Category: Oakland Athletics

Trout knocks one out; The LA Angels take Game one, beat the A’s 4-1.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Los Angeles Angels Yunel Escobar comes in sliding past the Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt in the sixth inning of Monday night’s game in Oakland

OAKLAND–The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Oakland A’s Monday night 4-1 in the first game of the three-game series. Angels’ all-star center fielder, Mike Trout, hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to send A’s ace Sonny Gray down to his first defeat of the year. The A’s are still in first place in the AL West with a record of 4-4. The Angels improve to 3-4. The game summary follows below.The Angels scored three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth inning. Sonny Gray was sailing along allowing just two hits in five innings of work before heading into the fateful sixth. With one out, Yunel Escobar doubled to right center field. A’s right fielder; Josh Reddick made a valiant effort to catch the ball, but it just eluded hos outstretched arm. Daniel Nava singled to drive in Escobar with the Angels’ first run of the game. The next batter, Mike Trout, sent a Sonny Gray pitch over the left Centerfield wall for his first home run of the season to put the Angels in the lead 3-0.

The Angels scored three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth inning. Sonny Gray was sailing along allowing just two hits in five innings of work before heading into the fateful sixth. With one out, Yunel Escobar doubled to right center field. A’s right fielder; Josh Reddick made a valiant effort to catch the ball, but it just eluded hos outstretched arm. Daniel Nava singled to drive in Escobar with the Angels’ first run of the game. The next batter, Mike Trout, sent a Sonny Gray pitch over the left Centerfield wall for his first home run of the season to put the Angels in the lead 3-0.

The Angels added a run in the top of the eighth. Albert Pujol;s singled sharply to left to start the frame. With one out, Pujols, believe it or not, stole second for his first stolen base of the year. Hendricks retired C.J.Cron for the second out, but, Angels’ shortstop Andrelton Simmons singled to drive in Pujols with the run.

In the bottom of the ninth, the A’s scored with two outs to avoid the shutout. Jed Lowrie led off with a single. He advanced to second on a ground out. Yonder Alonso flew out to center for the second out. Marcus Semien singled to drive in Lowrie with the A’s first run of the game. Angels’ manager, Mike Scioscia brought in his closer, Huston Street, to face Coco Crisp. Coco flew out to left to end the game. The Angels take the opener of the three-game series 4-1. Nick Tropeano won his first game of the year, and Sonny Gray took the loss. His record is 1-1 for the year.

Game Notes- The Angels snapped the A’s three-game winning streak. The A’s pinch-hitters are 0-for-10 with three strikeouts to start the season. Coco Crisp was 2-for-5 with a triple, and Jed Lowrie went 2-for-four.

The A’s meet the Angels again Tuesday night at the Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm. Kendall Graveman will pitch for Oakland, and the Angels will send lefty Hector Santiago to the mound. Each pitcher will be seeking his first win of the young season.

Time of game was three hours and five minutes. 13,371 fans watch the A’s go down to defeat.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s have the starters and relievers that can compete

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photo credit SI MLB tweet: Oakland A’s starter Rich Hill

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg the A’s enjoyed being in first place in the AL West for the beginning of the current series with the visiting Los Angeles Angels at 4-3. Yes at one time before they got those four wins they were 1-3 against the Chicago White Sox who opened the A’s homestand at the Oakland Coliseum.

In that series with the Sox the A’s only got blown out one game and were involved in three one run games with the Sox of those they lost two and won one. The A’s took three in a row from Seattle. The A’s starting pitching has been good Rich Hill went in as an emergency starter for Sonny Gray on the home opener.

Hill struggled that night but on Saturday he was excellent and Chris Bassitt who pitched the second game pitched well on Sunday in Seattle going seven innings three hits, and gave up an unearned run. The A’s bull pen has been outstanding with help from Ryan Madson, John Axford, and Sean Doolittle anyone of the three of them can close out a game.

Join Jerry for the A’s podcast with the latest news and inside the clubhouse information at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Missing Mariners fan is found dead; Jerry & Amaury updates all the latest on the A’s

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photo credit AP photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray pauses with catcher Stephen Vogt after giving up a two run homer to the LA Angels Mike Trout in the top of the sixth inning

On the podcast on That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary baseball is always something that is supposed to be a happy occasion. It was opening night last Friday for the Seattle Mariners who were hosting the Oakland A’s at Safeco Field where 30 year old Ingrid Lyne of Renton had plans to attend the game with a man she had met on line for her first date.

