Category: Oakland Athletics

by Charlie O Mallonee

Stats tell the story in baseball and it’s a game that’s centered around stats and in the course of following and reporting on baseball I’m becoming more and more of a sabermetrics guy. You look at the A’s right now they have a record of 41-50 they’re nine games under .500 their in fifth place they’ve been in fifth place for 64 days now.

The A’s are 8.5 games behind the Angels for first place in the Western Division, they are eight games out of being in position to take a wild card spot. Their 5-5 in their last ten games, they’ve won two games in row and that’s both in Cleveland and went 3-3 on the road trip in New York and Cleveland and in our podcast last week and we talked about the A’s they needed to win one in New York and two to Cleveland.

That’s exactly what the A’s did they won one in New York and won two in Cleveland and if you look at it right now their 18-26 at home, 23-24 on the road, they are one game back of Seattle and doesn’t it seem like the A’s have been behind Seattle for fourth place for about ten weeks. It’s just been crazy and the A’s have not been able to get over that hump to be able to get out of fifth place.

Yet when you look at some of the things that have happened to the A’s it’s hard to believe that they are in the state that they are. The A’s have the third best record in the American League since May 23rd. Since May 23rd they have a record of 27-20 and this is the first time that the A’s have had a losing record at the All-Star break since 2009. 2009 at the All-Star break they had a record of 39-53. I don’t want to bring up bad news but that year they finished in last place with a overall record 75-87.

One of the things that’s been so curious about this team is their win-loss record for one thing their home field advantage hasn’t been there and it’s always been there for the A’s. The Coliseum has in the past has been really truly a friendly confine for the A’s. This year their 18-26 at home and 23-24 on the road. Even on years that they have had losing records they’ve almost always have had a better than a .500 record.

So the A’s really haven’t been able to really pin anything down on why that’s the case right now. The A’s are 26-29 in night games 14-21 in day games. If you remember at one point they were 1-13 in day games. They’ve improved themselves over the situation. These numbers really shock me, the A’s are 5-17 against left handed pitchers, they are 35-33 against right handed pitchers so this is a team that has been built to go up against right handed pitching.

Charlie O does A’s commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to the podcast below

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The 2015 All Star Game takes place this Tuesday July 14, at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Previous to the opening there in 2003, the Reds played at Cinergy Field from 1970 to 2002. The Reds will probably not make it this year to the World Series, but in 1990 they beat the odds winning the October Classic for the last time as they swept the heavy favorites(at the time World Champion) Oakland Athletics.

For the Cincinnati Reds 1990 was a great season, as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series, who had the best record in the league. That Pirates team had players like Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds, and NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. The Reds beat the Pirates in six games to advance to the World Series.

The Cincinnati Reds were facing the Oakland Athletics(103-59)who were going for their second consecutive World Series title. The previous season the A’s swept the San Francisco Giants, in that historic fall classic, the only one delayed by an act of God(Loma Prieta earthquake 1989). The Athletics were heavy favorites, even to sweep the Reds by many odds-makers in Nevada. The A’s had 22 game winner Dave Stewart, the great Rickey Henderson(Hall of Fame), also powerful sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark, McGwire, aka “The Bash Brothers”, the best closer in baseball ,Fremont’s own Dennis Eckersley (Hall of Fame).

They were a great team, under the direction of Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa.

The Cincinnati Reds had manager Lou Piniella, controversial Cincinnati-born owner Marge Schott, Eric Davis, Billy Hatcher, who established a new and still to date World Series record with seven consecutive hits, and Dominican-born ace righthander Jose Rijo, who was a member of the A’s prior to his years with the Reds and the Most Valuable Player of this series, dominating the great A’s lineup winning games one and four. The Reds also had the trio of relievers known as “The Nasty Boys”, Rob Dibble, Randy Myers and Norm Charlton.

Their shortstop was Barry Larkin (Hall of Fame) who wrote a team song, celebrating their success and the singers were members of the team.

