Category: Oakland Athletics

A’s Lose 7-1 to Blue Jays; Toronto six run 7th Inning Rally does in Oakland

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Oakland A’s first baseman Ryan Noda (49) tried to make a catch in foul ground in front of the Toronto Blue Jays dugout and is braced by the Blue Jays Kevin Kiermaier (right) on a ball that was hit by the Blue Jays Ernie Clement at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Sep 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

By Troy Ewers 

Oakland. CA – On Rickey Henderson Field in the Oakland Coliseum, the Oakland A’s face the Toronto Blue Jays for the second game of a three game series. The A’s had a three game winning streak snapped in Monday’s game with a loss to Toronto 6-5, tying the fifth most losses in A’s history. On the mound for the A’s this game was Ken Waldichuk and Chris Bassitt for the Jays.  The Jays had a six run seventh inning rally on Tuesday night for a 7-1 win.

The first four innings started off scoreless with both teams even at three hits, but both pitchers dealing and having a total of eight strikeouts (three for Waldichuk and five for Bassitt). In the fifth inning the season tradition of fans chanting “sell the team” began with all 4,751 people both Oakland and Toronto fans, engaging in the chant. 

In the sixth inning a rally by Toronto started with a Davis Schneider walk and then a Vlad Jr. single, which extended his on base streak to 21 games, but the rally was halted when Whit Merrifield grounded into a double play, continuing the scoreless game. 

The A’s changed pitchers in the seventh to give Waldichuk a break and they brought in Zach Neal. Waldichuk went six innings, allowing four hits, walking, and striking out three batters. Zach Neal wasn’t in the game long at all, walking three out of the four batters he faced and striking out the one he didn’t walk and he was replaced after 19 pitches and bases loaded.

Sam Long came to replace Neal and Toronto’s Kevin Kiermaier hit a single to end this scoreless war of attrition, scoring Alejandro Kirk, 1-0 Blue Jays. This opened the floodgates and the rally began for Toronto. George Springer followed up with two runs when he hit a single that scored Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal, 3-0 Blue Jays.

The avalanche didn’t stop as Davis Schneider hit a double that scored Springer, making it 4-0. Right after that and a Guerrero Jr. intentional walk, Whit Merrifield hit a sac fly that scored Springer and finally with two outs, the score was 5-0 Blue Jays.

Kirk who started the inning was back at the plate and walked again, and the same result for Biggio, but when he was walked, it scored another run and after a fly out from Horwitz, the devastating inning for Oakland was finally over, but the damage was done, 6-0 Toronto. 

The A’s weren’t going to go out quietly as with two outs and Seth Brown on second, Jordan Diaz hit a single and scored Brown to finally get Oakland on the board, 6-1. The eighth inning started with Toronto right back on the head of the A’s when Springer hit an RBI single that scored Kiermaier, 7-1 Blue Jays.

The ninth was the last hope to comeback from six runs for Oakland and Toronto closer Bowden Francis struck out the side and the Blue Jays won, 7-1. The winning pitcher is Chris Bassitt who improved his record to 14-7 and the loss goes to Zach Neal (1-1).

The A’s bullpen is now 3-3 with a horrendous ERA. The next game for Oakland is the last game of the series, Wednesday September 5th and JP Sears (3-11, 4.60) and Hyun Jin Ryu (3-1, 2.48) will be on the mound for day game to end this series and the A’s homestand.

Jays 3 run tenth enough to get by A’s 6-5 at Coliseum

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Oakland Athletics’ Lawrence Butler (22) is congratulated by Nick Allen (2) after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at Oakland Coliseum on Sun Sep 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

Toronto (76-62 ).     000 030 000 3.  –   6.  8. 0

Oakland (42-96).      o00  011 100  2. –   5.   8  0.  10 innings 

Time: 3:00    

Attendance: 9,062

Monday, September 4, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND —Almost in spite of themselves the A’s yesterday finished up a sweep of their three game series against the Angels, who were, until Shohei Ohtani tore his  ulnar collateral ligament last week, serious contenders for a berth in the post season play offs.

This afternoon, as they opened another three game series, it was against a more imposing  squad, the Toronto Blue Jays, who entered the day in a virtual tie with Houston for third place in the American League wild card standings. 

Oakland, even though they had won eight of their last 13 games, already had been mathematically eliminated from any chance of reaching  ,500. A win today   them from the race to the bottom, but they fell short and dropped a 10 inning thriller to Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5.