Local authorities found Lyne’s body parts in a Seattle homeowners recycling bin the body parts have been confirmed to be linked to Lyne.  Authorities reported that three human body parts including a foot were found by a home owner just three miles from Safeco Field on Saturday.  Renton Police detectives identified that the body parts were Lyne’s and that King County Medical Examiners will conduct an autopsy. Police believe she was not murdered in the Safeco Field neighborhood.

Officers have arrested 37 year old John Robert Charlton of Snohomish County for the murder of Lyne. Evidence pointing to Charlton were phone records obtained which helped lead police to Charlton. Police served an arrest warrant on Charlton from Snohomish County in cooperation with the Renton Police.

Oakland A’s update: The A’s who swept the Seattle Mariners are doing well at 4-3 in first place in the AL West they’re not expected to be in first place all year and neither are the LA Angels who the A’s host for this three game series. One of the two Texas teams are going to be in it the Texas Rangers or the Houston Astros.

I called four games with the Rangers when they were in Anaheim and they have some super young kids like Nomar Mazara who just came up and got two singles and a home run off Angels starter Jered Weaver. Mazara is only 20 years old, the Rangers have Hanser Alberto who plays second base they got a terrific team and I like the Rangers a lot because they got a great mixture of young players and veterans.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and the Spanish TV voice for the LA Angels and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s beat M’s 2-1 in 10 innings and sweep the series

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
MLB: Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners
Photo Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The majority of the preseason prognosticators had the Oakland Athletics finishing dead last in the American League West. Evidently, the A’s forgot to read the predictions for their 2016 season.

On Sunday, the Athletics survived seven innings of shutout baseball pitched by “King Felix” Hernandez (0-1, o.69 ERA), had strong pitching performances by their own stater and bullpen, used the long ball to defeat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in 10 innings and won the series on the road three games to none.

The Athletics won the game via  a solo home run hit by Coco Crisp in the top of the 10th inning off Seattle reliever Nick Vincent. With two outs, Crisp hit a 3-1 pitch 376 feet over the right field wall to give Oakland a 2-1 lead.

Sean Doolittle took the mound for the Athletics in the bottom of the 10th inning and closed out the game for his first save of the season.

The A’s record improves to 4-3 with the win and puts them in sole possession of first-place in the American League West.

The Mariners are struggling to figure out how they squandered such an outstanding pitching performance like the one turned in by “King Felix” on Sunday.

On the mound

Hernandez was a master on the mound. He pitched seven innings giving up just three hits and no runs. The “King” recorded 10 strike outs and issued just two walks. He threw 99 pitches (62 strikes). The Seattle radio broadcasters said the outing was Hernandez at his best especially with the command he showed on his change-up and breaking ball. It is hard to imagine that such a quality outing simply ended in a no decision.

Chris Bassitt made his second start of the season for Oakland. Bassitt worked seven innings giving up three hits and one unearned run. He had four strikeouts but issued base-on-balls to five Seattle batters. Bassitt threw 97 pitches (58 stikes). Bassitt has yet to figure into a decision in his two starts this year.

The A’s used three pitchers out of the bullpen on Sunday. Ryan Madson, John Axford and Sean Doolittle worked one inning each. The three relievers gave up no runs, no hits, no walks and struck out two hitters. Axford was credited with his first win of the year while Doolittle recorded his first save of the season.

Seattle also used three pitchers out of their bullpen. Joel Peralta was charged with a blown save when gave up a home run to Marcus Semien. Steve Cishek worked a scoreless inning. Nick Vincent was tagged with the loss when he gave up the game winning home run off the bat of Coco Crisp.

In the batter’s box

The A’s scattered five hits over the 10 innings versus Seattle. No Oakland player had a multi-hit day. Crisp, Lowrie, Alonso, Phegley and Semien all had one hit each.

Marcus Semien tied the game at 1-1 when he hit his first home run of year in the top of the eighth inning off Peralta. Semien hit a high fly ball over the left field wall on a 3-2 pitch.

The Mariners managed to get just six hits off the four Oakland pitchers. Nelson Cruz had a two-hit game than included his second double of the year. Seattle catcher Leonys Martin also had a two-hit game.

The Athletics went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

The M’s were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left 10 men on base.

MVP

The MVP of the game has to be Felix Hernandez. The “King” was brilliant on the mound and showed why he is one of top pitchers in the major leagues. Plus, he deserves to get something for pitching that well and having his team lose the game.

