Category: Oakland Athletics

Mid-season report on the A’s position players

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by Jerry Feitelberg

zimbio.com file photo: Oakland A’s outfielder Coco Crisp is near the end of his career but would like to have a great finish in the second half of the season

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s resume play Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s have fallen to fourth place in the AL West, and unless a miracle occurs, they will not make the playoffs in 2016. The time is now to look at what players the A’s have and who do they want to keep and who will be the players that will rebuild this club.

Let’s start with the outfielders first. The A’s have been using the veteran, Coco Crisp, in both left and center. Crisp is now thirty-six years old and has been playing well lately but is he the type of player that you place your fortunes in? Crisp was injured the last two years, and he did not play well earlier in the season. Coco, a fan favorite, however, is nearing the end of his career. Billy Burns, at twenty-six, had a great rookie year in 2015. Burns, however, is hitting just .236, and it looks like he has been bitten by the sophomore jinx. The A’s best outfielder, Josh Reddick, is having a very good year. Reddick was sidelined with a thumb injury, but he is hitting .295 and is a terrific defensive player. Reddick will be a free agent at the end of the year. There are no negotiations going on with Josh’s agent, and it looks like he will walk. The A’s probably will trade him for prospects. Khris Davis also plays left-field and is the DH on occasion. Davis started slow, but he is tied with Marcus Semien for the club lead with nineteen homers and leads the team with fifty-five ribbies. One would think the A’s would want to keep him but Davis, too, will be a free agent at season’s end.

The A’s infielders are also getting long in the tooth. Valencia is 31, Yonder Alonso is twenty-nine, Jed Lowrie is thirty-two and shortstop Marcus Semien is just twenty-five. Trade rumors have been swirling around Danny Valencia’s name for a while. Valencia has stated that he would like to stay here but with Billy Beane and David Forst running the show, no one is safe. Alonso and Lowrie are good but not great players. They are expendable and are not going to be here for the long haul. The one gem is Marcus Semien. Semien came to the A’s last year in the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox. Semien had a terrible year in the field as he committed thirty-five errors. The A’s hired Ron Washington to work with him. Wash said that Semien had never played short when he was in Chicago. Semien bought into Wash’s program, and he has been terrific this year. Marcus has committed just nine errors in eighty-nine games and has excelled on offense. He is hitting .242 with nineteen homers and 47 RBIs. Semien looks to be a keeper.

Stephen Vogt handles most of the catching chores. Vogt is thirty-one and has made the All-Star team the last two seasons.  Vogt is a leader in the clubhouse and is one of the people the A’s should keep. Josh Phegley, currently on the DL, is a capable backup.

There are a lot of question marks about this team. Will Reddick, Davis, Valencia, and Vogt be here after the trade deadline?  Will the A’s trade assets for prospects? Do they bring in new players, as they did in 2012, and hope that they catch lightning in a bottle. The trade deadline is eighteen days away. Let’s pull up a chair and see what happens.

Royal mistreatment: Cueto roughed up as the American League captures the All-Star Game for the fourth straight year

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Cueto shinin

By Morris Phillips

In the pantheon of performances by Giants’ pitchers chosen to start the All-Star Game, Johnny Cueto’s wasn’t the cakewalk Juan Marichal experienced in 1967, or the walkover Matt Cain enjoyed in 2012. Instead, Cueto, who admitted to feeling under the weather before the game, had an outing that most approximated Vida Blue’s 1978 start, also in San Diego:

Sudden fireworks at the Giants’ starter’s expense, a bit of embarrassment, and in Cueto’s case, a loss.

Cueto allowed home runs to former teammates, Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez in the second inning, early offense that held up in the American League’s 4-2 win over the National League on Tuesday night.

“I think it was two pitches I left up, and I paid the price,” Cueto said through an interpreter following his stint in which he allowed five hits in a 1 2/3 innings of work.

The AL win gives the American League champion home field advantage in the World Series for the fourth consecutive season, no insignificant development for the NL Giants, who hold the league’s best record with 90 of the season’s 162 complete. Of course, the Giants overcame the home field advantage in 2014 when Madison Bumgarner led his team past the Royals in Game 7 in Kansas City.