The A’s entrusted the starting role to rookie Luis Medina, fresh off the 15 day injured list.his 2-7, 5.92 record.  The Dominican right hander came to the A’s along with Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, and infielder Cooper Bowman in the deal that sent Frankie Montás and Lou Trivino to the Bronx and came to work today with a big league record of 3-8, 5.44 and a WHIP of  1.53, all of it earned this season. He turned in four innings of splendid work before falling apart in the fifth.

He pitched a total of 4-2/3 frames and yielded three runs, all earned, on three hits and an equal number of walks, not to mention a hit batter. He threw 70 pitches, 41 for strikes.  He ended up with a no decision and a 3-8 5.46 record. The Jays’ starter, right handed José Berríos lost the last game he’d pitched, surrendering five runs, all earned, over six frames against the Nationals.

He brought a season record of 9-10, 3.70 and a lifetime mark of 81-64, 4.17 to the Coliseum when he faced the Athletics this warm and sunny Labor Day, an afternoon that invited home runs. He, like Medina, got a no decision for his efforts.. He threw 84 pitches, 57 for strikes over six innings in and allowed two runs, both of them earned, on four hits, two of which left the park, and a walk and returned to the hotel. with a record of 9-10, 3.68.

The teams traded goose eggs  over four innings, until Medina, who had held Toronto to a one hit, one walk, and one hit batter until then, lost his control and walked  the first two Jays he faced, Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. Ernie Clement’s single to center loaded the bases, and it looked as if Medina might pull a Houdini when Kevin Kiermaier hit into an Allen to Noda 6-3 double play.

Kirk scored on the play, but now there were two down with only a runner on first. But it was not to be. George Springer  doubled to right to drive  Varsho in with Toronto’s second run and then, with Sean Newcomb on the mound after Springer’s two bagger, came home on Cavin Biggio’s single to left.

The visitors’ three run lead shrank to two with Lawrence Butler’s two out solo round tripper in the home fifth. The 417 foot blast into center field was the rookie’s third home run and seventh run batted in and came on an 81.7 mph slurve and left Butler’s bat at 107.6mph.

The A’s would have tied it up in the bottom of the sixth if Gelof, who had singled to center and stole second hadn’t been picked off before the next pitch was thrown. Noda was at bat, and slammed a 402 foot home run into the nearly empty right field seats. The first baseman’s 14th dinger of the season closed the gap to 3-2.

Yimi García took over for Berríos after the select gathering of 9,062 had finished singing “Take Me Out to the ball Game.” After  García retired Brown, Jordan Díaz took the ball out of the park and tied the game at three all. His four bagger took a hanging curve into center field,  397 feet from the plate. It was his 10th homer of ’23 and his 24th RBI.

Lucas Erceg pitched the top of the eighth, gave up a walk and a single but escaped unscathed.Jay Jackson succeeded García in the home half of that inning. Allen greeted him with a single,  went to second on Kemp’s sacrifice bunt and to third on Geloff’s grounder that almost got past diving third baseman Biggio’s glove. That scenario brought Génesis Cabrera to the mound. He got Noda a ground out to first, and we moved into the ninth inning with the score still tied at 3-3.

With the help of a beautiful diving catch by Kemp of Varsho’s dying quail to left, Erceg retired the side in order to give Oakland a chance to win in regulation.  Rooker, who had struck out in all of his three previous plate appearances, led off with a line single to center. Aledmys Díaz, batting for Brown, went down swinging. 

Jordan Romano replaced Cabrera on the mound to face Jordan Díaz. Ruiz stole second on Romano’s first pitch and stole third while Díaz was swinging at strike three. Langeliers fouled out to first, and we went into extra innings. Francisco Pérez relieved  Erceg in the top of the tenth.

Pinch hitter Santiago Espinal whacked on a double to left on his first pitch, driving in zombie runner Ernie Clement. Springer grounded out to third. Biggio hit a solid single to center that brought in Espinal with the second Blue Jay tally of the tenth. That was it for Pérez; Spencer Patton moved from the pen to the mound and walked Guerrero. 

Horowitz sent an opposite field liner between Kemp in left and Butler in center. It looked like, and originally was called as, an RBI double, but Oakland challenged that ruling, and a reply showed that the ball had gotten lodged under the fence. Biggio had to return to third. Pattongave Merryfield an intentional walk and then retired Kirk and Varsho.

Butler was the A’s first batter in their desperate bid to stay alive in the tenth. He stunned the crowd and the Blue Jays with his second home run of the day, a 403 foot rocket into the right center field seats, bringing in zombie runner Langeliers and cutting Toronto’s lead t 6-5.