Honorable Mention

Coco Crisp deserves this honor for hitting his first home run since August 27, 2014. After battling through injuries last season, it was nice to see Crisp carry his team to a big win using his bat.

Up next

The Athletics will be back in action on Monday in Oakland when they open a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

 

Hill rebounds with strong outing in A’s 6-1 win over the Mariners

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Coco slide

By Morris Phillips

Rich Hill has experienced a bunch of adversity on and off the diamond since October 6, 2007, the day he made his one and only post-season appearance, giving up a home run to Chris Young on the first pitch of the game, and lasting just three innings in the Cubs sobering, season-ending 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLDS.

For the purpose of capsulizing the A’s eye-opening 6-1 win over the Mariners as opposed to retelling Hill’s decade-long saga, here’s what’s important to know: While most baseball decision makers were mixed at best on Hill’s ability to be a major league reliever, the 6’5” left hander steadfastly, and quietly, felt he could once again be a quality big league starter.

That difference of opinion lasted nearly eight years until Hill, on his third, abbreviated stint with the Red Sox made four career-altering starts, throwing 23 innings, striking out 36, walking five and winning three times, including a complete game, two-hit shutout against the Orioles.   In each of Hill’s first three starts in September, he pitched at least seven innings and struck out 10.

At 36 years old, having pitched just 182 major league innings in the eight seasons following his 11-win 2007 campaign, Hill qualifies as the A’s high risk/high reward signing of 2016, and in the sixth inning on Saturday night, Oakland got an indication if the $6 million gambit will pay off.

Leading 5-1, Hill was dealing to that point, allowing four hits and a run, while striking out seven. Distanced from the circumstances of his first start as an Athletic, on Opening Night in which he was a game day replacement for the under-the-weather Sonny Gray, Hill had all his pitches working in Seattle from his signature sweeping curveball to his above average fastball and occasional slider.

In the opener, all of the pitcher’s negatives culled over the previous eight years resurfaced: no sweeping break on his curve, which he threw 16 times, poor control as evidenced by two hit batters and a walk, and just three strikeouts. Lifted in the third, Hill was charged with all four runs in the A’s 4-3 loss. Hill’s line for the opener ominously mirrored his 2007 playoff start right down to the premature exit.

But on Saturday, Hill was in control, pitching briskly, and even varying his release point with an occasional sidearm delivery. Then in the sixth, with his pitching count rising, he faced some adversity.

First, Hill hit the speedy Ketel Marte with a 3-2 curve ball that broke too sharply–busting Marte on his mid-thigh—putting the leadoff man aboard. The veteran recovered quickly, completely fooling Robinson Cano on two-strike curve that had the slugger lunging across the plate. Nelson Cruz followed with a solid single that prompted pitching coach Curt Young to visit, no doubt to remind Hill that he would be lifted if he allowed another batter to reach with his pitch count approaching 100.

But the lefty finished strong, fanning Kyle Seager on a 2-2 pitch, and getting Chris Iannetta to swing and miss a hard slider with the count full. For Hill, a step in the right direction, for the Mariners, who have faced four lefty starters in five games, and lost three times, a step back.

“Rich Hill has a good curveball,” Mariners manager, Scott Servais said. “He finished us off late in counts and went to it often. And we weren’t able to adjust.”

In all, Hill threw his curveball 52 times in 99 pitches. But it wasn’t the same pitch every time. Hill varied his arm angles, as well as the break.

“It was his go-to pitch in big situations, early in the count he was using it and he was very versatile with it too,” Iannetta said.

Only Iannetta figured out Hill, homering in the second in response to the A’s two, first inning runs off Nathan Karns. Josh Reddick gave the A’s some breathing room with his two-run shot in the fifth. And the A’s finished off Seattle with a run in the sixth, and then another on Stephen Vogt’s double in the seventh.

Coco Crisp got the start in center, and showed that he’s not done. Crisp compiled two knocks, scored twice and stole two bases, including the 300th of his career.

The A’s moved into a first place tie in the AL West with Texas at 3-3. While the division’s had a rough first week as a whole, the A’s will take their early perch, given they’re coming of a 90-loss season in 2015, and three losses in their first four home games.

On Sunday, the A’s look for the sweep, but it will be a tricky proposition with King Felix Hernandez looking for his 23rd career win against the A’s in a matchup with Chris Bassitt. Bassitt was 0-2 in four starts against Seattle in 2015.

