Category: Oakland Athletics

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Cesar Chavez Day to be held on March 31st at the Coliseum

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

On Saturday March 31st, the Oakland Athletics will be celebrating a special day for César Chávez, the ex-UFW (United Farm Worker) leader. Over 200 members of his family, including his sister and son, will be there on the field for the ceremonial first pitch.

It is about time a Bay Area sports team chose to recognize such a great leader, which I happened to interview in the late 1970s in Salinas, for KOFY 1050 AM Radio Bay Area, during one of his famous marches.

Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association. He was a very strong activist who defended the rights of legal migrant workers, who had to have a permit to come from Mexico and work on the fields back in the day. He was a man of great integrity and dignity. He passed in 1993, but members of his family will be honored on this special day at the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Oakland A’s, who are celebrating their 50th Anniversary in Oakland.

As a Hispanic, I said: “about time this man gets the recognition he deserved” and I applaud the Oakland A’s for being the first professional MLB team to do so.

Saludos,
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Oakland Athletics’ Spanish Announcer

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 2018 MLB Predictions on West and East

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: awfulannouncing.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

2017 was a great season for Major League Baseball, culminating with the Houston Astros defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and winning their first-ever World Series.

After another great season in 2017, José Altuve will hang around for at least another seven years with the champs signing a brand-new $163.5 million contract on this month of March.

Many other exciting things happened in the 2017 season like the Minnesota Twins, who finished in last place in 2016, reaching the playoffs. The Cleveland Indians set a new American League record with 22 victories in a row. Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols reached the magical 600 home run mark. Pujols ranks #7 with 614 on the home run list and he is just 32 hits short of 3,000. Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltré reached 3,000 hits. The Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth consecutive division title.

However, it wasn’t very good overall for our two local Bay Area teams, the Athletics and Giants, as both finished in last place. This was the first time they both finished as cellar-dwellers the same year. In 1995, they both ended up at the bottom with identical records of 67-77, but that season was shortened by a labor dispute.

So this is how I see this 2018 season that is just around the corner…

American League West
1. Houston Astros
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers
5. Oakland Athletics

The World Champion Astros are an easy pick to win this division again as they got even stronger after acquiring Gerrit Cole along with Justin Verlander.

The Angels picked up young Japanese prospect, Shohei Ohtani, considered by many as “The Babe Ruth of Japan.” Ohtani is a right-handed pitcher who hits left-handed with power. Angels also addressed their infield needs as they acquired Ian Kinsler who will play second base and Zack Cozart (shortstop). who will play at third for Mike Scioscia’s ball club. Scioscia will be on his 19th season as manager, at the start of this 2018 season, currently the longest consecutive tenure for a manager. The Angels watched the playoffs pass by them for the third consecutive season after finishing five games behind the Twins in the American League Wild Card race in 2017. They haven’t won a postseason game since 2009, even with the incomparable New Jersey native Mike Trout on their roster for the past six seasons. Trout is arguably the best player in the game. Because of an injury to his left thumb, Trout played in 114 games, hit .306, hit 33 home runs and drove in 72 runs.

For the Halos, their lone playoff appearance with Trout came in 2014, when they were swept by the Royals in the American League Division Series. Trout remains signed through 2020, but the Angels’ window to capitalize on the 26-year-old superstar in his prime is shrinking.

I had the pleasure of covering Trout for the past seven seasons in Anaheim since his rookie year. In my opinion, he is not only the best player in the game, but he is a great man who is talented, dedicated and always joyful to take the field. He is the whole package.

The biggest question mark for the Angels will be: Can their pitchers stay healthy?

They still have a young and talented rotation with Richards, Othani, Shoemaker, Heaney, Skaggs and Ramirez. They could go to a six-man rotation sometimes during the season, like when they have long stretches of consecutive days, without any days off. It will be fascinating to see how the young Ohtani will do and how would he be used.

I believe the Angels are a serious Wild Card contender. The Angel Stadium in Anaheim will be rocking this year, not only because they have Trout, but Pujols will begin the 2018 season with 614 home runs with the titles of only active player with over 600 and #7 on the top 10 all-time home run list. The Dominican is only 32 hits shy from 3,000.

