Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Will the A’s stay with their bullpenning concept?; plus the future on A’s pitchers Triggs and Cahill

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

1) The A’s continue to try the bullpenning concept to supplement their lack of starting pitching? Do you think they should stay with it or go another direction?

2) On the injury front: the news isn’t good Andrew Triggs – what’s happening with him?

3) Pitcher Trevor Cahill is rehabbing. What’s his status?

4) The A’s made a big announcement about their Triple-A team this week. Tell us about it and give us your opinion on the move.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s unlikely to win AL West, but have a good shot at the AL Wild Card

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Photo credit: @Athletics

Amaury does his News and Commentary podcast with Marko Ukalovic, Jeremy Harness, and Joey Friedman from Scotts Seafood Restaurant in downtown San Jose.

It seems like 20 years ago when Oakland A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman was on the A’s roster at the beginning of the 2018 season. That was five an half months ago and the A’s saw pitcher Sean Manaea throw a no-hitter, but later to be put on the DL for Tommy John surgery, which ultimately ended his season and also his season for 2019.

Also, A’s pitcher Jharel Cotton also is having Tommy John. The A’s are 90-60 as of Monday night and they look like they’re going to make it to the playoffs. The last three years, the A’s finished in the cellar. They look like they caught lightening in a bottle. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are the real thing and Marcus Semien is having a good year. It’s Semien’s bat that has him in the big leagues, not his glove.

Amaury has much more on the A’s drive to the playoffs at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s vs. Brewers…The “Oh No” World Series for FOX Sports

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There are two weeks left in the 2018 regular season. There are so many scenarios going into the postseason. For the networks, there are two dream World Series: 1) The Yankees and Dodgers, two of the most famous franchises with all the money in the world. They represent a very attractive scenario. Also, it would be a coast-to-coast affair. 2) The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs is another dandy.

Of course, the Houston Astros trying to win back-to-back World Series would make for another great story. It doesn’t matter who they will play. They are a team with a great rotation and some of the greatest players in baseball: José Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, this year’s Astros Most Valuable Player, and Alex Bregman. Not to mention, a rotation like no other with Verlander-Cole-Keuchek-Morton along with a good bullpen.

The Cleveland Indians could also be there and they have not won a World Series since 1948. Although the Indians’ most recent appearance in the World Series was in a seven-game loss to the Florida Marlins in 1997.

As thrilled as the A’s fans would be to see their team again in the October Classic for the first time since 1990 when they were swept by Lou Piniella’s Cincinnati Reds, or the Milwaukee Brewers fans whose team last made it to the World Series in 1982 to see their Harvey Wallbangers go down it in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, this would be a nightmare for Fox Sports, the official network for the World Series.

The baseball Gods are unpredictable, At the end this year it could be the A’s (with a 420,000 population) against the Brewers (with a 595,000 population). Obviously, these two teams will not bring the desired audience across the country that FOX Sports expects for a World Series like the previous match-ups I’ve mentioned. But maybe the country needs to know about unfamiliar names like: Laureano, Chapman, Olson, Piscotty, Treinen, Yelich,Aguilar, Harden and Shaw. World Series audiences are not all hardcore baseball fans. A big chunk of the audience are casual fans. However, if the Brewers met the A’s, there will be great curiosity. But in today’s television with 200 different channels, who knows who would tune in?

Yes, an A’s vs. Brewers World Series would be something. The Brewers look like a good bet for a wild card spot and the A’s can even still win the AL West, although it is unlikely, but they have one of the two wild card spots. I am not saying an A’s vs. Brewers October Classic is going to happen, but it could happen. For starters, who ever thought the A’s were going to win 90 or more games this season and finish second to the Astros? If you know of anybody, please let me know.

Notes: The Yankees have achieved one streak each of three, four, and five championships in a row, and the A’s have achieved a streak of three in a row. Back-to-back championships have been achieved an additional 10 times.

The Yanks were the last team to win back-to-back World Series from 1998-2000 when they won it in three consecutive years. If the Astros win this 2018 World Series, it will be the first time anybody has won it back-to-back in 18 years.

