Category: Oakland Athletics

Seventh-Inning Rally Helps Mariners to a 7-4 Win Over A’s

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Photo credit: @710ESPNSeattle

By Matthew Harrington

The Seattle Mariners rallied in a five-run seventh inning to beat the Oakland A’s 7-4 and continue a three-game win streak. Matt Chapman hit a solo homer for the green and gold and Khris Davis had a pair of dingers, but Mitch Haniger’s four RBIs and Daniel Vogelbach’s first homer sunk the A’s.

Oakland took a 2-0 lead off Mike Leake after the first on Davis’ third homer of the year, but the M’s rallied in the bottom of the inning to tie the game off starter Andrew Triggs. Matt Chapman continued his Monstrous 2018 by taking Leake deep for his fifth long ball of the year in the top of the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead.

The Mariners broke the tie in the seventh inning after Yusmeiro Pettit picked up a quick two outs to start the frame. Jean Segura singled, chasing Petit in favor of Danny Coulombe. Coulombe walked Robinson Cano, leaving the game for Chris Hatcher. Hatcher coughed up a three-run homer to Mitch Haniger, adding to Haniger’s RBI base hit in the first for a 5-3 lead. Kyle Seager singled and Daniel Vogelbach, DHing for an injured Nelson Cruz, took Hatcher deep for the 7-3 edge.

Khris Davis homered again off Juan Nicasio in the top of the eighth, but Edwin Diaz closed the game out for his fifth save of the year. Couloumbe (0-1, 2.57 ERA) was saddled with the loss, Hatcher with a blown save while Dan Altavilla (1-1, 1.50) picked up the win for his clean top of the seventh inning. Andrew Triggs didn’t factor into the decision, but exited the game in line for the win after the A’s scored in the top of the sixth. He threw five innings of five-hit, two-run ball.

Up Next: The A’s and Mariners meet again Saturday night at 6:10 pm PT.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Charlie O. Finley Was Controversial and Innovative

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Photo credit: launiusr.wordpress.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

When Charlie O. Finley, the controversial but successful businessman and owner of the Oakland Athletics, told me in 1977: “Yes, you can broadcast in Mexican,” little could he have envisioned that Hispanics would be the largest minority in California and in the United States some 40 years later.

I never really knew if Finley believed Mexican was an actual language when in fact it’s a nationality. Today, there are 33 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean–most of them with Spanish as their main language. In Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, Portuguese is the official language. So, regardless of what Finley believed, the fact remains that he was an old school baseball owner who was much involved with his team as he had a passion of the game. He could talk baseball with the best of them. He was an insurance magnate, and when he became involved with baseball as owner, he challenged tradition and changed the game in many ways, especially the marketing with his loco promotions. By the way, the classic A’s Front Office was just a handful of folks–mostly his relatives–who actually used the three World Series trophies to file the mail.

This is what Glenn Dickey wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle about Finley in 1996: “The irony of Charlie Finley’s life was that everybody seemed to focus on what he did poorly and ignore what he did well. His promotions were farcical, often disastrous, but the man put together a baseball team that was the only non-Yankee team to win three straight World Series for the American League.”

But among his many crazy promotions–like the live mascot, a mule called Charlie-O–my all-time favorite was Harvey the Rabbit. And this season, the A’s brought the rabbit back. We now see this mechanical rabbit prior to each game at the Coliseum.

The original Harvey the Rabbit was something special. He was a mechanical rabbit who rose from the grassy ground behind home plate near the umpire with a basket full of baseballs for the umpire to put in play.

Among Finley’s promotions
  • Orange baseballs: Tried in a few exhibition games, but hitters found it too hard to pick up the spin.
  • Hired Stanley Burrell (who would later gain worldwide fame as rapper MC Hammer) as Executive Vice President when he was just a teenager to be his “eyes and ears.” Burrell would called Finley on the telephone to give him exclusive updates of what was happening in the game. Sometimes, Burrell will bring us coffee or soda to our broadcasting booth. Burrell was a great kid.
  • Offered players $300 bonuses to grow mustaches during the championships. For star Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, the handlebar mustaches he grew for Finley became a trademark.