The K.C. connection played big on Tuesday, as Hosmer and Perez became only the second pair of teammates to homer in the same inning in an All-Star Game joining Jimmy Wynn and Steve Garvey of the Dodgers who achieved the feat in 1975.

“It’s a dream come true, and it felt like my first big league homer right there,” Hosmer said in an interview with FOX during the game. “It was special.”

Hosmer’s home run came with one out in the second inning, tying the score 1-1, a rapid answer to Kris Bryant’s homer off Chris Sale that gave the NL the lead in the first. Mookie Betts singled, then with Hosmer being interviewed in the dugout following his homer, Perez took Cueto deep to left, and the AL led 3-1.

Did familiarity aid Hosmer and Perez against Cueto, their teammate on the Royals’ World Series winning team of last season? Or were the duo’s home runs payback for Cueto departing for the deeper-pocketed Giants?

Cueto, in a good mood despite his outing, downplayed both scenarios, emphasizing the presence of his entire family, and the opportunity to represent the first-place Giants. The nine-year veteran appeared to have everything in his favor: snazzy lime and orange cleats, his current catcher, Buster Posey, behind the plate, and the bright sun and shadows that hamper hitters with a 5pm West coast, mid-summer start time. Instead, Cueto suffered, perhaps feeling ill, elevating a pair of pitches to the Kansas City duo and surrendering hard hit balls to Mike Trout and David Ortiz.

With Trout looming in the on deck circle, manager Terry Collins elected to remove Cueto with a runner on, and two outs in the second inning.

Hosmer added an RBI single in the third, and was named the game’s MVP. It was the first time a Kansas City player captured the award since Bo Jackson in 1989. That year, Jackson homered in the first inning off Giants’ starting pitcher Rick Reuschel.

It was Hosmer’s first All-Star appearance and he couldn’t contain his excitement after circling the bases.

“We’ve been here before. We’ve been on a stage before!” Hosmer said to no one in particular as he approached the Royals’ dugout.

Cueto suffered the loss, only the second time he’s done so in a San Francisco uniform after going 13-1 in his first 18 starts as a Giant. His All-Star performance may have lacked, but not like Atlee Hamaker’s relief appearance in 1983 in which he allowed a grand slam and seven earned runs in less than an inning.

Marichal started All-Star games in 1965 and 1967 and cruised both times. Cain started in 2012, and picked up the win, departing after two innings with a 5-0 lead.

But Blue, like Cueto, saw things deteriorate fast, allowing a triple to Rod Carew, then a double to George Brett, the first two batters of the game. Unlike Cueto, Blue escaped a loss as the NL rallied that year, overcoming Blue’s 3-0 deficit to win 7-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium.

ALL STAR NOTES: Tuesday’s game was played in a tidy 3 hours, 5 minutes as both teams had nine pitchers pitch and record at least one out… There were 18 hits in the game, but no scoring after the top of the fourth… The American League was designated the home team as an NL club hosted the game for the fourth straight season. In acknowledgement of the string of NL cities hosting, the American League was designated as the home team, wore white uniforms and hit last… Bryant was 0 for 6 with six strikeouts against Chris Sale, before homering off Sale in the first inning. Bryant played the game in front of friends and family, gathered nearby University of San Diego, where Bryant starred collegiately… Ortiz was removed for a pinch hitter in the third after drawing a walk off Miami’s Jose Fernandez. In his final All-Star game appearance, Ortiz was greeted with a standing ovation while all of his All-Star teammates came out of the dugout to greet him… Fernandez’ tongue-and-cheek promise to groove fastballs when facing Ortiz didn’t materialize.  Fernandez started Ortiz with a changeup, then walked the slugger on a 3-2 pitch.

 

Oakland A’s All-Star 2016 Podcast with Charlie O: Jumping from place to place is the A’s only way to go up

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AP photo: The grounds crew at Petco Park prepares the field for batting practice prior the 87th Annual All Star game in San Diego

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O, the current state of the A’s is not very good. Right at the All Star break the A’s are 38-51 their fourth in the AL West. Their 15 1/2 games behind division leading Texas. Their seven and half games behind third place Seattle. That’s their bench mark.

The next jump would be to getting into third place their seven games behind Seattle. In today’s game there’s a wild card watcher. Their 12 games behind in the wild card Toronto in the American League. Which is kind of ironic since the Jays are coming into Oakland this weekend.

