Category: Oakland Athletics

No “Rocky Mountain High” for Oakland: Rockies beat A’s 4-1 Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Rockies CarGo KOA
“CarGo” hit one of his three doubles of the game Photo @KOANewsRadio

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The 2018 Oakland Athletics at Coors Field in Denver was supposed to a “power hitting show” that would send their fans into ecstasy as the seven-game road trip to Texas and Colorado came to an end. After the four-game sweep in Texas, could a seven-game sweep be a possibility? No, it is not a possibility. Now the question is — can the A’s avoid being swept by the Rockies?

The Rockies beat the A’s 4-1 on Saturday night to hand Oakland their second consecutive loss. The loss also means the A’s will lose their first series since back in June. The magic of “the comeback kids” has temporarily disappeared, but that doesn’t mean A’s fans should be calling their doctors for antidepressants. The A’s are just experiencing the “yin and yang” of a very long 162-game season.

Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela looked like he would have a very short night when he needed 32 pitches to get out of the top of the first inning. He gave up a run to the A’s on two hits, a sac fly, and a base-on-balls. The A’s held a 1-0 lead before the Rockies ever picked up a bat.

The A’s run did not come without controversy. Khris Davis hit a fly ball to right field that Carlos Gonzalez caught and then made an on-target throw to his catcher Tom Murphy. Murphy used his left foot to block the plate as he put the tag on the sliding Nick Martini’s jersey. Martini was called out, but the A’s challenged the call. After a long review by replay center in New York, the call was overturned and Martini was called safe.

Senzatela settled down and did not allow the A’s to score again. He gave up one run (earned) on five hits. Senzatela struck out six and walked four in his 5.2 innings of work. He was credited with the win and upped his record to 4-3 on the season.

Brett Anderson made his eighth start of the season for the A’s and after the first inning looked like his was going to have a great night. The Rockies figured Anderson out and scored on him in the second, third, and fourth innings. Those four runs were enough for them to win the game.

Anderson (2-3) gave up four runs (all earned) on eight hits. He struck out one and walked one. Two of those eight hits were home runs. Three of the hits were doubles and one was a triple. It was the kind of start that will keep a pitcher from sleeping well for a few nights.

It was also a night of missed opportunities for the A’s. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position while they left nine runners on base.

Rockies celebrate
Rockies celebrate win over A’s Photo @Rockies

Live by the late comeback — die by the lack of one
The A’s have been a very exciting team to watch because of their late-inning dramatic comeback victories. Seeing your team come back from a 10-5 deficit to eventually win the game 13-10 in 10 innings is as exciting as it gets for baseball fans. The problem is that the odds of being able to keep those late-inning miracles up over a long period of time are incredibly difficult and almost impossible to pull off.

That is not to say that those late-inning victory celebrations are over for the season, but is important for fans to remember that there will be momentary breaks in the action from time to time. Miracles do happen — just not every game.

Altuve headed to DL
No true baseball fan wishes for a player from an opposing team to sustain an injury that renders them unable to play. That being said, injuries are a part of a grueling 162-game season and teams must take advantage of situations when their opponents have players who have to go on to the disabled list.

Saturday night, the Houston Astros placed All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve on the 10-day disabled list – retroactive to July 26 – according to a tweet from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Altuve has been dealing with right knee soreness for the past several days and has not played since Wednesday.

Houston is now without their feared double-played combo of Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Correa has been on the DL for over a month due to back problems and is not expected to return until sometime in August.

This is a situation that the playoff-minded A’s must take advantage of if they are still planning on playing baseball in October.

More trades to come before Tuesday at 1:00 pm PDT?
A’s fans are curious about whether their favorite team is going to make another trade or two before the non-wavier trade deadline on Tuesday. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle told the A’s radio announcers – Vince Controneo and Roxy Bernstein – that the team is looking, but will not break the bank.

Slusser said the team may look for another reliever if they cannot find a No. 3 or 4 starter available at a reasonable price.

Those thoughts are backed up by reports from MLB Trade Rumors that stated A’s scouts were seen in Miami looking at RHP Dan Straily who was an Athletic for three seasons. Those same scouts may also have been looking at 38-year old reliever Brad Ziegler. Yes, that Brad Ziegler who was an Oakland Athletic for four years.