Finley lived in Chicago, where he died in 1996. He was a great salesman who made a fortune. His flamboyant marketing revolutionized baseball. He changed the traditional uniforms that were white and gray with black shoes and dressed his A’s with Green and Gold uniforms with white shoes, allowed facial hair, which has been making a comeback in baseball in recent years.

Finley owned and operated the Kansas City and Oakland A’s for 20 years. He would come to Oakland for a series of games, sit behind the A’s dugout many times wearing a green blazer and waving an A’s pennant on his right hand. He was passionate and involved like George Steinbrenner was with the New York Yankees years later.

More often than not, Finley would be in his “owners box” at the Coliseum. You could see his reactions to the game. When the team lost, he would not be happy and depending. When they lost, he would be furious. I remember him walking by the press box many times with Sarge (bodyguard) and his friends and/or associates screaming and complaining about a play, an umpire or even his own manager.

Finley was not what they call “politically correct” today. He said what he had in mind. After winning three consecutive World Series, he refused to pay his players millions of dollars to stay with the A’s. So one by one, Catfish, Reggie, Campy and others said “adios” to Oakland.

Finley was the A’s owner as well as their Numero Uno fan. Seldom an owner dominates such way that becomes the face of a franchise, but he was that man.

The only owner today among professional sports that reminds me of Finley is Dallas Mavericks billionaire owner Mark Cuban, but aside from Cuban, who also appears on TV on Shark Tank, most baseball owners today are not like Finley. Depending on what you like, that could be good or bad for the game of baseball.

Different times, different baseball…

Preview of the A’s weekend series against the Mariners

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Photo credit: @KPODFM

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s play the Seattle Mariners this weekend in Seattle. The A’s are 5-8 to start the season and have yet to win a series against an opponent. They went 1-3 against the LA Angels to start the season. They split a four-game series with the Texas Rangers and went 1-2 against the Angels last week in Anaheim. Angels’ rookie sensation Shosei Ohtani beat the A’s twice. The A’s then split a two-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers,

The Mariners are in third place in the AL West with a record of 6-4. So far, they have played the Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals. The series against the A’s will be the first against an AL West opponent.

The teams have announced the pitching matchups for the weekend series. The A’s will send Andrew Triggs to the hill Friday night. Triggs will be making his third start of the young season. Triggs has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 2.53. In his last start against the Angels, Triggs went 5 2/3rds innings and allowed just 2 runs and 4 hits as he was credited with his first win.

Mike Leake will go for the Mariners. Leake, the former St. Louis Cardinal and San Francisco Giant, owns a record of 2-0 and has a 3.00 ERA. Leake has pitched 12 innings so far and has beaten the Indians and the Twins.

On Friday night, Kendall Graveman will make his fourth start. Things have not gone well for Graveman as he is 0-2 and has an ERA of 9.45. In his three starts, he has pitched a total of 13 and 1/3rd innings and has allowed four runs in each of the starts. Seattle’s lefty Marco Gonzales will oppose Graveman. Gonzales beat the Giants in San Francisco but struggled in his last outing against the Twins. His record stands at 1-1, and his ERA is 7.27.

Sunday will see a matchup of two very good pitchers. The A’s Sean Manaea (1-2, ERA 1.74) has pitched well in all three of his starts. He took the loss Tuesday night against the Dodgers. He gave up home runs to the first two hitters he faced,, but settled down and left the game trailing 2-0. The A’s offense was impotent against the Dodgers and gave him no run support as the A’s fell 4-0.

The Mariners ace, Felix Hernandez will handle the pitching chores against. Hernandez must salivate when he sees the guys in Green and Gold. King Felix has a career record of 25-9 in 46 starts. Felix is 2-1 so far and has beat the Royals last Tuesday, despite giving up three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.

