Category: Oakland Athletics

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: Angels’ Ohtani is all the rage at the Oakland Coliseum

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By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND — Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels infielder and pitcher, is baseball’s center of the universe at the Oakland Coliseum with at least 100 Japanese journalists out here to cover the first ever position and pitcher player since Babe Ruth did it for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.

Ohtani, who had not made himself available to the Japanese and English media, is a very low-key player much in the way that former Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki was when he was in his hey days. Ohtani is schedule to pitch on Sunday against the Oakland A’s that will draw not only thousands in the stands, but millions watching from Japan and about 100 Japanese reporters are expected to cover his first big league pitching performance on Sunday.

A’s opening day transformation: The A’s team president David Kaval, who did away with the opening night game concept, gets a lot of credit for his scheduling of the A’s first day game since the day game opener since 1994. Amaury remembers covering the Giants opening day and the Giants played a lot of day games.

Day games are special, and in Anaheim, the Angels play a lot of Saturday night games. It’s an entertainment area as you get Disneyland which is for families who take their families to the park, and at night, they go to the games. The games for the A’s every game is a day on a Saturday.

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

 

 

A’s win opener in a 6-5 walk-off win over Angels

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — What a glorious day to play a ballgame! The weather at the Coliseum was fantastic, and the A’s and Angels were getting ready to play the first game of the season. The fans filed in, and the festivities were underway to kick off the 2018 season. A’s Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers threw out the first pitch to conclude the Opening Day ceremonies and the time has come to Play Ball.

Kendall Graveman started for Oakland, and he was not at his best. He went five-plus innings and was tagged for five runs, all earned. In his five-plus innings of work, he threw 78 pitches and gave up seven hits, including three solo home runs, a triple and a double. A’s designated hitter Khris Davis put a charge in the A’s offense when he homered with two men on. First baseman Matt Olson, the next batter after Davis, blasted his first of the year to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. The A’s tied the game in the seventh and won it 6-5 in a walk-off in the 11th. It was a thriller.

Graveman was the starting pitcher for the A’s, and he was opposed by the Angels’ Garrett Richards. It was the second year in a row that two pitchers faced each other on Opening Day. Graveman set the Angels down in order in the first inning, but ran into trouble in the second.

The Angels drew first blood as the scored two runs on four hits. Kole Calhoun got things going for the Angels when he tripled to deep right centerfield. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons singled sharply to centerfield to drive in Calhoun. Graveman retired Luis Valbuena when third baseman Matt Chapman made a sensational catch over the tarpaulin to record the out. The next batter, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani making his Major League debut, singled to right to send Simmons to third. Angels’ catcher Martin Maldonado hit a ground rule double to drive in Simmons with the Angels second run. The A’s mounted a threat in their half of the second when they put men on at second and third with two out, but Matt Joyce struck out to end the threat. The Angels lead 2-0 after two innings of play.

The Angels upped the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning when Kole Calhoun, who seems to own Graveman, homered to deep left centerfield. Graveman settled down and retired the next three Angel hitters. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the fifth, the Angels added another run on the strength of Zach Cozart’s first dinger of the season. The A’s got on the board in their half of the fifth. With one out, Richards walked Matt Joyce and Marcus Semien. He struck out Jed Lowrie for the second out. The A’s DH Khris “Khrush” Davis homered just over the wall in left centerfield to make it 4-3. The next batter Matt Olson tied the game with a solo blast to right.

Graveman, facing Albert Pujols leading off the sixth, served up another gopher ball. Pujols sent the ball deep into the left-field seats for his first homer of the season and 615th of his career for the future Hall of Fame player. Graveman was done for the day and was replaced by Ryan Buchter who was making his Oakland A’s debut. The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.With one out, three consecutive singles by Semien, Lowrie, and Khris Davis produced the A’s fifth run

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Boog Powell tripled over the head of Justin Upton who was not playing deep. The Angels issued an intentional walk to Matt Joyce to set up an inning-ending double play. Angel manager Mike Scioscia brought Upton as a fifth infielder. The strategy failed as Marcus Semien singled to center to end the game and send the 27,764 fans home very happy. Final score: The A’s won 6-5.

Game Notes: Time of game was four hours and two minutes and 27,764 fans were at the game. The hitting stars for Oakland were Marcus Semien with hits, including the game-winning single, and Boog Powell with a double and a triple. His triple in the 11th inning set up the winning run. Khris Davis with singles and homered to drive in four runs. Matt Olson hit a moonshot Jed Lowrie contributed two hits to help the A’s win.

