Preview of the A’s and White Sox series in Chicago

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have a day off on Thursday before they begin a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field starting on Friday.

The A’s are enjoying an entire week in the Windy City as the schedule makers gave them three days with the Cubs, one day off, and three with the White Sox. The A’s finish the eight-game road trip with two against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The A’s need to continue playing well. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game in the race for the second Wild Card. The A’s swept the White Sox when they met in July at the Oakland Coliseum. They would like to continue their success against the Sox. They need to take two from the Giants as the A’s meet the AL West-leading Houston Astros for four. They then play the AL East-leading New York Yankees for three, and wrap up the homestand with two more against the Giants. The Astros have dominated the A’s this season. They improved their starting rotation at the deadline with the additions of Zach Greinke and Aaron Sanchez. Joe Biagini joined the Astros bullpen.

The A’s will send Mike Fiers to the hill Friday afternoon against the White Sox. Fiers is 10-3 and has an ERA of 3.46. He has been pitching well since early May. He faced the Sox on July 12th and did not allow a run in 7 2/3 innings of work. He will be opposed by former Athletic, Ross Detwiler. Detwiler was a member of the A’s in 2016. Detwiler is 1-2 for the year and has an ERA of 5.72. In his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies, Detwiler went 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs.

On Saturday, Tanner Roark will be making his second start as an Athletic, and his first start ever against the White Sox. Roark is 7-7 for the year and has an ERA of 4.14. Roark won his first start as an A last Sunday when he went five innings and allowed just one hit, and as a result, received credit for the win.

Meanwhile, the White Sox will have Reynaldo Lopez handling the pitching chores. Lopez is 6-9 with an ERA of 5.41. Lopez has been pitching well since the All-Star break. In his last five starts, his ERA is a respectable 2.56.

On Sunday, Chris Bassitt will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by the White Sox’ best pitcher, Lucas Giolito. Bassitt is 7-5 and pitched well Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Bassitt went six innings and allowed two runs. He did not figure in the decision. Giolito is 12-5 for the season. His ERA is 3.44. He beat the Detroit Tigers last Monday as he went six innings and allowed three runs.

The White Sox are 51-62 for the year and are currently in third place in the AL Central. The team is managed by Rick Renteria. Renteria is in his third season with the Sox. He and Frank Chance are the only two managers in history to have managed both the Cubs and the White Sox.

Chicago’s key players to keep an eye on are first baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Tim Anderson, left fielder Eloy Jimenez, and catcher Wellington Castillo. Abreau and Jimenez are the main power guys. Tim Anderson has 12 homers this season, and he can also do damage. Other players to watch are outfielders Leury Garcia, Ryan Cordell, Adam Engel, and the veteran John Jay.

The A’s have won seven of the last 10 games. They need Matt Chapman to break out of his slump. They still have a lot of power in the lineup. Matt Olson is second on the club with 22 home runs. Marcus Semien has 19. The A’s will have Khris Davis back at DH for the series with the Sox. Davis has 17, but his production has declined since he suffered a hip injury in Pittsburgh. Mark Canha has picked up the slack as he has hit 17 so far this year.

The A’s have 10 players on the roster with 10 or more homers. The A’s have to continue winning. It would be nice if they could take four out of five from the Sox and the Giants. They have to contend with the Astros, which is no easy task. The Astros have an outstanding starting rotation. They have a virtual All-Star team on the field. They are loaded with stars such as Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Yule Guriel, Michael Brantley, George Springer, and Josh Reddick.

The A’s then have a day off to catch their breath and then go up against the mighty Yankees. The A’s will have to be at their best just to keep up with the Rays. A’s manager Bob Melvin will have his team ready. This is the time of the year that the fans will be seeing great baseball.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Time to talk Quakes soccer plus more

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On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. Former Quakes forward Archie Roboostoff passed away on July 31st at age 67. Roboostoff spent the 1974-75 seasons with the Quakes’ NASL team.

2. The Quakes and Columbus Crew SC settled for a 1-1 draw on August 3rd.

3. The Quakes honored and raised funds for the Gilroy Garlic Festival victims on August 3rd, too.

4. Quakes fans had a good laugh after seeing Florian Jungwirth’s Instagram story on August 4th.

5. The Quakes Boys’ Academy U-15s finished second in the MCC Tournament.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers get ready for first preseason game

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By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers will be playing in a football game Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot to be excited about, because after all, it will be the first preseason game. In other words, it will not count. The starters will only play a couple of series at the most.

