Category: Oakland Athletics

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin pulls A’s starter Sonny Gray in the fourth inning of Friday night’s game at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND, Calif. – It’s time for the Oakland Athletics to form a search party, start plastering Alameda County lamp posts with “missing” flyers and try to decipher any clues they have. Their once surefire ace, a strikeout machine, has gone missing. In his place is an impostor in a green and gold number 54 jersey dealing with more control issues parents of an unruly teenager.

Sonny Gray was knocked around then prematurely knocked out of the game by the New York Yankees in a 8-3 loss at the O.Co Coliseum Friday night for his fifth-straight start without a win. The former Cy Young candidate surrendered 5 runs, 4 earned, over a brief 3 1/3 innings to a pinstriped lineup composed of noted sluggers Aaron Hicks, Ronald Torreyes and Didi Gregorious. The 26-year-old righty threw 98 pitches, with 53 going for strikes on a night when Gray’s command was not as sharp as he’d like against the struggling Yankees (19-22).

“Early on, it was just about throwing a lot of pitches,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “The velocity was 95 at times, probably the best velocity we’ve seen out of him. He threw some really sharp breaking balls at times.”

Gray (3-5, 6.19 ERA) was staked to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2^nd after Billy Butler scored Matt McBride’s run-scoring single, but a struggle in the 4^th inning tilted the game towards the Bronx Bombers.

“For a while it looked like he had straightened it out,” said Melvin. “He threw a lot of pitches, was just missing with pitches, got his pitch count up. Then in the 4^th it wasn’t as good. We’ll continue to work and try to find it.”

Gray started the inning promising enough, punching out Starlin Castro but a free pass to Hicks slowed the starter’s momentum. Gregorius singled, then Torreyes tripled home both base runners. Jacoby Ellsbury reached base on catcher’s interference then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Torreyes also scored on the play for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

“The 4th got a little out of hand,” said Melvin. “They got some hits then he had trouble locating the strike zone.”

Brett Gardner walked to continue the Yankees rally, then he and Ellsbury advanced a base each on a second wild pitch in the inning. Designated Hitter Carlos Beltran chased the runners in and chased Gray from the game after roping a two-run double for the 5-1 lead. Coco Crisp got a late jump on the drive to center field, turning what appeared to be a fly out into the dagger for the A’s (19-24).

“Sometimes a ball hit right at you on a line, especially when the wind’s blowing at you,” said Melvin. “Sometimes though are tough to judge. It just got over his head.”

Two innings later the Yankees would add on another run off reliever Ryan Dull and would tack on two insurance runs in the top of the 9^th on a two-run Ellsbury triple off Andrew Triggs.

While Gray continued to struggle, opposing pitcher CC Sabathia (3-2, 3.41) meanwhile continued his string of vintage performances. The portly port-sider fired 6 innings of 3-hit ball while striking out a season-high 8 batters. The Vallejo native yielded exactly 3 runs in his first 4 starts, but in his latest pair his allowed just the lone run over 13 innings.

“He used to be just three pitches,” said Melvin of Sabathia’s arsenal. “Now it’s up to 5. He’s not throwing as hard as he used to but he’s tough to think along with now with the cutter and slider, changeup. He’s got an arsenal and he’s figured how to pitch with it and keep us off balance.

With Sabathia out of the game in the 7^th inning, Coco Crisp singled home a run off reliever Kirby Yates to trim the deficit to 6-2 at the time. Yates pitched two innings, while Chasen Shreve allowed a leadoff triple to Billy Burns to open the 9^th then yielded an RBI groundout for Jake Smolinski to wrap up the scoring.

With the current number one starter struggling Friday night, the consensus ace-in-waiting takes his turn on the mound Saturday afternoon. The Throwin’ Samoan Sean Manaea takes the hill fresh off his first career win, 6 2/3 inning 1 run performance against the Texas Rangers. Prior to that, Manaea had allowed 16 runs over his previous 3 starts. He’ll be opposed by the Yankees rotation head Masahiro Tanaka. First pitch is at 1:05 pm for the Coliseum.