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010AM/990AM Bay Area, Sacramento and Stockton.

A’s to host the Angels in 3-game series starting Tuesday night

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s will return home after a splitting a six-game road trip against Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The A’s had an opportunity to gain ground on the New York Yankees for the first spot in the AL Wild Card race. The Yankees lost to Toronto on Saturday and Sunday, and had the A’s beaten the Rays on those days, they would have found themselves in the first spot. Unfortunately the A’s lost to the Rays on Saturday and Sunday. The A’s own a record of 90-60 for the year and have 12 games left to pass the Yanks. They fell 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL Division, and it is doubtful that the A’s would be able to catch them.

The goal for Bob Melvin and the surprising and swinging A’s is to win every one of the 12 games remaining on the schedule. That task will not be easy as they will play the Angels six times–three at home and three on the road in Anaheim. They finish the home season with three against the Minnesota Twins and go on the road for the final six games. The first three road games are in Seattle, and the last three will be in Anaheim.

The A’s are going to need for the offense and the bullpen to carry the load. The A’s starting rotation has been a work in progress all season. Four of their pitchers have had Tommy John surgery. Starters Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson have spent a couple of stints on the DL.

The A’s have resorted to “bullpenning” to fill the gap in the rotation. Reliever Liam Hendriks has been used to pitch the first inning, and A’s manager Bob Melvin brings in a pitcher such as Daniel Mengden or Chris Bassitt to go at least four or five innings and then turns the game over to the bullpen. Right now the rotation consists of Mike Fiers, Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson, and Trevor Cahill. Cahill is going to miss a start due to an irritation in his throwing arm. The A’s are hopeful that will be able to make two starts before the end of the season. The other two spots are being bullpenned.

The A’s resume play with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The Angels won five of the first seven games played between the two clubs. The A’s won the last two series played and are 6-7 against LAA for the year.

The Angels, managed by Mike Scioscia, also had their pitching rotation ravaged by injuries. Garrett Richards, Blake Wood, Keynan Middleton, and J.C. Ramirez are all lost for the season and have undergone Tommy John surgery. Third baseman Zack Cozart and first baseman Albert Pujols will not play again this year. Cozart had shoulder surgery and Pujols, who will be in Baseball’s Hall of Fame five years after retirement, had knee surgery.

The Angels’ sensational rookie sensation, Shonei Ohtani, probably will not pitch again this year. He is also a candidate for Tommy John surgery. However, he is still playing as he is having a wonderful year at the plate as a hitter. His batting average is .290 with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs. His OPS is .956.

The Angels, while decimated by injury to their pitching and position player, would love nothing better than to play spoilers. They have several players in the lineup that can do damage. Two-time MVP, Mike Trout, lead the Angel offense. Trout is having another excellent season and is a candidate for the MVP honor. He is hitting .318 with 34 homers and 70 RBIs. His OPS is an astounding 1.091. Trout is just 27 years old. Justin Upton has hit 30 dingers, and he has knocked in 84. He is hitting .263. The other outfielder, Kole Calhoun, is having a down year with an average of just .214 but he does have power as he homered 19 times and had driven in 57. The only infielder that fans might know is shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

On Tuesday night, the A’s will send Liam Hendriks to the hill to pitch the first inning. Hendriks has pitched very well in this role as he has allowed just two hits and one run in four appearances. Mengden or Bassitt will come in to start the second inning. The Angels will counter with lefty Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs will be making his first appearance since August 11th when he went on the DL. Skaggs is 2-5 with a 5.32 ERA against the A’s in eight career starts.

On Wednesday, The A’s lefty Brett Anderson will try to return to form. In his last two starts, he has allowed nine runs on 14 hits in just six innings of work. Righty Felix Pena will handle the pitching chores for LAA. In his last eight starts, Pena has a 3.75 ERA and has gone at least six innings in each of his previous six starts.

On Thursday, The A’s Edwin Jackson will be seeking his sixth win the campaign. Since his recall from the minors, Jackson has been a pleasant surprise. His record is 5-3, and the A’s have won 12 of his 15 starts. The Angels will counter with Matt Shoemaker. Since coming off the DL on September 3rd, he has a 3.68 ERA in the three starts he made for LAA.

