Category: Oakland Athletics

A’s beat themselves fall to Cardinals 7-5 Monday night at Busch

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Tyler O’Neill is safe at second for a stolen base as Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen handles the throw during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Mon Aug 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s lost for the fourth time in a row and the sixth time in the last seven games. Oakland blew a 7-2 lead on Sunday as the Washington Nationals scored six times in the ninth to beat the A’s. A’s manager Mark Kotsay told his team to turn the page.

Put the loss behind you and go out and figure out a way to get a win. It is good advice for a young team, but the A’s found a way to beat themselves as they lost to the host St.Louis Cardinals, 7-5 on Monday night.

The A’s sent left J.P. Sears to the hill Monday night. Sears has a record of two wins and nine losses. The A’s hoped to get five or more innings of work from the young lefty. Sears did not start well, as he walked three Cardinal hitters in the first inning.

He was lucky to get out of the inning unscathed. St.Louis plated a run in the second inning. With one out, CArdinal right-fielder Jordan Walker singled. Sears struck out Taylor Motter for the second out. The inning appeared to be over when Sears’ throw to first base got Walker in a rundown.

A’s first baseman, Tyler Soderstrom’s throw to second was slightly off the mark. Zack Gelof, standing behind the bag, applied the tag. The umpire called Walker out. The Cardinals challenged the call, and the replay showed Gelof failed to tag the runner. Walker was ruled safe. The next hitter, Tommy Edman, singled to drive in. Walker with the run. The Cards lead 1-0 after two.

The A’s took the lead in the top of the fifth. Cardinal starter Miles Mikolas hit Nick Allen with two out with a pitch. Esteury Ruiz, playing left field for the A’s, blasted his second home run of the year. The ball barely made it over the 375-foot marker in left field.

Mikolas, like Sears, is a leader in allowing gopher balls. For Mikolas, it was the 24th dinger allowed this season. The A’s led 2-1 midway through the fifth inning. The lead didn’t last long as the Cardinals put two on the board in their half of the fifth.

Edman singled, leading off the inning. The next hitter Paul Goldschmidt, a former National League MVP, hit a bomb that went 411 feet in the seats in left field. For Goldschmidt, it was his 19th of the year. For Sears, it was the 23rd homer allowed. Sears ranks third in home runs allowed. The Cards led 3-2 after five.

Oakland rallied to put three runs on the board in the seventh. With one out, rookie centerfield Lawrence Butler and shortstop Nick Allen singled. Ruiz lined out to the shortstop for the second out. Zack Gelof doubled down the left field line to drive in Butler with Oakland’s third run.

Gelof continues to impress. The young second baseman from Delaware has 18 extra-base hits in his first 26 games in the Major Leagues. Allen stopped at third. Set Brown singled to drive in Allen and Gelof. The A’s needed the bullpen to do its job and keep the Cardinals off the board.

The A’s brought Angel Felipe to pitch in the bottom of the seventh. It was not a night that Felipe would remember. He walked the leadoff hitter, Paul Goldschmidt. Felipe struck out Nolan Arenado for the first out. Felipe walked the next two hitters to load the bases.

Mark Kotsay had seen enough. Felipe was removed, and newly acquired lefty Francisco Perez was now pitching. Perez could not find the strike zone either. He walked Lard Nootbar to force in a run. The A’s still were leading, 5-4. Perez struck out Luken Baker for the second out.

The next hitter was the 21-year-old Jordan Walker. With three balls and two strikes, the three runners were running on the pitch. Walker boomed a line drive to right field. Seth Brown, attempting to make the catch, saw the ball bounce off his glove. The Cardinals scored three runs and took a 7-5 lead. They were able to plate four due to four walks and one hit. Baseball is a crazy game.

The A’s failed to score in the eighth or nine innings. Oakland’s bullpen failed to hold the lead for the second game in a row.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 33-86 for the year. The Cardinals are 52-66. The Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central Division. The Cardinals have had just one losing season since the year 2000.

The line score for Oakland was five runs, eight hits, and no errors.
The line for St. Louis was seven runs, eight hits, and two errors.

The winning pitcher was Jo Jo Romero. The losing pitcher was Angel Felipe.

The A’s have yet to announce a starter for Tuesday’s game. Freddy Tarnok was supposed to start but was placed on the IL on Monday. The Cardinals will send Dakota Hudson to the mound. Hudson is 3-0 and has a 4.31 ERA.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s try and put sweep in DC behind them, Open series in St Louis tonight at Busch

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Oakland A’s hitter Zack Gelof thanks to the good Lord for slugging a top of the first inning home run against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in DC on Sun Aug 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara, the Washington Nationals picked up their their third sweep in as many as their last seven series. The Oakland A’s fell victim to the Nats on Sunday in a Washington come back game 8-7 in DC.