The Mariners will be without the services of Nelson Cruz (sprained right ankle), former A’s player Ryon Healy (Grade 2 right ankle sprain), outfielder Ben Gamel ( Right oblique sprain), and catcher Mike Zunino (left oblique sprain.)

The Mariners still have a potent lineup. Robinson Cano will be at second, Jean Segura at short, Kyle Seager at third, and Daniel Vogelbach will be at first base. Dee Gordon, in his first season in Seattle, will be in center field, Mitch Haniger will handle right field, and either Guillermo Heredia or Ichiro Suzuki will play left. The catching chores will be handled by David Freitas or Mike Marjama.

The Mariners’ closer is Edwin Diaz, and the bullpen consists of Dan Altavilla, Chasen Bradford, Nick Vincent, our old friend Marc Rzepczynski, Casey Lawrence, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos.

The A’s offense got going Wednesday night in Los Angeles when they put 16 runs on the board and recorded 21 hits. They have a powerful lineup with Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Jed Lowrie handling the infield tasks. Matt Joyce will be in left against right-handed pitchers, Trayce Thompson will be in center, and Stephen Piscotty will be in right. Jake Smolinski and Mark Canha will be the backups. Jonathan Lucroy will handle the catching, but Bruce Maxwell will probably play in one of the games.

This would be a good time for the A’s to win a series and get closer to the .500 mark. The A’s know they can hit with power. Hopefully, they will continue the heavy hitting and not play they way they did last Sunday and Tuesday when they scored just one run and nine hits in 18 innings of action.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Big break out night for A’s after hitting struggles in the Southland

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Photo credit @OAKA’S: The Oakland A’s Matt Chapman (26) welcomes Jonathan Lucroy (8) home after smashing a homer at Dodgers Stadium on Wednesday night

On the Oakland A’s Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The A’s on the current road trip started out with the Anaheim Angels and on Sunday faced almost perfect pitching against Shohei Ohtani, who nearly threw a perfect game against the A’s. The A’s on Tuesday had to face the Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who nearly no hit the A’s, but things on Wednesday turned around as the A’s hit for 16 runs and 22 hits.

#2 The A’s, who had seen some good pitching, got to get a jump on Dodger starter Alex Wood, scoring two runs in the top of first to get their offense started early in Wednesday’s contest.

#3 In the middle innings, the A’s jumped on the Dodgers for five runs in the fourth and then again two runs in the sixth.

#4 The A’s open a three-game series starting Friday night in Seattle. Are the Mariners a team still trying to figure it out or do they have a shot at making things interesting this season? However, former Athletic third baseman Ryon Healy is on the disabled list.

#5 The A’s are encouraged by home runs from Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, and Jed Lowrie in Wednesday’s game.

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

 

 

Bats come alive as A’s pummel Dodgers 16-6

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland Athletics, who had scored just one run and had but nine hits in their last two games, snapped out of their collective slump and battered Dodger pitching for 16 runs and 21 hits to earn a split of the two-game series.

The A’s were playing by National League rules as they were able to score early and often as they showed that when they are hitting as they did Wednesday night, they can be a formidable opponent.

The A’s scored twice in the first inning. Mark Canha singled with two out. Khris Davis, playing left field, hit an opposite-field dinger to put the A’s in the lead 2-0. For Davis, it was his second big fly of the year and the first since opening day. The Dodgers got one back in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to one.

The A’s scored five times in the top of the fourth. The Dodgers countered with a run in their half of the inning, but the A’s were rolling at this point 7-2. The A’s scored nine more runs in the last four innings of the game to ice the win. LA scored two in the sixth and one each in the eighth and ninth.

Game notes- Daniel Mengden went five innings and allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts and no walks as he won his first game of the campaign and improved to 1-2. Dodger starter lefty Alex Wood’s line was 3, and 2/3rds innings pitched, and he gave up 7 runs on 7 hits. He also struck out five and did not issue a walk.