Up next
The final game of the three-game series between the A’s and Rockies will be played on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 12:10 pm PDT. Oakland will send RHP Frankie Montas (5-2, 3.54) to the hill to start the game. Montas was recalled from Triple-A Nashville last Tuesday and made the start versus the Rangers in Texas. Montas pitched 5.0 innings giving up four runs (three earned) off five hits. He struck out three batters and walked two. Montas had a no-decision in the game which the A’s eventually won 13-10 in 10 innings.

Colorado will counter with RHP German Marquez (8-8, 5.00). Marquez will be making his 21st start of the season and his first since coming off the paternity list last Friday. He last pitched on July 20 versus the D-Backs back had a no-decision in the Rockies’ 11-10 win. Marquez gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits. He struck out six and walked three in his 5.0 innings on the mound.

A’s Strand 13 Runners, Win Streak Over at 6 with 3-1 loss to Rox

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

There was a traffic jam on the basepaths versus the Colorado Rockies in Denver Friday night and the Oakland Athletics are still trying to get home.

Boasting one of the most potent offenses in baseball, one would expect the A’s tol feast in the Mile High City, but the Green and Gold stranded 13 runners to fall to the Rockies 3-1. The A’s remain a game back of the Mariners for the second Wild Card spot.

A’s ace Sean Manaea gave up three runs, including a solo homer to potential NL MVP Nolan Arenado and Rockies ace Kyle Freeland pitched six shutout innings to snap the A’s win streak at six games. Adam Ottavino picked up his fourth save to end the run of dramatic finishes the A’s found themselves on.

The Rockies first run came on a bit of small ball after rookie Garrett Hampson squared up for a bunt with a runner on third in the bottom of the second. The sure-handed Matt Chapman couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly, but it was eventually ruled a hit and not an error.

The Rox tacked two more in the fifth after Ian Desmond singled in a run and Arenado mashed his league-leading 26th homer. It was the Gold Glover’s 100th career Coors Field blast. Manaea would finish the inning, but exited the game after five innings.

After Freeland exited the game the A’s thought they had an opportunity. Jed Lowrie would double a run in in the top of the seventh, but otherwise no damage was done, despite four hits off the Rockies’ pen in three innings. Oakland would end the night 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Up Next: The A’s will look to start a new streak in Denver Saturday, sending former Rockies pitcher Brett Anderson to the hill. He’ll face Antonio Senzatela.

The A’s and Rockies will face off Saturday at 5:10 pm PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s head to pitcher’s park Coors Field with six-game win streak; Can Rockies cool down the red-hot A’s?

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

The Oakland A’s are rip roaring with 27 wins out of their last 34, a four-game sweep, four triples in a four-game series with the Rangers. The A’s led the way with the four triples and the A’s outfielder Steven Piscotty said there’s a new hero everyday in this ball club.

The A’s leadoff hitter Nick Martini in two at bats on Thursday connected for two hits and scored two runs himself while picking up an RBI. All the runs counted in this one as the A’s got by the Rangers by a run, 7-6.

The A’s open a three-game series in Denver starting tonight at Coors Field. It’s not a hitter’s park. The Rockies have a shot at being that one club that could cool down the red-hot A’s. They’re at home at Coors. They’re third in the NL West, just two games out of first behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and they have the talent to make a run at the postseason. Come to think of it, so do the A’s.

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

A’s mess with Texas again; sweep 4-game series with 7-6 win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their sixth game in a row as they defeated the Texas Rangers 7-6 at Globe Life Park Thursday night. The A’s swept the four-game series for their 27th win in their last 34 games since June 16th. It was the A’s third four-game sweep this season, and it was the first time the A’s have accomplished such a feat since 1928.

The A’s Trevor Cahill earned the win to even his record at 2-2. He had not won a game since April 17th when he beat the Chicago White Sox. He snapped a nine-game winless streak. He struggled as he went five innings and allowed seven hits and five runs. The A’s offense helped him out as he left the game with the A’s leading 6-5.

The Rangers’ starter was Bartolo Colon. Colon took the loss. He went seven innings and gave up nine hits and six runs. His record dropped to 5-9. He has 243 career win, and it was his fourth attempt to break the record he holds with Dennis Martinez for most wins by a Latin American native.

The A’s took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Nick Martini reached when he was hit by a pitch. Colon retired Marcus Semien for the first out. Jed Lowrie hit a dribbler up the first base line that Colon could not field properly. He tried to get Lowrie at first, but his throw sent the ball past Rangers’ first baseman Ronald Guzman. Lowrie was credited with a hit and Colon an error on the throw as Martini advanced to third base. Khris Davis singled to right to drive in Martini. Shin-Soo Choo’s throw to third base in an attempt to nail Lowrie went into the dugout for the second error of the inning. Lowrie scored.