It stayed there after Tyler Soderstrom struck out pinch hitting for Allen, Kemp walked, and Gelof hit into a 6-4-3 game ending twin killing. Romano was the winning pitcher and now has a 5-5, 2.54 record. The loss went to Pérez, now is 1-2, 6.75.

Oakland’s defeat 42-96 brought their won-lost percentage down to .304, way better the  Cleveland Spiders, who on this day in 1899 lost both ends of a double header in Cincinnati, dropping their record to 19-105, .153, which still was better than their still standing season  record of all time major league losers, 20-134, .130.

The A’s no longer seem a threat to erase the memory of the loveable New York Mets of 1962, who were defeated a, 5-1, at Forbes Field by Harvey Haddix and the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 4, falling to 35-106, .248. They would rise to 40-120, .250 by the season’s end, when they established the modern era record for futility.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Jays will send ex-Athletic righty Chris Bassitt (13-7, 3.81) against southpaw Ken Waldichuk (2-7, .5.92) for a 6:40 start at the Coliseum

MLB podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cubs pay tribute to Jimmy Buffet; Jays Jansen on 10 day IL; plus more news

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The Chicago Cubs paid tribute to Jimmy Buffet who played the first concert ever at Wrigley Field in 2005 and returned for two encores in 2017 and 2018. Buffet passed away on Sat Sep 2, 2023. (@Cubs photos)

On the MLB podcast with Stephen:

#1 The Chicago Cubs paid tribute to famed musician Jimmy Buffet who played the first ever concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 2005. Buffet who passed away this week at age 76 and returned to Wrigley to play again in 2017 and 2018. Buffet is remembered for his big hit songs Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise.

#2 The Toronto Blue Jays Danny Jansen suffered fractured his middle finger when he got hit with a foul ball Jansen was placed on the 10 day IL. Jansen joins the Jays walking wounded Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman. The Blue Jays are at a critical point in their season they just 1.5 game out of the AL Wild Card and lost three key players.

#3 The Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuna continues to have a great run he also had a crazy week last week, getting knocked over by two Colorado Rockies fans in Denver, he got married, then became a 30-60 player, and hit a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s on his way to being nominated for NL MVP.

#4 The Los Angeles Angels who were swept by the Oakland A’s and have lost their last seven of ten games, waved four veteran players, and could lose Shohei Ohtani to free agency because they missed the post season.

#5 The Oakland A’s Zack Gelof win the AL Rookie of the month in August seven weeks into his first year in the show. Zelof whose first big league game was July 15th is hitting .286 with eight doubles, seven home runs in 27 games. How impressed have you been with Gelof’s handy work?

Join Stephen Tuesdays for the MLB podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s got those rally caps and rally towels working on Sunday

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Oakland A’s Ryan Noda (49) is congratulated by Zack Gelof (20) after Noda’s two run home run in the bottom of the sixth at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Angels on Sun Sep 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast:

#1 Oakland A’s pinch hitter Tony Kemp belted a two run seventh inning single which helped the A’s motor past the visiting Los Angeles Angels at the Coliseum for a four run win 10-6 and pick up a three game sweep.

#2 A’s manager Mark Kotsay that sixth inning rally was a good sign and that the hitting was feeding off each other to help the A’s get past the Angels.

#3 The A’s who had a 4-3 lead lost that lead when the Angels Luis Rengifo slugged his 15th home run of the season to tie up the game 4-4.

#4 The A’s never gave up hope scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh and held onto the lead despite the Angels trying to play catch in the top of the ninth scoring two runs but falling four runs short in the loss.

#5 The Toronto Blue Jays come calling on Monday afternoon at 1:07pm PT starting pitcher for the Jays Jose Berrios (9-10 ERA 3.70) for the A’s Ken Waldichuk ((2-7 ERA 5.92) at the Oakland Coliseum.

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fallen Angels: A’s rally in 6th and 7th innings to sweep Halos 10-6 at Coliseum

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Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp, right, watches his two-run single that scored Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof during the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Sep 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (64-73).    000 300 102 – 6.  9. 2

Oakland (42-95).          000 004 60x -10 10 1

Time: 3:09.    

Attendance: 12,425

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The moribund Las Vegas bound Oakland Athletics picked up their fourth win in eight games last night in a thriller in which five relievers followed up a strong start by Paul Blackburn to preserve a one run home team triumph.