Hitting stars for Oakland were Marcus Semien, Matt Olson, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Jonathan Lucroy, Jed Lowrie, and Daniel Mengden. Semien was 2-for-5, and he had 4 RBIs. Olson, who did not start the game, finished the night with 3 hits and one RBI. Davis had three hits, including a homer, and 2 RBIs. Chapman was 2-for-6, and he had a tater in the 8th with a man on, and he finished the night with 3 RBIs. Jed Lowrie also had three hits including a three-run homer in the ninth and a total of 4 RBIs for the game. Lucroy had three hits, and Mengden knocked in a run with a single.

The Dodger attack was led by Matt Kemp and Yasmani Grandal. Grandal hit a solo home run in the fourth inning off Mengden.

The A’s used four pitchers to improve to 5-8, and they are in fourth place in the AL West. The Dodgers drop to 4-7, and they are residing in fourth place in the NL West/

The A’s are off on Thursday and are on their way to Seattle to face the Mariners. The Mariners are off to a good start with a record of 6-4. The A’s are hoping that their hitters will stay hot this weekend.

Dodgers’ pitchers baffle A’s hitters as they shut them out 4-0

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Photo credit: @Dodgers

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s hitting woes continued Tuesday night in Los Angeles as they were held to just five hits and no runs by four Dodger pitchers. Hyun-Jin Ryu, who needed a good outing to keep his spot in the rotation, did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and finished the night after six innings. Ryu walked just one batter and struck out eight. He threw 90 pitches to pick up his first win of the year. The Dodgers won 4-0.

The A’s Sean Manaea lost for the second time this year. Sean gave up back-to-back home runs to the first two hitters he faced in the first inning. Chris Taylor and Corey Seager took Manaea deep and that would be all the runs the Dodgers would need to win the game.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Liam Hendriks gave up a solo home run to Matt Kemp leading off the inning. Clay Bellinger singled and scored all the way from first on Logan Forsythe’s double down into the corner in left field. Hendriks walked Austin Barnes. A’s manager Bob Melvin saw enough and ended Hendrik’s night.

The A’s threatened in the eighth. With two out, Stephen Piscotty singled. Marcus Semien doubled, and Piscotty would have scored had the ball not bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. Piscotty had to stop at third. Third baseman Matt Chapman flew out for the final out, and the A’s threat was over.

Game Notes: Trace Thompson made his first appearance as an Oakland Athletic in the top of the sixth when he hit for Sean Manaea. He did not get a hit.

The A’s line score was no runs, five hits, and no errors as they drop to 4-8. The Dodger line was four runs, eleven hits, and no errors. They improve to 4-6.

Up Next: Game two of the two-game series will be Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Daniel Mengden will pitch for Oakland, and he will be opposed by lefty Alex Wood.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Memories of the 1988 World Series–Athletics vs. Dodgers

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Photo credit: halloffamememorabilia.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Athletics are visiting Dodger Stadium for a brief two-game inter-league series for their first interleague series of the year.

In 1988, the Dodgers turned the baseball world upside down with a huge upset of the A’s in the World Series. That season, the A’s were one of their best teams in history as they won the American League pennant with a 104-58 record.

The team made history when Cuban-born Jose Canseco became the first 40/40 man in baseball with 42 home runs and 40 steals. He also ended the season with a .307 batting average and drove in 124 runs. Not only that, he was the American League MVP.

Canseco recently told me during the A’s 50 Players in 50 Years reunion at the Oakland Coliseum: “Mi mejor temporada.” English translation: “My best season.”

When Canseco first came to the A’s, he was afraid to speak Spanish, but after a couple of years, I had no trouble speaking to him in Spanish. After he retired, he told me his Spanish was terrible. Well, it wasn’t completely terrible, but it wasn’t the greatest either.