I have many memories from that 1990 World Series, I was not traveling on the A’s charter, but was doing their games. All hotels were sold out in Cincinnati, so the A’s lodged my wife and I, and others in the A’s party at a hotel about 20-25 minute drive from the ballpark. I was in the same press elevator with Reds Owner Marge Schott, who was always with her beloved dog Schotzy, she was a chain smoker(in those days you could smoke at the park) also memories with Athletics colleague and play by play voice Monte Moore, as we talked a lot of baseball and even some business, as he asked me the potential of turning a radio station in Porterville he was the owner,into to Spanish format.

This was before the invasion of Spanish speaking people in California. now the largest minority in this state. I remember a great enthusiastic group of A’s Booster’s that followed the team to Cincinnati, the parties they had, the fun they seem to have. Everyplace you looked in downtown Cinci there were people dressed in Green and Gold, in hotels, restaurants and bars. And of course I also received the 1990 American League Championship ring.

I also remember after the first two games in Cincinnati won by the Reds, the A’s Rickey Henderson quote after that second game: “it’s over, because we are going home”. It was not only Rickey, but most A’s players had the confidence, as the best team in baseball, that coming back to Oakland, they would win there and then back in Cincinnati, they would close the deal, and win their second consecutive World Series. I remember doing interviews with both managers, both born in Tampa, Florida, Tony LaRussa and Lou Piniella, who both spoke Spanish. It was a good series, but obviously not a good result for the Athletics.

The 1990 World Series was the last World Series for the Reds and for the A’s. Now Cincinnati is showing their best face as they host the Mid Summer Classic, in the city where Pete Rose was born and played. This will be the fifth time in history that The Queen City host the All Star Game (1938,1953,1970 and 1988).

Next year the All Star Game will be held in San Diego, in 2017 it will be in Miami and in 2018 in Washington,D.C.

This Tuesday, Pete Rose will participate in an on field ceremony with other Reds greats Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Barry Larkin. Pete Rose hopes that with new baseball Commissioner Fred Manfred, the door to the Hall of Fame would be opened to him. I believe Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

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

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AP Photo/Tony Dejak

By Jeff Hall –

CLEVELAND

The Oakland A’s continue to struggle and especially when Kendall Graveman is the starter and it’s not Graveman’s fault. It seems each time Graveman is on the mound starting for the A’s, the A’s bats get buried into a grave yard. It also seems each season the A’s offense struggles for at least one particular starter and this season, Graveman is the lucky one or should I say unlucky. The A”s fell 5-1 to the Indians on a night when the had one their most reliable pitchers of late.

Graveman  came into the game with a 19-inning scoreless streak — the longest of any Oakland pitcher this season —  the streak ended in the 4th as Cleveland knotted the score at 1

Indians Designated Hitter David Murphy led off the inning with a single to right center. Carlos Santana followed with a single of his own to center moving Murphy to second. Graveman got a much needed strikeout against former A’s all-star Brandon Moss, but Yan Gomes drove in the Indians first run with a double to left to drive in Murphy.

It was Indians starter Danny Salazar who kept the A’s bats quiet. After the first inning Salazar shut the A’s down from that point on picking up his eighth win of the season. Salazar is (8-4). Salazar pitched eight and two thirds inning, he allowed one unearned run, gave up five hits, he walked one and struck out eight.

Graveman ran into more trouble in the bottom of the sixth Santana picked up his second single of the game leading off the inning with a single to right center. Graveman retired the next two hitters in Moss and Gomes. Giovanny Urshela single to center moving Santana to third. Graveman’s night would come to an end after he walked Michael Bourne to load the bases. Drew Pomeranz came on in relief Pomeranz Walked in a run with Jason Kipnis, the first batter he faced.

The A’s teased Graveman giving him some hope early in the contest by scoring the game’s first run. Billy Burns led the game off with a single to left center. Mark Canha reached on a fielding error on second baseman Jason Kipnis moving Burns to second. Josh Reddick moved burns to third on a fielder’s choice. Billy Butler drove in Burns for the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to right.

For the Indians the win moved them just two games below the .500 mark, The A’s going the opposite direction find themselves 11 games below .500.

Graveman allowed four runs and his record dropped to (6-5). Graveman walked three and struck out six.

With the loss, the A’s have lost five of the past seven games and nine of the past 14 after winning nine of the previous 11 contests.