Category: Oakland Athletics

By Jessica Kwong

AP photo: The Los Angeles Angels Jefry Marte follows through for a grand slam off Oakland A’s starter Daniel Mengden in the fourth inning at Angels Stadium on Tuesday night

ANAHEIM-When it rains, it pours.

 That’s how Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Daniel Mengden described his performance – including seven runs he allowed in the fourth inning – in context of an 8-1 loss at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night.

 Mengden didn’t start off too bad on the mound.

 Mike Trout singled on a sharp line drive to right fielder Matt Olson and Kole Calhoun scored to give the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

 Mengden didn’t allow any runs in the following two innings. Then came the fourth inning.

 The Angels’ Jefry Marte hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning, with Calhoun, Trout and Cron scoring. Juan Graterol doubled on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Danny Valencia and Andrelton Simmons scored. Then Kaleb Cowart grounded out and Rafael Ortega scored. Finally, Calhoun tripled on a sharp line drive to Valencia and Cliff Pennington scored, lifting the Angels 8-0 over the A’s.

 “The execution was terrible. Pitch quality was terrible. Just a terrible inning,” Mengden said. “Sucks to end that way. That’s not how I wanted it to happen, but when you fall behind good hitters like Trout, Calhoun and Cron, they’re going to do some damage.”

 A’s manager Bob Melvin said Mengden pitched a good fastball the first time through.

 “He was really aggressive getting ahead, looked like he had a lot of confidence on the mound and then got a couple guys out,” Melvin said. “And I think probably the grand slam took a bit of wind out of his sail.”

 Zach Neal relieved Mengden and in three innings allowed three hits, zero runs and got Trout out.

 “It felt good. That’s probably my best throw of the year, by far,” Neal said. “Anytime you get to throw a great (hitter) out, it’s better than a home run. That’s for sure.”

 The A’s saved some grace in the sixth inning, when Ryon Healy doubled on a sharp ground ball to Marte and Brett Eibner scored. Oakland could not score after that and took the 8-1 loss.

 By dropping seven of the last eight contests, Oakland fell to a 67-90 record, losing that many games for the second time in the club’s history.

 “You never want to finish like that, so I have a really bad taste in my mouth going into the offseason,” said Mengden, whose 2-9 record is the sixth-worst all time in the club’s history.

 He added that “it will be a grind this offseason” as players try to earn a spot for next season.

 First pitch for the final game in the series at Angel Stadium is 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday.

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of Monday night’s game at the Big A in Anaheim

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O, the A’s who have struggled in and around the basement of the American League West were able to shore up the pitching and the young pitchers have come in and have done such a terrific job especially with Jharel Cotton, Daniel Mengden, and Sean Manaea these guys have come in and have done such a great job.

They pitched their hearts out and left folks watching them on the side of the road because runs have been scored for them the A’s have been a dichotomy when they scored runs they scored them with reckless abandon. They scored seven, eight, ten, 12 runs and they scored in clusters but the problem is that so many times and Monday night’s game in Anaheim was a great example Manaea pitches well comes out of the game it’s a 1-1 tie and reliever Ryan Dull or the bullpen was not able to hold onto it.

Charlie O did the A’s podcasts for the 2016 season and will start his new assignment podcasting the 2016-17 Sacramento Kings starting next week at http://www.sportsradioserivice.com

 

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, September 24, 2016

AP photo: Arizona State Sun Devil’s quarterback Manny Wilkins (5) gets towards the corner part of the end zone for a touchdown as the Sun Devils defeat the Cal Bears at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz. – Looking at the cold numbers from the stat sheet, California had a big Pac-12 football game on Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium.

The Golden Bears topped Arizona State in nearly every meaningful category offensively and defensively, except one – the final score.

After trailing most of the night, the Sun Devils rallied in the fourth quarter with stellar defensive plays – and a little luck – to outlast Cal 51-41 in the Pac-12 opener for both schools. The Sun Devil defense picked off Davis Webb twice in the fourth quarter and sacked him to force a key turnover in the final seconds.

“That was one heck of a football game between two great teams,” ASU Coach Todd Graham said. “(Cal) is an excellent team, and the great thing about football is that you get to play 60 minutes. You always have a chance when they have to snap it again, so I’m proud of our guys and what they did. It was an impressive win for us.”

With the victory, the Sun Devils are 4-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12. The Golden Bears slipped to 2-2, 0-1 in the conference.

Cal racked up 637 yards in total offense, had 29 first downs (to ASU’s 23), converted 10 third downs, and saw a 10-point lead disappear within a 7-minute span in the fourth quarter.

“I think we played great as a team,” Graham said. “We had three big takeaways on defense and that was big. It wasn’t about any halftime adjustments, it’s about the heart of our players. I don’t say that lightly.”