The Angels’ second baseman, Zach Cozart, in his first game as an Angel had three hits, including a home run and a double. Kole Calhoun recorded a home run, a triple, and a single to start the season. Future Hall of Fame player, Albert Pujols, had two hits including the 615th home run of his illustrious career. Catcher Martin Maldonado tormented the A’s pitching staff as he had three hits. Angels’ rookie Shohei Ohtani singled on the very first pitch in the Major League. The A’s shut him down the rest of the way. Two-time MVP Mike Trout went hitless in six at-bats.

Up Next: Game two of the four-game series will be played at 7:05 pm PST Friday night. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland, and Tyler Skaggs will start for the Angels.

 

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Will Cahill and Anderson eventually end up in the Oak A’s starting rotation; three pitchers out before season starts

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 It’s the first opening day for the Oakland A’s to be played at home in the day time since 1994. Jerry takes a look at the significance of what the A’s hope will start a trend.

#2 The A’s have lost three starters before the season even started, losing Jharel Cotton and AJ Puk to torn ulnar collateral ligaments. Both Cotton and Puk are expected to be out of for the rest of the season. John Blackburn is out with forearm tightness.

#3 Kendall Graveman is the A’s starter. The A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson says keeping Graveman healthy is crucial to keep his arm from burning out. He will be limited in his side sessions.

#4 Can the A’s have a healthy starting rotation and can they get some effective starts?

#5 Talk about Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill. Will they eventually make the rotation, considering how scarce pitching could get on the A’s staff?

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

Baseball is back as the A’s open the 2018 season against the Angels

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — On Thursday, March 29th, 2018, Major League Baseball returns after six long months of inactivity. The A’s last played at the Coliseum way back in September, and the fans have been drooling for the season to start, and that will happen Thursday afternoon at 1 pm.

Opening day is such a special day. The players are excited to get the season going, and the A’s are playing a day opener for the first time since 1994. The A’s management will have the bunting out to decorate the stadium, and the grass will never be so green as it is on opening day. There will be a presentation of the colors and then the singing of the National Anthem to be followed by a flyover by the Navy that the fans always love.

The A’s, under the leadership of President Dave Kaval, have made improvements to the stadium so that the baseball experience will be even better. The food trucks are back, and the A’s have made improvements to the food being served at the park.

The A’s have taken a section in left field and made it into an area to be known as the Treehouse. Fans can stay out there for the game and enjoy great food and beer while the game is going on.

The A’s have also created an area known as the Farm where fresh vegetables will be grown. The hates tarps will not be around this year, and if the team improves as many people think they can, the team will need the extra seating.

The A’s are committed to having ties with the past. On Wednesday, the A’s hosted a gala at their new office at 55 Harrison Street in Oakland. Many community leaders were present as were many of the great players that brought Oakland six Pennants and four World Championships. Rickey Henderson, perhaps the greatest Oakland Athletic of all-time, was there. Carney Lansford and Terry Steinbach were there. Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers were there, and all these former players will be in attendance Friday night for the night opener.

The A’s, under manager Bob Melvin, are looking to escape from the cellar of the American League West, where they have resided for the past three years. The A’s brought up some of the best prospects near the tail end of the season last year. The A’s traded Yonder Alonso to the Seattle Mariners to make room for Matt Olson at first base. Jed Lowrie had a terrific bounce-back year at second base, and his 49 doubles were second-best in the AL in that department. Marcus Semien missed about half the season, but he is healthy now and hopes to be a force in the lineup. Matt Chapman will be at third base, and he showed he belonged with great fielding. He also has a lot of power.

The outfield will consist of Matt Joyce and Chad Pinder platooning in left field. Joyce hit 25 homers after a slow start and Pinder also showed that he can hit with power and he can play several positions. Boog Powell will start in center but Dustin Fowler, who was sent down to Triple-A to get more playing time, will be back. Right field will be patrolled by Steve Piscotty who came to Oakland in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Khris Davis, who hit 43 dingers last year, will be the DH. The catching chores will be done by former All-Star Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy could be the best bargain of the year. Bruce Maxwell will be the backup catcher.