For the record, the interview I did with him on that day this season in Oakland, I began asking questions in Spanish, but after two minutes into the interview, he listened to my questions in Spanish, but replied in English. I decided not to play it on our pregame show that night. Yes, that’s Jose for you.

During that 1988 World Series, Manolo Alvarez of WQBA radio in Miami was covering it, and I had to convince Canseco to finally give an interview for the Spanish-speaking folks in Miami to Alvarez. Jose refused to talk to Alvarez, so I had to convince him to give that interview because it was important. Years later, when the Marlins were born in 1993, Alvarez started doing color for Spanish radio in Miami with Rafael “Felo” Ramirez.

Rickey Henderson, who started his Hall of Fame career of 25 years, started with the A’s in 1979 and played there until 1984. After that, he went to the Yankees, so he was not part of that championship team.

In 1988, Mark McGwire had a huge season with 32 home runs and 99 runs batted in, Dave Stewart won 21 games (his second of four consecutive years winning 20 or more games), Bob Welch ended with 17 wins, Storm Davis won 16, Curt Young 11 and Todd Burns won eight games, and the great Hall of Famer and Fremont native Dennis Eckersley–arguably the best closer of his time–saved 45 games.

The first game at the end had the feeling of a seventh and deciding game when Kirk Gibson won the National League MVP that year and hit that memorable home run to the right field seats a pitch in the ninth inning from Eckersely, that would leave the A’s on the field as the Dodgers scored two runs and won it 5-4. After that first game, the A’s won only one game and lost the series in five.

I share many stories on the field prior each game at Dodger Stadium and the Oakland Coliseum with many reporters from all over the country and were talking about a sweep by the A’s, because on paper, they were a highly-superior ball club.

I remember Evo Luis Alonso, a reporter for Voice of America, on an interview. Before the first game, he asked me if I thought the A’s where going to sweep. That was the talk then, because if you really compared both teams, the A’s were the better team and almost nobody disagreed with that. Well, maybe Tommy LaSorda, who’s never at a loss for words, and told me in his unique Spanish prior to the series that his team had a great chance. And he was right! But that’s Tommy and how he communicates with others.

Interestingly enough, the Dodgers who are hosting the A’s for this brief, two-game interleague middle of the week series in Los Angeles, have not won a World Series since 1988 since they beat the A’s.

For anybody that was with the A’s in 1988, that was probably the most unfortunate story, to lose to the Dodgers. The A’s went on to win the 1989 World Series vs. Giants, which was interrupted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake, but the A’s were the better team beating the Giants before and after the earthquake, then went to Cincinnati in 1990 and the Reds won that World Series.

Baseball is a funny game. In retrospect, I believe the A’s could have won three straight again like they did in 1972-74, but the baseball Gods were not in the Atleticos’ favor.

I will never forget the 1988 World Series or the two that followed for that matter. I felt fortunate that I was with the A’s during those three consecutive World Series. I mean, not a lot of teams would go to three World Series in a row. We do not see a lot of that today. Anyways, there were lots of memories and people I met during that 1988 World Series, one of them was the great Spanish tenor, Placido Domingo, who came to my broadcast booth at the Oakland Coliseum prior to a game there and told me he was a big baseball fan and a fan of Jose Canseco.

A few of us are still with the A’s and remember that 1988 was a very special and successful year, which ended with a very bad memory. I do remember saying something after that first game lost to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium like, “I hope this is just not the precursor of what is going to happen the rest of the series,” because that first game felt like it was the seventh and deciding game. Many historians consider the 1988 World Series as one of the greatest upsets in World Series history.

A’s stay in Los Angeles to start interleague play against Dodgers

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (4-7) start inter-league play Tuesday night against the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers, winners of the NL West division the past five seasons, have started slowly as they are just 3-6.