Listen to all the latest Oakland A’s headlines on the podcast with Charlie O each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mid-Season report on the A’s pitching problems

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by Jerry Feitelberg

davisenterprise.com file photo: Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt gave it his all for the team during the first half of the season explaining why he’s the A’s representative at the All-Star game

OAKLAND–The A’s and manager Bob Melvin have had nothing but problems with the 2016 pitching staff. The A’s envisioned a rotation of Sonny Gray, Felix Dubrount, Chris Bassitt, Rich Hill, and Jesse Hahn. Gray has not been himself this season. Gray, the ace of the staff, was 3-1 on April 22nd. He has not recorded a win since that time, and he had to go on the disabled list with a sore trapezius muscle. Gray has pitched better, for the most part since coming off the DL but has not been the Sonny of old. The A’s were hoping that Jarrod Parker, who help the A’s to the Western Division crown in 2012, would recover from his injuries. Parker suffered another injury to his elbow, and his future with the club remains in doubt. Felix Dubrount counted on to be a starter, underwent Tommy John surgery and is out for the year. Henderson Alvarez, an All-Star with Miami in 2014, hoped to recover from his shoulder problems but every time it appeared he would be ready, he suffered a setback, and it doesn’t look like he will pitch for Oakland this year. Another starter, Chris Bassitt, also underwent Tommy John surgery and is gone for the year.

The A’s Kendall Graveman, who figured to a starter, did not pitch well early in the year, and there were comments that Graveman might be sent to Nashville. Graveman, however, has pitched well in his last seven or eight starts and is 4-0 in that stretch and has improved dramatically. The A’s recalled Sean Manaea from Nashville and the big Samoan struggled a bit when he came up. Manaea, too, spent time on the DL. Manaea has pitched well recently and his last start against Houston, he was superb. The A’s also recalled Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Nashville to join the rotation. Mengden’s record is 1-4, but he has pitched well and would have a better record if he had some run support from his teammates. They A’s signed the veteran Rich Hill to a one-yes six million dollar contract. Hil has pitched very well and has been the best pitcher on the team with a record of 9-3. Unfortunately, Hill had a groin injury that landed him on the DL.The A’s used Eric Surkamp in the rotation but he was a disaster and the A’s designated him for assignment.

The A’s bullpen, on the other hand, has performed relatively well, but it has not been exempt from injury. The team has two relievers currently on the DL. Sean Doolittle and Fernando Rodriguez are out with shoulder injuries. Liam Hendriks was on the DL earlier in the year. John Axford, the former closer for the Milwaukee Brewers, has been used a setup man, and he did well earlier in the year. Axford hit a rough stretch a couple of weeks ago, but he righted the ship in his last three outings. Ryan Madson, who was former closer for the Philadelphia Phillies and recorded 36 saves in 2011, has been good for most of the year. Madson has seventeen saves this year, but he has blown five and two of those blown saves came in the last three games against the Houston Astros. Madson did not pitch in 2012, 13 or 14 but made a comeback with the Kansas City Royals last year and earned a World Series ring. Ryan Dull is a rising star in the bullpen. Dull has been dominant all year. He was able to keep thirty-six inherited runners from scoring until last Saturday’s game against Houston. He did earn his first save of the year in that game. Many people think that he might be the closer of the future for Oakland.

The A’s rotation, as it stands now, appears to be getting better as the season progresses. Bob Melvin has to be pleased with the progress made by Manaea, Graveman, and Mengden. They have shown that they can pitch in the big leagues and are gaining confidence as they continue to pitch effectively. Rumors are swirling about the status of Sonny Gray and Rich Hill. The A’s have stated that Gray is not on the trade market, but Hill is being scouted by several teams that are desperate for a starter. The Orioles and Red Sox are two teams that need pitching and are in the market for starters. The A’s bullpen is good, but Melvin has had to use them extensively so far, and the hope is that they pitchers don’t wear down in the second half of the season. The bullpen should be better when Rodriguez and Doolittle return.