Matt Anderson drilled a 47-yard field goal put the Golden Bears up 27-17 with 9:01 to play in the third quarter, extending Cal’s lead to 27-17.

ASU responded with a Zane Gonzalez 44-yard field goal, the 83rd of his career, tying him for fourth on the all-time NCAA career field goal list. It came with 6:15 left in the third quarter, bringing the Sun Devils to within 27-20.

But the Sun Devils weren’t finished. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Manny Wilkins’ 3-yard TD run capped a 62–yard drive, and Gonzalez’s PAT kick tied the game at 27-27 with 9:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cal, in turn, responded with a big play on the ensuing drive to regain the lead when Tre Watson hauled in a 74-yard scoring strike from Davis Webb at 9:06, and the Bears regained the lead at 34-27.

The lead then continued to see-saw. With 6:21 left, the Sun Devils re-tied the game at 34-34 on a touchdown pass from Wilkins to Jay Jay Wilson. On the first play of Cal’s next possession, Sun Devils linebacker Salamo Fiso picked off a Webb pass and returned it 22 yards to the Bear 15.

After the ASU drive stalled at the Cal 5, Gonzalez banked in a 23-yard field goal off the right upright and the Sun Devils had their first lead of the night – 37-34.
On Cal’s next possession, the Bears had the ball at their own 26, and on 2nd-and-9, Webb was picked off in the right flat by Laiu Moeakiola, who raced to the end zone untouched for a 28-yard pick-six. That play extended the Arizona State lead to 44-34.

The Bears didn’t go away quietly. After Webb sacked on a safety blitz by Koron Crump with 1:42 left, he completed two passes to Patrick Worstell, and a pass each to Chad Hanson and Bug Rivera moved the ball to the ASU 26.

A pass to Robertson on post pattern was ruled a touchdown and went under review. The referees ruled that Robertson had control of the ball with one foot in bounds at the end line, and with :54 remaining, the Bears pulled within 44-41.

Cal attempted an on-side kick after calling a time out, and Noah Bieto’s kick was scooped up by ASU’s DJ Calhoun, who sprinted 42 yards for a Sun Devils touchdown. Arizona State’s lead was back to 10 at 51-41.

With :38 left, Webb moved the Bears to the Sun Devil 39 in four plays, but his fumble while being sacked was recovered by the Sun Devils’ Koron Crump at the ASU 32 with six seconds to play.

Khalfani Muhammad gained 84 rushing yards on 12 attempts for Cal, followed by Watson with 58 yards on 11 carries. Webb completed 32 of 56 passes for 478 yards and five touchdowns, but was sacked four times and intercepted twice.

Hanson caught 10 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown, and Robertson snagged four passes for 103 yards and two TDs.

Wilkins was ASU’s top rusher with 92 yards on 23 carries. He also completed 21 of 30 passes for 290 yards, one TD and one interception. Tim White led the Devils with six catches for 86 yards, and Jalen Harvey had five receptions for 83 yards.

Cal opened the scoring on its second possession of the first quarter, when Demetris Robertson hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from Davis Webb at 10:00.

After converting the extra point, Bears kicker Matt Anderson later missed a field goal attempt of 42 yards wide right – his first miscue of the season for either field goals or extra points.

The Sun Devils cut their deficit to 7-3 with a 35-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez. A 20-yard scoring pass from Webb to Chad Hanson made it 14-3 Cal with 11:34 to go in the second quarter.

Cal was marching deep into Sun Devil territory again late in the first half, when Anderson connected on a 20-yard field goal with 3:19 to go in the second quarter, completing an 84-yard drive.

On the ensuing drive, ASU responded with an 8-yard TD run by Manny Wilkins, cutting the Bears lead to 17-10. But in the final minute of the half, Cal moved the ball quickly to the ASU 26.

From there, Webb found Brandon Singleton in the left back corner of the end zone on a fade route with :18 to play in the half, and the Bears took a 24-10 lead into the break.

Next week, Cal returns home to host No. 24 Utah. Game time on Oct. 1 is 3 p.m.

BEAR TRACKS: Announced attendance was 49,295. … This was Cal’s first trip to Sun Devil Stadium since 2011. …. Coming into Saturday’s game, Davis Webb was leading the nation in passing attempts (166), and second in passing touchdowns (13), passing yards per game (453.0), completions (106), completions per game (35.33), and third in total offense (433.0 yards per game). … Cal leads the all-time series with ASU 18-16.

TAGS: California Golden Bears,football,Arizona State,Sports Radio Service,Daniel Dullum

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Kendall Graveman delivers a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND, Calif. – As Friday night’s contest at the Oakland Coliseum played out, it became clear that the contest would wrap up with one team celebrating more than usual for a regular season win. For the hometown team, young starter Kendall Graveman was dueling with history, pitching a no-hitter against a vaunted Rangers offense. The Lonestar State meanwhile watched with champagne on ice for their squad, with a win clinching the American League West and a playoff berth.