AP photo: Oakland A’s Khris Davis covered in pie gets the bubble gum treatment from Yonder Alonso after Davis’ walk off grand slam in the ninth inning on Tuesday night at the Coliseum

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O the Oakland A’s ended up with a relatively decent record from the last road trip they finished that road trip that took them to Baltimore, Boston and Tampa Bay 3-6. They started off going 1-2 in Baltimore they won the first game then lost the last two games. Then they went to Boston and Boston was just a disaster, they lost those three games 14-7, 13-5, and 13-3.

It could be said that Boston had gone on a tear and they set a record scoring 73 runs that homestand and that was a Fenway record for the Sox for a homestand. The record for a one, two and three homestand all set by Boston all set at Fenway Park. Do you see a pattern there? It’s not an unusual situation for a lot of runs to be scored at Fenway Park.

Charlie has all your Oakland A’s news for the week click below to listen right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

By Ben Leonard
Follow @ben___leonard
//

legendsondeck.com file photo: Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea got his first MLB victory game against the Texas Rangers Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sitting in the clubhouse after a disheartening outing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, Sean Manaea knew he couldn’t rest on his laurels, or lack thereof.

After getting just eight outs, he had to hit the showers, staring down an 8-0 deficit and potentially watching his spot in the A’s rotation slip away. With Jesse Hahn or Henderson Alvarez coming back from the disabled list soon, things had to change. A 2013 first round pick and the key piece in the Ben Zobrist deal, Manaea probably had never been rocked at any level like he did in his first three career starts, giving up 16 runs in 12.2 innings. 

Baseball is a brutal game — one week, you’re the hottest thing since sliced bread, and the next, you’re thrown out in the dumpster. To stay in, you have to adapt — or suffer the consequence. Boy, did he change. 

Armed with a new hair cut, a new changeup and a newly beaming smile, Manaea threw 6.2 brilliant innings of four-hit, one run ball to guide the A’s to a 3-1 win over the Rangers, the first of his career. 

First, he took a trip to a hair stylist in Tampa and sheared the “annoying” flowing afro he once rocked — he was happy to get rid of it. “The first three starts didn’t go as well as I wanted to,” Manaea said Monday. “And as a team we were just struggling, so it was time for a change.”

Manaea’s clean fade took Melvin aback when he first saw it. “It took me back for a second, and I think everybody went from whatever you call that to the clean cut young man,” Melvin said. “It took you a minute to focus and realize what happened. that’s a lot of hair that he cut off — he probably lost a few pounds.”

But Manaea’s changes weren’t just superficial — he completely changed his focus and repertoire. He brought back an old changeup, with a grip he hadn’t used since college. The Royals told Manaea to drop the comfortable grip that his roommate had showed him at Indiana State, and it never felt natural. He made the switch in the bullpen before his second start in Baltimore, and used it against Boston for the first time — the first time since college a changeup felt good coming out of his hand.

The reason it didn’t work against Boston: he “pretty much threw everything right down the middle.” Not quite a recipe for success, unless you’re in Little League. Monday against Texas, Manaea threw a 55-pitch bullpen instead of his customary 35. “I just really tried to harp on locating my fastball,” Manaea said. “[I would throw] 2 inside, 2 outside, 2 inside 2 outside. That was the biggest thing for me, locating my fastball instead of throwing it right down the middle.”

Rangers’ hitters felt the effects — they mustered just four hits and one walk against the left-hander, managing only a sacrifice fly in the seventh. “It’s a dream come true,” Manaea said, hardly able to control his huge smile. “I’m really glad that I got to do it at home, but it’s just an awesome feeling.”

He started pounding his fastball early and often, giving him a huge confidence boost to get him going. “I was able to throw my changeup off the bat, and I was able to inside on guys and get broken bats and quick outs,” Manaea said. “It just made my changeup that much better. They’re looking for the inside fastball, and then I throw the changeup.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin lauded Manaea’s ability to bounce back after such a difficult outing in Bean Town. For Melvin, his outing was a huge boost “not only for us, but for himself. He came off a pretty tough outing for someone who’s never experienced something like that in Boston. You see what they’re made of the next time around. This is a good lineup, and they’re playing pretty well. To do what he did and hold them to one run is a pretty tall order. It was impressive…As far as his stuff went and his command throwing the ball, it was by far his best.”