The A’s know what’s at stake. They have to keep winning if they hope to pass New York. The Yanks have six remaining against Boston, and the Red Sox could help the A’s by beating the Yanks. If the A’s pass the Yanks, they will host the one-game playoff at the Coliseum. If not, they will head to the Big Apple and face the Yanks in Yankee Stadium. The Yanks have built their lineup to take advantage of the dimension down the right field line and the short porch in right field. The A’s will be playing in front of a very hostile crowd, and they cannot let the jitters get to them.

A’s slightly off their game in 5-4, series-deciding loss to the Rays

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s played it conventional with their pitching on Sunday, no surprise there. Trade acquisition Mike Fiers started five times in August, and twice so far in September, and the A’s won all seven, proving the old-fashioned, pitch deep into the ballgame starting pitcher still has a place among today’s compartmentalized baseball philosophies.

But Sunday wasn’t Fiers’ day, with the former Tiger slightly off his game while facing the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays, the A’s new dark horse competition for the final AL wild card spot.

“I felt like I couldn’t really get in a rhythm. I put the guys behind early and this game is big on momentum,” Fiers said.

Jed Lowrie’s fielding error stood out as the first blow to Fiers’ momentum, his bobble of Ji-Man Choi’s grounder screwed up what would of been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the next batter, C.J. Cron homered to give the Rays a 2-0, first inning lead.

Fiers walked three batters in the second, then escaped, via a double play and a groundout. In the fourth, Willy Adames homered to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead.

Fiers departed after four innings–his second shortest stint of his eight in Oakland–without any offensive support and destined for his first loss as an Athletic.

Meanwhile, the Rays went with their bullpen committee, and the combination of opener Diego Castillo, eventual winning pitcher Andrew Kittredge, Hunter Wood and Jaime Schultz were baffling to A’s hitters. That quartet pushed the Rays through the first seven innings, allowing two hits, the first coming with one out in the fifth inning.

“We called on some guys that hadn’t had a ton of work here recently and hadn’t pitched in tight situations recently, but they really did a nice job,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It was fun to watch them how they really pieced it together.”

Emilio Pagan allowed a two-run triple to Brandon Lowe in the seventh, another blemish on the reliever’s string of recent, subpar appearances.  That stood as a minor footnote with the A’s trailing 5-0, but quickly became a big deal when Khris Davis delivered a ninth inning, grand slam that brought the A’s within a run before reliever Sergio Romo retired two batters to end it.

Instead of a critical win on a day the Yankees lost, the A’s settled for a one-run loss, and a rare series loss. With 12 games remaining, the A’s lead Tampa Bay by seven games in the quest for the second wild card. But Houston’s lead in the AL West grew to 4 1/2 games, and they failed to move any closer to the Yankees, with their 1 1/2 game lead for the right to host the wild card showdown on October 3.

The A’s concluded play against the AL East with the loss, only their 11th loss versus that division this season. Five of those 11 losses came at the hands of the Rays.

The A’s open their final homestand of the season on Tuesday at 7:05pm. Liam Hendricks and Daniel Mengden are scheduled as the opener and featured reliever entrusted with getting the club through at least four innings. Tyler Skaggs wll start for the Angels.

 

 

 

 

 

MLB The Show with Daniel Dullum: Pennant races tightened up; Cleveland clinched AL Central; Phillies used 21 players to beat Marlins; plus more

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Photo credit: @MLB

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel:

1 Pennant race status as of Sunday.

2 Cleveland beat Detroit 15-0 to clinch AL Central.

3 September baseball: Phillies use 21 players in come-from-behind win over Marlins.

4 Giants, Mad Bum knock Rox out of first in NL West.

5 Report: Nashville drops A’s as Triple-A affiliate for 2019.

Daniel Dullum does the MLB The Show podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s can’t survive a night of bullpenning and home runs; Rays win 7-5

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Tampa Bay Jake Bauers
Jake Bauers hit the game-winning 3-run home run for the Rays Photo: @RaysBaseball

By Charlie O. Mallonee

If the Tampa Bay Rays were in the National League, they would be in the fight for a spot in the Wild Card game. They are not a walkover team anymore. The Rays have an 81-66 record this season. Unfortunately for the Rays and their fans, they play in the American League East where the Boston Red Sox have clinched the division with a 102-47 record to date, and the Yankees are in second place with a 91-57 record.

