hits through eight innings, and the offense looked inept. The Red Sox line was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. Mitch Moreland and Christian Vasquez homered for Boston.

Time of game was two hours and 55 minutes. 33,708 people watched the game in chilly 50-degree weather under overcast skies.

Up Next: The A’s are off on Thursday. They travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates in interleague play. The A’s will not be able to use the DH as the game will be performed using National League rules. The A’s return home and start a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds next Tuesday.

A’s road woes continue as they lose their fifth in a row

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Boston Red Sox, behind a terrific performance by Rick Porcello, sent the Oakland A’s down to their fifth consecutive loss Tuesday night 5-1 at Fenway Park. Porcello was in command as he went eight innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. He threw a season-high 114 pitches.

A’s starter Aaron Brooks lasted only 4 1/3 innings and absorbed his third loss of the season. Brooks continued to give up gopher balls. The Red Sox hit two and Brooks has now surrendered eight long shots so far this year.

In the bottom of the first, with one out, Mookie Betts, the reigning AL MVP, homered to center field to give the Red Sox an early 1-0 advantage. Boston added another run in the second. With one out, rookie second baseman Michael Chavis singled to center. Brooks walked Mitch Moreland to put runners at first and second. Chavis advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on Sandy Leon’s single. Boston led 2-0 after two.

The Red Sox made it 4-0 in the fourth. Michael Chavis singled, and that was followed by Mitch Moreland’s eighth home run of the 2019 season. The Red Sox added an unearned run in their half of the fifth. Ramon Laureano dropped J.D. Martinez’ fly on the warning track in center field for a two-base error. Xander Bogaerts walked, and that was followed by a double to right field by Rafael Devers. A’s manager Bob Melvin walked to the mound and removed Brooks from the game. Brooks pitched 4 1/ innings and allowed six hits, five runs (four earned), walked three and struck out two. The A’s bullpen held the Red Sox scoreless the rest of the way.

The A’s only run came in the top of the ninth when left fielder Robbie Grossman hit his third homer of the year. Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg then retired the side to record the 5-1 win for Boston.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 14-18 for the year and are 0-5 on the nine-game road trip. The A’s play the final game of the three-game series Wednesday. at 10:05 am.

The Red Sox improve to 13-17. Both Rick Porcello and Aaron Brooks, are now 2-3.

Mike Fiers will pitch for the A’s on Wednesday. The Red Sox have not yet announced their starter.

Time of game was two hours and 35 minutes. 31,754 fans watched the game on a very chilly night in Boston. The temperature at the start of the game was just 50 degrees.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s waterfront ballpark no longer just a dream

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sf.curbed.com

Barbara Mason filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez on That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 How important is it for the Oakland A’s to have received Legislative approval on two bills SB293 and AB1191 to build at Jack London Square’s Howard Terminal?

#2 The park will be privately financed, which will have affordable housing, commercial properties and retail. This is a moment that A’s president David Kaval and the A’s have longed for.

#3 The A’s will be the only remaining team left in Oakland after the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders move. Everything after last week’s legislative meetings regarding the A’s new ballpark had fallen in place, and after the meetings, it looks much better than before for the A’s to start their move to Howard Terminal.

#4 How much would you agree that it’s almost like four on one when the Houston Rockets play the Golden State Warriors particularly during the postseason? It’s the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green vs. the Rockets’ James Harden.

#5 The San Jose Sharks are in a 1-1 series tie with the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks opened the series with a 5-2 win and dropped game two 4-3. In all, the Sharks have battled in each of the games and did it without their team captain Joe Pavelski, whose recovery from being knocked out in round one, Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s crumbled after great start, which has Melvin concerned after four losses

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie:

#1 The Oakland A’s opened up Monday night’s game with four runs after two innings and the start of the contest looked promising. The A’s Jurickson Profar started things off with a second inning, two-run single.

#2 It didn’t last long as Profar committed an error when he couldn’t handle an inning-ending double play ball in the third and the Boston Red Sox went on to score six runs.

#3 The loss now is the A’s fourth in a row as they dropped the first of three to the Sox to open the series. How concerned is manager Bob Melvin with a lot more of this road trip left?

#4 Profar is hitting just .165 and has been struggling, but the A’s need him at second base as they don’t have many choices at the moment. Do they stay with him or start to scout for another second baseman?

