Category: Oakland Athletics

Oakland A’s post game Thursday wrap up: A’s get the jump on Halos end up with one run 5-4 win

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 by Jessica Kwong

AP photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman gets the win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Angels Stadium

ANAHEIM The Oakland Athletics held on to their lead for a much-needed 5-4 win to open the series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday night.

 The A’s scored first off shortstop Marcus Semien’s 13th home run of the season, a three-run shot in the second inning. Then Coco Crisp scored on an error by Angels’ Yunel Escobar to put Oakland up 4-0.

 The Angels scored a pair in the fourth inning. Johnny Giavotella singled on a pop up to Semien, allowing Mike Trout to score and C.J. Cron to get to third base. Jeff Bandy got out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Max Muncy and Cron scored to bring the Angels within 4-2.

 At the top of the fifth inning, A’s left fielder Khris Davis homered to widen Oakland’s lead to 5-2.

 “That was a really big point in the game for us, knowing we got four runs in an innings,” said starting pitcher Kendall Graveman, who went 62/3 innings and allowed two runs. “But then you get the bases loaded, they put up two runs. Man on second and third with two outs and I got to find a way to get him out and we did.”

 A’s manager Bob Melvin said Graveman “really found his sync in the last two games.”

Graveman is Oakland’s first starting pitcher to win in 18 games, one short of the club’s record for the longest streak without a victory by the starter.

 Meanwhile, former San Francisco Giants right-hand pitcher Tim Lincecum debuted at Angel Stadium and held the A’s to four hits and one run.

 “We probably were a little bit more aware of what he was going to try to do today and for the most part he was really successful last time, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Melvin said. “Itw as our turn to make some adjustments and I think we did early in the game.”

 After three scoreless innings, Bandy at the bottom of the ninth inning hit a home run on a line drive to left field and Giavotella scored, cutting the A’s lead to 1.

 The scariest moment for Oakland wasn’t that. It was when their umpire Paul Emmel got hit in the head after Angels’ Jeff Marte lost grip on his bat, and fell to the floor with a gash of blood on his forehead.

 “Oh it was very scary,” centerfielder Stephen Vogt said.

 “I heard it, it sounded like somebody hit a ball at the end of the bat, you could just hear the bat hitting his head and so I just turned around right away and he was down and I saw the blood. It was gushing pretty good,” Vogt said. “Obviously I pray that he’s alright, that it’s just a cut.”

 Following the on-field delay and umpire substitution, Marte popped out to second baseman Arismendy Alcantara, sealing Oakland’s 5-4 victory.

 The A’s are now 2-5 against the Angels this season, with Thursday’s series opener the first at Angel Stadium. First pitch for game two in the series of four is 7:05 p.m. on Friday.

The Brewers beat the A’s to split the two-game series

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Milwaukee Brewers Kirk Nieuwenhuis is congratulated by Martin Maldonado after hitting a home run off A’s pitcher Liam Hendriks in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND–On a beautiful and sunny Wednesday in Oakland, the Milwaukee Brewers, behind the strong effort by Junior Guerra, defeated the A’s 4-2 to earn a split of the two-game series. The Brewers won three-of-four from the A’s this year in interleague play. The Brewers, who used to visit the Coliseum on a regular basis when they were in the American League, made their first appearance here since 2002.

The A’s rookie Starter, Daniel Mengden, made his third Major League start and, for the third time, came away with the loss. Mengden has pitched well in all three starts, but the A’s have given him little run support. Today’s effort was a “quality” start as he pitched six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs. Unfortunately, one of the hits was a two-run job by Brewers’ second baseman Scooter Gennett. Mengden was very effective for the first four innings but a couple of defensive lapses in the fifth, including one by Mengden himself, did him in. On the other hand, the Brewers Junior Guerra was on his game. Guerra pitched seven innings and allowed just five hits, one of which was a home run by Coco Crisp.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Coco Crisp took Guerra deep for his sixth of the year. The Brewers roared back in the top of the fifth scoring three times to take the lead for good. The A’s scored a run in the seventh but Milwaukee got it back in the eighth. Their center fielder, Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered off A’s reliever Liam Hendricks.  There was no more scoring as Brewer reliever, Tyler Thornburg closed out the game for his second save of the year. Brewers win 4-2.