The big problem for the A’s could be the starting rotation. The A’s are hoping for big things from Kendall Graveman and Sean Manaea. Graveman was hurt last year and recorded just six wins. Manaea led the team with 12 victories. These two pitchers could be the keys to the A’s success if they can be more consistent. Lucroy’s vast experience handling pitchers should be beneficial. Daniel Mengden, who was up and down last year, came on strong in September after he made an adjustment in his pitching motion and he seems to be on the right track. Filling out the rotation will be Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett. The A’s lost Jharel Cotton for the season as he underwent Tommy John surgery last week. Plack Blackburn, who pitched well before being hurt last year, has some arm problems, and the A’s first-round draft pick of 2016 A.J. Puk appears to be heading for Tommy Joh surgery, too. The A’s signed Trevor Cahill to a contract, and he is at Nashville getting to be called up when needed.

The A’s bullpen added Emilio Pagan from Seattle to go with Chris Hatcher, Liam Hendriks, Santiago Casilla, Yusmeiro Petit, and Blake Treinen. Danny Coulombe and Paul Buchter are the lefty relievers. Ryan Dull will start the season on the DL.

The A’s start the season against their division rival, the Los Angeles Angels. Everyone in the division will be gunning for the World Champion Houston Astros. The A’s, without question, are trying to emulate the Astros. Everybody is trying to do what the Astros did. It wasn’t that long ago that the Astros were known as the Lastros. They developed young talent and did it pay off. The Astros won their first World Championship in their 55th season of operation. That, too, could happen to Oakland, If that were to happen and if the A’s were to get the new stadium built, they would have no trouble putting people into the seats at the old ballpark.

It’s opening day where all the teams are in first place. It’s time for the fans to come out early and remember that boys in Green and Gold will be doing their best to get off to a good start. It’s opening day, and that means hot dogs and beer. It’s opening day and its a time for optimism. It’s opening day, and it’s time to say Play Ball!

A’s ready for season opener, but the roster remains a work in progress

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–At least to start the 2018 season, Andrew Triggs is up and in the starting rotation, and Trevor Cahill is headed out.

Given all the upheaval on the A’s roster, things could change quickly. For wackiness sake, Harvey the Rabbitt could supplant Stomper as the team’s most valuable mascot. Given that, don’t write Triggs and Cahill’s name in ink.

Triggs came to spring training with hopes to land a starting assignment, but did so only because top-prospect A.J. Puk, Jharel Cotton and Paul Blackburn have landed on the disabled list. Puk and Cotton aren’t likey to return this season, and Blackburn is at least a couple of weeks away while his strained forearm recovers.

For manager Bob Melvin, the injuries mean other options have to be handy. Former A’s Cahill and Brett Anderson are part of that mix, a pair of familiar faces originally signed for a look-see.

Cahill pitched three scoreless innings on Tuesday in the team’s exhibition season finale, striking out four. Melvin said stretching out Cahill in an effort to prepare him to start at some point is the goal. Anderson’s path is murkier. He’s still in Arizona working out, and hasn’t thrown in any games, but along with Cahill, the pair provide intriguing options given the fragile nature of the rotation.

“At this point, he looks to be the depth,” Melvin said of Cahill. “It’s one of the reasons we signed him is the injuries we’ve had. He looked good.”

For example, Triggs, currently the fourth option in the rotation, hasn’t blown anyone’s socks off: he started Tuesday and threw three plus innings, allowing all three runs in the A’s 3-0 loss. For the spring, Triggs was 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA over 24 innings.

Melvin was tight-lipped about the club’s outfield situation with Boog Powell and Dustin Fowler bidding to start, and Mark Canha batlling for a roster spot. He said an announcement regarding the entire 25-man roster would come Tuesday.

The A’s open at home on Thursday against the Angels at 1:05 p.m.

Giants shutout A’s 3-0 to end the spring

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — In their final tuneup before the regular season begins in just two days, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s faced off for the last time until their Bay Bridge Series in July.

Andrew McCutchen got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the first inning as he doubled in Joe Panik, who led off the inning with a single and the Giants would go on to defeat the A’s 3-0 before a crowd of 32,644 at AT&T Park.

Another newcomer to the Giants added a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Austin Jackson hit a two-run single that scored Evan Longoria and Hunter Pence.

As a team, the Giants were never set down in order by the A’s pitchers, as they picked up a hit off the A’s quartet of Andrew Triggs, Kyle Hendriks, Trevor Cahill and Frankie Montas.

It was a good final spring start for Chris Stratton, as he went five innings, allowing zero runs on four hits, while walking one and striking out three, as he finished the spring with a 1-1 record and the Giants ended the 2018 Spring season with a 15-17-1 record.