Not to mention they were the team to sign Japanese super prospect, pitcher and hitter, Shohei Ohtani. The Angels will debut the third-largest electronic message board in baseball in Anaheim. All of this could make their owner, Arte Moreno, very happy this year, but most of all, contingent play all the way until October.

The Mariners are basically the same team as last season. 2017 was a disappointment. It looks like the great Felix “The King” Hernandez is not the same dominant pitcher. Also, most of their starting rotation has been hurt. They are still a great offensive team with Segura, Canó, Cruz, Seager and company, provides enough runs for them to stay in games, but just like the Angels, their pitching is suspect. Ichiro is returning to Seattle (his first team in 2001) on a one- year contract because the M’s said that he is going to play. Ichiro reportedly said he wants to play until he is 50. He is 44 to start the season.

The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics have not been picked to win this division, but both teams have lots of talent. In this case, the A’s have a lot of younger talent compared to the Rangers. For Texas, Adrian Beltré, who reached the 3,000 hit mark last season, and a sure pick for Cooperstown, is on his last contractual year. Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor provide solid leadership and offense. The starting rotation has four lefty starters: Cole Hamels, Martín Pérez, Mike Minor and Matt Moore. Their bullpen needs a boost. Bartolo Colón signed a minor league deal with the team, but we all know no team would sign Colón to play in the minor leagues. Well, at least not with his control.

Question: Who will play the longest, Colón or Ichiro? My bet is on Colon since the Dominican Republic native will be looking to win at least six more games so he could pass Nicaraguan Dennis “El Presidente”Martinez as the Latin pitcher with most wins in history (245). Dennis Martinez won two more games than Juan Marichal, who ended his Hall of Fame career with 243 wins. But even with Colon, a very-respectable number five pitcher on any rotation, the Rangers are likely going to be the underdogs this season. My guess, if Colón wins those six games, he will consider retirement.

The Oakland Athletics finished last for the third consecutive season in 2017 with a 75-87 record, but manager Bob Melvin was always an optimist with an abundance of hope.  One of the best home run hitting teams in baseball that plays in one of most difficult home run parks, Khris Davis returns for at least another year, as he signed for 2018, for $10.5 million. Davis hit 43 home runs and drove in 110 runs last season and is the highest paid player in the roster. Davis became the fifth A’s player to hit 40 home runs in a season, alongside Reginaldo Martinez “Reggie” Jackson, José Canseco, Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi.

Strong in the infield with a young, talented Matt Chapman at third and Matt Olson at first, at the corners–“The Matt Boys” supply lots of power. Marcus Semien will enter his sixth major league season and third with the A’s at shortstop. Veteran Jed Lowrie, who gives them an all-around performance at second base.

The A’s picked up Stephen Piscotty of the Cardinals to play in the outfield. He returns to the Bay Area after spending three years in St. Louis. He attended Stanford University.

The A’s also addressed their catching situation shortly after they signed veteran Jonathan Lucroy.

The A’s bullpen improved as they acquired left-handed pitcher Ryan Buchter, signed Yusmeiro Petit as a free agent and acquired right-handed pitcher and young hardthrower Emilio Pagán early after his season ended from Seattle on the trade that sent the talented Ryon Healy to the M’s.

Melvin will have a young pitching staff. The A’s are starting off as pitching challenged. Jharel Cotton will be out for the entire season with Tommy John surgery, To replace Cotton, they signed Trevor Cahill for this season. Yes, the same Cahill who began his career with the A’s in 2009 and was an 2010 All-Star in Arizona.

Another familiar face in Oakland is returning, lefty Brett Anderson  who pitched with the A’s from 2009 to 2013. Kendall Graveman will be their Opening Day starter for the second year in a row also against the Angels, followed by Sean Manaea, and then guys like Daniel Mengden, Andrew Triggs, Paul Blackburn will all be in the mix.

This year, it could be a challenge for Bob Melvin as well as pitching coach Scott Emerson when it comes to pitching and looking for the winning combination.

The A’s are a glorious franchise that dates to 1901 as a charter member of the American League as the Philadelphia Athletics. They have won nine World Championships, the third-most of all current MLB teams. Only Yankees and Cardinals have won more World Series than the A’s. The A’s have a young and powerful offense, they were the fourth team with most home runs last year, with 234. When a team can hit for power, like the young A’s, they are always entertaining.