 

 

 

MLB podcast with Matt Harrington: Nearly no hit on Friday this team always finds a way to get out of a jam

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AP photo: Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ross Stripling delivers during his no hit bid in his Major League debut

On the MLB podcast the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Friday night Ross Stripling pitched a no hit bid after 7 1/3 innings only to be removed by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Stripling who might have been the Dodgers best hope to win a ball game in this series with the Giants saw his no hitter dissipate after being removed and the Giants catcher Trevor Brown hitting one out on the first pitch to tie up the ball game later to see Brandon Crawford go yard for a walk off in the 10th for the gamer.

On Saturday the Giants starter Madison Bumgarner made good work of the Dodgers he helped his own cause as well going deep to left field. Mad Bum struggled a little bit on the mound against the Dodgers.

Plus the Oakland A’s Chris Coghlan went deep for a go ahead home run which led to the A’s first road win of the season 3-2 over the Seattle Mariners. They got the win and it was regarded as a confidence builder too.

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

Oakland A’s Friday post game wrap: Coghlan’s Homer, Bullpen Propel A’s to 3-2 Win In Seattle

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: Oakland A’s Chris Coghlan heads home after belting a ninth inning homer that gave the A’s a one run win off Seattle Mariners pitcher Steve Cishek

The blueprints general manager David Forst laid out for the Oakland Athletics were in full display for Friday’s 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field Friday night.

The revamped Oakland bullpen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings and super-sub Chris Coghlan hit his first home run as an Athletic to give Sean Doolittle (1-1, 3.38 ERA) his first win since the south paw tallied his lone 2015 victory on September 17th. Closer Ryan Madson, another free agent signing for the Green and Gold, picked up his 2nd save of the season  for the A’s (2-3) after recording a 1-2-3 inning including a pair of punchouts.

Coghlan, getting a spot start in right field after Josh Reddick was moved to DH to nurse back stiffness, knocked in the first run of the game off Mariners starter Taijuan Walker in the 4th inning after a sharp liner deflected on first baseman Dae-Ho Lee’s glove and into the outfield.

Josh Reddick would add to the A’s lead with a two-out solo home run, his first of the year, in the fifth inning, golfing a 77 mile per hour pitch into the stands in right field.

The Mariners (2-2) answered back with their American-league leading 9th homer of the season after Lee took A’s starter Eric Surkamp’s offering over the wall in straight-away centerfield in the bottom half of the inning. It was Lee’s first homer in the United States after playing the beginning of his career in the Koreon Baseball Organization and more recently the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

Surkamp was called up before the game, taking the place of outfielder Andrew Lambo on the active roster. The A’s made the decision on what to do with their rotation with members battling the flu and expected 5th starter Felix Doubront nursing an injury, sending the journeyman Surkamp to the hill. He’d pitch well, but would surrender another run on a Ketel Marte sacrifice fly in the fifth and depart the game with a no-decision after 4 1/3 innings with runners on 1st and 3rd base.

Fernando Rodriguez induced a double-play ball out of Nelson Cruz to escape the inning tied, then throw another hitless inning. December signee John Axford also pitched a perfect  7th inning, then Doolittle worked around a leadoff walk, retiring the next three Seattle hitters in order to give Oakland a chance to take the lead in the 9th.

That’s where Coghlan took over. The slugger, who hit 16 homers last year, hammered Mariners offseason acquisition Steve Chisek’s 92 mile-per-hour fastball at the knees, depositing it deep into the bleachers in right field for a one-out solo shot. Madson would shut the door to give the Chisek (0-1, 4.50) the loss and give the A’s their second win of the season.

Game two of the three-game set will feature two new faces to the American League West, with Mariners offseason acquisition Nate Karns making his Seattle debut while Opening Day starter Rich Hill takes the bump for Oakland after giving up four runs total in 2 2/3 innings against the White Sox. A’s nemesis Felix Hernandez will face Chris Bassitt in the finale Sunday.

 

Oakland A’s Thursday game wrap: The White Sox beat the A’s again, win the series three games to one.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for chicago white sox

photo courtesy of Google images

front page photo AP: The Chicago White Sox Jose Abreu hit a sixth inning home run off Oakland A’s starter Kendall Graveman is congratulated by teammates Todd Fraiser (21) and Melky Cabrera (53)

OAKLAND–The Chicago White Sox beat the A’s 6-1 Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. A’s starter, Kendall Graveman, and Chisox starter, Mat Latos, engaged in an old-fashioned pitching duel for the first five innings of the game.  Graveman gave up just two hits in the first five innings. Graveman faced three batters in the sixth. He walked Melky Cabrera and then gave up a home run to Jose Abreu. Graveman retired Todd Frazier, but the damage had been done. The White Sox would score four in the ninth, but all they needed was two to win the game. The A’s bullpen pitched well until the ninth. Bob Melvin brought in Liam Hendricks for the ninth, but he was no match for the Sox today. After the game, Melvin said he did not want to use Axford, Madson, or Doolittle. Chicago’s Mat Latos was superb. He pitched six innings and allowed just two hits as he picked up his first win of the year.