#2 The Nationals down five runs came back to score six runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the A’s. It was the first time since Sep 3, 2019 that the Nationals had come back from run deficit when the scored seven runs to beat the New York Mets 11-10.

#3 Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that the Nats are relentless they don’t their out of it playing hard for 27 outs and said their never out of it.

#4 The A’s simply fell apart in the ninth inning allowing six runs to score as reliever Trevor May allowed three earned runs and three hits and two walks. May was relieved by Kirby Snead who gave up a hit and a walk.

#5 The A’s open up a three game series in St Louis tonight at Busch Stadium in St Louis. Starting for the A’s JP Sears (2-9 ERA 4.23) for the Cardinals Mike Mikolas (6-8 ERA 4.20) first pitch 4:45 pm PT.

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

Nationals edge A’s for three game sweep 8-7 at Nationals Park; Six run comeback in ninth gets Nats win

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The Washington Nationals celebrate after Jeter Downs hit a walk-off single during the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland A’s at Nationals Park in DC on Sun Aug 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Oakland A’s (33-85) finished off their three game series with the Washington Nationals (53-66) getting swept in three games 8-7 at Nationals Park in DC. Washington won the first two games of this series and the A’s couldn’t avoid the sweep. In Saturday’s game, Oakland had the lead going into the eighth inning but an ninth inning home run gave Washington a walk off win 3-2.

Sunday game recap: The A’s got going in the first inning taking a 3-0 lead. Oakland’s Zach Gelof hit a solo home run followed by a two run homer from Seth Brown.

The Nationals had one run in the first inning but the A’s continued to score runs. They scored four more runs, one in the third, one in the fifth and a couple in the seventh inning extending their lead to 7-2. Going into the ninth inning, the A’s had ten hits.

Zach Gelof had his second home run of the game in the fifth inning. He had three hits in the game and both Seth Brown and Aledmys Diaz had a couple of hits. The Oakland offense was clicking on all cylinders in this game.

The A’s had the bases loaded in the ninth inning with one out. They came away empty leaving three runners stranded. They were three outs away from the win in the bottom of the ninth.

A’s pitcher Trevor May would try to close out this game. He got into deep trouble loading the bases with one out. The Nationals scored twice in the inning. Washington brought two runners home with two outs and May was have a rough time finishing this game. He loaded the bases once again and he was finished.

Kirby Snead would relieve May and try to get that final out. With the bases loaded Snead walked Domenic Smith and Keibert Ruiz scored. The Nationals were within two runs of a tie 7-5. That tie came to be when Nick Allen couldn’t stop an Alex Call bullet and two runners scored.

This was a crazy turn of events for Oakland. In an unbelievable comeback the Nationals celebrated a six run ninth for a second walkoff in a row. The final out was the elusive out for Oakland, it never came. This was a disastrous loss for the Green and Gold.

The turning point in this game was of course the ninth inning. The A’s had the bases loaded in the ninth inning and came away empty and that was another huge factor in this loss. The failure on the mound was glaring and a lot of credit goes to the Washington offense as well.

Monday the A’s will travel to St. Louis for a three game series with the Cardinals. JP Sears will take the mound for Oakland with a 2-9 win/loss record and a 4.23 ERA. For St. Louis Miles Mikolas will get the nod with a 6-8 win/loss record and a 4.20 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 4:45 PM.

A’s Give Up Lead In the Ninth-Fall to the Nationals 3-2; Fourth loss in five games for Oakland

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Oakland Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (22) warms up before the game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in DC (AP News photo)

A’s Give Up Lead In the Ninth-Fall to the Nationals 3-2

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (33-84) couldn’t hold onto a ninth inning lead and once again fell to the Washington Nationals (52-66) 3-2 at Nationals Park in DC on Saturday.

The Nationals got the first run of the game in the second inning, a fielders choice to third allowing Ildemaro Vargas to score giving Washington the early 1-0 lead.

Oakland took the lead with a home run in the third and sixth innings. JJ Bleday homered to center a 432 feet shot for the 1-1 tie. In the sixth inning Brent Rooker gave Oakland the lead 2-1 hitting s home run to right center field. The A’s had an opportunity to extend their lead in the seventh inning with two runners on base but left them both stranded.

