Category: Oakland Athletics

Walk off magic for the A’s get them the victory over the Royals 6-4

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Photo courtesy of Oakland Athletics.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- The A’s and Royals battled it out in a night game that went down to the wire but ended on a walk-off by Brent Rooker 6-4.

Getting the start for the Royals was left hander Tucker Davidson while for the A’s Paul Blackburn was on the mound.

The first baserunner for the A’s got on in an interesting fashion as Esteury Ruiz reached on catcher interference. Despite Ruiz then managing to steal his way to third the A’s got no runs in the inning as Aledmys Diaz lined out to end the first.

In the second MJ Melendez got a triple and then Freddy Fermin got out on a sacrifice fly knocking home a run.

The bottom of the second saw the first pitching change of the game as Taylor Hearn came in to replace Davidson. After Seth Brown struck out it brought up Jordan Diaz who smoked one to center field tying the game up at one. The solo shot exited the park at 103.3 mph and went 383 ft.

The third saw Oakland’s offense strike once again as Zack Gelof leading off the inning struck one to center field and over the wall giving them a one run lead.

Looking to tack on to their lead in the fifth Ryan Noda got a single and Brent Rooker was hit by a pitch getting two on with only one out. After Diaz flied out Seth Brown singled getting Noda home and extending their lead to 3-1.

The Royals got some run support in the sixth as Bobby Witt Jr. got a solo shot which was his 25th of the season. Countering in the bottom of the inning was Shea Langeliers who hit his own solo shot that was his 12th homer of the season.

In the seventh Blackburn’s night came to an end as he finished the game giving up only two earned runs, four hits, and striking out six. He was replaced by Kirby Snead who pitched until the eighth when he was taken out in favor of Lucas Erceg.

Erceg’s night did not get off to a great start as Matt Beaty got a double and Kyle Isbel drew a walk. A wild pitch then got Beaty to third and on sacrifice fly Beaty made it home making it a 4-3 game.

With the pressure bearing down Erceg was able to get it down to two outs but despite that Michael Massey singled trying the game up at four. After the run knocked in Erceg was taken out and replaced by Dany Jimenez who did not have to pitch long as Langeliers threw out Massey who was trying to steal.

The white-and-green kept the the game tied until the bottom of the ninth as they came up to bat.

Facing the A’s batters was right-hander Dylan Coleman who was facing Noda first.

That at-bat did not go Coleman’s way as he hit Noda with a pitch bringing up the on fire Rooker. After two pitches taken for balls Coleman threw a 89 mph slider right at the heart of the plate and Rooker did not miss. He launched it to center field walking it off and getting the A’s their 35th win of the season.

Trevor May got the win for the A’s bringing his record to 4-4 while Coleman took the loss making his record 0-2.

The A’s next game will be the second of this three game home series against the Royals at 6:40 p.m.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: MLB owners not happy with A’s special treatment in relocation move

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Sources have said that New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is not too happy regarding the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas including the A’s receiving revenue sharing and having their relocation waved (New York Post file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 MLB owners have expressed their frustration over the Oakland A’s getting special treatment not having to pay a relocation fee as the behind the scenes discussions of the A’s move to Las Vegas heats up.

#2 Amaury, although it’s been quiet on the MLB owners front when they’ll hold the relocation vote it’s pretty apparent that it will most likely be held the first week of December.

#3 John Shea reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle says that the owners from high and low revenue teams are complaining that the A’s are receiving preferential treatment in getting increased revenue sharing and while not paying the relocation fee. Do you see that playing into the owners decision on the A’s relocation vote?

#4 The A’s getting that increased revenue sharing is also a frustration for the MLB owners particularly when they A’s don’t put any money into their payroll. Owners might ask why are the A’s getting all this money and also want to be rewarded by relocating to Vegas?

#5 Amaury, the question is will the owners go along with the relocation for the A’s to move to Vegas in spite of the A’s getting special treatment receiving revenue sharing money from MLB and the relocation being waved?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish Network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s open series with Royals tonight at Coliseum; Oakland hoping to do better than they did with O’s

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Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn will try to get the A’s back in the win column Mon Aug 21, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum against the Kansas City Royals (AP News file photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara, Sunday’s game might one that Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay would soon like to forget but the history books won’t the loss on Sunday was the A’s 17th sweep surpassing getting swept 16 times in 1978. A’s have a lot of work in front of them to put that record to rest.