Sure, the A’s could surprise us. After all, it is baseball, and there are always surprises each season. Some say, “What excitement these young guys will bring!” and that could be true as the sky is the limit especially for guys like Davis,Chapman,Olson. But at the end of the day, it will probably be another tough season for the Green and Gold.

Note: There’s a new attraction at the Coliseum called “The Treehouse,” which is a new destination area above the left field bleachers in the Oakland Coliseum that is set to debut during the 2018 season. The Treehouse will be open to all fans and will feature two full-service bars, standing-room and lounge seating, numerous televisions and pre and post game entertainment. In good conscience, I had to pick the A’s to finish last again, but I would love it if they were to prove me wrong.

Significant A’s note: Celebrating their 50th Anniversary in Oakland. On April 17, the A’s game vs. Chicago White Sox will provide free admission for everybody. During every Wednesday home game in the regular season, fans can pick the price they pay for their tickets. In addition, there will be more Fireworks at the Coliseum this season.

National League West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Francisco Giants

5. San Diego Padres

I do not see anybody better here than the Dodgers. Although, they will begin their season without their top clutch hitter and third baseman, Justin Turner, who was hit by a pitch in Spring Training on his left wrist, causing a fracture, but no surgery was necessary. He will begin 2018 on the DL.

I think the Dodgers will shoot for a sixth consecutive division title this year. 2018 is the last year on the contract for the best pitcher in the game Clayton Kershaw. With a solid offense, good defense, great bullpen, they should be able win the west.

Arizona is a serious candidate for a wild card as well as Colorado. Arizona signed Japanese right-handed reliever Yoshihisa Hirano as well as veteran catcher Alex Avila. This season, they should take advantage of a window of opportunity since outfielder A.J Pollock, and left-handed pitcher, Patrick Corbin, are eligible for free agency after the season. Their superstar first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, is just two years away from the same situation.

The Rockies have a good young rotation, but lack a #1 pitcher, a stopper to halt losing streaks. Well-balanced, all-around players like Nolan Arenado–an MVP contender every year–are hard to come by. He finished 2017 with a .309 average, 37 home runs and 130 RBI. He became the first and only third baseman in history to win five Gold Gloves in his first five years in the majors.

Charlie Blackmon is arguably one of the best players in the game. The center fielder enjoyed a tremendous 2017 where he hit .331 with 37 homers and 104 batted in.

Ian Desmond and Carlos González were held back due to injuries, but are two solid players that could easily bounce back. The Rockies appear to hope to improve on the wild card finish they had last season. This Rockies team can hit anyplace, not only in Coors Field.

In 2017, the San Francisco Giants finished 64-98. This offseason, the Giants acquired veterans Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen to play in the outfield, while trying to complete revamping their outfield by picking up veteran Austin Jackson.

Madison Bumgarner was struck in his pitching hand by a line drive hit by Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield in the third inning of a game on March 23 and was diagnosed with a left hand fracture, so he will begin 2018 on the DL. Also, Jeff Samardzija will begin this season on the DL with strained pectoral muscles. That being said, the Giants need a healthy closer in Mark Melancon, who was on the DL three times in 2017.

Brandon Crawford and Brandon Bell, also known as “The Brandon Boys,” will need better years offensively. Longoria and McCutchen provide much-needed power to a team that finished last in both leagues last season with a puny 128 home runs and last in runs batted in with 612.

Although Buster Posey hit a solid .320, he only hit 12 home runs and drove in 67 runs. During his nine-year career with the Giants, only once has Posey drove in over 100 runs in 2012. Despite all that, Posey remains the face of this franchise.

Pablo Sandoval is looking for some at-bats to regain the magic he had during the Giants’ three World Championships. Every projected starting position player with the Giants, with the exception of second baseman Joe Panik, is in his 30’s.

At the beginning of Spring Training, the Giants signed left-handed reliever Tony Watson for two years, with a third year option. He is 32, so he fits right in with the Giants over 30 crowd.

