Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics’ Matt Joyce, right, celebrates his two-run home run with Trevor Plouffe during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Wednesday, April 26, 2017, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

On the A’s Podcast with Jerry:

#1 How concerned should A’s manager Bob Melvin be after pitcher Sean Manaea had to leave Wednesday night’s game due to shoulder tightness in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

#2 The A’s have been struggling they have lost three in a row and have a get away game with the Halos tonight. A three game series with the first place Houston Astros starts on Friday.

#3 A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman who also had shoulder tightness starts tonight against the Angels.What would Tony say what lends to overcoming his injury and he’s looking to improving his 2-0 record

#4 The A’s Matt Joyce came into Anaheim hitting .157 and came away with a double in the second inning and then a monsterous home run that Joyce skied into the bleachers at the Big A

#5 The A’s went though their bullpen of Montas, Hendriks, Dull, and Valdez which was not much of a remedy the Angels scored four runs in the seventh off A’s relief pitching

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

Oakland Athletics center fielder Jaff Decker dives in an unsuccessful attempt to catch a double hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Martin Maldonado during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 26, 2017, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Jessica Kwong

ANAHEIM–Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea left the Wednesday night game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after just two innings and 34 pitches due to left shoulder tightness, and it was downhill from there for the A’s.

With the 8-5 loss at Angel Stadium, the A’s dropped 0-2 in the three-game series and fell back below .500 at 10-11.

“It’ll certainly be nice to get Kendall (Graveman) back tomorrow and Sonny (Gray) back soon,” manager Bob Melvin said of Oakland’s top two starters on the disabled list. “Hopefully this isn’t a long-term problem with Sean.”

In the first inning, Yonder Alonso gave the A’s an early lead with a two-run single off Matt Shoemaker. Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis scored, putting Oakland up 2-0.

But the Angels fought back in the second inning. Danny Espinosa doubled on a fly ball to center fielder Jaff Decker and Andrelton Simmons scored to cut the A’s lead to 2-1. Cameron Maybin bounced a single to Decker to send in Espinosa and tie the game at 2-2.

Then Martin Maldonado doubled on a line drive to right fielder Matt Joyce allowing Maybin to score, and giving the Angels a 3-2 lead.

Left-hander Manaea’s pitching velocity was down several miles per hour to the 88s and 89s.

“I had to get it out of him. I asked him after the first inning how he was doing. He said he felt good, said he felt fine, trying to let it go and we weren’t seeing the explosiveness,” Melvin said. “But after the second inning, it kept going in that direction, it wasn’t getting any better, so it was prudent to get him out of there.”

Manaea said he last experienced similar shoulder tightness in spring 2014 playing for the Kansas City Royals and that he was back on the mound after a couple of days.

“I felt it a little bit in the bull pen and I thought it was one of those things where it just took me a little longer to warm up,” Manaea said of Wednesday night. “And it wasn’t the case, so just really unfortunate.”

In the fifth inning, Albert Pujols singled on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Davis and Mike Trout scored to bring the Angels up 4-2.

Alonso answered back in the sixth inning, hit a homer on a fly ball to right fiel to bring the A’s within one of the Angels.

“He’s been real consistent, no doubt about it,” Melvin said of Alonso. “He’s using the whole field, certainly showing some power that he has, takes every bat seriously. I think each year he’s starting to understand who he is as a hitter and he’s off to a good start for sure.”

Of his hits, Alonso said his two-run single was “absolutely” the more significant play.

“You want to capitalize early, especially given two outs, so for me, I think it’s simplifying things and making sure I got a good pitch and just putting the ball in play,” he said.

The Angels did more damage in the seventh inning.

Maybin singled on a sharp line drive to Joyce, allowing Jefry Marte and Simmons to score. Maldonado reached on a fielder’s choice, fielded by pitcher Ryan Dull and Espinosa scored. Then Kole Calhoun singled on a line drive to left fielder Davis and Maldonado scored, lifting the Angels up 8-3.

In the eighth inning, Joyce hit a home run, his second of the season, on a fly ball to right center field and Trevor Plouffe scored to cut the Angels lead to 8-5, but the A’s scored no runs in the ninth.

The A’s will attempt to break their three-game losing streak in the final match in the series at Angel Stadium Thursday, with first pitch at 7:07 p.m.

 

 

 

 

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Los Angeles Angels’ Kole Calhoun, center, celebrates his game-winning hit with teammates during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, April 25, 2017. The Angels won 2-1. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

By Jessica Kwong

ANAHEIM — Neither the Oakland Athletics nor the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scored a run through nine innings on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium, then each hit homers right off the bat, but Kole Calhoun’s RBI single in the 11th brought down the A’s 2-1.