Basically, the game, which will pit the 49ers’ rookies and others vying to be a part of the 53-man roster at the end of training camp against those of the Dallas Cowboys, will be a glorified scrimmage, and so will the three other games that the team will play in August.

Jimmy Garappolo, although given the green light this season, is not expected to play Saturday, while C.J Beathard and Nick Mullens will handle the quarterbacking duties against Dallas. Beathard is expected to get the first-half snaps while Mullens, who took over for an injured and ineffective Beathard in the middle of last season, is expected to take over in the second half.

Defensive end Nick Bosa, who the 49ers drafted with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, suffered an ankle injury in practice, and he is expected to have an MRI done later this week. What that means is that he is all but ruled out of Saturday’s game.

There will, however, be a little intrigue at the running back position, as three runners will attempt to state their case to be the feature back when the regular season begins.

Matt Breida raised some eyebrows last season but was hampered by a myriad of injuries that seemed to hang around for much of the year. The club picked up Tevin Coleman, who seems to be a magnet for the goal line, this offseason while Jerick McKinnon, who was lost for all of last season after an ACL tear, returns to the active roster after being activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.

There are still question marks at the receiver position, as Dante Pettis will look to improve on a rookie season that was a bit underwhelming in comparison to the record-setting ways of his college years at the University of Washington.

Stanford football mines knowledge from 49ers and Raiders

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By: Ana Kieu

One of the many benefits of playing football at Stanford is the proximity and relationship the team has with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.

David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, played at Stanford with 49ers general manager John Lynch in the early 90’s and coached with Raiders head coach Jon Gruden from 1997-2001 (the first year with the Philadelphia Eagles).

Last week, Shaw and his staff attended a 49ers practice and they visited the Raiders today for a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s a great way to learn, share ideas, and catch up with former players.

On Monday afternoon, Lynch and 49ers kicker Robbie Gould came to a Stanford practice.

“It’s a huge resource for us,” said senior kicker Jet Toner.

Special teams coordinator Pete Alamar met Gould last week and invited him to attend.

“He shot me a text over the weekend and said I have an off-day Monday, is it all right if I come out?” said Alamar. “He’s a football junkie and loves the game. He’s got a lot of years in the game and good knowledge.”

Photo credit: gostanford.com

Gould arrived early.

“We talked about a few things, from the mental side of the game to how much you kick on a certain day,” Alamar said. “It was fun to pick his brain.”

Gould provided pointers to Cardinal kickers and long snappers. One of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, he converted 33 of 34 field goals for San Francisco last season and has hit 82 of 85 the last three years.

“A guy that good — probably the best kicker in the league — it was great to get a few tips and reiterate what Coach Alamar says, especially from someone with so much experience,” said Toner. “It was great having him out there.”

After practice, Toner guided Gould through STRIVR, a virtual reality, immersive learning device the program has used for many years. Former Stanford kicker Derek Belch is the founder and CEO of STRIVR Labs, and the high-tech headsets are now used by many pro and college sports teams and corporations.

“I walked him through my process and how I use it,” said Toner. “He liked it and thought it was an awesome tool. He really was interested in one aspect where we take VR footage of the stadiums we visit, so the night before — even that week — while we’re prepping, we can put ourselves in that setting and sort of find high lines or places to line up the ball.”

The 49ers also use VR, but not the kickers.

“He might look into it,” Toner said of Gould. “He’s also been kicking for a long time, has his own process and knows what works best for him. I don’t know if he will incorporate it into his process.”

PLAYERS COUNCIL: Earlier this year, Cardinal players formed a team council to promote leadership and communication within the program.

“Pretty much every year you have a core of team leaders that are kind of mediators between what the coaches want and what the players want and our goals,” said junior center Drew Dalman. “This year, we formalized that and had a team vote to elect representatives from every position group. If the team wants something done, they can go through the leadership council. It’s kind of an easy way to distribute knowledge so Coach Shaw can text us and we can go to our position groups and talk about it.”

Fifth-year outside linebacker Casey Toohill thinks it has been a good way for players to stay connected.

“It serves as a way for us to have very concise and meaningful dialogue with position group heads, but also for us to serve as leaders of the team,” Toohill said. “And it’s not just us. We take feedback and will add new members at some point.”

