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A’s stun the Yankees as they rally in the tenth as Davis’ walk off bloop ends it 8-7

Published on June 16, 2017June 16, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis, second from right, is hoisted by teammates after making the game winning hit against the New York Yankees in the tenth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND– The Oakland A’s won a ten-inning thriller on a walk-off bloop single by Khris Davis with the bases loaded and two out to defeat the New York Yankees 8-7. The A’s blew five leads in the game as the Yankees scored three times in the sixth and one in seventh, one in the eighth, one in the ninth, and one in the tenth. The A’s never trailed in the game until the Yankees took a one-run lead in the tenth and the situation looked dire as the first two hitters in the tenth made outs. Rajai Davis singled and went to third on a double by Chad Pinder. The Yanks wanted no part of Jed Lowrie as he had three hits in the game, so they gave him an intentional walk to load the bases. Davis had two strikes on him but was able to bloop the ball into shallow center field. Yankees’ second baseman Starlin Castro made a valiant effort to catch the ball, but it dropped out of his glove as he lay stretched out in the field. Davis was the recipient of the pie treatment after the team raced out onto the field to express their joy in a very dramatic come-from-behind win.

Sonny Gray started for Oakland Thursday night. Gray was solid for the first five innings. The A’s gave him a three-run lead, but he was tagged for three runs in the sixth by the Yankees. The A’s bullpen was not stellar as they gave up a single run in each of the next four innings. The A’s, to their credit, also scored a run in three consecutive innings to regain the lead. The only time the A’s didn’t answer was in the bottom of the ninth. They loaded the bases but could not score, and the game went into extra innings. The game summary follows below.

The Yankees threatened to score in the top of the first. Bett Gardner, leading off for the Bronx Bombers doubled to right center field. Gray struck out Aaron Hicks for the first out. The Yankees’ rookie right fielder and current hitting star, singled on the first pitch from Gray. The ball was hit so hard, Gardner was not able to score. Gray struck out Starlin Castro for the second out. Gray walked Gary Sanchez to load the bases but got out of the jam when Didi Gregorius flew out to right for the third out.

The A’s Jed Lowrie facing lefty Jordan Montgomery for the first time, sent one of Montgomery’s offerings into the left-center-field bleachers to give the ‘s the lead 1-0. For Lowrie, it was his eighth home run of the year.

The A’s plated two more in the bottom of the second. With two, out Montgomery walked Matt Chapman. The next hitter, Josh Phegley hit a ball that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Chapman stopped at third. A’s shortstop Adam Rosales lined a double down the third base line that drove in Chapman and Phegley. The A’s lead 3-0 after two complete.

In the top of the sixth, Sonny Gray could not extricate himself from a jam that he helped to create. With one out, Starlin Castro singled. Gray walked Gary Sanchez, and Didi Gregorius singled to load the bases. Gray needed to retire Chase Headley. Headley won the battle as he singled to drive in Castro and Sanchez. Former Athletic, Chris Carter singled to left to drive in Gregorius to tie the game at three. Gray’s night was over as A’s manager, Bob Melvin took Gray out of the game and replaced him with Sean Doolittle. Doolittle struck out Austin Romine for the second out and retired Brett Gardner on a ground ball to second. The A’s broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth when Yonder Alonso sent a 2-0 pitch over the center field wall for his 17th round-tripper of the season. The A’s own a 4-3 lead after six innings of play.

The Yankees rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Doolittle struck out Aaron Hicks to start the inning. Melvin replaced him with Ryan Madson. Madson retired Aaron Judge for the second out. Starlin Castro singled and then stole second to get into scoring position. Gary Sanchez doubled to drive in Castro with the tying run. Madson struck out Gregorius to end the inning. The A’s answered once again as they parlayed a single by Matt Joyce, a Rajai Davis sacrifice bunt moved Joyce to second, and Chad Pinder’s single up the middle drove in Joyce with the go-ahead run. The score after seven complete has the A’s ahead 5-4.