The Rangers came back in their half of the first to tie the game. Cahill walked the leadoff hitter (Choo). Cahill hit Rougned Odor with a pitch to put men on at first and second with no out. Elvis Andrus singled to load the bases. Adrian Beltre singled to drive in Choo. Cahill struck out Jurickson Profar for the first out. Joey Gall grounded out, and Odor scored on the play.

The A’s Matt Chapman lead off the second inning with a line drive that went over the fence in left field for his 12th home run of the year.

The Rangers tied the game again in the bottom of the inning. Ronald Guzman doubled. He went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Choo singled.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the fourth. With one out Chapman walked. Dustin Fowler followed with a triple to drive in Chapman. Nick Martini followed with another triple to drive in Fowler. Semien singled to drive in Martini. The A’s lead 6-3.

The Rangers scored twice in the fifth to make it a 6-5 game. They put together a walk to Andrus and a single by Beltre. Profar followed with a triple to drive in both teammates.

The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth when Chapman tripled with one out. Jonathan Lucroy drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Jeurys Familia to pitch. Ronaldo Guzman reached when Matt Olson misplayed his ground ball. Pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Familia struck out Choo for the first out. Rougned Odor lined out to center-field and Guzman tagged up and made it safely to third base. Familia uncorked a wild pitch and Guzman scored on the play.

A’s closer Blake Treinen was brought in to pitch the ninth. Adrian Beltre greeted him with a single, but Treinen was unfazed. He struck out Profar for the first out. Joe Gallo flew out to left field, and Treinen got Robinson Chirinos to line out to Jed Lowrie. The A’s won 7-6.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s hitting star was Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a home run and had two triples. The A’s had four triples in the game. The last time they had three triples in a game was in April 2013.

Blake Treinen recorded his 27th save of the year.

The A’s improved to 61-43 and are 18 games over the .500 mark for the first time since September 9, 2014.

The A’s announced that they will honor Bill King on July 30th will a commercial-free radio broadcast to commemorate the first anniversary of Bill’s receiving the Ford C. Frick Award that put him in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Up Next: The A’s travel to Denver for a three-game interleague series against the Colorado Rockies. The game will be played without the DH, so Khris Davis probably will be in left field.

Lefty Sean Manaea (9-6, 3.30 ERA) will pitch for Oakland.

Colorado will counter with another lefty, Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 8-6 and has a 3.28 ERA.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s rolling with 26 wins out of their last 33 games; A’s take on Rangers in bid for sixth consecutive win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

It’s time to come back to another comeback! The A’s have now won 26 of 33 games taking the first three games of the four-game series in Texas on comeback wins. Pitching hasn’t done it, but the A’s offense had to come back and get these wins, but eventually.

The A’s will need some help from their starting pitching to hold opponents early in the games. Closer Blake Treinen, who picked up his 26th save of the season on Wednesday night continues to shut the door. A’s designated hitter Khris Davis has gone deep six times since Sunday through Wednesday. No matter what you throw him, he can find it.

A’s play game four of this four-game series tonight in Arlington as they try to win their sixth straight game. It’s a classic match up–A’s Trevor Cahill (1-2) vs. Rangers starter Barolo Colon (5-8).

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

Khris Davis’ homers lead the A’s to another amazing comeback over the Rangers 6-5

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By Jerry Feitelberg.

As Yogi Berra once said:”it’s deja vu all over again.” The late A’s Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill King probably would have screamed “Holy Toledo” several times during Wednesday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. The A’s continued to electrify its fans and demoralize their opponents as they did it again. The A’s trailed 5-1 after six innings. They stunned the Rangers Tuesday night as they overcame an eight-run deficit. Could they do it again? The answer is yes they did. Designated hitter, Khris Davis was a one-man wrecking crew as he homered twice to drive in five runs to propel the A’s to their fifth straight win and their 26th win in the last 33 games played. The A’s remain 1 and 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They are also closing in on the first place Houston Astros. The Astros lost to Colorado Wednesday night, and the A’s now trail them by 6 1/2 games.

The A’s scored a run in the first inning to take an early lead. Marcus Semien doubled to left to start the inning. First baseman Matt Olson also doubled to drive in Semien.