The Dodgers have played six games with the SF Giants and won three of them. They went to Phoenix to play the D-Backs for three, and they were swept. The Dodgers will send two left-handed pitchers to face the A’s in the two-game series starting Tuesday night. Hyun-Jin Rya is 0-0, and his ERA is 7.36. The Dodgers have a prospect ready in the minors and Rya will need a strong start to maintain his position in the rotation. On Wednesday, Alex Wood will pitch. Wood was pushed back as he was ill due to a bout of food poisoning. Wood is 0-1 with an ERA of 1.93.

The Dodgers’ position players are struggling to get going so far this young season. The infielders are Cody Bellinger at first, Chase Utley at second, Corey Seager at short, and Logan Forsythe at third in place of the injured Justin Turner. The catching chores are handled by Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes. Yasiel Puig patrols right field for LA, Joc Pederson will be in left, and Chris Taylor is the centerfielder. Matt Kemp and Kiki Hernandez will also play in the outfield depending on whoever is the opposing pitcher.

Oakland will send Sean Manaea out to pitch the first game of the series. Manaea has been a bright spot in the A’s rotation. He went 7 2/3rd innings in his first outing and eight innings against the Texas Rangers last week. Manaea’s record is 1-1, but he has a minuscule ERA of just 1.15 and has 11 strikeouts to his credit so far. On Wednesday, righty Daniel Mengden will make his third start. The Dodgers have never seen Mengden’s quirky motion, and that might help him baffle the Dodger hitters. Mengden needs to go at least six innings if he wants to keep his spot in the rotation. Mengden is 0-2, and his ERA is 6.55. The A’s have Trevor Cahill ready to return, and lefty Brett Anderson might be called up sooner than expected if Mengden can’t do the job.

The A’s hitters are coming around. They lost two of the three games they played against the Angels. The hitters did well Friday as they scored nine times but the bullpen was not up to the task. They won on Saturday but were spellbound by the sensational Shohei Ohtani who held them to just one hit on Sunday. The versatile Chad Pinder will not be available as he is on the 10-day disabled list. Centerfielder Boog Powell hurt his ankle, and he too is on the 10-day DL. Mark Canha and Franklin Barreto were recalled from Nashville.

After the two-game set with the Dodgers, the A’s are off on Thursday. They head to Seattle to face the Mariners for three games over the weekend then return home to face the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox.

Sho-nuff got the right stuff: Ohtani unhittable in second outing versus the A’s

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By Morris Phillips

Years from now, the video chronicling the Major League Baseball career of Shohei Ohtani will begin with the Japanese star plowing through the Oakland A’s.

From Ohtani’s perspective, it will make for a rousing start to a multi-faceted highlight reel.

For the A’s, not so much.

Ohtani beat the A’s for the second straight Sunday–earning his first two big league wins–as he dominated from the start, retiring the first 19 batters he faced. For seven innings, Ohtani was in control, allowing just one hit with 12 strikeouts and no walks.  Only Jonathon Lucroy among those in the A’s starting lineup could avoid striking out at least once.

“It didn’t look like [the A’s] had a chance up there, the way he was throwing,” Angels infielder Zack Cozart said. “They got the (one) hit, but it didn’t diminish how he pitched.”

In Oakland, Ohtani clocked in the high-90’s and became nearly unhittable when those fastballs were mixed in with the pitcher’s confounding breaking pitches. But at least he was temporarily fallible, allowing a three-run homer to Matt Chapman. In Anaheim, the 23-year old executed from the first to the seventh, allowing only Marcus Semien’s solidly struck single in the seventh.

From the A’s perspective, their offense was left wounded and in need of an ambulance. The toll in the two Ohtani starts? 55 A’s plate appearances, six batters reached, four hits, two walks and 18 struck out.

“He’s got a deliberate delivery, and it makes his fastball play even better,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “And he has a really good (splitter). The difference in speeds between his split and his fastball and when he locates his split down in the zone, it’s very tough to pick up.”