The Giants six-pack of pitchers did a fantastic job in their final dress rehearsal prior to Thursday, as Stratton, Josh Osich, Cory Gearrin, Sam Dyson, Pierre Johnson and Derek Law pitched nine innings, allowing just six hits, walking four and striking out four.

NOTES: Ty Blach will take the mound on Opening Day for the first time in his big-league career against the defending National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday afternoon, while the Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound and he will be making his eighth consecutive Opening Day start.

This will be the 12th time since the Giants and the Dodgers moved to the West Coast in 1958 that the two rivals will have faced each other on Opening Day. In the first 11 meetings, the Giants have a 6-5 lead.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Pitching will be a big concern for 2018 Athletics

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On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

As far as the starting rotation for the Oakland A’s is concerned, it’s going to be tough. There have been verbal and written reports about the A’s pitching staff and who will truly be effective for the 2018 season. Basically, it’s a young pitching staff that their going to depend on. Last week, the A’s lost starter Jharel Cotton to Tommy John surgery and this is one key pitcher that the A’s don’t have.

The A’s are looking at Sean Manaea, Daniel Mengden, Kendall Graveman, and questions arise if Paul Blackburn and/or Trevor Cahill will make the rotation. With Cotton out, the A’s are observing Ryan Dull, who is throwing off the mound but with a certain pitch count. He doesn’t quite have the velocity yet to make it to the Opening Day roster.

Amaury is the Oakland A’s Spanish play-by-play announcer, the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: A’s in the City to close out spring schedule; Cueto has good outing against Oakland; plus more

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On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Giants and A’s kicked off the 2018 Bay Bridge series at the Coliseum on Sunday, which could only mean the beginning of the regular season is just round the corner.

#2 It was an satisfying outing for Giants starter Johnny Cueto, who pitched the first Bay Bridge series game, going 5.1 innings, five hits, one run, one walk, six strikeouts in a 5-1 win over the A’s Sunday.

#3 Giants pitcher Ty Blach gets the start for opening day on Thursday in Los Angeles. In 2017, Blach had a 4.78 ERA and was 8-12.

#4 The Giants offense do present some pop in the line up for 2018 with hitters such as Buster Posey, Evan Longoria, and Andrew McCutchen.

#5 On an A’s note: The A’s played it safe and purchased land from the city of Oakland in order to secure the Oakland Coliseum area so no future developers might buy the land in the event the Howard Terminal idea falls through.

Morris Phillips is the San Francisco Giants beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Baseball is back in the Bay; Giants down the A’s 5-1 on Sunday

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Baseball returned to the Bay Area on Sunday afternoon as the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics played the first of three annual Bay Bridge Exhibition Series games at the Coliseum in Oakland. The G-Men came out on top in game of one as they downed the A’s 5-1 before 21,229 fans on very chilly day.

Johnny Cueto made the start for the Giants and Daniel Gossett took the hill for the A’s. If you are a Giants fan you are very happy with the way Cueto pitched especially with the loss of Bumgarner. The big righthander pitched 5.2-innings giving up just one run (earned) on five hits. He struck out six and walked just one batter. Cueto threw 82 pitches (57 strikes). He looks ready to go for the regular season.

The Athletics  Daniel Gossett looked good for the first two innings and then ran into some real trouble in the top of the third inning. Gossett gave up three runs off three three hits with the real damage coming from a Buster Posey two-run double that slammed off the center field wall. He would give up a solo run in the fourth inning.

Gossett worked 3.2 innings giving up those four runs (all earned) on five hits. He struck out two and walked one. Gossett threw 78 pitches (47 strikes).

“I thought his stuff was good. Similar to what we saw during regular Spring Training. He just did’t throw enough strikes,”said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “He got himself in a jam and Posey got a big hit … they scored some runs off of it. He has to be a little more efficient with his strikes and get ahead in the count.”

The A’s used six pitchers in the contest:

  • Yusmeiro Petit worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up no hits.
  • Daniel Coulombe struck one and walked one but did not give up a hit in his one inning on the mound.
  • Liam Hendricks posted all zeros in his inning on the hill. Melvin said it was his best outing of the training season.
  • Raul Alcantara struggled in his one inning giving up one run on one hit. The hit was a home run to the Panda – Pablo Sandoval. Melvin indicated Alcantara has to start throwing his breaking ball for strikes.
  • Simon Castro closed out the game by giving up no runs on no hits while striking out two and walking one.