This Sunday afternoon, Oakland started with Kyle Muller, the Braves second round pick in the 2016 draft. He was 1-5, 7.67 in his 14 big league appearances of the season, all of them with Oakland and 12 as a starter, when he threw the first pitch at 1:07 warm and clear Sunday afternoon.

After Muller threw his 78th and last pitch, Muller was on the hook for the loss. He’d allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits, one for the distance, a walk, and a wild pitch. Although it’s not a pitching statistic, it’s noteworthy that he committed one error.

Muller escaped with a no decision and now has a record of 1-5 ERA 7.62. It was the second time through the lineup that did Muller in. In spite of that, the A’s gained the fifth win in nine contests with a sixth run outburst in the seventh frame that lifted them to 42-95.

.The visitors from Orange County also went with a southpaw, Tyler Anderson, who had a game time record of 5-6, 5.58. He looked bad in his last start, an August 29th 12-7 loss in Philadelphia in which he gave up six runs, all earned, on seven hits, and three walks.

Before today, his lifetime record against Oakland was 3-0, 0.79. He was great for five frames, Then he fell apart and ended up with a no decision for 5-1/3 innings, in which he allowed three runs, all earned, on three hits, three walks, and a wild pitch. 52 of his 81 offerings  counted as strikes. His record now stands at 5-6, 5.55.

Things fell apart for the A’s in the top of the fourth. Muller had been breezing along, having allowed only a hit and a walk to the first 12 batters he faced, Then Randal Grichuk singled to left, and Eduarado’s Escobar’s sixth home run of the year, a solid fly that cleared the left center field wall into the bleachers and carried 406 feet, drove him home and put LA up, 2-0.

Zack Gelof made a spectacular leaping catch of Michael Stefanic’s line drive that was headed to right field to keep the bases empty and record the second out. But Mickey Moniak singled to right center and got to third when  Muller’s pick off throw went under Noda’s glove and deep into foul territory. Moments later, Chad Wallace smacked a two bagger to right center and it was 3-0, Los Angeles.

The Angels’ lead was in jeopardy in the bottom of the frame. Oakland loaded the bases with none out on walks to Gelof, Ryan Noda, and Brent Rooker. Then designated hitter Carlos Pérez went down swinging for the second time in as many at bats, and Jordan Díaz fouled out to first. That brought up Shea Langeliers, who consummated the blown save by fanning on a 2-2 count.

Muller didn’t come out to pitch the fifth. Adrián Martinez did.

It took a video review of the call at first base on Gelof’s leadoff grounder to third in the fourth for the  A’s to get their first hit. Noda ended Anderson’s bid for a shutout with a 406 foot blast into the center field seats for is 13th home run and  44th and 45th RBI of the year, bringing the A’s to within a run of the visitors.  Carlos Pérez followed with a single to left that drove Anderson to the showers.

Right hander Andrew Wantz entered the game, a move Oakland countered by sending Seth Brown to the plate to hit for Jordan Díaz. Brown responded with his 13th home run, a huge blast over the center field fence into the alley in front of the Holy Toledo sign. The Athletics now led 4-3. Aledmys Díaz followed that tough act to follow with a drive off the left field auxiliary scoreboard. He died on third, but Oakland was back in the game.

Back in the game, but no longer in the lead for long. Luis Rengifo sent a 392 foot over the right center field fence with one down in the top of the seventh to tie things up at four. Out went Martínez. In came Francisco Pérez. Up came Ohtani. Pérez fanned him and got Drury out on a fly to right to end the inning. 

José Soriano relieved Wantz to open the home seventh. Lawrence Butler pinch hit for Ruíz and grounded out to short. Then the bottom fell out for the Angels. Gelof singled to left. Nola hit a bounder to the mound; Soriano threw it into center field for an error on the fielder’s choice, and now the A’s had runners on the corners.

A base on balls to Rooker loaded the sacks. Tony Kemp pinch hit for Pérez and singled to center, driving in Gelof. Rooker scored on center fielder Moniak’s errant throw, which also allowed Kemp to advance to third.

The Angels challenged Kemp’s placement at the hot corner, but a video review confirmed it. Langliers then doubled to right, plating Kemp and Brown, who had been granted an intentional pass. José Marte relieved the beleaguered Soriano and yielded a single to Aledmys Díaz, sending Langliers to third before Allen ended lined  out to third, but Butler continued the attack with an infield single that brought Langliers in with the A’s 10th run. They  led, 10-4 when Gelof flew out to end the inning.