#5 The A’s will start Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) and the Red Sox Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA). Porcello had to have five starts to get his first win and Brooks got his second win after pitching five innings in good outing against the Rangers.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bruce Maxwell with the Acereros de Mexico

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: nbcsports.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Ex-Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell is playing baseball with the Acereros de Monclova (Steelers) in Mexico. Maxwell hopes that he will be noticed by a major league scout and a return to the major leagues.

In 2017, Maxwell took a knee during the National Anthem in Oakland. To this day, he is the only major league player to do so, but things got more complicated for the catcher when he was later was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Eventually, the A’s let him go after the 2018 season, a season where they won 97 games and made it to the one-game wild card playoff against the New York Yankees.

During his three years in Oakland (2016-18), Maxwell played in 127 games, recorded a combined .240 batting average, five home runs and 42 runs batted in. The A’s obviously expected more productivity. The German-born catcher is looking for another opportunity and a fresh start. I think wverybody deserves a second chance since it is not like today’s major leagues are super-rich with great catchers. The Philadelphia Phillies’ J.T Realmuto is in his prime, while the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yaider Molina and the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey are nearing the end of their respective careers.

Maxwell is 28 years old. He is working in Mexico to impress a major league team. I hope he succeed and can return to play for one of the 30 teams in the majors.

As of today, Maxwell’s club Monclova is 14-7 for third place in the Norte (North) Division and two games behind Tijuana.

BoSox big inning sinks A’s at Fenway 9-4

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @RedSox

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, April 29, 2019

Oakland got off to a good start Monday at Fenway Park, but the Red Sox got off to a better one.

The A’s jumped to a four-run lead after two innings. Boston surged ahead in with a six-run third and stayed there for a 9-4 win. It was the fourth straight loss for Oakland.

Boston returned to the win column after dropping two games to AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Xander Bogarets had the big hit of that six-run rally, sending a game-tying two-run double over the head of A’s centerfielder Ramon Laureano. It was revenge of sorts for Bogarets, who was thrown out by Laureano in consecutive games earlier this season when Oakland took three of four from the Bosox.

Mookie Betts drove in the first run of the big Red Sox rally, followed by an RBI single by J.D. Martinez. Both were set up when A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar bounced a throw to second for an error, and Andrew Benintendi was safe when A’s pitcher Frankie Montas missed the bag when covering first.

Michael Chavis capped the outburst with a two-RBI single.

Chavis added an RBI single in the fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr. also had a run-scoring single in the seventh, and Martinez added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Oakland did all of its scoring with a four-run rally in the top of the second, sparked by a two-run single by Profar. Josh Phegley followed with run-scoring single, and Matt Chapman doubled in Phegley.

Montas (4-2) was rocked for seven runs — one earned — in 4 1/3 innings.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave up all four A’s runs, fell 1/3 inning short of getting the win, which went to reliever Ryan Brasier (1-0). Matt Barnes came in with one out in the ninth to earn his second save.

Off the field, the A’s placed outfielder Mark Canha on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Canha would have an MRI on Tuesday.

With Canha headed to the IL, the A’s have only two bench players — outfielder Robbie Grossman and catcher Nick Hundley. In a corresponding move, the A’s recalled lefthander Ryan Buchler (0-0, 7.04) from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tuesday’s game features a pair of righthanders — Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) for Oakland, and Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA) for Boston.

A’s, Treinen swept and embarrassed in Toronto by the Blue Jays

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Last season, the A’s couldn’t get enough of the Blue Jays. This season? They would prefer to forget they ever took the field with those guys.

The A’s suffered a 5-4, 11-inning loss on Sunday, the culmination of being swept in consecutive weekends by Toronto (0-6), the ultimate getback after the A’s went 7-0 against the Blue Jay’s in 2018. What’s worse, the A’s blew a 4-1 lead in the 11th as closer Blake Treinen couldn’t close the door.

Brandon Drury’s three-run homer wiped out the A’s lead, and four batters later, Justin Smoak’s RBI single scoring Freddy Galvez ended it.

“Falling behind guys and giving up soft contact like that is just embarrassing on my end,” Treinen said. “The team scraps as well as it did to get runs late and then they put their faith in me to go out there and get three outs. I mean a leadoff hit is whatever, a guy goes across the plate it doesn’t matter, but then I just didn’t execute pitches and fell behind and lost some feel and it sucks. It really sucks.”

The A’s fell to 14-16 with the loss, four games off the pace of the division-leading Astros, who won 4-1 over the Indians Sunday night.