The A’s have had a tough season due to the problems with the pitching staff. They are 37-51 at the All-Star break. There is no doubt that the injuries to the starters have affected the performance of the team. Will the A’s be sellers at the trade deadline? Looks that way to many observers. Will the A’s continue their pattern of trading their assets for prospects? That has been their Modus Operandi for years, and they probably will continue that tradition. Stay tuned, fans. Should be an interesting second half of the season.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Vogt A’s All-Star representative excited to be an All-Star

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bbstmlb.com file photo: Oakland A’s All Star representative Stephen Vogt

On the podcast Jerry discusses the A’s pitching woes and how the starters and relievers will have to suck it up in the second half to improve. The pitchers are hurting but Rich Hill, Sonny Gray, Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea, and Daniel Mengden, are in that rotation but can they stay healthy in second half of the campaign?

Sonny Gray most likely will survive the trade deadline he’s struggled the first half although he had an outing where he went six inning and gave up only one run. Gray the ace of the rotation is aiming for a successful second half and the All-Star break is a needed rest for Gray.

Stephen Vogt is in San Diego for the All-Star game and is the A’s representative. Vogt has caught most of the A’s game in the first half and is hitting .277, with 30 runs, seven homers, and 27 RBIs.

Listen to Jerry for more on the 2016 All-Star game below and at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Not enough runs or hits, too many errors lead to 2-1 A’s loss

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
MLB: Oakland Athletics at Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Heading into the game on Sunday with the Astros, the Oakland Athletics had gone 15 consecutive games without committing an error – a franchise record. On Sunday, the A’s committed four errors and one of those errors literally cost them the game as they lost the series finale 2-1 in 10 innings to the Astros in Houston.

In the bottom of the 10th inning with two out and runners at the corners, Carlos Correa hit a hard grounder down the third base line that Danny Valencia fielded 10 feet behind the bag. Valencia’s throw pulled first baseman Yonder Alonso off the base allowing Carlos Correa to reach safely. The Astros Jake Marisnick took off from third with the crack of the bat and he scored easily to give Houston its second walk-off victory of the four-game series.

The win gave the Astros a 2-2 split in the final series before the All-Star Break. The A’s finish their seven-game road trip with 3-4 record. Oakland finishes “the unofficial first-half of the season” with a record of 38-51 in fourth place in the American League West 15.5 games behind division leading Texas.

Beyond the tragedy of losing an extra-inning game on an error, the A’s wasted a great outing by rookie starting pitcher Sean Manaea. Manaea who was roughed up in his last start really rebounded on Sunday. He worked 7.0 innings on Sunday giving up no runs on just five hits. Manaea walked none and struck out six Astro batters. He threw 106 pitches (72 strikes) in his seven innings of work. Manaea wound up with a no decision for his start on Sunday.

On the Bump

The A’s used a total of four pitchers on Sunday. John Axford pitched one scoreless inning and struck out two taking over for Manaea in the eighth inning. Ryan Madson was brought in to close out the game out in the ninth inning. Madson gave up a one-out infield single to Carlos Gomez who then advanced to second on a stolen base. With two out, Evan Gattis lined a double to left that drove Gomez home to tie the game at 1-1. It was Madson’s second blown save of the series and his fifth of the season.

Liam Hendricks was on the mound in the bottom of the 10th when the winning run crossed the plate so he is hung with the loss and his record falls to 0-2.

Dallas Keuchel started the game for Houston. Last year’s Cy Young Award winner has really struggled this season. He worked seven innings against the A’s giving up one run (earned) on four hits. Keuchel struck out five and walked two. Keuchel (6-9, 4.80) ended up with a no decision despite turning in one of his better performances of the seasons.

Astros reliever Will Harris gets the win as he was pitcher of record in the 10th inning.

In the Batter’s Box

There are not many highlights to talk about for the A’s at the plate. The Athletics managed to accumulate just four hits on Sunday afternoon. All of their hits were singles.

The A’s scored their lone run by putting two of those singles together in the sixth inning. Catcher Matt McBride led the inning off with a grounder to left field. McBride moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Coco Crisp. Marcus Semien then hit a sharp line drive to left that allowed McBride to score from second.

Oakland went 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left four runners on base.

The Astros strung together eight hits in the game. The RBI-double by Evan Gattis in the ninth was the only extra-base hit of the game for either side. Gattis also had the only multi-hit day going 2-for-4 at the plate.