It’s hard to believe that AT&T, once SBC and PAC Bell Park is 18 years old! I remember calling their first game there. The San Diego Padres, who finished in the cellar in 2016, passed them last year. The Friars’ big deal this offseason was signing free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer to a sweet eight-year, $144 million contract.

I would place the Giants on top of the Padres this season because they seem to have a deeper club, and they shall start the season with a healthy Madison Bumgarner, unlike 2017. The Padres deserve a lot of respect, they are an overall young club that’s continuing to improve.

The Giants will have to win 17 more games this year to reach the .500 mark with 81 wins. It will not be easy. But if they do, a wild card for Bruce Bochy’s Giants could be in sight.

In today’s game, it doesn’t matter if you win 100 games during the regular season as many teams have won just over 80 games and won the World Series.

Case and point: Last World Series they won in 2014, they ended season with 88-74.

Significant Giants note: On August 11, Barry Bonds’ #25 will be retired at AT&T Park, in a series against his first team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Rest

American League
East: The Boston Red Sox have to win this division, just because they have more pitching than the Yankees plus they also improved their offense signing free agent J.D. Martinez. The Yankees have a serious and perhaps the best bullpen in the world. However, the Red Sox’s starting rotation is much more superior, so I see the Yanks good for a Wild Card berth.

Central: I think the Cleveland Indians to win the division, and should be easy for the Tribe.

The Twins did great last year. This offseason, they signed underrated starter Lance Lynn, and they be back as a wild card. Look for their young-powerful third baseman Miguel Sanó to have a monster year. Also, Paul Molitor is an excellent skipper.

West: Houston Astros are going to win the division again. Angels, Yankees, Twins and Toronto will be among wild card contenders.

Duo to watch? Yankees’ Judge and Stanton. Together, they both could produce over 100 home runs.

National League
East: Washington Nationals on a class of their own, should win by 10 games, they won it by 20 last year. There is nobody close to them.

Mets would need two more Céspedes in their lineup, but their pitching should be good.

Central: The Chicago Cubs can win it again with St Louis coming in a close second.West: The Los Angeles Dodgers can win the division again. Arizona, Colorado, Milwaukee and San Francisco will be fighting for those wild cards.

Atlanta and Philadelphia should be better, fighting for .500 record.

World Series: Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals.
A’s Opening Day on March 29 vs. Los Angeles Angels at 1:05 pm PST.
Giants Opening Day on March 29 at Los Angeles Dodgers at 4:08 pm PST.

Play Ball!

Athletics in Spanish – Oakland A’S Baseball on KIQI 1010AM and KATD 990AM Spanish Language Radio, covering the Bay Area, Oakland,San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Stockton. Broadcast of 74 live A’s homes games.including three on the road from San Francisco. SAP in Spanish on TV.

Athletics in English – NBC Sports California/MLB Net/FOX Sports 1. Radio: 95.7 FM The Game, the flagship station for the Athletics Radio Network.

A’s Jharel Cotton undergoes successful Tommy John surgery; A’s lose fourth game in a row

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @rockies_fanly

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, March 22, 2018

MESA, Ariz. – Following through on a previously reported diagnosis, Oakland Athletics’ right-hander Jharel Cotton underwent successful ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery at a hospital in Arlington, Tex.

The A’s said Cotton will remain in Arlington until Saturday, then return to Oakland on Sunday to begin the rehabilitation process.

Cotton was projected to be in the A’s rotation in 2018. He was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in four Cactus League games, while holding opponents to a .195 batting average.

Cotton was 9-10 in 24 starts over two stints with the A’s last season.

Elsewhere, the A’s optioned catcher Dustin Garneau to Triple-A Nashville. This leaves the Athletics with 35 active players in camp, including 32 on the 40-man roster and three non-roster invitees.

THE GAME
Colorado led early and hung on to beat Oakland 4-2 in the Athletics’ next-to-last Cactus League game before a crowd of 7,356 at Hohokam Stadium. It was the A’s fourth Cactus League loss in a row.

Charlie Blackmon liked what he saw in the game’s first at-bat, belting a home run off A’s starter Andrew Triggs. In the second inning, Ian Desmond’s RBI single made it 2-0. Desmond drove in Trevor Story, who reached on an error and stole second.