#2 The A’s got beat in three lopsided games with the Baltimore Orioles by scores of 9-4, 7-2 and 12-1. In each game the A’s lost by more than five or more runs and the bullpen just didn’t have much to shutdown the Orioles.

#3 On Sunday the A’s just couldn’t figure out Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish who had eight strikeouts and had control over the A’s line up for six innings.

#4 The Orioles Ryan Castlemount extended his on base streak to a 26 times the most in his career. Castlemount had three hits in the ball game including a home run his 17th of the season.

#5 A’s will try it all over again when they face the Kansas City Royals at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday night for a 6:40pm PT first pitch. Tucker Davidson (1-2 ERA 6.39) for the Royals but Paul Blackburn will start for the A’s (3-3 ERA 4.09).

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

A’s get swept up into history by O’s 12-1; Loss is 17th sweep most in since 1978

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Oakland Athletics pitcher JP Sears works against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum Sun Aug 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

Baltimore (77-47). 112 300 230. -12. 17. 0

Oakland (34-90) 000 000 100- 1. 4. 0

Time: 2:43

Attendance; 16,198

Sunday, August 20, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The bleary eyed Oakland A’s dragged themselves to the stately pleasure dome to take the field at this afternoon in hopes of salvaging one win out of their three game series with the American League East leading Baltimore Orioles. Those hopes were dashed by a crushing 12-1 defeat.

The A’s were mathematically eliminated Sunday. This is the earliest in the history of this storied franchise, a founding member of the American League since 1901.  122 Years of history, from Philadelphia to Kansas City, to Oakland. And in a few years, probably Las Vegas. With a 34-90 record #30 in MLB.

They chose JP Sears to make his team leading 25th start of the season. He’s the only member of the Athletics’ mound staff to be in the starting rotation since day one. His record is not impressive, 2-9, 4.27 at game time.

The 27 year old southpaw seems to pitch better as his starts progress, if his opponents’ steadily diminishing batting average over the first three times through the order is any indication. This hot Oakland afternoon, not propitious for a pitcher who had allowed 26 home runs when he toed the rubber at 1:08. When he had finished his afternoon’s work, he had tarnished his already unprepossessing statistical profile.

He had given up seven runs, all earned, on nine hits and two walks. Two of those hits were homes. He threw 68 pitches, 43 for strikes. He was charged with the loss, making his numbers 2-10, 4.61). Zach Neal replaced him to start the top of the fifth.

Kyle Bradish, Sears’ right handed opposing pitcher, has a five pitch repertoire,which consists of sliders (which had comprised 29.8% of his 2023 deliveries before today), fastballs (25.1%), sinkers (18.8%), curves (17.5%), and changeups (8.8%).

They had earned him a respectable 7-6. 3.18 record. He was brilliant this afternoon, holding Oakland scoreless on two hits, both singles, over six innings. He issued just one base on balls and struck out eight, all on 92 pitches, 60 of which went into the books as strikes. He got the win and now has a record of 8-6, 3.03.

The Orioles were the early bird in the scoring department. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with Ramón Urías at bat. He hit a hard grounder to Jordan Dîaz at third, who fired the ball to Zack Gelof at second. Gelof’s relay drew Seth Brown off the bag at first, allowing Adlley Rutschman,, who had led off the game with a single. to come home. The A’s challenged first base umpire Alex Tosi’s call, but the review crew in New York let it stand.

The Orioles feathered their nest with two outs in the second. Jorge Mateo slammed a change of pace off the State Farm advertisement in left center. He flew around the bases for an inside the park home run. They doubled that two run. margen in the next frame.

Back to back two baggers by Ryan Montcastle and Gunnar Henderson put two men in scoring position with none d0wn. Austin Hays hit a liner up the middle that Sears deflected into left field for a two RBI single and then was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double.

Undeterred by their failure to score more runs in the third, Baltimore added another three in the fourth on Jordan Westburg’s lead off double, a walk to Rutschman, Montecastle second consecutive home run, and Henderson’s triple, which occasioned a crew chief’s review to determine exactly where it made contact with the right field wall. The visitors had a 7-0 lead, and we’d seen only 3-1/2 innings of one-sided baseball.

Oakland didn’t put a man on base until Gelof sent a line drive into right for a one out single in the home half of the fourth. He stayed there for the rest of the frame.