Toner added, “I think it has helped improve communication as far as getting the message and making sure it is heard down the line. Just to make sure each guy is on it. We have some great leaders and I think it will be a useful tool.”

Photo credit: gostanford.com

EXTRA MOTIVATION: After last Sunday’s practice, members from The Program LLC addressed the team. The teams consists of world-class former special operations warriors and elite athletes, who share lessons about brotherhood, leadership and sustaining high performance.

Cardinal players spent a day in the spring training with The Program each of the last two years.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” said Dalman. “They are some of the best leaders around. They’re successful and competitive. They challenge us in different ways that we’re not used to.”

Last year, team-building exercises included carrying logs. This year, players treaded water in a pool.

“They’re great guys and put us through something that got us out of our comfort zone,” Toohill said. “They really gave us an opportunity for leadership to develop. They came here and reminded us about mental toughness. No one feels bad for us. Camp is hard but it’s really not that hard. People have it worse. We love working with them.”

CAMPBELL TROPHY: Toohill has been nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation to the college player with the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance. Nominees must be in their final year of eligibility and maintain a 3.20 GPA.

“It’s a huge honor,” said Toohill, who carries a 3.71 GPA in political science. “I love being at a place where you’re not treated differently. You go to class and people may recognize you as an athlete, but when you’re there, you’re expected to perform the same.”

A native of San Diego, Toohill is grateful for his time on The Farm, growing as a person and a student-athlete.

“There are few things in life where you can get the best of both worlds,” Toohill said. “You often have to make choices, but Stanford is not one of them. You can succeed at the highest level academically and in sports. This has been the best experience of my life.”

The Campbell Trophy is named for late Palo Alto businessman Bill Campbell, former Chairman of Intuit, VP of Marketing, board member of Apple Inc., and beloved mentor to many Silicon Valley executives. Campbell graduated from Columbia, where he played football and served as head coach from 1974-79.

PUNTING COMPETITION: Jake Bailey was a weapon for Stanford as a punter and kickoff specialist the last four years. He was adept at changing field position for the Cardinal defense and finished as the school’s career leader in punting average at 43.71 yards per attempt. Now playing for the New England Patriots, Bailey boomed 60 of 72 kickoffs for touchbacks last season.

Early in camp, three players are vying for his punting job: senior Collin Riccitelli, sophomore Alex Gracey and freshman Ryan Sanborn.

“Ryan has done a really good job of coming in quickly and trying to learn fast,” said Alamar. “He possesses a good leg, but it’s different — just the timing and speed of my operation. From high school to college can be up to half-a-second. And to do it without hurrying. He’s also competing for the kickoff job.”

Competition could come down to the final week of training camp.

“The bottom line is what punter gives us the best chance to create positive field position for the defense,” Alamar said.

BUSY SUMMER: Like many Stanford players, Toner interned this summer with a local venture capital firm called UP2398. One of the founders is from Hawaii, where Toner grew up, and attended the same high school (Punahou).

“There’s a big Hawaii connection and the name comes from the number of air miles from San Francisco to Hawaii,” said Toner.

EXTRA POINTS: Of Stanford’s 21 scholarship freshmen, about half have completed summer school classes and the rest will finish in the next 10 days … Fall classes start on Sept. 23 … The team wore full pads for the first time on Tuesday. “It was a hot day,” Shaw said. “Guys had to push through it a little bit but it was good.” … The public is invited to attend the only open scrimmage of camp on August 11 from 3:15-5:30 p.m. at Elliott Field.

QUOTE: “Walker (Little) is practicing at a high level and Foster (Sarell) is practicing the best since he’s been here.” — David Shaw on his junior offensive linemen.

San Jose State RBs shift attention to details and finishes

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By: Ana Kieu

Even though he was San Jose State’s leading rusher in each of the last two seasons, Tyler Nevens is focused on the present. The third-year running back and the Spartans would be thrilled this season to match his two-year career total of 1,224 rushing yards.

As he puts it, more importantly, Nevens and his fellow teammates plan a more cohesive approach on offense with the goal of finishing plays better than the past.

“As a running back group, we’ve been working really hard. We’ve been disciplined on the field and off the field as well. We learned a lot from our mistakes of last year and spring ball as well. We’re trying to get right and have the proper technique to finish plays and make big plays,” says Nevens, who had team-high totals of four rushing touchdowns and a long run of 38 yards last year.