The Yankees tied the game again in the eighth. With John Axford pitching, Chris Carter continued to torment his former team when he hit a moonshot into the left-field bleachers. It was Carter’s 7th of the year. The A’s answered by manufacturing a run in their half of the inning. Yonder Alonso singled to get the rally started. Another former Athletic, Tyler Clippard walked Matt Chapman to put men on at first and second with one out. Yankee Manager Joe Girardi brought in closer Delllin Betances to pitch. Betances walked Stephen Vogt who was pinch-hitting for Josh Phegley to load the bases. The next hitter Matt Joyce hit a slow roller to second. The Yanks got the force at second but the throw to first was late, and the A’s regained the lead 6-5.

The Yankees, being the Yankees, scored the tying run in the top of the ninth. A’s closer Santiago Casilla gave up a double to Starlin Castro. Gary Sanchez singled to drive him in with the tying run. Sanchez stole second, and after the A’s gave Headley a free pass, Sanchez came out of the game as he appeared to injure his hand on the slide into the base. Casilla struck out Chris Carter to end the inning. The game is tied at six heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The Yankees regained the lead in the tenth. With one out, Brett Gardner singled. With a 3-2 count on Rob Refsnyder, Gardner running on the pitch, made it to third when Refsnyder beat out a slow ground ball to third for a hit. Liam Hendriks walked Aaron Judge to load the bases. Garner scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Castro. Yanks lead 7-6 halfway through the tenth inning. The A’s loaded the bases with two outs, and it was up to Khris Davis. Davis bloops a single to center and the A’s win 8-7 in a walk off.

Game Notes- The A’s line was 8 runs on 14 hits and no errors. The Yankees scored 7 times on 16 hits and they, too, didn’t make an miscue. Jed Lowrie was one of the hitting stars for Oakland with a single, triple, and home run. He needed a double to complete the cycle. The winning pitcher was Liam Hendriks. Hendriks was the seventh pitcher used by Bob Melvin in the game. The loss went to Giovanny Gallegos.

Game two of the four-game series will be played Friday night at 6 pm. There will be a fireworks display after the game.

The A’s announced that they have designated for assignment the veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe was hitting just .214, and the A’s called up Matt Chapman from Nashville to take his spot on the roster. Chapman made his Major League debut. He did not get a hit, but he walked twice and was flawless in the field.

The A’s also announced that they have relieved pitching coach Curt Young of his duties. Young was in his second stint as pitching coach for the A’s. He was here from 2004 to 2010. He went to Boston in 2011 but returned to Oakland and was here from 2012 to June 15th, 2017. He was replaced by Scott Emerson.

Time of game was four hours and 29 minutes, and there were 21,838 people in attendance. Lefty Sean Manaea will be going for his fifth win in a row, and he will be opposed by the righty Luis Severino.

Oakland A’s Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s fire pitching coach Young; Emerson named new pitching coach

Published on June 15, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

FILE – In this June 30, 2016, file photo, Oakland Athletics pitcher Dillon Overton, right, speaks with pitching coach Curt Young, left, and catcher Josh Phegley (19) in the third inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Oakland, Calif. Young has been fired by the Oakland Athletics and bullpen coach Scott Emerson was promoted to the position, the team announced Thursday, June 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–Beside the mountains of problems the A’s have had with losing and pitching now the team has announced it fired it’s longtime pitching coach Curt Young. A’s general manager/vice president Billy Beane had seen the decline of the pitching staff and with the recent struggles of the A’s losing road trips and struggles of pitchers Jharel Cotton, Sean Manaea, Kendall Graveman, Sonny Gray, and reliever Sean Doolittle who have been either hurt or having trouble keeping runners off base.

Young who starred with some of the great A’s teams in the 80s that went to the World Series in 1988, 89 and 90 was part of those great starting rotations with Storm Davis, Mike Moore, Bob Welch, Dave Stewart, and Young. Young was the A’s pitching coach for two stints Young was pitching coach for his first stint from 2004-10, the coached in Boston in 2011, then came back to Oakland the following season.

On the podcast Jerry give you all the latest on the A’s most recent games, join Jerry each week on the A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Marlins beat the A’s 11-6, sweep the two-game series; Fish score runs in six consecutive innings

Published on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Miami- The Oakland A’s concluded the six-game road trip by losing to the Miami Marlins 11-6 Wednesday. The A’s finished the trip with just one win and five losses. The A’s have now lost six of the last seven played and are now eleven games under the .500 mark. Their record for the season is 27-38, and they are in last place in the American League West. A’s manager Bob Melvin, and the entire A’s organization are at the point of the season where decisions will have to be made regarding the direction the team has to go. The A’s brought in veterans Rajai Davis, Trevor Plouffe, and Matt Joyce. None of these three players have been very productive. It looks like their playing time will be diminished, and younger players like Chad Pinder and Jaycob Brugman will be taking their places.