Houston left nine men on base and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Defense (or lack there of)

Danny Valencia not only had to deal with the anguish of giving up the winning run on error producing throw in the bottom of the 10th inning, he had to deal with the fact it was his second error of the game. He had a fielding error earlier in the contest. Valencia has now committed 13 errors on the season.

Marcus Semien committed his ninth error of the year in the bottom of the sixth inning when he had trouble fielding a ball off the bat of Marwin Gonzalez.

Coco Crisp committed his second error of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The A’s have now committed 57 errors on the season – fourth most in the American League.

Up Next

For most of the A’s the next few days mean some much needed rest and escape from the pressures of a season gone awry. Only Stephen Vogt is heading to San Diego for the All-Star festivities.

For the A’s management and coaching staff, the four days are going to have to be ones of real reflection, honest evaluation and decision making about the future.

On the field, only one goal makes any sense right now and that is getting to .500. Being 13 games under .500 at the All-Star Break creates an incredible uphill climb for the A’s. Getting to .500 will take a Herculean effort and then it may be too late to contend even for a Wild Card spot. But getting to .500 is the only goal that makes sense for A’s on the field right now.

In the front offices, the questions are all about what does the team do between now and the August 1st trade deadline. Oakland has some players that contenders have to be interested in for the stretch run to the postseason. Hitters like Valencia, Davis and Reddick will always be in demand. A veteran utility guy like Jed Lowrie who comes with a decent bat is a desired piece in the postseason. Teams cannot have enough pitching so Rich Hill, Ryan Madson, John Axford, Sean Doolittle (if healthy) and even Sonny Gray may be players being sought after by contending clubs.

What will the A’s want in return? Prospects is what it will be all about. Think Manea, Mengden and there are more players in Triple-A and Double-A from recent trades that are showing true potential to be big league material.

The one thing that is a given for A’s fans in the second half is it will not be boring. It never is.

Graveman, A’s rebound from frustrating loss with a 3-2 win at Minute Maid Park

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A's double play

By Morris Phillips

If momentum is today’s starting pitcher than Kendall Graveman provided plenty for the A’s on Saturday.

Graveman stymied the Astros for eight innings, and the A’s held on for a 3-2 win over the Astros in Houston. The pitcher’s trademark sinker kept the defense behind him alert and productive, and the opponent off the scoreboard save for a couple of ninth inning runs after Graveman departed.

“He was outstanding,” Stephen Vogt said of Graveman. “With the exception of maybe three pitches, he was in the bottom part of the zone.”

On Friday, the A’s scored five times in the ninth inning to put themselves in line for an improbable, come-from-behind victory, only to see Luis Valbuena’s three-run homer win it for the Astros in the bottom of the inning. The 10-9 loss ranks at the team’s worst of the year, and Graveman and the A’s had to be back on the diamond to face the hottest team in baseball just 16 hours later.

Since May 12, the Astros had won 30 of 42 games, and their starter for Saturday’s third game of the four-game series, Lance McCullers, had never allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 16 starts at Minute Maid Park. Despite all that momentum, and Valbuena’s game-winning home run on Friday, Graveman made himself the story on Saturday.

The A’s starter retired the first 14 batters he faced, and shutout the Astros for the first eight frames on just three hits. Graveman featured his sinker throughout, and the A’s defense behind him was flawless, going a franchise record 15th consecutive game without committing an error, and turning a big double play to end the seventh inning.

“We’ve seen once he gets on a roll, his confidence elevates. So this was a nice little stretch here leading up to the break that he can feel good about,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Melvin offered Graveman an opportunity to pitch a complete game for the first time in his career, and to become the first A’s starter to go the distance this season. But after allowing three hits through eight, Graveman allowed back-to-back singles to Jake Marisnick and Marwin Gonzales opening the ninth, and Melvin summoned Ryan Dull to finish what Graveman started.

Despite the ninth inning hiccup, Graveman registered his fifth start in his last six in which he’s allowed two runs or less. After opening the season with a 5.36 ERA through nine starts, Graveman is 4-0 with 3.40 ERA over the following eight starts.

Dull nearly induced a double play ground ball off the bat of Jose Altuve, but the speedy baserunner beat the turn, allowing Marisnick to score from the third. Two batters later, Valbuena was at it again with an RBI single that made it 3-2. But Dull recovered, striking out Carlos Gomez to end the game.