The Rangers tallied three in the bottom of the second. Edwin Jackson walked Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo to put two on and no out. Robinson Chirinos, who always seems to kill the A’s, hit a monster shot that went 429 feet over the center field wall. The Rangers added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Carlos Tocci singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Tocci advanced to third on a passed ball. Rougned Odor singled to drive in Tocci. Odor stole second and he scored on a single off the bat of future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre. The Rangers lead 5-1 after five complete.

The A’s failed to score in the sixth. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister brought in former San Francisco Giant Corey Gearrin to pitch the seventh. A’s catcher Josh Phegley greeted him with a single. Gearrin retired Semien and Nick Martini. He walked Jed Lowrie to put men on at first and second with A’s DH Khris Davis coming to the plate. KD unloaded his 26th bomb of the season to deep center field. The ball traveled 426 feet, and the A’s now trail 5-4.

The A’s bullpen continued to pitch well. After Jackson’s demise, Petit, Hatcher, Buchter, and Trivino kept the Rangers scoreless as they gave up just one hit to the Rangers.

That set the stage for the fateful ninth inning. The Rangers brought in Jose LeClerc to close out the game. Keone Kela was not available as he threw 40 pitches Tuesday night. Here’s how the inning unfolded. With one out LeClerc walked Nick Martini. He then struck out Jed Lowrie for the second out. Dustin Fowler was sent in to run for Martini. LeClerc now had to face Khris Davis. LeClerc put Davis in a two-strike hole. However, as mentioned earlier, Davis loves to hit in Texas. His 27th home run of the year was an opposite-field shot that went 421 feet. There was no doubt about it when it left the bat, and the A’s were in front 6-5. Bob Melvin summoned his All-Star closer Blake Treinen from the bullpen. Treinen did not disappoint as he struck out the side to preserve the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- Edwin Jackson made his sixth start of the year, and it was not his best effort. Jackson went 4 and 1/3rd innings and allowed 7 hits and five runs. The A’s bullpen was magnificent as they held the Rangers scoreless and gave the A’s a chance to get back in the game. The winning pitcher was Lou Trivino who worked a scoreless eighth inning. His record is now 8-1. Treinen recorded his 26th save in 30 tries. The Rangers’ Martin Perez gave his team a quality start as he went six innings and gave up one run and seven hits. Jose LeClerc took the loss and is now 2-3 for the year.

Khris Davis has homered in his sixth consecutive game against the Rangers. He has 25 homers and 57 RBIs in 49 career games against the Rangers. In Texas, Davis has 15 home runs and 31 RBIs in 26 road games. Davis also has six home runs in his last four games. He is sizzling right now.

The A’s go for the sweep Thursday night at Globe Life Field. Trevor Cahill will pitch for Oakland, and he will be opposed by the ageless wonder Bartolo Colon who is 45-years old. Colon is tied with Dennis Martinez for most wins (245) by a native of Latin America. Game time will be at 7:05 pm.

Food for thought: What can the A’s offer other teams in a trade?

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Ana Kieu

The Oakland A’s are the hottest team in baseball right now.

The A’s recently made a trade with the Mets for closer Jeurys Familia, who’s a Dominican native, but let’s shift our attention to the A’s farm system and what prospects they might potentially have that other teams could want. After all, the A’s are in buy mode as the trade deadline approaches, as they sit in third place in the AL West with a 59-43 record.

In the past, when the A’s have been in a position to be a contender, Billy Beane and company have been very aggressive in making the necessary additions to ensure that the A’s make the playoffs and to give the A’s the best chance at playing as deep into October as possible. Just a few years ago, Billy Beane made deals involving Yoenis Cespedes and Jon Lester, Josh Donaldson and Brett Lawrie, and Jeff Samardzija and with Addison Russell. All of those deals were completed in 2014 and were meant to give the A’s a good shot at being a true contender in the AL West.

The same can be said for this year’s A’s roster, in terms of how aggressive they will likely be, and Beane himself has already come out publicly on record and mentioned how he expects the A’s to be buyers. Now, will the A’s buy to the point where they mortgage the future to address current needs? Probably not because their core is finally starting to show off in Oakland and their farm system is starting to look better, but that also gives the A’s some valuable trade chips to potentially include in deals. What are some of those chips? Let’s take a look.