Game Notes- Hitting stars for the Brewers were Scooter Gennett with three hits including his big two-run homer. Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his third homer of the year, and two of them have come at the expense of A’s pitching.

The A’s finished their homestand with a record of 3-6 and are 4-13 in their last seventeen games. They are now thirteen games under .500 and own a record of 29-42. The A’s go on a six-game road trip with stops in Anaheim and San Francisco before returning home to face the Giants in Oakland on June 29th. The A’s will play four against the Angels and Thursday’s game will feature Kendall Graveman pitching for the A’s, and Tim Lincecum will be on the hill for Los Angeles.

The two teams played the game in two hours and fifty-three minutes, and 13,586 were on hand to watch the A’s fall to Milwaukee.

 

 

Oakland takes the first game of the Series with the Brewers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo from sfgate.com: Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray throwing against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s bats were on fire late in the game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night. The A’s won the game 5-3. The A’s, who had scored just four runs in their last four games were able to get key hits when it counted to propel them into victory lane. A’s starter Sonny Gray pitched six strong innings. Gray allowed two runs, one of which was unearned. Gray gave up six hits, and he did not get a decision. The A’s bullpen, for the most part, was excellent. Sean Doolittle pitched a strong seventh. Ryan Dull was magnificent in the eighth, and Ryan Madson closed out the game for Oakland. The one sour note was the performance of John Axford. Axford has been struggling lately and tonight was no exception. He faced two hitters and each one doubled.

The Brewers scored a run in the top of the fourth. Sonny Gray had allowed just two hits up to this point in the game but the Brewers’, behind two singles and a double, put the first tally of the game on the board. The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Max Muncy and Jed Lowrie singled to put runners at first and third with one out. A’s catcher Stephen Vogt drove in the tying run when he ground out. Lowrie, running on the play, reached second safely, and that allowed the run to score.

The Brew Crew scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth to regain the lead. Ryan Braun led off with a single. With one out and Braun at first, Sonny Gray threw the ball past first baseman Yonder Alonso for an error. The ball rolled far enough down the line to enable Braun to make it safely to third. The Brewers’ big slugger, Chris Carter, singled to left to drive in Braun with Milwaukee’s second run. The A’s tied the game in their half of the sixth. Former Brewer, Khris Davis singled to start the frame. Davis advanced to second on a passed ball. A’s Designated hitter, Billy Butler, made a productive out as hit to advance Davis to third. With two out, Marcus Semien singled to right to drive in Davis. The score is tied at two after six innings of play.

The A’s scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning. Brewer shortstop committed an error to open the floodgates for the A’s. The A’s scored the go-ahead run runners at first and second and one out. Yonder Alonso singled to drive in Danny Valencia. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien drove in two more when he tripled to left-center. The A’s are in the lead 5-2 heading into the top of the eighth.

The Brewers first two batters in the eighth hit back-to-back doubles to cut the deficit to two.  Bob Melvin brought in former Brewer, John Axford, to pitch. Scooter Gennett doubled and then scored on a double off the bat of Ryan Braun. Melvin took Axford out and replaced him with Ryan Dull. Dull, who had not allowed an inherited run to score so far this season, was magnificent, and he retired the next three Brewers and ended the threat. Ryan Madson retired the Brewers in order to preserve the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- Marcus Semien had three hits, including a triple, and drove in three runs for the Green and Gold.  Jed Lowrie was 3-for-5, and Danny Valencia pitched in with two hits. Valencia was hit by a pitch on the wrist, but he was able to continue.