Neal blanked the O’s in the fifth and sixth. In the latter, he was the beneficiary of a beautiful unassisted double play by Brown, who grabbed Mateo’s scorching liner down the first base line and tumbled over the bag to double up Ryan McKenna, who had walked.

Neal wasn’t that successful in seventh. Henderson hit his 21st homer of the year, just inside the right field foul line, a one out shot that made it an 8-0 game. Back to back to back singles by Urías, Mullens, and Westburg made it 9-0.

Nick Vespi came in to relieve Bradish for the bottom of the seventh and immediately gave up a home run down the left field line to Rooker, the rookie’s 20th quadrilateral hit of the year. That was the Athletics’ third hit of the day and gave them their first run.

Mateo’s leadoff double against the Coca-Cola ad in right center in the eighth overcame The Curse when Rutschman singled to center, scoring Mateo, and Henderson doubled down the right field line to drive Rutschman home and Neal to the showers, replaced by Francisco Pérez. He surrendered a single to Urías that brought in Henderson to give Baltimore an even dozen runs. That was all he gave up in his 1-2/3 of work.

Shintaro Fujinami, who gave up the game tying round tripper to Aledmys Díaz last night, gave up a leadoff single but preserved the Orioles’ 12-1 victory

This afternoon’s defeat left the A;s with a mark of 34-90, .274. That’s pretty good, compared with the 1899 Cleveland Spiders’ August 20 record of 18-91, .165. They lost to the Chicago Orphans, 8-7, that afternoon. The 1962 New York Mets had an even worse August 20.

They dropped both games of a double header to the Pirates at Forbes Field, 2-0 and 6-3, which put their record at 30-94, .242.

Monday, the A’s will face the Kansas City Royals at 6:40pm PT. Paul Blackburn (3-4, 4.09) will be on the mound at the Coliseum. KC hasn’t yet announced who will pitch for them. Starting tomorrow with their night game at Oakland vs Royals, Athletics have 40 games left.

A Look inside the Baltimore Orioles: O’s Sweep A’s With Dominating 12-1 Victory

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg, left, throws to first base after forcing out Oakland Athletics’ Zack Gelof (20) at second on a double play hit into by Athletics’ Jonah Bride during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sunday, August 20th 2023

By Troy Ewers

Oakland, CA – At Rickey Henderson Field, it’s the final game of the series between the Oakland A’s and the Baltimore Orioles. If the A’s lose, they will officially be out of playoff contention. The Orioles on the other have the second best record in the MLB behind Atlanta.

On the hill for Oakland is JP Sears and for Baltimore is Kyle Brandish and this game started off with a bang for Baltimore. Ramon Urias grounded into a fielder’s choice which scored the leadoff man Adley Rutschman who got on base with a single. 1-0 Orioles.

When Brandish got on the mound against the A’s, he had one goal, sit them down, and sit them down fast. Brandish struck out the side in the first inning and then in the second and third inning he retired the side with ease, 1-2-3. On the other side of the coin, Baltimore’s bats were  in go mode.

Jorge Mateo hit an inside the park home run, making it 2-0 in the second inning. In the third inning the momentum didn’t end when Ryan Mountcastle and Gunnar Henderson got back to back hits to start the rally and then they scored when Austin Hays hit a single, but he was thrown out trying to take second, but the damage was done, 4-0 Baltimore.

The fourth inning was no different for the O’s where a leadoff double by Jordan Westburg got the spark going, then after two ground outs and a Rutschman walk, Mountcastle hit a two out, three run home run and the game was blown wide open 7-0 Baltimore.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson hit a triple to follow up the homer, but it looked like a home run that would’ve been his 21st of the season, but after umpire review the ball hit the fence and resulted in a triple. Bradish finally got a hit knocked off of him when Zack Gelof got a one out single, but Seth Brown struck out and Brent Rooker grounded out, so Gelof’s hit didn’t turn into anything.

The A’s took Sears out and put Zach Neal on the mound in the fifth inning and he was able to retire the Orioles side for the first time all game.

The Orioles offense slowed down once Neal got in the game and in the sixth inning A’s first baseman Seth Brown got all three outs. Brown caught a line drive and tagged Ryan McKenna out at first for the double play, then grabbed a grounder from Rutschman to end the inning.

Henderson broke the two inning run drought with a loud dinger of a home run and there was no review with this one, it went 396 feet to deep right field, 8-0 Orioles. The insurance runs didn’t stop for Baltimore after Westburg singled to right and scored Ramon Urias, 9-0 Orioles.