First things first, the two untouchables for the A’s will likely be their top two prospects in left-handed pitchers, Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk. Luzardo currently pitches down in Double-A and is expected to arrive in the MLB come 2020. So far this season, Luzardo has a 2.16 ERA over 83.1 innings of work and many scouts have projected him to be at least a No. 3 starter, if he is capable of staying healthy. In terms of the entire league, Luzardo is currently the 20th best prospect in all of baseball. Moreover, A.J. Puk, who was the A’s No. 1 draft pick during the 2016 Amateur Draft, figures to be a big part of the A’s future as many project him to be a No. 2 starter, and maybe even an ace down the road. Unfortunately, Puk has missed this season so far and will stay sidelined recovering from Tommy John Surgery, but that doesn’t mean that the A’s are going to give up on him–given that he is only 23 years old and is currently the 26th best prospect in baseball.

Now that the untouchables are out of the way, Sean Murphy is a prospect to watch as the deadline approaches, as he’s the A’s third best catcher.  Murphy was selected by the A’s during the third round of the 2016 Amateur Draft and is sort of blocked by both Josh Phegley and Bruce Maxwell at the MLB level. Anyways, what makes Murphy attractive is his ability to hit for power–especially from the right side of the plate–along with his defensive skills, which some scouts believe are tremendous.

Another name to keep an eye on is the A’s fourth best prospect and the 71st best prospect in all of baseball, Jorge Mateo. Mateo has the ability to play both shortstop and outfield and is highly-touted by scouts who absolutely love his raw skills at the shortstop position. But, of course, some scouts are skeptical as to whether or not that will end up being his full-time position down the road. Some ultimately believe that Mateo will eventually play either second base or center-field. Depending on the direction the A’s go, this could determine if Mateo will be used as trade bait or not. The A’s have Marcus Semien locked down through 2021 and Franklin Barreto under control through at least 2023.

Last but not least, one other prospect to monitor leading up to the trade deadline and even this coming offseason is the A’s fifth best prospect, an outfielder named Austin Beck. Beck projects to be a center-fielder eventually because many scouts note that he has tremendous speed and the right level of athleticism to be successful at that position. However, some scouts are a bit concerned about some of the holes that Beck has in his swing, but believe those holes could improve over time. Currently, the A’s look to have Dustin Fowler out in center-field for the foreseeable future, as Fowler is under control through 2023, but that could always change, depending on which way the A’s go.

Ultimately, none of us truly know what Beane might have up his sleeve as potential ways to upgrade the current A’s roster, but what we do know is that we can expect the A’s to make the necessary upgrades, but these will likely be upgrades that won’t hinder the future outlook of the organization.

The A’s have experienced that in the past and it appears as if they have finally learned their lesson, especially after saying last season that they needed to commit to a core group of players at the MLB level, and that core is being led by the likes of Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Stephen Piscotty. So the last thing the A’s need to do is set themselves back and take a step backwards after all of the progress that the organization has made in the past few years.

A’s rally from an 8-run deficit to beat Rangers 13-10

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Photo credit: mlb.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s continued to perform their magic act as they came back from an eight-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 13-10 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday night.

Things initially did not go well for the A’s as the Rangers scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. Mark Canha, with one out in the third, homered to left field to make it a 2-1 game. Jed Lowrie tied the game with a solo home run off Rangers’ starter Mike Minor.

The Rangers plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off A’s starter Frankie Montas. Willie Calhoun led off the fifth with a solo home run. Shin-Soo Choo singled and went to third on Rougned Odor’s double. Elvis Andrus drove in Choo with a sacrifice fly to right field. Montas was done for the night, and he left the game trailing 4-2.

The Rangers appeared to break the game open in the sixth. Lefty Ryan Buchter was now pitching for Oakland. Joey Gallo, playing right field for Texas, started the onslaught with his 25th of the year. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then doubled. Carlos Tocci, playing center field, singled to drive in Kiner-Falefa. Choo reached on Marcus Semien’s fielding error. Buchter walked Odor to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin took the ball from Buchter and brought in J.B. Wendelken to face Andrus. The strategy failed as Andrus hit his first career grand slam to put Texas in the driver’s seat with a 1-2 advantage after six innings of play.

The A’s, who have never come back to win after trailing by eight runs after six innings, made history Tuesday. The A’s scored 11 unanswered runs in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th innings to come away with what could be the most improbable win of the season. The players know that they can come back, but no one ever would believe that they could overcome an eight-run deficit. They tallied three runs in the seventh. Texas reliever walked Matt Chapman and Mark Canha to start the rally. Mann retired Lucroy, but Marcus Semien doubled to drive in Chapman and Canha. Nick Martini followed with a double to drive in Semien. The A’s trailed 10-5 and had two more innings to get more runs.