Dany Jiménez hurled a perfect top of the eighth for the A’s, and Kolton Ingram shut the A’s down in their half of that inning.

Kirby Snead entered the game to mop up in the ninth for Oakland, but Trevor May was warming up in the bullpen by the time a one out Chad Wallace single, two walks, a passed ball and Rengifo’s single had made it a 10-6 game with Ohtani at bat and a runner on first.

The mighty Ohtani struck out for the second straight time. Rengifo went to second on Snead’s second wild pitch of the frame. Snead then walked Drury, and May, who had earned the save on Saturday, in to face Grichuk. Mike Moustakas pinch hit for him and fanned on three pitches.

Pérez was the winning pitcher and now has a record of 1-1, 5.23. Soriano got tagged with the loss, dropping him to 0-1, 4.36. May earned his 17th save and brought his ERA under 4.00.  It’s now 3.99.

When this afternoon’s last out was recorded, the Athletics’ won-lost record had climbed to 41-95, 301   Depressing, but not in the class of the  Cleveland Spiders who on this day in 1899 lost 6-3 at Cincinnati and fell to 19-104, .183 on their way to a mind boggling all time major league record of 20-134, .1 30.

The modern era’s worst team was the New York Mets, who in 1962 finished their inaugural season at 40-120, .250. September 3 found them in Pittsburgh for a double header at Forbes Field, where they lost both games. They dropped the opener, 2-0, and were edged in the nightcap, 5-4. The losing pitcher in the second contest was Roger Craig. Humm, baby.

The Toronto Blue Jays come to town Monday, Labor Day, for the first of a three game series. That game on Monday will feature Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk (2–7, 5.92)  and Toronto’s José Berríos (9-10, 3.70) as the probable starters first pitch at 1:07pm PT.

A’s edge Angels 2-1 for two wins in a row at Coliseum

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Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Sep 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (64-72). 100 000 000 – 1. 6. 0

Oakland (41-95). 000 200 00x – 2 1. 0

Time: 2:31

Attendance: 13,709

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The press box was jammed, though not jam packed, Saturday afternoon with members of the Japanese media, who had come to see Shohei Ohtani, who still is a draw, even when he’s confined to the role of designated hitter.

This was in contrast to the 12,709 paying customers sprinkled around the stands on a warm but overcast afternoon in the once magnificent Oakland Coliseum. The game was a beauty, a hard fought 2-1 Oakland victory over the visitors from Anaheim.

Paul Blackburn, Oakland’s starter, was 3-4, 3.93 when he came to work but had more encouraging numbers for his last seven starts, 2-2, 2.36. When Kirby Snead relieved him to start the sixth, Blackburn had thrown 86 pitched, 51 of which counted as strikes.

Blackburn allowed one run, which was earned, on four hits and three walks, one of them intentional, while striking out four. Blackburn earned his fourth win against as many defeats and lowered his earned run average to. 4-4, 3.81. Trevor May handled the Halos in the ninth.

Spencer Patton replaced Snead after the lefty hurled a scoreless sixth, followed by Dany Jiménez, who got through the eighth without yielding anything more dangerous than a walk to Randall Griechuk, whom the Angels had put on the waiver wire but took back when no one claimed him.

Angels manager, Berkeley alum Phil Nevin also chose a right hander to start for his team, Griffin Channing, a veteran of four big league seasons. This was his 18th start of the season, and he brought a 7-4, 4.38 record to it, 4-2, 3.32 over his 10 previous starts.

He features a four seamer, which he uses 35% of the time, slider (32.4%), change of pace (19.9%), curve (12.1%), and a very occasional (0.6%) sinker. He lasted six innings, yielding to Aaron Loup, who pitched a perfect seventh, and Andrew Wantz, who shut the A’s out in the eighth, allowing only a single to right.

Canning faced 22 Athletics batters and threw 89 pitches, 61 going as strikes. He allowed a pair of runs, both earned, on four hits, including a costly two run homer. He didn’t allow a single walk and struck out eight. He was charged with a tough loss, and his record now stands at 7-5 4.30.

The Angels took an early lead, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first. on walks to the first two batters Blackburn faced, rookie Nolan Schanuel, who now has reached base safely in all of his first 12 major league games, and Ohtani.

After Brandon Drury went down swinging, a single to center by Mike Moustakas loaded the bases. Luis Rengifo lofted a fly to shallow right; Nick Allen made a nice, tumbling catch of it, and the sacrifice fly brought in Schanuel with the game’s first run.