In the seventh inning the O’s changed pitchers from Bradish to Nick Vespi and it didn’t start out well for him after Brent Rooker hit his 20th homer of the season to lead off the inning for Oakland and give the A’s their first run of the game. 9-1.

Jorge Mateo led off the eighth inning with a double and then was brought home by a Rutschman double, 10-1 Baltimore. Gunnar Henderson hit his second double and third hit of the game, but this one counted for an RBI as he scored Rutschman making the game a runaway 11-1 and then Henderson got across home plate when Urias hit a two out single. 12-1.

To close out the game Baltimore brings in former Oakland A’s pitcher Shintaro Fujinami. Even though Fujinami let a leadoff single get past him, a double play followed, and then struck Brent Rooker out looking.

The game ends with Baltimore winning decisively 12-1 with 17 hits and they recorded their eighth sweep of the season and they continue their streak of not being swept. Kyle Bradish walks away with the win (8-6) and JP Sears walks away with the loss (2-10).

The O’s go home with a day off then the following day it’s a series against Toronto. The current record for the Orioles is 77-47 and they maintain their position as the second best record in baseball.

The A’s host the Kansas City Royals at the Oakland Coliseum. The Royals have not decided on a starter yet and the A’s will be going with Paul Blackburn (3-3 ERA 4.09) for a 6:40pm PT first pitch.

O’s 5 run tenth inning come back defeats A’s 7-2 at Coliseum

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Former Oakland A’s pitcher now Baltimore Orioles reliever Shintaro Fujinami delivers against his former teammates in the bottom of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

Baltimore (76-47). 002 000 000 5 – 7-9-0

Oakland (34-89) 010 001 000 0- 2-6-1 (10 innings)

Time: 2:47

Attendance: 18,213

Saturday, August 19, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The team with the best won and lost record Baltimore Orioles (76-47) in the American League took 10 innings to crush the team with the worst won and lost record in the majors the Oakland A’s (34-89) 7-2 Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum .

The game began as a pitchers’ duel between two southpaws. Cole Irvin 1-3. 4.92 at game time), the Athletics team leader in wins, starts, innings pitched, and strikeouts last year, and Oakland rookie Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 6.07 at game time), who has had an up and down season, often within the same game, this year were the antagonists.

Waldichuk had trouble with his control in the three innings, issuing a base on balls in each of them and unleashing a wild pitch in the second. On the other hand, he didn’t give up a hit over that stretch. At the end of his 5-2/3 inning shift, the Athletics’ starter had yielded two runs, both earned and both coming on home runs, on four hits, three walks, and two wild pitches.

He threw 81 pitches, 50 of them considered strikes. He wasn’t involved in the decision and went home with a record of 2-7, 5.91

Cole pitched well in his no decision. He allowed one run earned, on four hits, including a homer, and a walk He struck out three and hit two Oakland batters. He pitch count was 77, 54 going down as strikes. He preserve his 1-3 win-lost record and reduced his ERA to 4.06.

Aledmys Díaz put the A’s up 1-0 in the early going, sending a leadoff home run over the left center field State Farm advertisement in the bottom of the second. The blast travelled 400 feet, with an exit velocity of 102.6mph and came off a 91.4mph four seamer. It was the third rounder tripper and 18th RBI for the A’s left fielder this year.

Austin Hays broke Waldichuk’s 13 batter hitless streak in the top of the fourth with a one out home run to left, and James McCann followed that one out later with a dinger to left center. Before you knew it, the A’s down 2-0, Hays’ blast carried 356 feet and was his 12th of the season; McCann’s measured 403 feet and was his fourth.

Lucas Ercceg relieved Waldichuk with a runner on first and two outs in the top of the sixth and fanned James McCann to end the inning and held Baltimore at bay in the seventh . Kirby Snead replaced him for the eighth and preserved the tie.

The Orioles removed Cole at the start of the home half of the sixth but continued using ex Athletics aginst their erstwhile teammates. This time it was Shintaro Foujinami, who promptly surrender the lead on Aledmys’s second home run of the night, a 360 foot line drive over the left field fence. Vennnier Cano replaced Fujinami for the Oakland seventh,

Zack Gelof led off the Athletics’s eighth with a single to center. After Carlos Pérez sacrificed him to second, Cionel Pérez relieved Cano. Pérez kept the A’s off the board with an intentional walk and two strikeouts.