The A’s scored four in the eighth to make it a 10-9 game. They scored four times and had just one hit. Lefty Jake Diekman could not find the strike zone. With one out, Diekman walked Chapman, Canha, and Lucroy. Semien hit a ground ball to Rangers’ shortstop Elvis Andrus. Andrus mishandled the ball and Chapman scored. The bases were still loaded. Diekman hit Nick Martini with a pitch to force in another run. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister ended Diekman’s night and brought in his closer Keone Kela to pitch. Jed Lowrie was the next hitter. Lowrie, hitting from the left side, hit a rocket up the middle that appeared to bounce off Kela’s hand. The ball went into center field, and Lucroy and Semien scored. Kela retired Khris Davis and Matt Olson to end the threat.

In the top of the ninth, Stephen Piscotty hammered his 14th homer of the season to tie the game. Kela retired the A’s with no further damage. A’s reliever Jeurys Familia, who entered the game in the eighth inning, set the Rangers down in order and the game went into extra innings.

In the 10th inning, the A’s scored three more times. Austin Bibens-Dirks was on the hill for Texas. Bibens-Dirks retired the first hitter. Nick Martini then singled. Lowrie walked to put men on at first and second. Khris Davis was the next hitter. Davis had a tough night as he was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Davis, who had three home runs in his last two games, came through once again as hit his 25th of the season into the seats in left field to give the A’s the lead for the first time in the game. Bob Melvin summoned his closer Blake Treinen from the bullpen and Treinen retired the Rangers to preserve the win for Oakland. The A’s won 13-10.

Game Notes: Khris Davis hit his 25th homer of the year and has knocked in 72. It was the biggest and best comeback of the season for Oakland. They had never come back from an eight-run deficit when trailing after six innings.

Stephen Piscotty’s home run was his seventh in July. Jed Lowrie’s home run was his 17th of the year. Lowrie never hit more than 16 before this year. The A’s improve to 59-43 and are now just 1 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card Slot. The Mariners lost to the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in Seattle.

The line score for Oakland was 13 runs, 11 hits, and two errors.

The Rangers’ line was 10 runs, nine hits, and they also made two errors.

The A’s announced that Kendall Graveman would undergo Tommy John surgery. Graveman, who started for the A’s on Opening Night, was demoted to Nashville and spent a considerable amount of time on the DL. He is done for the year and will probably not be able to pitch until September 2019.

18,249 people were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s and Rangers will meet again Wednesday at 5:05 pm PDT.

Edwin Jackson (1-2) will make his sixth start for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Texas lefty Martin Perez (2-4).

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Familia part of the A’s family; Will the A’s look to make more deals before the deadline?; plus more

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

1) What’s your reaction to the Jeurys Familia trade?

2) Are the A’s are done in the trade market or will they make more deals? If they aren’t done, who do they need to add to their roster?

3) Should the A’s only goal be to make the Wild Card game?

4) After Oakland finishes this short seven-game, two-city road trip, their schedule really gets crazy!?

5) Finally, the A’s got some bad news concerning pitcher Kendall Graveman.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s waste no time to jump on Texas; Cards’ Poncedeleon 5th pitcher in MLB to debut with no-hitter into the 7th inning; plus more

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photo from theintelligencer.com: Oakland Athletics’ Jonathan Lucroy is congratulated by third base coach Matt Williams (4) after hitting a grand slam against the Texas Rangers during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, July 23, 2018, in Arlington, Texas

On That’s Amaury podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s wasted no time taking the first game of this current four-game series in Arlington with a 15-3 win on Monday night.

#2 A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy belted a second inning grand slam to get the offense started. Lucroy gets his second home run of the season.

#3 The St. Louis Cardinals’ Daniel Poncedeleon threw no hit ball for seven innings and is MLB’s fifth pitcher to debut to go that far. Poncedeleon was lifted after the seventh due to the pitch count. He hit 116 pitches.

#4 The San Francisco Giants, who lost two three-game series to the Oakland A’s, will be in Seattle starting tonight. The Mariners are going red-hot second place in the AL West and have been tough customers in the first half of the season.

#5 He might not be able to pitch, but the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani went deep, hitting a 435-foot shot to center for his eighth home run on Monday night.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish play-by-play talent and does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com