With the win, the A’s improve to 29-41 while Milwaukee drops to 31-40. Game two will be played Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 Pm at the Coliseum. Rookie Daniel Mengden will go for Oakland, and his opponent will be Junior Guerra.

Time of game was three hours and thirty-two minutes, and 14,810 faithful watched their beloved A’s defeat the Brewers.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s look for some good news from anywhere as they end homestand

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AP Photo: A’s pitcher Henderson Alvarez one of the many on the DL in Oakland, Alvarez is out with a shoulder injury

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O, not a lot of good news the A’s lost a four game series with Texas that started the current home stand they won the first game of that series and then lost the next three games of that series. Then over the weekend they had a three game series with the Los Angeles Angels they won the opening game of the series and dropped the next two games and they had a wild one on Saturday former Giant pitcher Tim Lincecum who has all the great Bay Area ties signed a one year contract with the Angels made his debut in 2016 with the Angels first time he’s pitched with any other club besides the Giants.

Lincecum looked pretty good, he looked very Lincecum like he threw a lot of split finger off speed slider pitches. The A’s on the other hand so hurt did not have a starter to go on Saturday they pitched a combo out of the bullpen using seven pitchers in that game. The A’s have a lot of injuries and a number of players on the DL we go more into that on the podcast.

Charlie has a lot more on the A’s podcast take a listen below and every week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Preview of the A’s vs the Brewers in Oakland

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to the Coliseum Tuesday night in Oakland. The visit by the Brewers will be their first appearance here in fourteen years. The games Tuesday and Wednesday will end their longest drought of any road venue.

The A’s visited Milwaukee earlier this month, and the results were not good for the Green and Gold as the Brewers won both games. The A’s are hoping to turn the tables and return the favor this week. The pitching matchups appear to be very attractive. Sonny Gray, who has been pitching relatively well since coming off the disabled list, had a game go south on him last week against Texas. Gray was the Sonny of old for five innings, but the roof caved in on him in the sixth. Texas’ hitters banged out four extra-base hits ( two homers and two doubles) and Sonny lost his sixth game of the year. Milwaukee’s starter will be Jimmy Nelson. Nelson was the number one pitcher for the Brewers for the first two months of the season. However, his record in June is 0-3 and he his ERA this month is a staggering 9.69. His record, overall, is 5-6, 3.92 ERA.

The Wednesday day game will feature the A’s rookie starter, Daniel Mengden going against the Brewers’ Junior Guerra. The thirty-one tear old Guerra sports a record of 3-1, 3.81 ERA and has been very effective using a split-finger fastball. The A’s will counter with young Daniel Mengden. Mengden has made two starts since being called up from Nashville. He is 0-2 but, in his last start against Texas, he went six innings and allowed just two runs. Had the A’s been able to get some hits off Colby Lewis, the result might have been different. However, Lewis was fantastic as he was working on a perfect game until Max Muncy doubled in the eighth inning.

The Brewers, like the A’s, are not playing well. Since the Series with the A’s, the Brewers are 3-7 and are in fourth place in the NL Central with a record of 31-39. The A’s are having a terrible June as they are just 3-12 in their last fifteen games and have fallen to 28-41. They are thirteen games under .500 and have their worst record at this date in June since 1997.

Key Brewer players to watch are shortstop Jonathan Villar, First baseman Chris Carter, catcher Jonathan Lucroy and left-fielder Ryan Braun. Tyler Thornburg is their setup guy, and Jeremy Jeffress is their closer. Trade rumors are swirling in Milwaukee as the Brew Crew may be sellers at the trade deadline. Lucroy, Braun, Jeffress and third baseman Aaron Hill have trade value. The Brewers have denied that they are interested in trading Braun or Lucroy but to quote Don  Vito Corleone, some GM may make “an offer they can’t refuse.”