The Rays brought their “A game” on Saturday night as they handed the A’s their second loss on this six-game road trip 7-5. The game featured 21 hits, 4 home runs, 14 runners left on base, 15 strikeouts and 12 pitching changes over 3 hours and 19 minutes.

The loss was very costly for the A’s in their chase for the AL West crown and the home field advantage in AL Wild Card Game. The Astros beat the D-Backs 10-4 on Saturday and increased their lead over the A’s to 3.5 games. The A’s elimination number is now 11.

The A’s (90-59) had the opportunity to move within a half-game of the Yanks for the top Wild Card slot because the Bombers lost to the Blue Jays 8-7 on Saturday. Because Oakland lost, they remain 1.5 games behind New York in the second Wild Card spot.

More Bullpening
It was another bullpenning game for the A’s. Liam Hendriks was “the opener” on the mound for Oakland. He pitched one inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.

Dean Kiekhefer took over in the second inning and things did not go well for him. He gave up two runs (both earned) on three hits. The big blow came when Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer with one on and no outs. Ryan Dull had to come in to close out the inning.

Chris Bassitt was the “featured pitcher” of the game. He worked 3.0 innings giving up one run (earned) off two hits. He struck out three Rays and walked two.

Yusmeiro Petit was the next man up. Petit gave up a run (earned) off one hit.

The brightest spot of the night for the A’s may have been the performance of reliever Fernando Rodney in the seventh inning of the game. Rodney has really struggled recently but not in this game. Rodney gave up no runs while he struck out one and walked one.

Jeurys Familia would have rather stayed in the hotel. Familia was brought in to pitch the eighth inning. He only gave up one hit, but it was a go-ahead three-run homer by Jake Bauers that ultimately proved to be the game-winning hit. Familia (8-6) was tagged with the loss.

A’s with the bat

  • Matt Chapman went 3-for-5 and hit his 23rd home run of the season in the ninth inning off Sergio Romo.
  • The other Matt (Olson) had a 2-for-3 night at the plate and he hit his 27th homer of the year in this game.
  • Marcus Semien had a 2-for-4 night including a run scored. He was also involved in an incident with the home plate umpire that eventually caused A’s manager Bob Melvin to get ejected.

Rays’ notes

Tampa Bay Kelvin Kiermeier
The Rays Kevin Kiermaier hit a key triple in the game Photo: @RaysBaseball
  • The Rays went bullpening as well on Saturday. Ryne Stanek was the opener and then Yonny Chirinos was “the featured pitcher.” He lasted 5.1 innings.
  • Andrew Kittredge (2-2) was the eventual winner of the game.
  • Bauers not only hit a home run, he recorded four RBIs in the game.
  • Brandon Lowe had two RBIs, two runs scored in addition to his home run.
  • Kevin Kiermaier hit a triple and posted two RBIs

Up next

The A’s will send RHP Mike Fiers (12-6, 3.29 ERA) to the mound to face the Rays’ RHP Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.31 ERA) in the Sunday finale at 10:10 AM PDT.

Khris Davis proves to be the difference in A’s 2-1 win over Rays in 10 innings

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Ana Kieu

Last night, the red-hot Oakland A’s were stunned as the lowly Baltimore Orioles snapped their six-game win streak with a 5-3 win.

So what’s new? Well, the A’s traveled to Tropicana Field to take on the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series starting Friday night.

The A’s broke open a scoreless deadlock in the top of the fourth inning. Matt Olson singled on a ground ball to Willy Adames. Matt Chapman scored on Olson’s play. As a result, Khris Davis went to second. The A’s were on the board 1-0.