The A’s brought up Daniel Gossett from Nashville to make his Major League debut Wednesday. Gossett retired the Marlins in order in the first inning. That was his best inning as he lasted just 3 and 1/3rd innings and was touched for 7 runs, all but one earned, and 6 hits including two home runs. The A’s offense provided Gosset with a 4-0 lead after scoring one in the first and three in the second. Ryon Healy slammed a three-run homer to give the A’s the lead. For Healy, it was his 15th of the year. The Marlins scored two in the second on home runs by Marcell Ozuna and Tyler Moore and two in the third to tie the game.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the fourth when Jed Lowrie doubled to deep center to drive in Gossett all the way from first base. The lead didn’t last long as the Marlins, helped by an error by Healy, scored three times to take the lead for good. The Marlins scored two more in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh to own an 11-5 advantage. The A’s scored one in the ninth, but it was not enough.

Game Notes- Matt Joyce and Yonder Alonso collided on a ball hit into shallow right field. Joyce had to leave the game with the injury.

The four hitters at the top of the Marlin lineup, Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna knocked in eight of the eleven runs scored by Miami. Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single, and he broke Derek Jeter’s record for most hits in interleague play.

The A’s scored 6 runs on ten hits and one error. The error was the 63rd of the season for Oakland. Miami’s line was eleven runs, 13 hits, and one error, Ryan Healy was the hitting star for Oakland as he was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIS.

The A’s return home to start an eight-game homestand against theNew York Yankees and the Houston Astros. Sonny Gray will go for Oakland Thursday night, and the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to handle the pitching chores.

A’s road trip continues to be painful; Marlins bomb Cotton in fifth for 8-1 loss

Published on June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jharel Cotton walks to the dugout after pitching during the fourth inning of an interleague baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Miami. Cotton gave up a solo home run to Miami Marlins’ Marcell Ozuna in the inning. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Miami- The Oakland Athletics continue to play poorly on the road as they lost for the fifth time in the last six games. The Miami Marlins pounded them 8-1 to win the first game of the short two-game series. The A’s road record this year is a woeful 9-24, and they fell ten games under the .500 mark with an overall record of 27-37 which is the worst in the American League. They play the Marlins again on Wednesday at 9:10 am.

Jharel Cotton was the starting pitcher for Oakland. He pitched well for four innings, but the roof caved in on him in the fifth. Cotton, who pitched well in September last year, has not been the same pitcher this season. Cotton has great stuff, but his command is just not there. He continues to leave his pitches in the middle of the plate, and the hitters are not missing. As a result, Cotton has lost four of his last five starts and his record for the tear in 3-7.

The A’s hitters were mesmerized by the Marlins’ starter Jose Urena. Urena went six innings and allowed just three hits and one run. The A’s scored their lone run of the game in the second inning. With Cotton at the plate, Urena committed a balk to force in the run. Urena retired the next fourteen hitters in a row before exiting the game after the sixth inning.

The A’s lead didn’t last long as the Marlins’ Marcell Ozuna took Cotton deep to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Cotton appeared to be doing okay, but the Marlins were able to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth. The big blow was a moonshot off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton had just returned to the lineup after suffering a sore wrist. Cotton’s night was over, and he left the game having given up 5 runs on 8 hits in just five innings of work.

The Marlins scored three runs on one hit in the seventh to ice the game. Three Miami relievers kept the A’s hitless and they won the game 8-1.

Game Notes- The Marlins’ Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning. It was his 364th interleague hit tying him with Derek Jeter’s Major League record.

The A’s top three hitters were 0-for-12 Tuesday night. Can’t score runs if you don’t get on base.

The A’s conclude the series with Miami Wednesday. Game time is at 9:10 am. Righty Daniel Gossett will make his Major League Debut for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Edinson Volquez.

Time of the game was two hours and fifty-seven minutes and 19,952 watched the Marlins win.