The A’s, on the other hand, are hoping to get some strong performances from the starting rotation. Rich Hill and Sean Manaea are making progress and should be off the DL soon.Kendall Graveman pitched well Friday night, and lefty Eric Surkamp had his best game of the season for Oakland. The A’s failed to give him any run support as Jared Weaver dazzled the A’s with his off-speed stuff. Trade winds are also swirling here in Oakland. There was a report that the Mets were interested in third baseman Danny Valencia. Josh Reddick and Khris Davis, both free agents at the end of the year might be playing elsewhere after July 31st. The A’s biggest chip is Sonny Gray. The Red Sox are desperate for another starter and have chips to dangle before Billy Beane and David Forst.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s starter Sonny Gray looking to redeem himself Tue vs. Brewers

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg A’s pitcher Sonny Gray had some pretty good outings except for last week (Wednesday) inexplicably the Rangers got him for two homers and two doubles and lost the game. Gray has pitched better he’s coming off the DL and he should be back in form on Tuesday against the Brewers at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s have lost the series to the Angels and it’s been looking grim for the A’s lately right now their 2-5 on the current homestand but there have been some bright notes. Last week A’s pitcher Daniel Mengdon pitched well in his second start he went up against the Rangers unfortunately he got overmatched by the Rangers Colby Lewis.

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

 

MLB Pocast with Matt Harrington: For Lincecum his return monumental and memorable

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Getty photo: Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum throws against the A’s Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum

On the MLB podcast with Matt, When former San Francisco Giant and current LA Angel Tim Lincecum took the mound at the Oakland Coliseum last Saturday it was a park that he was familiar with as he pitched there when he played with the Giants. The Angels were a club that was in dire need with their rotation. They had a couple big injuries and needed to get back on track fast.

The Angels who just completed a three game series with the A’s at the Coliseum got the shot in the arm that they were looking for with key wins from Lincecum a 7-1 victory on Saturday and a 2-0 shutout from Jered Weaver on Sunday. He was set up for success and got it with a victory over the A’s proving once again Lincecum can pitch back in the show after having hip surgery and it might be the answer to his comeback.

Matt Harrington covers the Oakland A’s for http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to his podcast below

 

Angels’ Weaver confounds the A’s in 2-0 win

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By Morris Phillips

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Eric Surkamp delivers in first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND–Jered Weaver enjoyed nearly a decade among the American League’s pitching elite, posting a winning record in nine consecutive seasons beginning in 2006.  But in the last two years,  Weaver has come back to the pack, seeing his ERA rise, and his strikeout totals drop dramatically.

Weaver’s downward trend worsened in his two previous starts, a pair of losses in which he allowed 11 earned runs in just over 11 innings pitched.

On Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum, everything that was wrong with Weaver suddenly became right, courtesy of the A’s.

Weaver’s complete game, three-hit shutout was surprising as it was dominant.  The 33-year old right hander struck out just one batter all afternoon, but benefitted from stellar defense behind him.  After pitching past the sixth inning just four times in his first 14 starts, Weaver went all the way for the first time in more than a year.

“I know that I’m not a guy anymore that’s going to go out there and strike people out, so I try to limit pitches.  They were able to hit the ball but luckily they were at people.”

Weaver’s smooth trips through the Oakland lineup came one day after Tim Lincecum shut down the A’s.  Two pitchers that haven’t exactly been a mystery to big league hitters found safe haven against in Oakland.  That in turn caused a bunch of frustration in the A’s clubhouse after their fifth loss in seven games on this homestand.

“Up and down the lineup,  including myself, we didn’t make him work,” Stephen Vogt said.  “A guy like him, every pitch looks hittable but that’s not the case.”

Carlos Perez homered in support of Weaver, and the timeless Albert Pujols knocked in a run.  Mike Trout contributed the big defensive play, throwing out Billy Butler trying to stretch a single in the fifth.

The A’s have an off-day Monday and resume play Tuesday at the Coliseum against the Brewers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A’s don’t put up much fight in Lincecum’s big league return, lose to Angels 7-1

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Lincecum in red

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Another day in June, another occasion for the A’s to tip their collective caps in deference to an opposing starting pitcher.