A’s starting pitcher Luis Medina went 4.0 innings allowing four hits but limiting the damage to one run.

Oakland held onto the lead into the eighth when it began to unravel. With no outs the Nationals loaded the bases. The A’s relief pitcher Angel Felipe walked two runners and Jake All bunted. Washington tied up the game 2-2 when Lane Thomas singled and Stone Garrett scored. Washington left two runners stranded to end the eighth inning.

It was a three up three out ninth inning for the A’s and the Nationals were looking for the walkoff. It was a very brief ninth inning. Keibert Ruiz knocked the ball out of the park, a 391 feet shot to right giving the Nationals the come from behind win.

It was a tough loss for Oakland who came so close but could not hang onto the lead. It all came apart in the eighth inning and the A’s weren’t able to produce badly needed defense in the eighth inning.

A’s post game notes: Friday night the Oakland A’s began a three -game series with the Washington Nationals. The game started out well for Oakland leading 2-0 going into the second inning. It all fell apart for the remainder of the game for the A’s. The Nationals tied up the game 2-2 in the second inning. They went on to score in four of the next six innings winning the game 8-2.

Sunday the A’s will be looking to avoid a sweep in game three. Ken Waldichuk will take the mound for Oakland with a 2-7 win/loss record, ERA 6.30. Trevor Williams (5-7 ERA 5.00) will get the nod for Washington. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Did A’s truly censor A’s fans protest last Sunday at Coliseum?

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Oakland A’s fans with Sell shirts at a Apr 28, 2023 game vs. the Cincinnati Reds in the Oakland Coliseum bleachers. The chant “Sell the team” has also caught on in other MLB parks as the A’s relocation to Las Vegas is proving to be not popular with the fans (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel last Sunday in the suite bleacher area of the Oakland Coliseum fans were escorted out of a suite by order of a female employee who was wearing A’s employee credentials and ushered the group of fans wearing “Sell” shirts to the elevator and out of the area.

#2 A fan told Sam Warren of the San Francisco Chronicle that the “Sell” shirts were not permitted on the suite level and those fans wearing them had to leave. The A’s stated on Wednesday before the game with the Rangers that “We have no policy against prohibiting ‘SELL’ t-shirts in any area in the ballpark.” said an A’s spokesperson.

#3 The A’s fans had organized a second “reverse boycott” in a game against the San Francisco Giants last Sunday. The A’s and Giants fans were wearing “Sell” shirts in protest of the A’s moving to Las Vegas and wanting A’s owner John Fisher to sell the team to someone who will keep the team in Oakland. Does it strike you that it’s a little suspicious that on Sunday fans are not allowed to wear the “Sell” shirts in the bleacher suites but on Wednesday the fans were welcomed to wear them in the bleacher suites. Do you think all the publicity about this probably changed the narrative?

#4 When the A’s rebroadcasted their Sunday game against the Giants for television it was also reported that the top of the fifth inning where the fans started to chant “Sell the team” was cut off. The broadcast had indicated that there was technical difficulties and the A’s spokesperson said, “We encourage fans to express their fandom.”

#5 Taking these circumstances into account and the A’s say they deny they are not banning any fans with “Sell” shirts on to be prohibited from the bleacher suite level or anywhere else in the park fans have questioned why these fans were escorted out of the suite for the shirts now the A’s say the fans wearing the Sell shirts are welcome to go anywhere in the park with the Sell shirts.

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

A’s get blown out 8-2 by the Nationals

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals started this weekend with a three-game series at Nationals Park. The A’s lost 8-2 to the Nationals in their series opener on Friday. Oakland fell to 33-83, while Washington improved to 51-66.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langaliers, Lawrence Butler, Nick Allen, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (2-3, 4.52 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up eight hits, four earned runs, four walks, and three strikeouts.

The A’s quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Stone Garett. JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Nationals cut the A’s lead in half and tied the score in the bottom of the second inning. Ildemaro Vargas singled on a ground ball to Lawrence Butler. Keibert Ruiz scored to cut the A’s lead to 2-1 as Dominic Smith went to third base. Stone Garrett singled on a ground ball to Butler. Smith scored to tie the game 2-2 as Vargas went to second base.

The Nationals took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jake Alu was out on a sacrifice fly to JJ Bleday. Ildemaro Vargas scored for a 3-2 lead with two outs.

The Nationals extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Keibert Ruiz homered on a fly ball to right center field for a 4-2 lead.