Oakland A’s Monday Preview: A’s-Marlins two-game series in Miami gets off the ground on Tuesday

Published on June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton (27) is greeted by Christian Yelich after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have an off-day on Monday before they face the Miami Marlins for a two-game series starting Tuesday in Miami. The A’s, who are not good road warriors, lost three out of four against the Tampa Bay Rays this past weekend. The A’s have to win both games to finish with a split of the six games on this road trip before heading home to play the New York Yankees on Thursday.

The A’s and Marlins split a two-game series earlier in Oakland when the teams played using American League rules. The A’s will not be able to use the DH in this series, and that could affect the outcome.

The Marlins have some player that can blast the ball out of the park. Giancarlo Stanton, Marcel Ozuna, Christian Yellich, and Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield. First baseman Justin Bour is another power hitter whom the A’s will have to contend.

The starting pitchers for the A’s will be Jharel Cotton Tuesday night. Cotton is 3-6, and we will be opposed by Jose Urena. Urena is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.96. Wednesday’s game will feature the A’s rookie Daniel Gossett who will be making his MLB Debut. The Marlins will send Edinson Volquez to the hill. Volquez pitched a no-hitting his last outing out and will be trying to tie Johnny VAnderMeer’s record of two consecutive no-hitters.

The A’s defense still leaves a lot to be desired. The A’s lead the Majors in miscues and unearned runs allowed. The offense has hit a lot of homers but the A’s hitters are still striking out too much. Khris Davis, Yonder Alonso, Ryon Healy are pounding the ball. Alonso is currently in second place in the All-Star voting for AL first baseman trailing the perennial All-Star Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

The A’s pitching rotation is also in flux as Andrew Triggs has gone on the DL with a hip injury. Every starter in the rotation has been on the DL at some point in the season. Sonny Gray, Sen Manaea, Jesse Hahn are currently OK. Kendall Graveman is still on the DL, and Now Triggs is on the list, too.

The A’s are currently 27-36, and the Marlins are not much better with a record of 27-35. The A’s would really benefit by sweeping the Marlins as they return home to face the rampaging New York Yankees for four games starting Thursday. The Yankees lead the AL East by four games and Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge are the new stars leading the Bronx Bombers back to the top of the heap. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Houston Astros, owners of the best record in the AL, arrive on Monday for another four-game set.

Bob Melvin and the A’s have their hands full.

A’s again find life on the road unforgiving in finale at Tampa Bay

Published on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17162727752833 — Oakland Athletics reliever Daniel Coulombe tags out Tampa Bay Rays’ Tim Beckham after he was caught in a run down between first and second base during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

By Morris Phillips

Simply, the A’s need to travel better than this.

All of what ails the AL’s worst team on the road resurfaced on Sunday in Tampa Bay: blown leads, substandard defense, offense, but without a keen sense of timing. A 3-0 lead evaporated, a game-tying rally fell short, and the A’s fell for the third time in four games at Tropicana Field, 5-4 to the Rays.

Oakland fell to 9-23 on the road, easily the worst road record in the American League, and they remain 16 1/2 games off the pace of the AL West-leading Astros, who suffered a rare loss on Sunday to the visiting Angels.

And what’s worse? On Sunday, it could have all been avoided.

Stephen Vogt singled home a pair of runs in the second, and doubled home a run in the fourth to stake the A’s to their 3-0 lead. For Vogt, who ignominiously began his major league-career as a Ray in 2012, and went 0 for 25, and was traded to Oakland in the spring of 2013 before he ever recorded a hit for Tampa Bay, the early offense provided redemption likely as much as did his consecutive All-Star appearances for Oakland in 2015 and 2016.

Jesse Hahn kept Tampa at bay until the fifth, where the righthander experienced a most unusual inning. After striking out Tim Beckham and former Athletic Derek Norris, Hahn allowed doubles to Daniel Robertson, Mallex Smith and Corey Dickerson, trimming the A’s lead to 3-2. Evan Longoria’s single was the fourth consecutive hit, and that tied the game. A fifth consecutive hit followed, but Hahn escaped further damage by retiring Steven Souza Jr. to end the inning.

Hahn would settle for a no-decision, allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Hahn’s outing marked the 11th consecutive road start in which he has not recorded a win, undoubtedly making the pitcher–at least for now–the poster child for the A’s struggles away from home.