According to running backs coach Alonzo Carter, this year’s offense plans to run the ball as much as possible. Coach Carter believes the Spartans have options at running back — power, experience, speed, change-of-pace, players capable of running through tackles, catch passes and can provide sufficient pass protection.”

“We have the ‘Harlem Heat’ as I call them — Tyler Nevens and DeJon Packer. They’re a pair of big 220-pound downhill runners and physical backs. Then, we have Kairee Robinson. He’s the difference maker. He changes the pace. He comes in. He gives you all the juice. Adding to that downhill style is Hunter Nye. And (Brendan) Manigo, he’s one of the fastest guys on the team. So, he can take off at any time,” says Carter.

The Spartans’ running backs coach also has goals for his group taking each play one play at a time. The reward, not necessarily, a bonus is more opportunities to run the football.

“Finishing. We want to be able to finish off plays, run through arm tackles, get to space, and, most importantly, make sure we protect the quarterback. In our room, “no block, no rock.” So, you have to block and be able to protect the quarterback. That comes with ‘maxing’ the protections and keep Josh Love clean,” Carter says.

Nevens concurs. He and his fellow running backs will be able to put words into action, especially during the Spartans’ first fall scrimmage on Saturday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. in CEFCU Stadium.

Tickets for the San Jose State season opener with Northern Colorado on Thursday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. and all home games are available at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets.

NOTES: Tyler Ervin (2014, 15), Brandon Rutley (2010, 11) and Nevens are the three Spartans to lead the team in rushing in consecutive seasons in the last 10 years.

Giant Collapse: S.F. falls to 1-6 in August after 4-1 loss to the Nationals

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — You’ve gotta win to be in it. Right now, the Giants are a step removed from winning.

They’re struggling just to compete after a third, consecutive sleepy loss to the Nationals at Oracle Park, and they’re barely in it, seeing their foothold in the wild card race slip away.

After a torrid 19-6 July, the Giants have lost six of seven in August. What’s worse, they’ve looked lifeless in front of the home fans that have waited all season to see some fireworks.  In all three games against Washington, the Giants fell behind 4-0. The closest semblance to a rally came Tuesday night, and it stalled two runs short.

“We had some of that mojo going but we’ve lost a little bit of it,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “How we get it back is a big thing. Right now, we are just not clicking.”

The Giants appeared to give themselves a boost by keeping their roster together for a stretch run at a playoff berth, a nod to all the upward movement achieved in July. A week later, besides keeping Madison Bumgarner, most would be hard pressed to recount all the moves. On Wednesday, more memorable was that the Nats took flight on the strength of a three-run homer from Gerardo Parra, who was released by the Giants in May after hitting .198 over 30 games.

Since joining the Nationals, Parra has hit .287 and his home run that increased their lead to 4-0 was his sixth since he was released.

“I say every time, thank you to the San Francisco Giants for giving me the opportunity to play the first month,” Parra said.

Parra’s home run left starting pitcher Shaun Anderson cooked once again. The rookie hurler hasn’t won since June 28, a span of seven starts. While the Giants won four of those starts, Anderson has trended downward, seeing his ERA balloon to 5.33. Anderson’s struggles mirror those of the Giants’ rookie starting pitchers, who haven’t won an assignment since Tyler Beede on July 14.

Offensively, the Giants produced three singles and three doubles, which added up to one, ninth inning run knocked home by Brandon Crawford. Similar to Monday’s matchup, the Giants appeared to have an edge facing Joe Ross, who is trying to establish himself at the big league level after injuries cost him almost all of 2018. But Ross had the upper hand, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings of work.

The Giants benefitted from a wild card race that saw no one run away from the pack in July. But with their recent stretch of losses, the Giants are seeing the pack run away from them. Now four games behind the Phillies, the Giants have two other teams–the streaking Mets and Diamondbacks–between them and the second wild card spot. What’s more troubling, the next four games against the Phillies will be their final games against wild card contenders not in the NL West.

On Thursday, Madison Bumgarner will take the mound in a match up with Aaron Nola of Philadelphia.

NOTES: Steven Duggar left Wednesday’s game after reinjuring his shoulder making a diving catch. He’ll get an MRI with the hope he can avoid a return trip to the injured list.