Oakland threatened in the bottom of the second after Seth Brown’s one out double to right, but Jordan Diaz fanned, and Mickey Moniak corralled Díaz’s towering fly to the center field wall

They broke through in the fourth. Ryan Noda lined a one out opposite field single down the left field line. Then Brent Rooker sent a 436 foot shot over the left center field wall for his 23rd round tripper of the year. The one and two change up came in at 89.7mph and left at 106mph. I guess that’s why Canning throws that pitch only 0.6% of the time.

The move to replace Snead with Patton in the seventh was not a successful one. Eduardo Escobar hit a leadoff single to right and stole second. Patton issued back to back walks to Kyren Paris and Schanuel. Meanwhile, Andrew Velázquez, running for Escobar, stole second and was thrown out trying to steal third. This brought up Ohtani with runners on first and second and one out.

It also brought Sam Long, a lefty, out of the bullpen to face the Halos’ left handed DH, who popped an infield fly to short. Then Brandon Drury flew out to Lawrence Butler in left center. The A’s had dodged the Angels’ bullets.

Trevor May went to the mound in the visitors’ ninth trying to protect a 2-1 lead and earn his 16th save in 19 attempts. He issued a lead off walk to Velázquez, who went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Paris, who went to third on Schanuel’s ground out to first.

Once more Ohtani came up with a chance to undo the A’s advantage. Once more Ohtani received an intentional walk. May then came through by getting Drury one more to fly out to center.

Saturday afternoon’s win leaves Oakland 41-95, 3.01, which looks good when compared with the record of the ill-fated Cleveland Spiders on this day in 1899, 19-102, 1.57. They were idle that day but still had 33 games left in the season, which they finished at 20-134, .130. That’s one record for futility that the A’s won’t match this year.

They are, however, still in the running against the 1962 New York Mets, the gold standard for ineffectiveness in the modern era. The not yet Amazin’s squeaked by Bobby Shantz and the Cardinals in Sportsman’s Park, 4-1, to raise their record to 35-103, .254, just a tad better than the 40-120, .250 at which they finished their season in hell.

Sunday, the Angels, who, by the way, are trying to get a new stadium, will send left hander Tyler Anderson (5-6,5.58) against an as yet unnamed Oakland pitcher.

A’s kick off home series against Angels with offensive explosion 9-2

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Photo courtesy of Oakland Athletics Twitter. Ruiz, Butler, and Rooker celebrate in center field their victory over the Angels.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- The A’s started their three-game home series against the Angels on a great note with a 9-2 win.

Tonight for the A’s was Glen Burke pride night at the coliseum and the attendance was 12,073.

Getting the start for the A’s was J.P. Sears who heading into this game had a 2-11 record and 4.73 era. While the Angels had Patrick Sandoval get the start who coming had a 7-10 record with a 3.89 era.

Making his major league debut tonight for the Angels at shortstop was 21 year-old Kyren Paris. He was drafted in 2019 and was picked in the second round at 55th overall.

The first went by smoothly for Sandoval while Sears had some troubles as he gave up a double and walked one but was able to get out of the inning allowing no runs.

Quickly though Sandoval found his pitch count getting high as by the end of the third inning he had already thrown 63 pitches. That pitch count was indicative of a lot of early at bats that consistently went to full counts and occasionally resulted in walks given up.

The defense for the A’s was clicking early as they turned two double plays before the fifth inning had even occurred.

The fourth saw Oaklands offense come alive as Brent Rooker lead things off with a double. Jordan Diaz followed that up with a single putting runners on the corners with only one out. The other DÍaz got a double bringing home Rooker and getting the A’s on the board. The momentum didn’t stop there as Nick Allen got another run in on a sac fly and Esteury Ruiz singled putting runners on the corners once again.

After the hit by Ruiz that ended the night for Sandoval who was replaced by Jimmy Herget. The stat-line for Sandoval is probably one he’ll want to forget as he only went 3.2 innings giving up five hits, five earned runs, and three walks.

Herget wasn’t able to stop the bleeding as Zack Gelof kept the lineup moving with a two-run double making it 5-0. Trying to keep adding on Ryan Noda came in to pinch hit for Carlos Pérez but he ended up lining out to end the fourth. Noda would stay in taking Pérez’s spot at first base.

The Angels in the sixth made another pitching change as Gerardo Reyes came in to replace Herget who was only making his sixth appearance of the season.