Who, in this case, just happens to be Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum resumed his major league career on Saturday in Oakland, and shut down the A’s for six innings to mark the occasion as the Angels cruised to a 7-1 victory. While the A’s hosted the game, Lincecum brought out the crowd, some curious, some referential, and some dressed in orange and black, in support of the two-time Cy Young award winner who pitched nine seasons in San Francisco before he was sidelined by a hip injury.

The crowd greeted Lincecum with an ovation when he approached the bullpen to warm up, and again when he took the mound to pitch the first inning. Both cheers were loud, with the second one louder and lengthier.

“It’s nice being here close to where I started and having my Bay Area fans here,” Lincecum said. “Definitely made it feel like a home game to me.”

Lincecum cruised through the first two innings, gave up a bloop, RBI single to Danny Valencia in the third, and didn’t experience anymore blemishes in his six innings of work. He hit 91 on the gun with his fastball, no surprise given his decline in velocity over the previous couple of seasons. But Lincecum worked smart, and hit his spots, a critical component for the pitcher who was determined to return to the big leagues on his own terms, and as a starting pitcher.

“I wasn’t getting to counts that I’d like to, to get strikeouts, but they were putting the ball on the ground,” Lincecum said.

“He threw fastballs in breaking ball counts and breaking balls in fastball counts,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We couldn’t solve him.”

The A’s were limited to three singles and two doubles, and only in the third inning did they manage to get more than one hit. With Lincecum tiring, and close to the end of his afternoon, the A’s did the pitcher a big favor when Khris Davis grounded into a rally-snuffing double play.

The A’s have lost 11 of 15 in June, and fell two full games behind the Angels, and 15 ½ games behind the AL West-leading Rangers.

The Angels got all they needed in the fourth when Mike Trout and Johnny Giovatella clubbed solo shots to give them the lead. In the sixth, reliever Francisco Rodriguez allowed a RBI sacrifice fly to Andrelton Simmons, while recording the first two outs of the inning. But Rodriguez then gave way to John Axford who threw 22 pitches before recording the final out of the inning. Within those 22 pitches, Marcus Semien booted a ground ball with the bases loaded, allowing a second baserunner to score. Then Trout capped his afternoon with a two-run double that put the Angels up 7-1.

Andrew Trigg was recalled from the minors and made his big league debut, starting and pitching three innings, allowing a run. Trigg operated strictly as a reliever in the minors, and pitched effectively in his first opportunity to start. But of the six relievers to follow Trigg, Ryan Dull and Rodriguez had the biggest struggles, combining to allow four earned runs.

Yunel Escobar and C.J. Cron each had three hits for the Angels, roughly half of their 13-hit attack. Trout and Albert Pujols each had two hits and scored a run.

On Sunday, the A’s look to capture the rubber game of the three-game series with Eric Surkamp facing the Angels’ Jered Weaver. Surkamp’s still looking for his first win of the season, he’s 0-4 with an 8.07 ERA.

MLB Podcast with Matt Harrington: Lincecum return might be the shot in the arm the Angels need

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AP photo: Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum signing autographs for fans before Friday night’s game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s

On the MLB podcast with Matt, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum is making his Bay Area return when the Angels and A’s battle it out on Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum. For Lincecum the return is special but he will be out to prove to himself and the Angels that he’s still got it after coming back from hip surgery. In Triple A Salt Lake Lincecum pitched over 17 innings and went 2.65 ERA and pitched seven innings and gave up a run and eight strike outs.

Also the Giants Jeff Samardzija is back in rhythm he pitched a four hitter to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays and also completed the game. Samardzija had struggled in his last three outings and needed a good game to get back on track. Also at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday night the A’s Billy Burns got the game winning walk off single for the win. Burns got the single with two outs and after the series with they had with the Rangers they’ll take a win when they can.

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