There were not the many highlights on offense. The A’s only run came in the bottom of third inning when Dustin Fowler led off the inning with base hit. After Joyce came close to hitting one of out the park to deep center field, Semien grounded out to short and that moved Fowler into scoring position at second base. Jed Lowrie then hit a single up the middle and the speedy Fowler raced home to score the only run of the game for the Athletics.

The totals in game for the Giants were five runs, seven hits and no errors while the A’s posted one run, six hits and two errors. San Francisco is now 14-15 for the spring and Oakland falls to 13-15.

The two meet in San Francisco on Monday night.

Athletics Current Roster

Khris Davis
Khris Davis is ready for the season to begin Photo: @Athletics

The A’s have 17 pitchers, seven infielders, seven outfielders and three catchers for a total of 34 players. That number must be cut to 25 by Thursday. Look for Oakland to keep 13 pitchers, 10 position players and 2 catchers.

Due to injuries, the A’s are down to five starting pitchers by default. It appears the bullpen will receive maximum usage this season. The team did work at upgrading the relief corps in the off-season and now it appears it is a good thing they did with the injuries to the starters.

Who will play center field?

The battle is between Dustin Fowler, Boog Powell and Jeff Smolinski. Powell saw action with the A’s in 2017 playing in 29 games and hitting .282 including three home runs. He also played in 23 games for the Seattle Mariners before being traded to Oakland. Smolinski appeared in 16 games for the Athletics batting .259 with an OPS .607.

The Athletics acquired Fowler from the New York Yankees in the Sonny Gray trade. Fowler appeared in one game for the Yankees which is the total of his MLB experience. When Fowler was traded, he was on the disabled list with a ruptured right patellar tendon. He came off the DL last November.

Powell is hitting .250 for the spring with an OPS of .665. He has hit two home runs and two stolen bases. Fowler is batting .195 in 41 trips to the plate this spring. He has not hit a home run but has recorded four RBI and has three stolen bases. His OPS is .471.

Smolinski has hit .289 this spring with an OPS of 1.003. He has hit four home runs and recorded 13 RBI. Those are some numbers that may be hard to ignore

This appears to be a battle between power and speed. The advantage that Fowler possesses is his speed which can be a real asset on defense and could be a real help on offense if he could use that speed to get into scoring position. The problem is the on-base-percentage of .227. If that OBP is over .350, now that speed becomes a weapon.

The fact is the experience and offensive production of Powell and Smolinski gives them a real advantage in staying with the “big club” on Thursday and beyond. The A’s need Fowler to develop into a leadoff hitter who can get on base by the base hit, bunt or base-on-balls. He probably needs some time at Triple-A to work on those skills.

After the game on Sunday, Bob Melvin had this to say about Fowler, “He’s doing a nice job and he’s starting to swing the bat better. He’s starting to hit the ball the other way which means he’s getting on top of the ball and more on track. Early in the spring that wasn’t the case. His bats are getting better and better.”

Cueto’s sharp in final start; Giants rout A’s 5-1

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Photo credit: @BerkeleyBrennan

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — It may be just an exhibition game, but whenever the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s get together, it is always a good time.

Buster Posey hit a two-run double in the top of the third inning that scored Gregor Blanco and Nick Hundley, as the Giants took the first game of the Bay Bridge Series with a 5-1 victory over the A’s before a crowd of 21,229 at the Coliseum.

The Giants added another run in the inning, as Joe Panik scored on a sacrifice fly by Pablo Sandoval.

Jed Lowrie got the A’s on the board in the bottom of the inning, as he singled to centerfield to score Dustin Fowler.

Stephen Duggar robbed Matt Joyce of a potential home run, as the center fielder went over the wall to bring the ball back into play.

Johnny Cueto looked great in his final preseason start, as he went five and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking one and striking out six.

Sandoval put the game out of reach in the top of the eighth inning, as he launched a Raul Alcantara offering onto the stairs in right field for his fourth home run of the spring.

NOTES: With the victory, the Giants improved to 14-16-2 this spring season.

When the Giants open the season on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, this will be the 31st meeting between the two rivals on Opening Day since 1900 and the records between to the two teams is 15-15.

Madison Bumgarner suffered a displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his left hand after getting hit by a Whit Merrifield line drive on Friday.

Jeff Samardzija was diagnosed with a strained pectoral muscle and will rest for 10 days before beginning to throw again.

UP NEXT: The Bay Bridge Series between the Giants and A’s will shift to AT&T Park Monday night at 7:15 pm PST.