Graveman cruised through six innings without allowing a Rangers runner, but a three-run seventh inning moved the magic number for Texas (91-63) to 0 following a 3-0 win over the A’s (66-87). Adrian Beltre ripped a two-run home run and Carlos Beltran picked up in RBI to back starter Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.30 ERA) over his seven scoreless innings.

“Anytime you get past the fifth (inning) you start thinking about it,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin of Graveman’s near no-no. “Once you’re past the six especially. It just wasn’t to be.”

Hamels scattered six hits over his 21 outs while walking two A’s and striking out seven. While he dominated the A’s, Oakland nearly broke up the shutout in the second after Renato Nunez’s two-out single. Chad Pinder, batting out of the nine-hole, ripped a double in the gap, but Nunez got greedy and wound up cut down at the plate after Rougned Odor’s relay through from Nomar Mazara beat him to the plate by three steps.

“In a game like that it doesn’t look like many runs are going to be scored,” said Melvin. “If we have an opportunity to score one, then I’m all for being aggressive.”

The A’s would threaten again in the fourth after pushing runners to first and second with one out, but Hamels retired Jake Smolinski and Nunez to keep the game scoreless at the time.

“It looked like we had him on the run,” said Melvin. “It looked like he was a little frustrated with where he was throwing the baseball. After the third inning he started mixing it up more, throwing his cutter. His breaking ball was good. His changeup is always good. With a good starting pitcher, if you can get on him early before he gets into a rhythm your better off doing it.”

Graveman too was locked in on the mound, retiring the first 18 Rangers he faced but the seventh inning proved his undoing. Midseason pickup Carlos Gomez singled on a grounder deep in the hole at short that Marcus Semien had no chance on, then scootered over to third after Ian Desmond ripped a liner of a single into left. Beltran bounced out to first but brought Gomez home on the play, then Adrian Beltre skyed a first-pitch offering from Graveman into the stands in left for a 3-0 lead and his 31^st long ball of the year.

“He has like a hundred years in the big league,” said Graveman of the 17-year vet Beltre. “He’s seen 1 million, 2 million, 3 million pitches. You have to make quality pitches. He makes you throw quality pitches. He hits mistakes. When he gets going he can carry a whole team.”

Graveman (10-11, 4.19) would allow one more hit in the inning but would get all three outs before exiting the game. He surrendered 3 earned runs with no walks, three punchouts and only 77 pitches thrown before making way for Jon Axford.

“We’ve seen him throw some complete games and make every pitch,” said Melvin. “He was certainly fgor a while there. He had a really good sinker, it was really just one breaking ball to Beltre that stayed middle in. Other than that he was great.”

Axford pitched a scoreless eighth, due in large part to a gutsy effort by Danny Valencia. With two outs, Valencia charged a foul ball from Carlos Gomez into the Rangers dugout at first. Chris Smith, pitching his first season of Major League baseball since 2011, also threw a scoreless frame. The Rangers Matt Bush did the same though and Sam Dyson closed out the contest for his 36^th save, but not without drama.

With two outs in the ninth, Danny Valencia singled then Stephen Vogt walked on four straight pitches, bringing the tying run to the plate. Pinch hitter Yonder Alonso bounced into a fielder’s choice to end the game.

The A’s will send Raul Alcantara to the mound Saturday looking to get him the second win of his major league career. He’ll face the second half of the Rangers dual ace threat Yu Darvish in the afternoon tilt.]

AP file photo: Baltimore Orioles manager Bucky Showalter has seen enough and makes a pitching change against the Boston Red Sox in Baltimore on Thursday September 22

On the MLB podcast with Tony;

#1 Baltimore Orioles are just a half game back behind three teams tied for first place in the American League wild card Boston, Cleveland, and Texas. The O’s are 2-6 in their last eight games. They opened up their weekend series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

#2 Steve Clevenger the Seattle Mariners catcher has been suspended for the rest of the season for sending racist tweets saying Black Lives Matters “everyone involved should be locked up behind bars like animals”

#3 No one was in the pressbox on Friday night in the TV-Radio side when the Oakland A’s were taking batting practice an indication of less reporters turning out for A’s coverage as the A’s have ten games left before this long season comes to an end. The A’s do have some exciting talent coming in for next season particularly A’s pitchers Raul Alcantaro and Jharel Cotton.

#4 The first place Chicago Cubs will run away with the NL Central as they hold a 17 game lead. The Cubs fans haven’t been this excited since the game before Cub fan Steve Bartman was accused of fan interference or before last year’s post season four game sweep by the New York Mets.

#5 After this season the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement is up and there will be language in the new contract to reduce the amount of games from 162 to 154 schedule. The players would like to see the sked cut but for the sake of television revenue would the owners be on board with the players to reduce the games to eight?

Tony does the MLB podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com