Cubs maul the A’s 10-1 on getaway day

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Photo credit: @Cubs

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Chicago Cubs blasted three home runs on Wednesday afternoon to defeat the A’s 10-1 at Wrigley Field. Chicago won the series 2-1.

The A’s are off on Thursday. They are staying in Chicago to face the White Sox for three games starting Friday afternoon.

A’s starter Homer Bailey did not fare well on Wednesday. Bailey, who had faced the Cubs many times when he was with the Cincinnati Reds, was knocked around by the Cubs. The big hit came in the fourth inning with the score tied at one. With the bases loaded, Cubs second baseman Ian Happ blasted an opposite-field grand slam to put the Cubs ahead 5-1. The Cubs’ starter, Jose Quintana stifled the A’s bats on Wednesday. Quintana went seven innings and allowed one run and two hits. He struck out seven A’s.

The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fourth. Marcus Semien led off the frame with a double down the left-field line. He tagged and went to third when Matt Chapman flew out to right. Semien scored on Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly to center. The Cubs tallied five times in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant singled. Bailey hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to put two men on. Cubs’ shortstop Javy Baez singled to drive in Bryant to tie the game 1-1. Bailey walked Kyle Scharber to load the bases. Happ hit the grand slam to make it 5-1. It was Happ’s second homer of the year and second career grand slam.

The Cubs put four more runs on the board in the fifth. Nick Castellanos continued to torment the A’s when he doubled with one out. He went to third on Rizzo’s infield single. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino gave up a single to Baez for the Cubs’ sixth run of the afternoon. Trivino then had to face the left-handed hitter Schwarber. Trivino, who has not been effective lately, gave up a gopher ball to Schwarber. The ball made it into the stands in left field, and the Cubs now led 9-1 after five complete.

There was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth. Blake Treinen was now pitching for Oakland. Treinen retired the first two hitters he faced. He could not get by the Cubs catcher Victor Caratini. Caratini blasted his sixth big fly of the season to make it 10-1.

Game Notes: Bailey saw his record drop to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-50 for the year. They remain 1/2 game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second Wild Card slot. The Rays lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Wednesday in Tampa.

Jose Quintana improved to 10-7 for the year. Quintana is 6-0 in his last seven starts for Chicago. The Cubs improved to 62-52. The Cubs’ home record is 41-19 at Wrigley. They do not play well on the road.

The A’s line score was one run, three hits, and no errors. Marcus Semien had two of the three A’s hits in the game. The Cubs’ line was 10 runs, eleven hits, and no errors.

Time of game was two hours and 37 minutes. 41,179 fans jammed the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to see their beloved Cubs down the A’s.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Chicago White Sox Friday afternoon in Chicago. Game time is set for 12:10 pm PT.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips 8/6/19

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  • Reporter Morris Phillips leads us through what is next for the Giants after the MLB Trade Deadline
  • Why are the Giants having so much trouble when they return home from a road trip?
  • Should the Giants reconfigure Oracle Park to make it more hitter-friendly?
  • Did the Giants do the right thing holding on to “MadBum”?
  • Will the Giants make the Wild Card?
  • The answers to these questions and more on this week’s edition of the Giants podcast with Morris Phillips

Rally falls short in Giants’ 5-3 loss to Nationals

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By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On the same day when they designated one of their most popular players for assignment, the San Francisco Giants still are unable to get a win.

Kurt Suzuki singled in Anthony Rendon with the only run that the Washington Nationals would need in the top of the first inning on their way to a 5-3 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 31,628 at Oracle Park.

Suzuki broke the game wide open in the top of the third inning, as he slammed a two-run home run that also scored former Giants outfielder Gerardo Parra, who singled right after Trea Turner led off the inning with a walk and went to third on the Parra single. Turner then scored when Rendon hit a sacrifice fly to Kevin Pillar.

Turner slammed his 10th home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning that helped the Nationals to their second win of the series, and secured the series win.

Anibal Sanchez pitched a great game, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three on his way to raising his record to 7-6 on the season.

Conner Menez made his second major league start, and this one was not like his major-league debut on July 21 against the New York Mets. In this outing, Menez went six innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four and lost for the first time in his major-league career.

Brandon Crawford drove in the Giants first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning, as he grounded out to first base that scored Pillar from third. Pillar got to third after he singled to lead off the inning, and raced to third on a throwing error by Sanchez.