The Rays, however, gave the A’s a hard time in the bottom of the fourth inning. Joey Wendle, a former Oakland Athletic, singled on a line drive to Mark Canha. Tommy Pham scored on Wendle’s play. The Rays tied the ballgame 1-1.

Shawn Kelley helped the A’s get out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth inning. The game remained in a 1-1 tie.

The 1-1 score continued to stay put and the game had to be decided in extra innings.

Khris Davis proved to be the difference as he homered on a fly ball to right center to give the A’s a 2-1 lead over the Rays in the top of the 10th inning.

A’s Blake Treinen (7-2) was the winning pitcher. Rays’ Jaime Schultz (2-1) took the loss.

Notes

Up Next
The A’s and Rays continue their series with game two Saturday at 3:10 pm PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s looking to use “bullpenning” to give pitchers some rest; Will use “bullpenning” for Saturday to rest Cahill

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 The A’s are getting done in all sorts of ways. They scored 10 runs in the third inning of Wednesday’s game and used some of their call ups the rest of the way to beat the Orioles.

#2 The A’s have been going to “bullpenning” and openers. Joey takes a look on how that has been working.

#3 The Orioles just couldn’t do anything with the A’s lineup in that third inning as the O’s starter Andrew Cashner was lit up for eight runs and eight hits in just two short innings.

#4 A’s starter Trevor Cahill is receiving treatment for his upper back and most likely will miss his turn to start on Saturday in Tampa Bay. Cahill’s situation is day-to-day and A’s manager Bob Melvin is considering “bullpenning” again starting Liam Hendricks, who started on Wednesday.

#5 The A’s have lost 10 pitchers since May for 13 different injuries, which did not include Cahill’s injuries.

#6 The A’s started Brett Anderson on Thursday night a game that was going to be a day game because of Hurricane Florence moving onto the East Coast, but the forecast for Thursday night subsided for rough weather and the A’s and Orioles concluded the series as scheduled.

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

Orioles snap the A’s six-game winning streak with a 5-3 win

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Photo credit: @Orioles

By Jerry Feitelberg

One of the great things about baseball is that one never knows what is going to happen in any game. Things that are expected to happen go awry and things that one expects to happen don’t. The red-hot Oakland A’s were expected to beat the hapless Baltimore Orioles Thursday night. Since June 16th, the A’s had the best record in baseball and everything was going their way. They entered the game against the O’s with expectations of winning and sweeping the three-game series and extend their winning streak to seven games. That did not happen as the O’s pounced on A’s starter Brett Anderson. Anderson was making his first start since coming off the 10-day DL, and he just wasn’t able to get his “A” game going.

The O’s put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. The first two O’s hitters, Cedric Mullins and Jonathan Villar, singled. Trey Mancini was retired on a ground out to A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. Mullins and Villar advanced to second and third. Tim Beckham singled to drive in both runners. The O’s had an early 2-0 lead.

The A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty homered to right to cut the gap to one, and the A’s trailed 2-1 after two innings of play.

The O’s plated two more in the bottom of the fourth. The O’s put together two singles and an Anderson wild pitch to put men on at second and third with one out. John Andreoli hit a low roller that Anderson fielded. He threw awkwardly to home but the throw was offline, and the O’s had their third run of the night. Valera singled to make it 4-1.

The A’s scored another run in the fifth. A Semien double followed by a Nick Martini single made it 4-2. The A’s made it a one-run game when they scored another run in the top of the eighth. The O’s extended the lead to two as they got the run back in their half of the inning and led 5-3.

The A’s failed to score in the ninth and lost to the O’s 5-3.

Game Notes: Brett Anderson went just three and one-third innings, and he gave up four runs and seven hits. His record is now 3-5 for the year.

Stephen Piscotty hit his 24th homer of the year to extend his hitting streak to 14. He has also hit 39 doubles.

The A’s are now 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West and 1.5 games behind the Yankees in the race for the first Wild Card slot.

Up Next: The A’s travel to Tampa Bay to face the Rays for three games starting Friday at 4:05 pm PDT. The Rays have been playing well, so the A’s cannot afford to take them lightly.