Chris Iannetta hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth off Triggs, extending the Rockies’ lead to 3-0. Oakland’s Marcus Siemen hit a two-run shot off Chad Bettis, pulling the Athletics to within 3-2.

Iannetta’s RBI double in the seventh – after Gerardo Parra – put the Rox up 4-2.

Triggs surrendered six hits and two earned runs – both on home runs – while striking out three in 5 1/3 innings. Emilio Pagan, Frankie Montas and Trevor Cahill – the free agent who was recently signed to a one-year contract – threw in relief for Oakland.

Bettis was the winning pitcher (2-0), logging four strikeouts, two walks and two earned runs. Austin House worked a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his second CL save.

Siemen wound up 2-for-4. Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, Matt Chapman and Bruce Maxwell had the other Oakland hits.

The Athletics host Milwaukee on Saturday before heading back to Oakland on March 25 for the opening game of the annual Bay Bridge Series.

TAGS
Oakland Athletics,Cactus League,Sports Radio Service

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Pagan will be an effective reliever; Mengden will be in A’s rotation; plus more A’s news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 Emillio Pagan, who came to the A’s in the Ryon Healy deal from the Seattle Mariners, has been effective in the Cactus League and A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said that Pagan has the passion. Emerson also likes his work ethic and says Pagan is not afraid to try new things and it’s proving to work out.

#2 Pagan’s numbers were impressive with 50 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings last season. He’s the A’s best kept secret and they gave up a lot, trading Healy to Seattle to get Pagan.

#3 Daniel Mengden passed the audition during spring training, allowing five hits, a walk, two runs in 6 1/3 innings of work and struck out three. Also, Mengden threw 85 pitches this spring.

#4 Section 332 will be the A’s charity section every Wednesday starting April 4th, where fans can pay from $1 and up. All proceeds go to an A’s charity.

#5 The A’s signed right-handed pitcher Trevor Cahill. Brett Anderson is signed to a minor league deal. Anderson formerly pitched for the A’s.

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

 

Sportstalk remote podcast at Il Fornaio in downtown San Francisco on Monday, March 19, 2018

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

yelp.com photo: San Francisco Il Fornaio at 1265 Battery Street at Levis Plaza downtown San Francisco site of Sportstalk Podcast

Cast: David Zizmor (Host and Warriors analyst), Marko Ukalovic (SJ Barracuda beat writer), Len Shapiro (NHL analyst), Jeremy Kahn (SF Giants beat writer), Amaury Pi-Gonzalez (Oakland A’s Spanish announcer), and Lee Leonard (producer).

Podcasting from the beautiful Tuscan Room at Il Fornaio Ristorante at 1265 Battery Street at Levis Plaza downtown San Francisco. Remember Il Fornaio’s experienced staff will work closely with you to create a memorable event for you and your guests. Learn more about Il Fornaio’s catering from Il Fornaio’s hosts Estefania Arteaga (general manager), Jennah Feely (event coordinator), and ristorante managers Michael and Chris at your service daily. Call Il Fornaio at (415) 986-2210 to find out more.

On the Sportstalk Podcast, we took a look at how the San Francisco Giants are progressing in spring training they have six gold gloves coming into the 2018 regular season with Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford who each have three gold gloves and each won last year and Giants second baseman Joe Panik won his in 2016.

The position of catcher looks to be pretty solid for the Oakland A’s as catcher Jonathan Lucroy has come into camp providing leadership and great defense. Lucroy who handles pitchers well can be just what the A’s are looking for working with, calling, mixing of pitches and knowing the personality of the rotation. Bruce Maxwell said that he’s trying to lose some weight coming into camp at 270 pounds. Maxwell did swing the bats on Saturday going deep for a two-run homer.

Plus more discussions on the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks all on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: Can A’s pitching hold up?; With Cotton out, AJ Puk being sent down won’t fill Puk’s roster spot

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @EndowPhoto

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 A lot of stuff was expected for A’s pitcher AJ Puk. He started spring without giving up a run in 10 innings, but on Wednesday gave up four runs and was reassigned to their minor league camp and will not likely replace A’s pitcher, Jharel Cotton, who is being placed on the DL for the rest of the season for Tommy John surgery.