Hays greeted Trevor May, who was given the task of taking the A’s into the bottom of the ninth frame, with a single to shallow left center. Cedric Mullens lashed a sharp liner to left that Ruíz captured for the first out. Hays advanced to second on pinch hitter Ryan O’Hearn’s slow bouncer to shortstop Nick Allen, who made a spiffy play to nab him at first, and Adam Frazier, also pinch hitting, popped out to Allen in foul territory.

Félix Bautista was called on to keep the game alive in the home ninth. Another sixth frame pinch hitter, Seth Brown, went down swinging. Seth Langelieres lifted a high fly to the warning track in right center, just in front of the 362 foot marker that Mulllens hauled down for the second out, and Alllen grounded out to short to send us into extra innings.

Adrián Martínez faced Jorge Mateo with Frazier the zombie runner on second to open the overtime. He let Frazier take third on a wild pitch to Mateo, who then walked. Frazier scored on Ryan Mountcastle’s’s single to center through a drawn in infield while Mateo advanced to third.

It was all downhill for Oakland after that. A hit batter. Jordan Westburg’s sac fly to the center field warning track. A fielder’s choice cum throwing error by Allen, a stolen base, and a single, and the Athletics’ comeback had been transformed into a 7-2 Orioles lead.

Jacob Webb, closing for Baltimore in the tenth, hit Ruiz with a pitch and walked Gelof, which, combined with the inning opening placement of Lngeliers at second, loaded the bases for the A’s with no outs. Webb recovered by fanning pinch hitting Tony Kemp, Butler, and Aledmys Díaz.

The win went to Bautista, now 8-2, 1.54; the loss, to Martínez, who fell to 0-1, 5.

Kansas City has been falling behind (or is it ahead?) in the race for the bottom, so we’ll just run a quick check on how the 2023 A’s stack up with the all-time cellar dwellers, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, and their modern era companions in futility, the 1962 New York Mets.

The Spiders finished 1899 at 20-134, .130, 84 games behind the National League pennant winning Brooklyn Superbas. August 19th saw them split a twin bill with the Pirates at Pittsburgh. Cleveland’s win in the night cap brought its record up to 18-90, .167.

The Mets limped to a 40-120, 2.50 finish in ’62. They were at home at the Polo Grounds when they fell to the Cardinals, 10-5 on August 19. 30-92, also .250.

Tonight’s loss to the Os left the A’s 34-89,.238

The three game series will concludes Sunday, at 1:07. Right hander Kyle Bradish (7-6, 3.18) will pitch for the Birds. Southpaw JP Sears (2-9,4.27) will be the host team’s starter.

A’s have a rough night on the mound as they fall to the Orioles 9-4

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Photo courtesy of Oakland A’s.

By Titus Wilkinson

OAKLAND- The A’s hosted Baltimore on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum and had a rough outing on the mound as they lost to the Orioles by a final of 9-4.

Getting the start for the A’s was left-hander Francisco Pérez while for Baltimore Kyle Gibson got the nod.

Pérez had quite the rough first inning as after a Gunnar Henderson single Anthony Santander singled to third base. The ball though deflected off of Pérez and Jordan Diaz made a throwing error allowing everyone to be safe. Continuing the momentum Ryan Mountcastle singled bringing home a run and then Cedric Mullins doubled knocking in two runs making it 3-0. Mercifully for Pérez, the inning was ended by Austin Hays grounding out.

The A’s did have a response in the bottom of the first as Brent Rooker singled and then Seth Brown doubled cutting Baltimore’s lead down to two.

In the second inning, Oakland made a pitching change bringing in Luis Medina who at first was cruising getting two quick outs. Adley Rutschman though broke up the streak as he singled which was followed up by a wild pitch from Medina bringing Rutschman up to third. On a 2-1 pitch Henderson crushed one to right field extending their lead to 5-1. The ball exited the field at 111.4 mph and went 438 ft.

Once again the A’s had a response in the bottom of the inning as this time Tyler Soderstrom singled. After that, Tony Kemp got a double cutting the lead back to 5-2.

The third would go by with no hits but in the fourth, the bats reawoken as Austin Hays doubled for the Orioles. After that play the A’s made their second error of the game helping Adam Frazier reach and get Hays to third. Jordan Westburg then got Hays home on a sac fly to right field. The scoring in the fourth did not end though as Henderson once again came up with a big hit with a single and brought the score up to 7-2.