Ohtani homered in three consecutive games earlier this week, the last of which came against the A’s Friday night. So that’s three home runs and two wins in the first 10 games of Ohtani’s MLB career. No one’s accomplished that combination of feats in the first 10 games of their career since Jim Shaw did so for the Washington Senators in 1919.

The A’s fell into the AL West cellar with the loss, their fifth in seven meetings with the Angels to start the season.

 

 

 

Chapman Error, Five-Run Seventh Inning Helps Angels Stun A’s 13-9

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s bullpen surrendered eight runs, turning a 6-1 lead into a 13-9 loss Friday night to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium The A’s mashed five homers, but Daniel Gossett couldn’t escape the fourth inning after allowing five runs. A’s manager Bob Melvin’s bullpen struggled to close out the contest over their 4 2/3 innings. Shohei Ohtani hit his third homer of the season and Justin Upton launched a three-run shot for the Halos. Los Angeles starter Parker Bridwell didn’t escape the second inning.

Oakland carried a 9-7 lead heading into the seventh inning, but the Angels scored five to take the lead. Andrelton Simmons singled and Jefry Marte doubled off reliever Ryan Buchter to put two runners in scoring position with no out. Ohtani grounded out without plating a run, then Matt Chapman made a sensational snare of a Martin Maldonado liner to the third baseman’s right to keep both runners from advancing.

Melvin went to his bullpen, calling on closer Blake Treinen and his blazing fastball to close out the Angels’ threat. The new school method of bringing your closer in at a moment of high leverage, despite the inning blew up in the A’s face when Matt Champman’s throw on a Zack Cozart grounder went errant, allowing Simmons and Marte to score and tie the game. Treinen issued a free pass to perennial threat Mike Trout to put runners on first and second, but Justin Upton golfed a 96 mph 3-2 sinker to deep center field for a three-run jack and a 12-9 Angels lead.

Treinen (0-1, 0.00 ERA) would be tagged with the loss, but all runs in the seventh were unearned, thanks to the Chapman error. Santiago Casilla would allow another run in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch.

Parker Bridwell was on his way to a lopsided loss before the rally. Jed Lowrie hit a solo homer in the top of the first for a 1-0 edge. Matt Chapman scored on a wild pitch in the second, then Stephen Piscotty scored on a sacrifice fly. Matt Joyce hit a two-run homer, while Marcus Semien went back-to-back for the 6-0 lead.

The Angels got a run back in the bottom of the second, thanks to their two-way phenom Ohtani. The DH took a fastball from Gossett deep for his third homer of the season. Ohtani will also pitch on Sunday.

The Angels rallied for four more runs off Gossett in the bottom of the fourth on RBI hits by Simmons, Valbuena and Maldonado. Matt Chapman took Cam Bedrosian deep in the top of the fifth inning with Matt Olson on base to give Oakland back an 8-5 lead, but Simmons would knock in another run off Yusmeiro Petit in the bottom of the fifth and Liam Hendriks would walk Ohtani with the bases loaded for a 8-7 A’s lead.

Matt Olson took former A’s closer Jim Johnson deep in the top of the fateful seventh inning, hitting his second homer of the season to give the A’s the 9-7 edge before the collapse by the pen in the bottom of the inning. Johnson (1-0, 1.42) vultured the win by pitching in the inning before the breakout.

Game Notes: The A’s get some reinforcements Saturday, with recent waiver claim Trayce Thompson, brother of hoopster Klay, expected to join the team.

Gossett is expected to be sent down in a corresponding move with the A’s not needing a fifth starter in the rotation due to three off days in two upcoming weeks.

They’ll send Andrew Triggs to the mound for Saturday night’s tilt in Southern California. The right-hander is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 7 K’s from his April 2nd start against Texas. The A’s won that game 3-1.

The Angels send JC Ramirez and his seven-plus ERA to the hill.

Up Next: The A’s and Angels meet again Saturday night at 6:07 pm PT.