In the top of the sixth, the White Sox scored the first two runs of the game. Chicago DH, Melky Cabrera led off with a single. The next batter, Jose Abreu, sent a Kendall Graveman pitch over the out-of-town scoreboard in right field for his first home run of the year. A’s manager Bob Melvin let Graveman pitch to one more hitter before replacing him with Fernando Rodriguez.

The A’s bullpen kept the Chisox in check until the ninth inning. A’s reliever Liam Hendricks did not have a good outing as the Sox sent nine men to the plate. They scored four times on six singles. All the runs were earned, and they hold a commanding 6-0 lead as the A’s come to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s scored a run in the ninth as they avoided being shut out. White Sox win 6-1 and take the series three games to one.

Game Notes- The A’s used five pitchers in the loss to Chicago. Relievers Fernando Rodriguez, Marc Rzepczynski and Ryan Dull, pitched well and kept the A’s in the game until the ninth inning.

The A’s finished the opening homestand 1-3. The last time they started a season 1-3 was 2012. A’s utility man, Chris Coghlan started the game at second base and had two hits and a run batted in. The A’s defense was a bit wobbly as they made two errors. However, neither of the errors caused them any damage.

The A’s travel to Seattle to face the Mariners. Lefty Eric Surkamp will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by right Taijuan Walker. Pitching matchups for Saturday will be Rich Hill for Oakland and Nathan Karns for Seattle. On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will make his second start of the year, and King Felix Hernandez will be hurling fo the Mariners. The A’s return home after the Seattle series to face another division rival, the Los Angeles Angels.

There were 12,577 fans watching the game Thursday afternoon, and the game lasted three hours and six minutes.

Oakland A’s Wednesday post game wrap: The A’s play another one-run game, this time they win.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Oakland A’s Billy Burns trots across home plate in the first inning to put the A’s on the board past Chicago White Sox  catcher Dioner Navarro

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s and Chicago White Sox played their third consecutive one-run game. This time, however, the A’s won 2-1 behind a strong effort by Sonny Gray. Gray, who was not able to pitch Monday or Tuesday, went seven innings, allowed just three hits and received credit for his first win of the year. The A’s bullpen did their job again; John Axford pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Ryan Madson closed out the game to earn his first save as a member of the A’s. Jed Lowrie drove in a run in the first and Mark Canha homered in the second to give the A’s all the runs they would need.The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Singles by Billy Burns and Khris Davis put men on at first and third with no out. The A’s leading RBI man, Jed Lowrie, hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Burns. Lowrie has knocked in five of the eight runs the A’s have scored so far this season. Carlos Rodon took the loss for the White Sox.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Singles by Billy Burns and Khris Davis put men on at first and third with no out. The A’s leading RBI man, Jed Lowrie, hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Burns. Lowrie has knocked in five of the eight runs the A’s have scored so far this season.

The A’s scored again in the second inning. Big Mark Canha, playing right field in place of Josh Reddick, hit his first home run, and the A’s first home run, of te season. With one out, Canha hit a big fly to deep right field that hit the wall just over the scoreboard. A’s lead 2-0.

The White Sox scored their first run of the game in the top of the third. Center fielder Austin Jackson led off with a double. He advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on a sacrifice fly to short left field.

There was no more scoring after the third inning. Carlos Rodon pitched well for Chicago, but Sonny Gray pitched better for Oakland as the A’s won their first game of the year 2-1.

Game notes- The line score for Oakland was two runs on seven hits and no errors. The White Sox line was one run, six hits, and no errors.

After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin was pleased with his team’s efforts Wednesday night. He took Gray out after seven innings of work. He remarked that “after Sonny had got the first out, he was dragging, and that was going to be the last inning” of work. When talking about the bullpen, Melvin said that his guys ” aren’t afraid to pitch with guys on base. He also said that John Axford was ” really good about being quicker to the plate and was very effective.” Sean Doolittle was not available to pitch, and Melvin elected to bring in Ryan Madsen to close out the game. Melvin, when asked about the stellar defensive effort and particularly the play of Marcus Semien had this to say. Semien’s play “was about as good as we have seen him play.”