The teams would exchange runs in the sixth. First, Khris Davis’ RBI single scored Jed Lowrie, then Colby Rasmus responded for the Jays with a mammoth home run off Liam Hendriks. That set the stage for the bottom of the seventh, and the A’s biggest mistake of the afternoon.

Smith, batting leadoff, laid down a near perfect bunt that left first baseman Yonder Alonso unable to field it or cover the bag. Reliever Daniel Coloumbe rushed over to field it, but uncorked a wild throw that eluded Lowrie. Smith raced to third on the throwing error, and scored two pitches later on Dickerson’s sacrifice fly.

Coloumbe’s throwing gaffe would register as the A’s MLB-leading 62 error.

In the ninth, the A’s loaded the bases with one out, but closer Alex Colome induced Lowrie to pop out, then struck out Davis to end the game.

“We were in the last three games,” Vogt said. “We felt like we had a good chance to win all three of those, and obviously came up short in two of them.”

The A’s have Monday off, before resuming their road trip in Miami with a matchup with the Marlins. Jharel Cotton will face the Marlins’ Jose Urena in that one.

“Let’s play two!” The A’s and Rays split a Saturday twinbill in Tampa Bay

Published on June 11, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Game One-Oakland Athletics at Tampa Bay Rays — Sonny Gray worked hard but could not come up with a win for the A’s on Saturday Photo: Kim Klement USA Today Sports

The Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays honored the memory of the great Ernie Banks today by playing two the old fashion way. The teams played a true doubleheader where fans were able to watch two games for the price of one.

There are many baseball people who believe that having more doubleheaders would be beneficial for the game because it would help to shorten the season. Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes the idea of shortening the season to 154 games with one doubleheader per month scheduled for every team. “I would trade anything to get this game more seasonal and finish in October,” said Scioscia back in 2015.

Even if Major League Baseball decided to implement a schedule that included six doubleheaders per each season, most the twinbills would not be tradition two-for-one ticket games. In today’s sports economy, MLB owners would almost certainly insist on “day-night” doubleheaders where the stadiums are cleared and tickets must be purchased for each game.

So much for the romantic idea of returning to the days of Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and “Let’s play two!”.

Speaking of Mr. Cub – at the end of this story there will be an answer to a trivia question about playing two games on one day for you. How many doubleheaders did Ernie Banks play in both games of during his 19-year major league career?

Game One

The Rays used game one as a “throwback game” donning uniforms from their first year in Tampa Bay for the contest. The Athletics were looking to bounce back after 13-4 crushing loss that they suffered on Friday night.

Oakland entered the game with an 8-21 road record – the second worst in the major leagues. If the A’s are to ever even their record at .500 to have a chance making a run for a Wild Card spot, they have to start winning more games on the road.

That did not happen in game one on Saturday.

The A’s had their number one starter in Sonny Gray on the mound in the opening game. Gray went 6.0-innings giving up five runs but only two were earned due to two errors committed by the Athletics. Gray actually committed one of the errors himself on an errant throw to first base. The Rays collected nine hits off Gray while he struck out 10 and walked just one batter. He did not figure into the decision.

Erasmo Ramirez started for the Rays and he also struggled in his outing. He lasted 5.1-innings allowing three runs (all earned) on 10 hits. Ramirez struck out six and walked one. It was also a no-decision game for him.

Even though they took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, the A’s trailed the Rays 5-4 as they headed to the top of the ninth. Khris Davis led off the ninth by striking out. Yonder Alonso then hit his 11th double of the season off reliever Alex Colome. Rajai Davis came in as a Pinch-runner for Alonso. DH Ryon Healy hit a double (16) to left field that drove Davis home to tie the game at 5-5. The inning would end with the potential go ahead run in Healy stranded at third base.

Ryan Madson set the Rays down in order in the bottom of the ninth and it was on to extra innings.

Tampa Bay brought in reliever Austin Pruitt to face Oakland in the top of the 10th. He kept the A’s from scoring and the game remained tied as it went to the bottom of the 10th.

Liam Hendriks took the ball for the A’s and gave up a single to the Rays leadoff hitter – Peter Bourjos. With Evan Longoria at bat, Hendriks threw a wild pitch that moved Bourjos to second. Longoria then hit a single to left that drove Bourjos home to score the winning run. The Rays won the game 6-5.