#2 Puk, at one time, was being considered as the opening day starter but will be relegated to try and work his way back to the big club at the A’s Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds.

#3  Cotton, who tore his UCL Monday, will be preparing for surgery and his absence from the rotation will be felt by the pitching staff.

#4 A’s pitcher Sean Manaea is looking to having a great 2018. That’s all it takes is for someone to get going and maybe the others can follow.

#5 The A’s are looking at former Athletic pitchers Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill to make the club and help with some badly-needed pitching.

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

 

 

MLB Podcast with Daniel Dullum: It’s decision time for SF Giants’ 40-man roster; Cotton out for season with Tommy John for A’s; Will new rule changes work for MLB?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @MLB_Commentary

On the MLB Podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Giants: Decision time for three players on 40-man roster that are out of options.

2 A’s: Jharel Cotton is having Tommy John surgery and will be out for the season. He was originally diagnosed with a sprained elbow.

3 Will the new MLB rules actually work?

4 Should Angels’ phenom Shohei Ohtani start the season in the minors?

#5 Former Kansas City Athletic and New York Met Ed Charles 84 a tribute to Charles who passed away earlier this week

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

 

Spring training: While A’s bats come alive, Giants have interesting roster decisions

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: baseballinthebay.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, March 17, 2018

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Every team faces this dilemma at some point during spring training–what to do when a valued prospect runs out of options? The San Francisco Giants are no exception.

The Giants have three players on their 40-man roster who are in that predicament: outfielders Gorkys Hernandez and Jarrett Parker along with right-handed pitcher Cory Gearrin.

Parker has bounced back-and-forth between Triple-A Sacramento and the Giants since 2015, hitting .257 in parts of three seasons with San Francisco. The left-handed hitting outfielder has hit 103 homers in seven minor league campaigns. So far, this spring, Parker is hitting .235 with two homers and five RBIs.

Since 2012, Hernandez has had big league shots with Pittsburgh, Miami and the Giants. He’s a .255 career hitter, valued more for defense (two errors out of 328 chances in four seasons). In 13 Cactus League games, Hernandez is hitting .188 after going 2-for-2 in San Francisco’s split-squad game Saturday against Cincinnati in Goodyear.

In three seasons with Atlanta and three with the Giants, Gearrin is 10-8 with a 3.47 earned run average, mostly in relief. This spring, the 32-year-old hurler has a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances.

Though spring training is nearing the end, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said it’s still too soon to make any final decisions, not just on the aforementioned, but other areas of the team.

“We’re looking at our options to see what we can do,” Bochy said. “We’ve got some time, still. But nothing’s been decided.”

Here’s how it works: Once a player is put on the 40-man roster, a team has three option years on that player. When a player spends at least 20 days in the minors in any of those three seasons, that becomes an option year.

Then, if that player does not make the 25-man roster after using all of his options, he must be exposed to waivers before he can be sent outright to a minor league affiliate.

The trick is, if a player is valued enough, to try and sneak a prized prospect through waivers. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. General managers are watching more than just their own players this time of year.

TRANSACTIONS
San Francisco optioned infielder Ryder Jones to Triple-A Sacramento, leaving the Giants with 47 players in camp.

THE GAME
The battle of Bay Area split squads saw the Athletics strike early and defeated the Giants 8-3.

Oakland’s spiit-squadders opened the game with a four-run rally – all unearned – off Giants’ starter Ty Blach. After Franklin Barreto opened the game by reaching on an infield error, the big hits were an RBI double by Matt Joyce, and Jake Smolinski’s RBI double, which preceded a Sheldon Neuse home run to right-center.

The A’s built a 7-0 cushion until San Francisco scored two in the fourth and one in the fifth. Hunter Pence had an RBI single in the fourth, and Brandon Belt added a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Oakland starter Andrew Triggs (2-0) threw 3 2/3 inning to get the win, giving up two earned runs on two hits. The right-hander struck out four and walked three. Chris Bassett, Eric Jokisch and Daniel Gossett gave up one run over the last 5 2/3 innings. Gossett threw four scoreless innings, scattered two hits, struck out five and picked up his first CL save.

Blach (1-1) worked the first five innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits – three earned – struck out four and issued no walks.