Manaea wouldn’t have been able to earn his first career “W” without the help of his offense. Rangers’ starter Derek Holland did his best to limit the A’s to three hits in six frame, but let the A’s scratch and claw their way to two decisive runs in the fourth.

Billy Burns was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Josh Reddick reached on a bloop single, and Danny Valencia walked to load the bases. A Khris Davis sacrifice fly and a Billy Butler single later, the A’s and Manaea would have all they needed to win — a 2-0 lead.  Marcus Semien added an insurance run in the seventh with a booming solo shot to center field against reliever Luke Jackson, giving Oakland a 3-1 lead.

What’s a 24-year-old rookie like Manaea going to do to celebrate before going to bed? Get Ben and Jerry’s in his hotel and watch Game of Thrones, of course.

AP photo: Oakland A’s Danny Valencia gets congratulated by the A’s Billy Butler after hitting his third home run of the game against the Tampa Bay as the Rays catcher Curt Casali waits for the celebration to end

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F the A’s Danny Valencia swung the bats on Sunday like he was teleporting ex Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle. Valencia clobbered three homers in Tampa Bay hitting a solo shot in the first, a two run shot in the fifth, and another solo shot in the ninth. Valencia’s three homers ties a franchise record for most home runs by a player in a game.

The A’s are schedule to host the Texas Rangers for three games starting Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum and they look to get sure fire help from starter Sean Manaea who suffered a rough loss to the Red Sox on the last road trip at Fenway Park. The A’s and the Rangers will be throwing all lefthanders in this set the first time in A’s history that they were involved in a series where all pitchers from both sides were southpaw starters.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer and does the A’s podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

By Ben Leonard
Follow @ben___leonard

file photo: A’s starter Sean Manaea

OAKLAND– Sean Manaea isn’t used to getting knocked around. The A’s second-best prospect dominated hitters the while playing at Indiana State and through the minor leagues, but has gotten a rude awakening in the majors.

He’ll need to step it up on Monday if he wants to stay on the roster when Henderson Alvarez and Jesse Hahn return from the disabled list, having given up 20 runs in just 17.2 innings with Oakland.

The A’s expected more out of the 2013 first-rounder, who mowed down minor league competition to the tune of a 2.82 ERA in 214 innings, striking out an eye-popping 257 strikeouts. He made just three starts for Triple-A Nashville before being called up to Oakland on April 29th, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. The A’s acquired Manaea as the centerpiece of the deal that sent utility player Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals.

Manaea hasn’t been the only A’s starter that has struggled to be effective and go deep into games this season. Oakland is the only MLB team this season who hasn’t had a starter go more than seven innings in a start, and four of the A’s last seven starters have gone fewer than four innings.

He’ll look to get the A’s off to a good start on a long stretch of home games — Oakland will play 13 of their next 16 contests from the friendly confines of the Oakland Coliseum. Prior to taking 2 out of 3 from the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, Oakland had dropped five straight games, and is just 3-10 in May.

He’ll face Rangers’ left-hander Derek Holland (3-2, 6.09), who despite his struggles this season, is 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 18 career games against Oakland. Holland will be just the seventh left-handed starter Oakland has faced all season, and he won’t be the last — Texas will send three lefties to the hill this series. Fellow southpaw Cole Hamels (4-0, 2.95) will take the ball Tuesday, along with Martin Perez (1-3, 3.23) on Wednesday in the series finale.

The A’s offense broke out against the Rays, hitting eight home runs in the three-game set, their most in a series since 2012. Danny Valencia supplied the power on Sunday, going yard three times, giving him the second three-dinger game in franchise history.

Lineups: 

Lineups for A’s and #Rangers pic.twitter.com/QOXk0wLUBO

— Ben Leonard (@RuleOfTreeBen) May 17, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js