The good news was the A’s had only 45 minutes to think about the loss because they would have been deeply distressed by some of the numbers. They committed two errors. Errors have been the bane of this team’s existence. The A’s had 16 hits to go with two walks and left 13 men of base. The loss dropped their road record to 8-22 for the year.

The good news was game two was less than hour away from first pitch.

Jaycob Brugman who was held hitless in his firs professional game on Friday night went 2-for-4 with a walk in this game. Joyce, Lowrie, Davis, Alonso and Healy also had a multi-hit games in the opener.

Game Two

The bad news was the A’s lost the first game. The good news was they had the very hot Sean Manaea on the mound for game number two. The key question was would the A’s be able to provide the run support Manaea would need win the game.

Manaea was definitely up to the task. He put in a quality start working 7.0-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits (one home run). The lefty struck out five and walked just two Rays. Manaea earned the win and his record improved to 6-3 for 2017.

Manaea also received the run support that he needed. The A’s scored their first run in the first inning and they would never trail in the game. They scored another run in the second, one in the sixth, three in seventh and one more run in the ninth inning.

Six of the Oakland batters had a multi-hit game. Yonder Alonso went 4-for-5 with run scored and an RBI in the game. Khris Davis was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Ryon Healy went 2-for-5 hitting his 14th home run of the season to go with two runs scored. Chad Pinder had a 2-for-5 day with a home run (8). Josh Phegley also had a 2-for-5 game hitting his third home run of the season. Jaycob Brugman stayed hot as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI in game two.

The Rays scored two runs on six hits.

The A’s road record improved to 9-22. Oakland remains in last place in the American League West with a record of 27-35, 16.5 games back of Houston and two games back of fourth place Texas.

Up Next

The A’s and Rays wrap up the three day – four game series on Sunday. Jesse Hahn (2-4, 3.40) will start for Oakland while Tampa Bay will counter with Chris Archer (4-4, 3.65). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. PDT.

Oh yes, the answer to our Ernie Banks question

Rays Banks 2 — Mr. Cub will always look like this in my memories of him

Ernie Banks played in both games of 318 doubleheaders over 19-years in the major leagues. No wonder he said, “Let’s play two!”

Triggs Roughed Up Again, A’s Routed 13-4 By Tampa Bay

Published on June 9, 2017June 9, 2017 by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Tampa Bay Rays’ Mallex Smith, right, hig h fives third base coach Charlie Montoyo after his home run off Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Andrew Triggs during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 9, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

By Matthew Harrington

The Tampa Bay Rays hit five home runs over the first 5 innings while starter Alex Cobb stymied the Oakland A’s hitters to one run over 6 innings in a 13-4 rout Friday night in West Florida.

Corey Dickerson, Mallex Smith, Steven Souza Jr., Logan Morrison and Tim Beckham all went deep to give Andrew Triggs (5-6, 4.27 ERA) his second loss and second consecutive start of four or fewer innings in June. Stephen Vogt homered in the losing effort.

Triggs struggled in his last start against the Washington Nationals June 2nd, going 3 2/3 while allowing six runs. Friday at the Trop proved far worse, with the slinging righty exiting the game after surrending eight runs over 3 2/3. Longman Zach Neal closed out the game, giving up another 5 runs in a 5-run 5th inning before finishing off the final 3 innings without giving up a run.

The A’s, on the other hand, struggled to find their offense against the winner Cobb (5-5, 4.29). The righty struck out 5,scattering for hits while allowing one run on a Khris Davis RBI single in the 6th. He departed the game leading 13-1.

Vogt continued the A’s momentum, launching his fourth long ball of the year off reliever Ryan Garton for the A’s second run of the game. An RBI double by Adam Rosales would score another run off Garton in the 8th, while the A’s final run came on a wild pitch of a Ryon Healey strikeout that scored Matt Joyce in the 8th as well.