Altuve’s fielder’s choice ended Dull’s incredible streak of stranding 36 consecutive inherited baserunners, a record for relievers as far back as the record keepers can measure, but the final result was Dull’s first ever save, quite a feat on the heels of Friday’s bullpen meltdown.

Stephen Vogt homered, doubled, and came up with an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0. That, along with some contributions from Coco Crisp (back from a one-game suspension) and Josh Reddick were all the offense the A’s needed.

In Sunday’s first half finale, Sean Manaea will start for the A’s in a matchup with Houston’s Dallas Kuechel, who has won four straight decisions.

A’s Rally, Houston Answers Back in WIld Ninth Inning

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: The Houston Astros Luis Valbuena gets the warm welcome after hitting a walk off homer in the ninth to beat the Oakland A’s at Minute Maid Field on Friday

The Oakland Athletics roller coaster ninth inning Friday saw a five run go-ahead rally in the top of the inning but concluded on a dour note with Luis Valbuena’s walk-off home run for the Houston Astros. The A’s trailed 7-4 entering the final frame but sent closer Ryan Madson to the mound ahead 9-7 in the bottom half of the inning. Madson couldn’t hold on, leading to a 10-9 A’s defeat.

The A’s took a comfortable lead following a three-run fourth inning capped by a Stephen Vogt RBI triple and Marcus Semien’s 19th homer of the year, but Houston scored a pair of runs on Carlos Correa’s 14th long ball of the year off starter Daniel Mengden to pull within one 3-2. Houston then added another six runs in the bottom of the fifth, chasing Mengden on run-scoring singles from Correa, Valbuena and Marwin Gonzalez.

Astros starter Collin McHugh would depart the game in the seventh inning, yielding three earned runs. He would be charged with an unearned run in his final inning after Ken Giles’ wild pitch plated Jed Lowrie for a 6-4 score, advantage Houston. The Astros would get the run back in the bottom of the eight with Danny Worth’s run-scoring single off Andrew Triggs, setting up the wild ninth inning.

Billy Butler opened the inning reaching base, then Yonder Alonso extended it by working a full count off Astros closer Will Harris. He then took the 3-2 pitch over the wall for his fourth homerun of the season, pulling the A’s within one 7-6.

Marcus Semien struck out, but Jake Smolinski singled and Lowrie doubled, leading manager AJ Hinch to opt for Michael Feliz to finish off the inning. Khris Davis, batting in the two hole with Coco Crisp serving a one-game suspension, plated Lowrie and pinch runner Tyler Ladendorf on a base-clearing double for a 8-7 A’s lead. Josh Reddick would chip in a single to send Davis around for the insurance run off Feliz (6-1, 4.28 ERA). The Astros reliever was tagged with the blown save, but took the W in the comeback win.

Madson (3-3, 3.47 ERA) made quick work of the first batter he faced, shagging Gonzalez’s bunt attempt for the first out. Former batting champ Jose Altuve reached base on a single, then stole second with Correa at the plate. Madson got Correa to swing at strike three, but the shortstop reached base after the wild pitch eluded Vogt. Valbuena then launched the first pitch he saw from Madson into the right field stands for a 10-9 Astros win.

The A’s send the recently resurgent Kendall Graveman to the mound to face Liam McCullers in game three of the four game set.

The A’s Rich Hill outduels the Astros’ Doug Fister, A’s win 3-1

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s second baseman Jed Lowrie misses a Houston Astros Luis Valbuena smash for a hit at Minute Maid Field in the second inning of Thursday night’s game

HOUSTON–The Oakland A’s beat the Houston Astros 3-1 Thursday night in Houston. The A’s new  ace Rich Hill outshined the Astros Doug Fister in an old-fashioned pitching duel. The Astros scored their only run of the game in the first inning. Leadoff hitter, George Springer, tripled to get things going for Houston. The next hitter, Marwin Gonzalez, grounded out driving in Springer with the ‘Stros first and only run of the game. From that point on, Hill was lights out. Hill pitched six innings, allowed just the one run and three hits. He walked two batters but struck out ten. He threw 103 pitches and since it was just his second start since coming off the DL, A’s manager Bob Melvin turned the game over to the bullpen and did they ever do the job. John Axford set the Astros down in order in the seventh. Ryan Dull pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth and Ryan Madson did the same in the ninth to close out the game for Oakland.