At the start of free baseball, the A’s Josh Phegley made a pinch-hit home run to right field, the first of his career and the first for his club since July 2012.

“First pitch, middle of the zone, I just tried to put a good swing on it and it went over the wall,” Phegley said.

But Mike Trout answered back with a homer, his first in extra innings in his career, to tie the ball game at 1-1 at the bottom of the 10th.

Besides Trout’s opposite-field drive, A’s right-handed pitcher Santiago Casilla made three saves.

“He continues to be reliable,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Calhoun’s walkoff hit was the first of his career. A’s pitcher Ryan Madson said of his fastball, “I should definitely have stepped off and rethought.”

“I didn’t throw it with conviction,” Madson said. “So I learned my lesson to throw the pitch that I’m convicted in.”

The A’s defeat came after right-handed starting pitcher Jesse Hahn threw eight innings with one hit, two walks, six strikes and 101 pitches.

“I feel like I literally had everything working for me today,” Hahn said. “I think it might have been the best command I’ve had of all pitches.”

Angels starting right-handed pitcher J.C. Ramirez also allowed only one hit through three innings.

A’s catcher Phegley said he would trust Madson’s fastball every game of the year.

Tuesday night was “just not the result we were looking for,” Phegley said.

With the Angels’ victory, manager Mike Scioscia became one of only six managers all-time to record at least 1,500 wins with one team.

The three-game series between the A’s and Athletics continues Wednesday at Angel Stadium with first pitch at 7:07 p Sean Manaea starts for Oakland (1-1) and Matt Shoemaker (0-1) gets the call for the Angels .

AP photo file:  Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesse Hahn (32) will start against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night Apr 25th warms up before the first inning of an MLB game between the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals on April 13, 2017 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. The Royals won 3-1. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

Baseball is a more than a six or seven game win streak after losing four straight the A’s put together that six game win streak which ended on Sunday. Things continue to look up for Oakland as A’s starting A’s Sonny Gray is close to returning he pitched five innings of scoreless ball  for the A’s single A affiliate Stockton and Gray is scheduled to go to the A’s Triple A affiliate Nashville and start on Thursday he’s slated to throw 76pitches in that contest.

If Gray and pitcher Kendall Graveman can get back to health that would make the A’s pitching staff that much more dangerous. The A’s open a three game series with the Los Angeles Angels starting on Tuesday night with Jesse Hahn (1-1) for Oakland and JC Ramirez (2-2) goes for Los Angeles. Thankfully this is not a four game series there’s always the possibility of a split or the most devastating possibility a four game sweep. The A’s are rolling now no need to mention a sweep or four game series.

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

 

Oakland Athletics’ Sonny Gray throws during a spring training baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s start a nine-game road trip Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels. The trip will take them to Anaheim, Houston, and Minnesota.

The A’s winners of five of their last six games, and an overall record of 10-9 find themselves in second place in the AL West, and they trail the first-place Houston Astros by three games. The Angels, on the other hand, are 8-12 and are tied with the Seattle Mariners for last place in the division.

The A’s are hoping to have their ace, Sonny Gray, back shortly. Gray had a successful rehab assignment Saturday night in Stockton. Gray went five innings and threw just 47 pitches. Gray finished his work in the bullpen throwing another 18 pitches. Gray is slated to pitch for Nashville Thursday night, and he is expected to throw 75 pitches in another rehab stint before returning to the A’s rotation. Kendall Graveman, who has been on the 10-day DL, will throw a bullpen session today in Anaheim and will be re-evaluated by the medical staff. Graveman is expected to return to the rotation very soon. The A’s also announced that they will be checking Rajai Davis’ hamstring injury and, hopefully, he will be able to play Tuesday night. The A’s also announced that they acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Angels in exchange for a player to be named late. LaMarre was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.

The A’s pitching staff has been pitching well lately. The A’s have received strong performances from Sean Manaea, Jharel Cotton, Jesse Hahn, and Andrew Triggs. The Mariners bombed Triggs on Sunday, but that was his worst outing in four starts this year.