The Nationals expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ildemaro Vargas homered on a fly ball to left center field. Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz scored for a commanding 7-2 lead.

The Nationals added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jake Alu homered on a fly ball to right center field for an 8-2 lead.

Notes
The A’s recalled Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas, placing Tony Kemp on the paternity leave list on Friday.

On Thursday, Zack Gelof became the fastest to reach six home runs in A’s history.

Up Next
The A’s and Nationals will continue their series on Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Can A’s surprise Nationals and Cardinals on this 6 game road trip

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Oakland Athletics’ Esteury Ruiz hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the third inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Aug 9, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s (33-82), fresh off winning their first (3-2) homestand of the year, are in Washington, DC, to play three games against the Nationals this weekend. 

#2 The Nationals are in last place in the NL East Divison with a record of 50-65. The A’s hope to take two out of three from the Nats this weekend.

#3 The A’s won three out of the last five home games. A’s centerfielder Esteury Ruiz and second baseman Zack Gelof have emerged as future stars for the A’s. Ruiz is second in baseball with 46 steals. Gelof has homered six times in 22 games.

#4 Mark Kotsay continues to have his players ready. Even though they have the worst record in baseball, Kotsay has them working to improve and has his guys wanting to grind out every at-bat to get a win.

#5  Paul Blackburn (2-2 ERA 4.35) will pitch Friday night 4:05PM PT the Nationals have not announced a starter for Friday. Two teams neither will be in the post season but if you ignore that can the A’s get some road wins against the Nats?

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

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open three game set with Washington Nationals in DC Friday

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Oakland Athletics pitcher Paul Blackburn works against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum Sat Aug 5, 2023. Blackburn will be the A’s starting pitcher this Fri Aug 11, 2023 at Nationals Park in DC (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-82), fresh off winning their first (3-2) homestand of the year, are in Washington, DC, to play three games against the Nationals this weekend. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East Divison with a record of 50-65. The A’s hope to take two out of three from the Nats this weekend.

The A’s have announced their starters for the series. Paul Blackburn (2-2 ERA 4.35) will pitch Friday night 4:05PM PT, Luis Medina (3-8 ERA 5.47) goes Saturday 4:05PM PT, and lefty Ken Waldichuk (2-7 ERA 6.30) pitches on Sunday 10:35PM PT. A’s skipper Marl Kotsay hopes to see improvement from Medina and Waldichuk. Both performed well in the last couple of outings.

The Nationals, playing the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, have yet to announce their starters. Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, Patrick Corbin, Trevor William, and Jake Irvin are in the Nationals’ rotation. Nats’ manager Dave Martinez will announce which pitchers will perform after Thursday’s game.

As mentioned earlier, the A’s won three out of the last five home games. A’s centerfielder Esteury Ruiz and second baseman Zack Gelof have emerged as future stars for the A’s. Ruiz is second in baseball with 46 steals. Gelof has homered six times in 22 games.

No player in A’s history has ever achieved that feat. On the IL list, Ryan Noda looks like he will be a regular at first base. The A’s pitching is another story. The A’s starting rotation’s combined ERAs are the worst in baseball. The same goes for the bullpen. There has been some improvement lately, but not enough to get the A’s out of the bottom of the barrel.

The Nationals are in rebuild mode, too. The Nats have gone from the penthouse( World Series champs in 2019) to the outhouse, last place in the NL East. Max Scherzer is gone, and Stephen Strasburg has yet to throw a pitch this year. Both pitchers were instrumental in helping Washington win the World Series.

This weekend, Key players to watch are the Nationals’ right-fielder Lane Thomas, DH Joey Meneses, catcher Kelbert Ruiz, and shortstop C.J. Abrams. Thomas is hitting.284 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs. Meneses’ numbers are .279, 11 homers, and 63 RBIs. Ruiz is batting .244 with 12 dingers and 42 knocked in. Abrams comes in at .258, with 11 bombs and 44 RBIs.

The Nats’ close Kyle Finnegan has recorded 18 saves this year.

After the series with the Nationals, the A’s play three games with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have the same record as Washington, 50-65. St. Louis, normally a contender for the NL Central Division crown, finds themselves in last place. The Cardinals were sellers at the trading deadline. St. Louis sent lefty Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers and Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles.