Chris Bassitt was impressive–and more expressive–in his second start, allowing a run in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. With all the upheaval and inconsistency in the rotation, Bassitt appears to be stability after two, superior starts.

With his energy on the mound, along with the quality pitches, Bassitt carried the A’s for seven innings. J.B. Wendelken picked Bassitt up with a brisk eighth, and Joakim Soria gave up a couple of hits, but kept the game 1-1 in the ninth.

A weird vibe persisted because of the A’s aversion to being swept and their lack of offense–two singles and an Khris Davis double–through nine innings. Bassitt did his best to explain the team’s malaise that preceded the game’s unusual conclusion in the 10th and 11th.

“It was just we were all kind of sleepwalking a little bit,” Bassitt opined. “It happens. Everyone goes through this, but we obviously have to snap out of it.”

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s just can’t do anything with Jays on the verge of getting swept

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

sfexaminer.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels on June 15, 2018. He will be the starting pitcher against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman:

#1 After the Toronto Blue Jays were swept in a brief two-game series by the visiting San Francisco Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Oakland A’s came into Rogers Centre and are on the cusp of getting swept in a three-game series.

#2 The A’s faced the Jays starter Aaron Sanchez on Saturday and the A’s, who have a lot of pop in their lineup, were lucky to even get a pop up off Sanchez, who gave up only a run in five innings against the A’s.

#3 The A’s have a 6-12 record against right-handed pitching as opposed to 8-3 against lefties. This is something no doubt that the Jays have studied film on and have dominated the A’s in their meetings this season.

#4 Former Oakland A’s Eric Sogard scored a run after hitting a double on Saturday and has hit safely in all nine games he has played for the Jays. Sogard is hitting .400, three doubles and two home runs.

#5 It’s the A’s last chance to snap the Jays’ five-game winning streak against them as they will start pitcher Chris Bassitt (1-0, 0.00 ERA) against Trent Thornton (0-3, 5.79 ERA) for Toronto.

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

The A’s want out of Canada as the Blue Jays win again on Saturday 7-1

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Tor 4-27
Graphic: @BlueJays

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics have played five games against the Toronto Blue Jays over the past nine days. The Blue Jays have defeated the A’s in all five of those games. They did it again on Saturday afternoon in Toronto by downing Oakland 7-1.

This is just the complete flipside of what happened between the teams in 2018. Last season the A’s won all seven games they played with the Blue Jays.

One of the biggest problems for the A’s on Saturday was Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez who is a right-hander. The Oakland lineup is loaded with right-handed batters, and they have struggled versus right-handed pitching. The Athletics are 6-12 versus right-handed starting pitchers so far this season. They are 8-3 when facing left-handed starters.

Tor Sanchez TSN
Aaron Sanchez Photo: @TSN

Aaron Sanchez made the start for Toronto and worked 5.0 innings in recording his third win of the year. He gave up one run (unearned) on just two hits. Sanchez walked four and struck out four. With his strong performance against the A’s, Sanchez lowered his ERA to 2.32.

Toronto Focus

  • Former Oakland Athletic Eric Sogard scored the first run of the game after he doubled to lead off the game. Sogard has hit safely in all nine of the games he has played for the Blue Jays this season. He is currently batting .400 with three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI.
  • Brandon Drury went 3-for-3 on Saturday just as he did last Saturday in Oakland. He hit two singles, a double, walked, and scored a run.
  • Randal Grichuk hit two singles, doubled, and drove in two runs as he went 3-for-5 on Saturday afternoon.
  • Catcher Danny Jansen doubled and added an RBI on a Sacrifice Fly.

Athletics Spotlight

Tor Anderson
Brett Anderson Photo: @Athletics
  • Starting pitcher Brett Anderson allowed six runs (all earned) on 10 hits in his 4.1 innings of work. He walked two and struck out two Blue Jays.
  • Ramon Laureano had his sixth multi-hit game of the season. He singled and doubled against Toronto on Saturday.
  • Matt Chapman hit a double in the eighth inning of the game. Chapman entered the game tied for 10th in the American League with 13 extra-base hits.

Up Next

The Oakland A’s will try to keep the Blue Jays from completing the season sweep on Sunday by sending RHP Chris Bassitt (1-0, 0.00) to the mound to face RHP Trent Thornton (0-3, 5.79). First pitch is scheduled for 10:07 PDT.