The A’s went to their bullpen in the fifth this time calling on Kyle Muller to help limit the damage. He would give up a lead-off single but then got the next two out though Ryan O’Hearn was able to steal second. Frazier with a double got O’Hearn home and brought up Westburg who wasted no time singling and getting the Orioles lead up to 9-2.

With the game so far gone Oakland did not give up as Rooker doubled in the bottom of the fifth knocking home a run. That RBI ended up being Rooker’s 50th of the season. Seth Brown singled as well getting Rooker home and making the score 9-4.

After the fifth that ended up being all the scoring, either team could muster up as Baltimore brought in Yennier Cano to close out the game. The A’s ended up going down in order thus closing the game out at a 9-4 final.

The win on the night went to pitcher Gibson who now improves his record to 12-7. He would finish the game with an okay stat line of four earned runs, nine hits, and six Ks. While Francisco Pérez took the loss bringing his record to 0-1.

The A’s will play the second of this three-game home series against Baltimore Saturday night at 6:07 p.m.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nevada Schools over Stadiums initiative could be last line of defense to save A’s in Oakland

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A benefit gathering to stop the use of Nevada public funds to build a Las Vegas A’s new stadium at the Tropicana and to get a referendum on the Nevada ballot to stop use of public funds for the ballpark. Members from Schools over Stadiums, the Oakland 68s, also former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (in purple dress), and the Nevada State Education Association president Dawn Ectheverry to Quan’s right . (photo from @jeanquan)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel the Nevada Schools over Stadiums group who are ran by the Nevada State Education Association. The NSEA held a fund raising benefit for Schools over Stadiums which included the Oakland 68s a Oakland A’s fan group who are pushing the green Sell shirts and for A’s owner John Fisher to sell the A’s to someone that will keep them in Oakland. The benefit included former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and NSEA president Dawn Etcheverry. The benefit was on Thu Aug 17 in Oakland.

#2 Quan said that she is confident that the referendum will have enough signatures to make it on the ballot for spring and the former mayor said that it has a good chance of winning.

#3 Etcheverry said some districts in Nevada are starting the school year with 40% or more in teacher vacancies. Nevada has the highest teacher vacancies in the nation and are number 49 in education.

#4 Former San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly said that despite state increases Nevada teachers remain amongst the lowest in the US with the largest class sizes.

#5 Schools over Stadiums are asking the public’s in help to fund the campaign to fight the Nevada State legislature who are planning to give the A’s $380 million in public funds for the Tropicana ballpark.

#6 The teachers from the NSEA, Mayor Quan, and the Oakland 68s will be at the Oakland Coliseum for the next reverse boycott this Sat Aug 19 vs. the Baltimore Orioles and they will be seeking the A’s fans support for the ballot initiative to stop the use of public funding for the Vegas ballpark over education.

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s best way to beat O’s is score early and often

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Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman follows through on an RBI single against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore Sun Jul 30, 2023. Rutschman has been the key in the O’s line up as the Orioles face the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Aug 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s (34-87) will be starting Luis Medina to open the three game series against the Baltimore Orioles (74-47). Medina allowed 52 runs in 83 innings.

#2 Medina’s opponents have an .245 average, with a 11.5 walk average, Medina comes into the game with a 4.50 ERA. Can he get through the Orioles line up at least twice on Friday night.

#3 The A’s as a line up are struggling which they all have all season, they are the worst hitting team in the Majors with a .241, 19 home runs, they have 152 total bases. The A’s have got home run help from Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown combining 22 long balls.

#4 Jeremiah, talk about the job that Adley Rutschman. The Orioles have said he’s been the straw that’s been stirring the drink in Baltimore hitting .267, with 119 hits, 16 home runs and 58 RBIs he could give A’s pitching fits this weekend.

#5 The Orioles starter Kyle Gibson could have control on the A’s line up the A’s have been averaging 3.60 runs per game. Gibson has had command on opposing line ups going deep into a game and being able to hand the ball over the relievers to mop up.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson does the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s preview: A’s open three game series against mighty Orioles at Coliseum Friday

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Oakland Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom (37) is congratulated by teammate Lawrence Butler (22) after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s had an off day on Thursday as they return to the Oakland Coliseum to start a six-game homestand. The A’s did not fare well as they were swept by the Washington Nationals and lost two out of three to the St. Louis Cardinals on the six-game road trip.