Mark Kotsay continues to have his players ready. Even though they have the worst record in baseball, Kotsay has them working to improve and has his guys wanting to grind out every at-bat to get a win. The A’s do not want to break the 1962 New York Mets’ record of 120 losses.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Oakland avoids getting swept at Coliseum shuts out Rangers; Oakland opens series with Washington Friday

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Esterury Ruiz slugs a single in the bottom of the third inning for the Oakland A’s against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Aug 9, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s Freddy Tarnok went four innings without giving up a run against the mighty Texas Rangers with the help of five other A’s pitchers to shutout one of baseball’s best 2-0 at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 For Tarnok he records his first MLB career win which was part of a four hitter against one of the toughest line ups in baseball.

#3 The 2-0 loss for the Rangers snaps their eight game win streak, the Rangers took the first two games from Oakland on Monday and Tuesday nights and were in danger of getting swept.

#4 The A’s got some offense from Zack Gelof who slugged his sixth homer of the season and rookie Esteurey Ruiz got a base hit, stole two bases, scored a run and Ruiz’ stolen bases gives him 46 for the season.

#5 The A’s start a six game road trip starting Friday night in Washington DC against the Nationals. A’s starter Paul Blackburn (2-2 ERA 4.35) the Nats have not announced a starter as of Wednesday night.

Jerry Feitelberg does the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s behind outstanding pitching, down Rangers 2-0; Oakland uses six pitchers to shutout Texas

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The Oakland A’s shortstop Nick Allen (2) is seen here throwing out the Texas Rangers Leody Taveras at first base in the top of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Aug 9, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

My, oh, my. On a beautiful afternoon in Oakland on Wednesday, the A’s much-maligned pitching staff stopped the powerful Texas Rangers offense. The Rangers have scored the most runs of any team in the American League.

The Rangers have guys up and down the lineup that can hit the ball out of the park. Yet, A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s decision to go with an opener paid dividends. Austin Pruitt started for the Green and Gold and walked just one batter in his two innings.

Freddy Tarnook took over in the third, giving the A four scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Angel Felipe and Kirby Snead pitched in the seventh and eighth. Neither pitcher allowed a hit. A’s closer Trevor May recorded his 12th save of the year to preserve the ‘s 2-0 win.

The Rangers sent lefty Jordan Montgomery to the mound to face the A’s. Montgomery, acquired by Texas from the St.Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, was hoping to notch his second win as a member of the Rangers. Montgomery gave the Rangers a quality start.

He went six innings, allowing two runs, seven hits, and one home run. Montgomery struck out five and walked one. Texas Rangers’ manager Bruce Bochy had to be pleased with Montgomery’s performance rather than the game’s outcome.

Here’s how the A’s scored their runs. With one out in the bottom of the third inning, A’s centerfielder Esteury Ruiz singled. Ruiz, second in baseball with 44 steals before Wednesday’s game, promptly stole second and third.

It was his 45th and 46th stolen bases of the season. Third baseman Jonah Bride’s sacrifice fly drove in Ruiz with the game’s first run.

The A’s put their second run of the game on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof led off the frame with his sixth home run to make it 2-0. Gelof’s sixth home run in 22 games made A’s history. Gelof became the first player in franchise history to accomplish that feat. 

The Rangers threatened to score in the top of the ninth. Trevor May was brought in from the bullpen to close out the game. May retired two good Ranger hitters, Aroldis Garcia, and Leody Taveras. Singles by catcher Sam Huff and Robbie Grossman put the tying runners on base.

Ranger third baseman Josh Smith came to the plate as the potential go-ahead run. May got Smith to line out to A’s shortstop Nick Allen. The A’s win 2-0.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 33-82, still the worst record in baseball. The Rangers are 68-47. Texas is in first place in the AL West Division and leads the second-place Houston Astros by 2 and 1/2 games.

Zack Gelof and Estuery Ruiz were the entire A’s offense on Wednesday. Gelof’s home run and Ruiz’s baserunning were the ingredients that gave the A’s the win. The A’s pitching was outstanding. The A’s held the Rangers to just two hits for the first eight innings. The Rangers had two singles in the ninth but failed to score.

Freddy Tarnok received credit for his first win of the year. May recorded his 12th save.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, seven hits, and no errors.

The Rangers’ line was no runs, four hits, and no errors.

The A’s are off on Thursday. Starting Friday night, they will play a three-game series with the Washington Nationals in the Nation’s Capitol. The A’s then travel to St Louis to play the Cardinals. Both teams are having a down year. The A’s will be hoping to capitalize on both teams’ problems.

Friday’s starters: For Oakland Paul Blackburn (2-2 ERA 4.35) Washington has not announced a starter first pitch 4:05pm PT at Nationals Park.