The Astros, as mentioned above, scored first in the very first inning. The A’s came back and scored two runs in the top of the second. Singles by Danny Valencia and Khris Davis was followed by a walk to Steven Vogt to load the bases with no out. Marcus Semien grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Valencia scored to tie the game, and Davis went to third. Yonder Alonso doubled to left-centerfield to drive in the A’s second run. The score remained at 2-1 until the top of the ninth. Fister went eight innings allowed just two runs and three hits. The Astros brought in lefty Tony Sipp to face the left-handed hitter, Josh Reddick. With the shift on, Reddick hit a rocket up the middle that was fielded by Carlos Correa. Correa straightened up to throw to first but his throw drew the first baseman off the bag, and Reddick was safe. Correa was charged with an error.With two right-handed hitters coming up, Houston brought in former Athletic, Pat Neshek to pitch. Neshek retired Valencia and Davis but walked Vogt and Semien to load the bases. The Astros employed the shift when Alonso came to the plate. The Second baseman, Jose Altuve was stationed in short right, and Correa was near the second base bag. Alonzo hit a blooper that could not be fielded by Neshek and Altuve was too far away to make the play. Reddick scored the insurance run, and Madson closed out the game. A’s win, the A’s win 3-1.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are now 2-6 in their last eight games. They play three more games with the Astros before stopping play for the All-Star game. Kendall Graveman, Daniel Mengden, and Sean Manaea will handle the pitching chores for Oakland. Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh and reigning Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel will pitch for Houston.

Yonder Alonso was the hitting star for Oakland as he had two of the four hits and he drove in two runs. Center fielder, Coco, Crisp was tossed out of the game in the fourth inning. Crisp took a low pitch that was below his knees. The ump called it a strike. Coco was a little miffed. The next pitch was also low. Coco swung and missed as he thought he would be called out on strikes if he took the pitch. As he was heading back to the dugout, Coco tossed the bat, and it nearly hit the umpire. He also threw his helmet to the ground. He was thumbed out immediately. Bob Melvin never got a chance to intercept Coco. Billy Burns replace Coco in center.

Rich Hill is now 9-3 for the year, and the A’s improve to 37-49. The Astros’ Doug Fister falls tp 8-6 and they are now 46-40 for 2016. Ryan Madson picked up his seventeenth save. Game Two of the Series will be Friday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston at 5:10 pm PT.

Time of game was two hours and thirty-two minutes and 20,933 Houstonian were on hnd to watch the A’s win.

Sonny Gray’s woes continue, the A’s fall to the Twins again.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: A’s manger Bob Melvin left, Sonny Grey center, and A’s catcher Stephen Vogt talk it over in the fifth inning on the mound at Target Field on Wednesday

The A’s lost their sixth game in their last seven starts Wednesday afternoon as the lowly Minnesota Twins beat them 4-0. The A’s Sonny Gray pitched six innings and allowed one run, six hits and walked in losing his seventh straight game. Gray’s record is now 3-8, and he hasn’t won a game since April 22nd. The Twins Ervin Santana won his third game of the year and owns a record of 3-7. Santana must smile when he see that he is pitching against Oakland. He has owned the A’s in the past and today was no different. Santana was perfect until there were two outs in the fifth inning. The no-hitter and the chance for a perfect game went bye-bye when Billy Butler doubled.  Steven Vogt singled in the eighth for A’s second and final hit of the day.

The Twins scored in the bottom of the fifth to score the only run they would need to win the game. Joe Maurer doubled to drive in Robbie Grossman with the winning run. The Twins added two more in the seventh and one in the eighth to close out the scoring. Twins win 4-0.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are again thirteen games under the .500 mark with a record of 36-49. The A’s travel to Houston to face the Astros. The Astros are playing much better baseball now. They got off to a slow start but, as mentioned above, are much more formidable, and the A’s will have their work cut out for them this weekend.  The Twins Ervin Santana allowed just two hits, and he struck out eight and did not walk a batter. The Twins are 8-8 in their sixteen games but their season record of 29-55 is truly pathetic.

LHP Rich Hill (8-3,2.31 ERA) will pitch Thursday night for Oakland. Game time will be at 5:05 PM PT.