The A’s conclude the four-game series with the White Sox Thursday afternoon. Game time will be 12:35 PM PT. Kendall Graveman will start for Oakland, and they will face the well-travelled Mat Latos. Latos will be making his first start as a member of the White Sox.

The Golden State Warriors’ Festus Ezeli was in the crowd, and he received a nice ovation from the fans. Former A’s pitcher, Dallas Braden, was here to broadcast the game on ESPN and visited with the fans in right field beating on a drum to get a little excitement going.

Attendance was 16,468 and time of game was two hours and fifty-four minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oakland A’s Tuesday game wrap:The White Sox beat the A’s again, win second one-run game to start the season

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit San Francisco Chronicle: The Chicago White Sox Jimmy Rollins crosses home plate after hitting a ninth inning homer off A’s reliever Sean Doolittle

OAKLAND–The A’s were hoping to even the series with the Chicago White Sox at one-apiece Tuesday night. The A’s found themselves down by two runs late in the game but rallied in the eighth to tie the game. The White Sox behind a home run by Jimmy Rollins in the ninth defeated the A’s 5-4 to win their second one-run game in a row. The A’s were led by Jed Lowrie’s two clutch hits that drove in two runs and by Yonder Alonso’s key hit, with two out in the eighth to drive in two and tie the game. A’s closer Sean Doolittle gave up the home run to Rollins. After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Doolittle had his pitches working, but Rollins just beat him. The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third. A’s catcher, Josh Phegley, beat the shift by hitting the ball into right field for a single. Phegley advanced to second on a ball in the dirt. Shortstop Marcus Semien singled sharply to center, and Phegley had to stop at third. After Coco Crisp struck out, Jed Lowrie singled on the first pitch from Quintana to drive in Phegley with the run.

The White Sox scored three runs on two hits in the top of the fifth. Chisox right fielder Adam Eaton singled with one out. The next hitter, Jimmy Rollins, hit a slow ground ball to second. Jed Lowrie attempted to get Eaton at second, but Eaton beat the throw and Rollins reached on a fielder’s choice. Bassitt struck out Jose Abreu for the second out. Bassitt had Todd Frazier in a 0-2 count, but Frazier sent his next pitch over the left-field wall for his first home run of the year and first as a member of the White Sox. Sox have a 3-1 lead in the middle of the fifth. The A’s rallied as they picked up a run on three hits to narrow the gap to just one run. Josh Phegley led off the inning with a double. Marcus Semien had an infield single, but Phegley could not advance. Coco Crisp flew out to right field. Phegley tagged and advanced to third. Jed Lowrie singled to drive in Phegley with the A’s second run of the night. Chisox in the lead 3-2 after five innings.

The White Sox regained the two-run margin in the top of the sixth. With one out, former Athletic, Brett Lawrie singled to get it going for Chicago. Alex Avila singled to advance Lawrie to third. Lawrie scored on an Austin Jackson single. Adam Eaton singled to load the bases. Liam Hendricks, the third pitcher of the inning, got Jimmy Rollins to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. A’s trail the White Sox 4-2.

The A’s rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Josh Reddick led off with a single. Danny Valencia hit a line shot but right to the center fielder for the out. Khris Davis was hit by a pitch. Billy Butler also hit a sharp line drive, but it was, again, right at the center fielder. The A’s loaded the bases when Vogt was hit by a pitch. A’s first baseman, Yonder Alonso, singled for his first hit as a member of the A’s to drive in Reddick and Davis. Tie score after eight.

In the top of the ninth, Chisox shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, sent a Sean Doolittle pitch over the left field wall to give the White Sox a 5-4 lead in the middle of the ninth. For Rollins, it was his first home run of the year and his first in the American League. Whites Sox closer, David Robertson, retired the A’s in order in the ninth to secure the win for Chicago. White Sox win 5-4.

Game Notes- The A’s start the season 0-2 for the fourth time in the last ten years. Sean Doolittle took the loss and White Sox reliever Nate Jones picked up the win.

Game three of the four-game series will be played Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum A’s ace, Sonny Gray, will make his first start of the year and Carlos Rodon will handle the chores for Chicago. Game time is at 7:05 pm PT

Attendance for Tuesday night’s game was 10,478 and time of game was 3 hours and twenty-eight minutes.