Brandon Belt got the Giants a run closer in the bottom of the sixth inning, as his single to right field scored Pablo Sandoval, who came off the bench to pinch-hit for Menez and doubled to lead off the inning.

Sandoval seemed to be a spark for the Giants in the latter parts of the game, as he doubled again in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Pillar.

Jandel Gustave continues impress the team, as he once again went two innings for the third time since joining the team. In his three appearances, Gustave scattered four hits, walked two and struck out one.

Pillar went 3-for-4 on the night, and it was the fourth time this season he picked up at least three hits in a game.

Joe Panik, who was part of the 2014 World Series Champion Giants team was designated for assignment to make for Menez.

Panik, who will be best remembered for that dazzling diving stop of an Eric Hosmer hit in Game Seven of the 2014 World Series that eventually turned into a double play saw his playing time diminish with the recent acquisition of Scooter Gennett and the improvement at the plate of Donovan Solano.

“Nothing has driven me more than winning here in San Francisco,” Panik said in a statement. “I am forever grateful for the Giants taking the chance on me and allowing me to live out my life long dream. It is time for me to start the next chapter in my career. But in my heart I will always be a Giant.”

Bruce Bochy got a little emotional when talking about Panik prior to the game, as “one of the most difficult conversations I had in my life.”

Panik also came up big in the opening weekend at Dodger Stadium in 2018, when he hit home runs in the first two games of the season off of Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen that led to back-to-back wins for the Giants.

NOTES: Sandovals 17 pinch hits are the most in the major leagues and is now tied with Candy Maldonado with the second most in San Francisco Giants history.

His eight pinch-hit doubles breaks the season record he shared with Fred Lewis in the San Francisco era.

Sam Selman optioned to Sacramento after Mondays loss and Menez along with Williams Jerez were recalled from Sacramento.

Three Giants players throughout the minor leagues took home Player of the Month Awards for the month of July. Jaylin Davis, Seth Corry and Franklin Labour.

UP NEXT: Shaun Anderson will look to end the Giants three-game losing streak on Wednesday afternoon, as he takes the mound against Joe Ross, who is the younger brother of former Oakland As pitcher Tyson Ross and like his brother, went to Bishop O’Dowd High in Oakland.

A’s rout Lester, Cubs 11-4

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s came back from a tough 6-5 loss Monday night to pummel the Chicago Cubs and their ace, Jon Lester, 11-4 at Wrigley Field. Lester, who pitched for the A’s in 2014, suffered his worst loss since July 22, 2012, when he was with Boston and was trounced by the Toronto Blue Jays. The A’s sent Brett Anderson to the mound, and Anderson won his first game in a month. Anderson went six innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. Cubs third baseman rocked Anderson for a home run in the sixth.

The A’s put eight runs on the board in the top of the second. Mark Canha started the onslaught with a leadoff triple. Lester struck out Chad Pinder for the first out. Stephen Piscotty singled to drive in Canha with the A’s first run. Robbie Grossman singled to put two men on with one out. A’s catcher Dustin Garneau hit a blast that traveled 413 feet to the last row in the left-field seats to up the lead to 4-0. Brett Anderson followed with a single. Lester walked Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman to load the bases. Matt Olson singled to drive in Anderson and Semien. Chapman advanced to third on the play. Canha then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Chapman scored when the Cubs’ catcher Victor Caratini mishandled the throw from Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Olson went to third and scored on Chad Pinder’s ground out to second. The A’s led 8-0.

The A’s added three more in the top of the fourth. Matt Chapman worked Lester for a walk. Lester then struck out Olson and Canha. Pinder singled to put two men on with two out. Stephen Piscotty blasted his 10th round-tripper of the season to give the A’s a commanding 11-0 lead.

The Cubs scored two in the sixth and two in the ninth. It was too little and too late. The A’s won a laugher 11-4.

Game Notes; Brett Anderson improved to 10-7 for the season. Lester dropped to 9-8. The A’s are now 65-49 for the ear. They still trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 game for the second Wild Card Slot in the American League. The Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 in 10 innings to maintain their 1/2 game lead over the A’s.

Bob Melvin used Lou Trivino in the seventh, and Wei-Chung Wang pitched the eighth and ninth. Trivino pitched a scoreless seventh. Wang gave up four hits and two runs in his two innings of work.

Up Next: The A’s finish the three-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday. Homer Bailey (9-7) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by lefty Jose Quintana (9-7). Game time is at 11:00 am.