In the following inning the A’s made a change on the mound as well as Lucas Erceg came in making his 41st appearance. Unlike Sandoval, Sears had a stellar outing pitching six innings, giving up no earned runs, and striking out three. Erceg also got some help from the defense as they turned another double play their third of the game.

Looking for insurance the A’s got another run from Jordan Diaz who made it 6-0 with a double. The run came in the seventh with Jamie Barria pitching now for the Halos.

The eighth would see another new pitcher as Sean Newcomb came in to pitch for the A’s who was making only his fourth appearance of the season.

Newcomb would run into some trouble as Shohei Ohtani reached on a pitch-clock violation and then Brandon Drury got a double making it 6-1.

With Barria still on the mound for the Angels Allen got a single and then Ruiz absolutely crushed a 2-0 pitch to left field making it 8-1. It was Ruiz’s third home run of the season and exited the field at 104.1 mph. A Gelof double kept things going and Noda followed it up with a double of his own extending their lead to 9-1.

To close things out the A’s called on Spencer Patton and the first batter he faced took him deep to left field as Tyler O’Hoppe got his sixth home run of the season. Patton was able to fight through the early mistake and closed the inning out giving up only the one run.

Of note tonight was Jordan Diaz who went 3-4 with an rbi and Ruiz who went 3-5 with two rbis and a home run. Getting the win was J.P. Sears which improves his record to 3-11 and Sandoval took the loss bringing his record to 7-11.

The second game of this home series against the Angels happens tomorrow at 1:07 p.m.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Oakland Mayor wants to keep A’s name and wants an expansion team in exchange for lease extension

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Oakland Coliseum could be the home of the Oakland A’s from 2025-2027 if they can’t land either at Oracle Park in San Francisco or at the Las Vegas Ballpark while their new park at the Tropicana on the Las Vegas strip is under construction (AP file photo)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the Oakland A’s will still be at the Oakland Coliseum next season, the Nevada Independent reported that the A’s could make an early leap for Las Vegas but that has not been determined yet. The A’s are considering many venue options one of them is using their minor league facility in Vegas which the Aviators are using. A’s president David Kaval that there needs to be upgrades and the A’s might re-think using the Aviators 10,000 seat facility.

#2 The A’s reportedly have explored playing at the Oakland Coliseum until their new ballpark at the Tropicana on the strip is ready. There in lies the problem as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao wants some concessions before the A’s get committed to the Coliseum as a lame duck team, one is the city of Oakland keeps the team name A’s and MLB commits to expanding to Oakland when expansion opens up.

#3 Kaval said that the decision of where the A’s will play after 2024 is totally up to MLB Commissioner and Rob Manfred. Kaval did say that the A’s have looked at three locations Oracle Park in San Francisco and share the park with the Giants, Aviators Park/Las Vegas ballpark in Vegas, and the Oakland Coliseum.

#4 Some have said that it’s a bad idea for the A’s to play at Aviators park because it becomes a spoiler to the A’s 2028 arrival and it kind of blows the hype of the team after being there for three years in the making and sharing the ballpark with the Giants might not be a good idea because that’s a lot of wear on the turf for 162 games.

#5 Staying at the Oakland Coliseum from 2025-2027 might be the best place and they might as well finish up what they started and visiting teams have said they want to play in Major League facility rather than playing in a minor league facility like Las Vegas.

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s open series with Ohtani and Angels tonight at Coliseum

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Shohei Ohtani returns with the Los Angeles Angels to face the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum beginning Fri Sep 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s returned home from a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Seattle. The A’s won three and lost four. 

#2 The A’s split the four-game set with a Chicago White Sox team in turmoil. The Sox fired their team’s president and general manager. There were two women who were shot on Friday when the A’s opened the series in Chicago, one got hit in the abdomen and the other shot in the leg neither suffered life threatening injuries.

#3 The A’s lost two games to the red-hot Seattle Mariners. Two of the games were very competitive. The A’s won 3-1 on Tuesday and lost 5-4 on Wednesday. The M’s took game three by a run it was a close contest but the M’s as they always do held off the A’s to take the series.

#4 Up next for the A’s is the visiting Los Angeles Angels tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. The Angels had high hopes at the start of the season. Their roster includes two superstars, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, has lost playing time the last couple of years due to injury. Trout, again his year, has been hit with another injury.