“(Oakland) took some good swings,” Blach said. “Getting a shut-down inning after we put up some runs, definitely some good things to build on.”

“It was a tough day for Blach,” Bochy said. “He was off with his location and left balls up. It’s not going to work in Arizona. But he got his work in, and I liked that fifth inning when we wanted to get him up over 80 pitches and he had a solid 1-2-3. It was a nice way to finish.”

With one start left in the Cactus League before heading north, Blach said he felt his spring has been a good one.

“I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of being in the strike zone for the most part, but I’d like to get back to commanding the ball a little bit better in the zone and get ahead a little more often,” Blach said. “I’m just kind of refining some things and I feel like the breaking ball is where I want it.

“I’m just taking it day by day, trying to get better.”

The announced attendance was 12,045 – a sellout.

OTHER GAMES
In other split-squad games, Seattle beat the A’s 4-1 in Mesa, while Cincinnati edged the Giants 5-4 in Goodyear.

After Saturday’s Cactus League play, Oakland is 11-8, San Francisco is 10-11.

UP NEXT
On Sunday, the Athletics host the Chicago White Sox at Hohokam Stadium, while the Giants head up the 101 to play Colorado. The final Arizona games for both teams are on Friday.

TAGS
Oakland A’s,San Francisco Giants,Cactus League,Sports Radio Service

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Oakland Coliseum Is Still in the Game

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @WestCoastTurf

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — Discussions are starting this month by the City of Oakland in order to buy the Coliseum and the adjacent Oracle Arena.

This is what Karen Boyd spokeswoman for the City Oakland said: “The city of Oakland and Alameda County are aligned in the view that development of the Coliseum property would be simplified and streamlined with a single owner that controls all aspects of the future development process,” City Administrator Sabrina Landreth said in a statement to The SF Chronicle. “To that end, the city and county are engaging in discussions on the terms of an agreement that will be mutually beneficial. We will publicly discuss the outcome of these negotiations at the appropriate time.”

This is very significant because if the Athletics cannot build their new park at Howard Terminal, the current location of the Oakland Coliseum will be the one waiting on deck.

The Oakland Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in 2020. Their stadium is under construction.

The Golden State Warriors are moving in 2019 to Chase Center. Their stadium is also under construction in San Francisco. It’s within walking distance from the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park.

In September 2017, the Athletics officially announced that the Laney College location was their preferred location, but then in December, the A’s swung and missed strike one when the Peralta Community District Board of Trustees said no and added that they didn’t even want to start negotiating. Right now, the A’s management have their sights at the Howard Terminal, which BART doesn’t approve. but if they swing and miss strike two, they will have a count of 0-2 with one pitch remaining and that would be the place where they have been playing for over 60 years, the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum.

Would the A’s even consider the rebuilding of the Coliseum to a much more baseball only, fan-friendly ballpark with a capacity of around 45.000? This will not be a face lift, but they will demolish the Coliseum, and rebuild a brand-new ballpark. If that materializes, the A’s will have to play their games in another park for the time being, while they build a new one at the current location. But that would be another show.

The saga of the new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics continues, which makes things look more like a Telemundo novela as the days go by.

Oakland A’s Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cotton comes back to Bay Area to have elbow looked at; changes within the A’s pitching rotation; Laureano has broken finger and will go back to minors

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @zesty_mlb

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Oakland A’s starter Jharel Cotton has been sent back to the Bay Area to have his elbow looked at and is going to have an MRI.

#2 If Cotton is out for a significant amount of time, the A’s are going with a rotation of Andrew Triggs, Daniel Gossett, Daniel Mengden, and Paul Blackburn. AJ Puk whose looked the best in the rotation could wind up the one pitcher on the A’s.

#3 The A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano has a broken finger after Giants pitcher Roberto Gomez threw in on his hands. Laureano will be out several weeks and will rejoin the A’s minor league club, the Nashville Sounds.

#4 Calling him long shot to make the A’s opening day roster, Ryan Dull, is suffering from shoulder soreness and recently has thrown a 20-pitch bull session.

#5 A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman allowed five hits and four runs in three-plus innings. When Kendall pitched to the Royals, he had given up a smash hit and a walk that started off the Royals’ fourth inning rally on Tuesday.

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