The A’s look to bounce back Saturday with Sonny Gray on the mound. He’ll face off against Erasmo Ramirez in game 2 of the weekend series.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Athletics and Giants—Possible trades

Published on June 9, 2017June 9, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland Athletics’ Jaycob Brugman, making his major league debut, flies out to Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Colby Rasmus during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, June 9, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

By the end of action this Sunday most teams in the majors would have played between 60 to 62 games. With the July 31, deadline on the horizon most teams, contenders and non-contenders will be buying and selling players. For both bay area teams this is also the case and they will be sellers for the most part. The Athletics will continue their Nashville to Oakland shuttle, bringing prospect like this Friday Jaycob Brugman an outfielder that was hitting .288 with one home run and eight runs batted in. He is part of the young contingent of Athletics players of recent like Ryon Healy who came in last year and Chad Pinder who a couple of weeks ago came to the big club. They do have some good prospects in the minors like Franklin Barreto and Matt Chapman, who probably will also be brought up in July.

In the ridiculously mediocre American League west, with only one team playing over .500, the incredible Houston Astros, closing in on 50 victories, it looks like A’s Angels,Mariners and Rangers are just going to “pick up the crumbs”left behind by the Astros. All these teams have to get ready to start thinking about 2018, because this division belongs to the Astros. barring a historic total collapse.

Here are some of the Athletics players that are good bait for a trade: 1B Yonder Alonso, he is enjoying his best season ever, adjusted his hitting since Spring Training when he told me he had a “different approach” and obviously it has worked for him. Reliever Ryan Madson, a solid and experienced man coming out of the bullpen could be helpful to a lot of contending teams.

Rajai Davis, could also be in the trading block, because of his experience and speed and 3B Trevor Plouffe who is not having a very good first half, but like Rajai is an experienced player that a change of scenery with a contending team could make a difference and even journeyman Adam Rosales could also be gone this season, as much he is liked, he has played very well taken injured Marcus Semien essential position at shortstop and his stock has gone up.

Of course the Athletics are never shy come deadline time, so guys like Sonny Gray could also be gone, there are teams that still interested in the A’s ace. I for one, would not be surprised at all if Santiago Casilla also gets traded. The A’s closing spot in the bullpen was not rooted in cement when the season started, they have a few options for closer, like for example when Sean Doolittle is back and healthy. These are after all, the trading Oakland Athletics.

For the San Francisco Giants. They are in a division that could be separated in two parts. The three teams contending, Rockies,Dodgers and Diamondbacks, they have been trading places from first to third. Then the second part, where they find themselves with the San Diego Padres. The biggest story here will be if the Colorado Rockies can win this division. Colorado and Arizona improved a lot, and of course the LA Dodgers are a good ballclub looking to with their fifth straight western division.

These are some of the players that the Giants could be trading: Pitcher Johnny Cueto, IF/OF Eduardo Nunez, Aaron Hill, catcher Nick Hundley and outfielder Hunter Pence. Obviously the Giants could go for a couple of power bats, outfielders, veteran Matt Kemp is out there. Giants offense is pathetic, last in home runs and next to last in combined batting average in baseball. This team had a great run winning three World Series in six years, their changes have to be much more strategic to see if they can be contenders in 2018. The Giants believed they had enough this year, but in a way forgot that other teams in their division got much better. Not an excuse, but they lost their ace Madison Bumgarner early and that made things much more difficult. However, it is fair to say that with this offense, even if Bumgarner was doing well they could still be ten games out of first place.

But the biggest news in Bay Area baseball this year, will be the day when A’s President David Kaval announces the location and date when the Oakland Athletics will build their new ballpark in Oakland. That, after all-is-said-and-done, will be the biggest news in local baseball.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Angels TV Spanish talent, the A’s radio Spanish talent, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports Podcast with Tony Renteria: It won’t be a sweep but let’s face it Cavaliers just don’t have the fire power against Golden State

Published on June 9, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of Game 3 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Cleveland, Wednesday, June 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

On the Headline Sports Podcast with Tony:

Lets Just face it the Cleveland Cavaliers just don’t have the fire power to keep up with Golden State. Last podcast I predicted a Warriors win four games to two this is one of the games I predicted tonight that the Cavs would win and win a couple games in Cleveland and I don’t think their going to be able to do it. It doesn’t look like the Cavs have a good chance to pull this one off.

I think the Warriors for tonight lose this one and lose another one in Oakland and win game six. LeBron James is the best player on the planet and he doesn’t like getting his butt kicked every night. I don’t think he would be happy in a sweep and the Cavs played their best game in Cleveland in game three of the season and to come up short at the end of the fourth quarter and lose when Kevin Durant hit that three.

Tony Renteria has much more take a listen to him below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com