The Angels pitching staff has not been very too terrific to start the season. Their ace, Garrett Richards, who elected not to have Tommy John surgery last year and had plasma-rich protein injections, had recurring arm problems after pitching against the A’s in the opening series earlier in April.  Richards is on the DL and may miss the season. Ricky Nolasco, Jesse Chavez, a former Athletic, Matt Shoemaker, and Tyler Skaggs are the Angel starters. Their offense is struggling, too. The Angels have the worst run differential in the American League. They are 12th in batting average and On-Base-Percentage (OBP). They do have three guys that did well last week. Mike Trout, AL MVP last year, had a great week hitting .429 with three doubles, 2 dingers, and 2 stolen bases. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit.321 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs. The Angels old man, future Hall of Fame candidate, Albert Pujols, hit .308 with a homer and 7 ribbies. However, Danny Espinosa, C.J.Cron, Cole Calhoun, and Yunel Escobar could barely buy a hit. Escobar was the only one of the four with a batting average over .200

The A’s offense came to life during the five-game win streak. Adam Rosales, filling in for injured Marcus Semien at short, had two big homers for Oakland. Ryon Healy has started to hit, and Trevor Plouffe homered a couple of times during the surge. Khris Davis leads the club with seven homers in just 19 games. Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso have been contributing both on offense and defense.

The pitching matchups for the series will be Jesse Hahn (1-1, 3.00 ERA0 going against JC Martinez (2-2, 6.46 ERA). Hahn pitched well his last two outings. He is a sinkerball pitcher who gets a lot of ground outs. His fastballs are clocked at 94.64 Miles per hour. When Hahn’s command is working, he can be one tough customer. The Angels are countering with Martinez. Martinez was used in relief earlier in the season. However, with the Injury to Richards, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia has moved him into the starting rotation. On Wednesday, lefty Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland and the Angels will send Matt Shoemaker to the hill. Manaea is 1-1 but has had solid back-to-back starts after a slow start in his first two games. Shoemaker is 0-1 with an ERA of 4.98. In his last start against Houston, Shoemaker gave up just three hits. However, all three hits were for extra-bases, and two of them left the yard. On Thursday, Jharel Cotton will pitch for the A’s. Cotton is 2-1 is his last three starts, and opposing hitters are batting just .203 against him. Ricky Nolasco ( 1-2, 4.76 ERA) will hurl for the Angels.

The A’s manager Bob Melvin has stressed to the team the importance of winning series. He would love the team to win at least two out of three before heading to Houston to face the Astros. The Astros beat the A’s twice when they were in Oakland, and the Astros have owned the A’s for a while. That may change as Gray and Graveman might be back, and the A’s fortunes may change.

 

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea throws to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 21, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics won their fourth-straight game Friday night at the Coliseum, topping the Seattle Mariners 3-1. Sean Manaea went six innings to pick up his first win of the season and Trevour Plouffe and Yonder Alonso each hit solo home runs off Hisashi Iwakuma to open the weekend series. Santiago Casilla nailed down his third save of the year to pull the A’s (9-8) a game over .500.

Manaea (1-1, 4.43 ERA) handled the M’s lineup with poise, walking only three batters in his six innings of work. The young southpaw struck out six M’s while allowing only one run on a two-out triple to Mitch Haniger in the top of the third for a 1-0 Seattle lead.

“The slider has really come a long way for him,” said Melvin. “That’s a big pitch for him. Whether it’s back footing righties, away to lefties, 2-3 pitches mixed in. All-in-all gave us six solid innings allowing one run and we turned it over to the bullpen.”

The A’s deep lineup, currently ranked third in the league in homers, came through for the emerging pitcher. The no. eight hitter tagged starter Iwakuma (0-2, 5.31 ERA) with a deep homer to center in the bottom of the fifth. It was Plouffe’s 100^th career homer and 4^th homer in 7 games.

“This is a true power guy,” said Melvin of his third baseman. “He had some injuries last year which, his numbers were down because of injury. But when he gets on a roll… He’s not swinging particularly well here and he’s still hitting homers, and big homers. He’ll find a streak where he gets really hot. He’s the type of guy who can carry a team.

Alonso, a free-agent-to-be, launched the winning run in the bottom of the sixth, crushing Iwakuma’s first offering over the wall in right center field for his third homer of the season. For the A’s, it was another homer from an usual spot in the line-up, the two-hole.

“We’ve talked about when we’re good,” said Melvin. “What we feel like is good for us is the length of the line-up,”

Stephen Vogt would score Jed Lowrie in the sixth as well on a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-1. From there, Ryan Dull, Sean Doolittle and Casilla would all toss scoreless frames. The A’s look to add to their winning record Saturday when Jharel Cotton takes the mound in the matinee. He’ll be opposed by Seattle lefty Ariel Miranda.