#5 The Angels will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound Friday night to face the A’s. Sandoval is 7-10 with a 3.95 ERA. The A’s will counter with J.P.Sears. Sears is having a tough season. His record is 2-11 and a 4.80 ERA a 6:40pm PT first pitch.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson each Friday for the Oakland A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open series against Los Angeles Angels at Coliseum Friday night

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher JP Sears will get the start against the Los Angeles Angels on Fri Sep 1, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s returned home from a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Seattle. The A’s won three and lost four. They split the four-game set with a Chicago White Sox team in turmoil. The Sox fired their team’s president and general manager.

The A’s lost two games to the red-hot Seattle Mariners. Two of the games were very competitive. The A’s won 3-1 on Tuesday and lost 5-4 on Wednesday. The A’s will host another troubled franchise, the Los Angeles Angels, for three games starting Friday night.

The Angels had high hopes at the start of the season. Their roster includes two superstars, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, has lost playing time the last couple of years due to injury. Trout, again his year, has been hit with another injury.

Trout suffered a broken hamate bone and has not fully recovered. He is due back on September 15th. Shohei Ohtani, the most remarkable player in baseball, also suffered an injury. Ohtani is both a pitcher and a designated hitter.

Ohtani is in line for another AL MVP and Cy Young awards. However, it is unlikely that Ohtani will win the Cy Young trophy as he suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he will not pitch again this year.

Ohtani, as a designated hitter, leads the American League with 44 home runs and has driven in 95. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery a few years ago, and no decision has been made regarding a second surgery.

The Angels made news yesterday as they placed six players on waivers. Two of the six came to the Angels at the trade deadline. It was clear that these moves were a salary dump. Five of the six players were claimed by other teams.

The Cleveland Guardians claimed pitchers Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez. Giolito came to the Angels from the White Sox at the trade deadline. The Cincinnati Reds claimed outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The other player placed on waivers, Randal Grichuk, was not selected by another team and remains with the Angels.

The A’s are 2-5 against the Angels this year. The A’s met the Angels in the opening series of the 2023 season. The teams have yet to meet since April 27th. A lot of things have happened to both teams in that interval.

The A’s are in the midst of a rebuild. Their starting rotation is a work in progress. The A’s have used Kyle Muller, Hohan Harris, and Mason Miller in the rotation. Muller has been with the A’s and the Tripe-A LAs Vegas Aviators this year.

The same goes for Harris. Miller was injured and may return to the club in September. The current rotation of Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P. Sears, Paul Blackburn, and Zach Neal is a study of mediocrity. Neal is the only pitcher with a winning record. 1-0. Hardly sensational.

The A’s bullpen is also a work in progress. A’s closer, Trevor May, has been reliable. Austin Pruitt did a good job but is out for the season with an injury.

There are some bright spots on the A’s roster. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof has played well. Gelof has hit ten homers in his short time with the A’s. His average has dropped slightly, but he is a good hitter and has done well at second base.

Catcher Shea Langeliers does not hit for average, but he has hit four homers in his last six games. He is on track to finish the season with 20 or more home runs. First baseman Ryan Noda has a great eye at the plate. Noda is a leader in the league by drawing walks and has a good on-base percentage.

Outfielders Esteury Ruiz and Lawrence Butler have played well. Ruiz leads the AL in stolen bases. Ruiz stole two bases Wednesday against the Mariners. He has stolen 53 this season. Butler hit his second big league home run in the loss to Seattle on Wednesday.

Butler is 22 years -old and has a tremendous upside to his game. Third baseman Jordan Diaz is another player who looks to be with the A’s for a while. Outfielder Brent Rooker is having a career year, and the A’s will want to keep him on the roster.

The Angels will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound Friday night to face the A’s. Sandoval is 7-10 with a 3.95 ERA. The A’s will counter with J.P.Sears. Sears is having a tough season. His record is 2-11 and a 4.80 ERA. Sears has given up too many gopher balls this season. He is among the leaders in home runs allowed with 31. Sears pitches well for about three innings before the roof caves in on him.

Some Angel players who will perform this weekend were missing from the roster at the start of the season. Nolan Schanuel will be at first base. Schanuel has played ten games and is hitting. 324. Mike Moustakas will be at third base, filling in for the injured Anthony Rendon. Rendon, signed as a free agent after 2019, has been a disappointment.

It will be interesting to see if the A’s can win the series this weekend. The Angels are going to finish in fourth place in the AL West. The A’s will be in last place in the division. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay always has his team primed to play their best irrespective of the place in the standings. The Angels’ manager, Phil Nevin, also wants his players to give 100%. It will be interesting to see how the series goes this weekend.