The A’s did salvage a win as they played one of their best games of the season. A’s starter Paul Blackburn gave the A’s seven innings of outstanding pitching. Reliever Austin Pruitt held the Cardinal scoreless in the last two innings of the game.

The A’s offense came through with 14 hits. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof had four hits, two of them were doubles, and the A’s defense did not commit an error. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had to be pleased with his team’s performance on Wednesday.

The A’s will be hosting the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. The Orioles are in first place in the tough American League East Division. Their record is 74-47, and they have a two-game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles, managed by Brandon Hyde, were picked by only a few of the pundits to have the best record in the American League. Hyde, who became skipper in 2019, inherited a team managed by Buck Showalter in 2018.

The Orioles record in 2018 was 47-115. A’s manager Mark Kotsay can relate to Hyde’s position as manager in 2019. The A’s are on track to have a similar record in 2023. The Orioles continued their losing ways in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The Orioles were 54-108 in 2019, 2020 was shortened due to Covid, but they still had a losing year; in 2021, Baltimore finished with a record of 52-110. They had over 100 losses in four years, from 2018 to 2021. What changed? In 2022, the Orioles brought up catcher Adley Rutschman from the minor leagues.

Rutschman was the first player picked in the 2019 Major League draft. Rutschman was a star at Oregon State University. He was the Pac-12’s player of the year. The Orioles added other players like Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander, and their fortunes began to change. In 2022, The Orioles finished fourth in the AL East with a record of 83-79.

Rutscman is the engine that drives the Orioles. Last season, Rutschman was named the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Player. This season, Rutschman made the AL All_Star team. He is hitting .267 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs. His OPS is .787.

The Orioles have a lot of other good players. Right fielder Anthony Santander leads the club with 21 homers and 65 RBIs. The Orioles use two players at first base that are also solid. Ryan O’Hearn is hitting. 300 with 10 Homers and 40 RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle is at .271, with 16 homers and 55 RBIs.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson, who s 22 years old, had added to the Orioles offense. Henderson plays shortstop and third base for the team. His numbers are .238, 19 home runs, and 56 runs batted in. Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins also contribute to the O’s offense.

Hays is hitting. 279 with 11 dingers and 46 knocked in. Mullins is at .254 with ten big flies and 50 RBIs. The Orioles will use Mountcastle or Santander as the DH. Just looking at the Oriole lineup shows how the players have contributed to the team’s overall success. There are no easy outs in this lineup.

The Orioles bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Jack Flaherty. Flaherty came to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. The other starters in the rotation include Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Kyle Gibson, and Grayson Rodriguez. Gibson will start against the A’s Friday night. Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Former A’s starter, lefty Cole Irvin, will face his old mates on Saturday. Irvin would love nothing better than sending the A’s down to defeat. The Orioles’ closer is Felix Bautista. Bautista is 7-2 with 32 saves. The setup man is Yennier Cano.

Cano is 1-2 with four saves. The only negative is Cano’s five-blown saves. Other pitchers in the bullpen include former A’s reliever Shintaro Fujinami, Michael Baumann, and Jacob Webb. The lefties in the ‘pen include Nick Vespi and Ciomel Perez.

The A’s are in the same situation as the Orioles were in 2019. 2023 will be the second season the A’s will lose over 100 games. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is trying to rebuild the team. There are bright spots on the A’s roster.

Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof looks like the real deal. Esteury Ruiz, acquired from Milwaukee in the deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, is leading the AL in steals and is second in all of baseball with 48. Ruiz is a clutch hitter, especially with men in scoring positions.

The A’s brought up Lawrence Butler to pay centerfield. Butler hit his first home run against the Cardinals Tuesday night. Let’s hope Butler can emulate Gelof’s performance. Jordan Diaz, 22 years old, found a home at third base. Diaz has played well and has some pop in his bat. Diaz and Gelof should help the A’s rebirth.

The A’s pitching staff, both starters and relievers, must improve. Paul Balckburn is a proven starter. Players like Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P.Sears, and Freddy Tarnok are learning on the job. If these four guys can improve as pitchers, the A’s, like the Orioles, can go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

The weekend series features the best team in the AL going against the worst team. The A’s would love to upset the O’s apple cart this weekend. Is it possible? Perhaps. No one knows what will happen on any given day in baseball.