Tag: Baltimore Orioles

Don’t leave town now, Stay awhile!: A’s sweep hapless Orioles with 2-1 win

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s sweep of the Orioles came with all the necessary elements: superior pitching, timely hitting and dependable defense.

But would that list accurately explain how the A’s won three games–by a combined five runs–in three days?

No way. This story starts with sorry state of affairs for the visiting Orioles and those 12 consecutive road losses.. and counting. Rarely, does one big league team catch another at its lowest point. The A’s did that when they welcomed the stumbling O’s to the Coliseum’s visiting clubhouse on Friday.

“They have an explosive offense and a great manager. You just hope they stay down while they’re here,” said manager Bob Melvin.

When the series began the A’s had their own issues, scuffling to score runs in a skid that saw four losses in five games. In response, Melvin implored his club to find its run-scoring groove earlier in ballgames. Melvin’s nudge worked Friday night when the A’s put up a four-spot in the first inning, but then his club scored twice in the next 18 innings, while going scoreless for the first 11 frames Saturday.

From Oakland’s perspective, not much change.

But it hardly mattered with the Orioles committing five errors in the series, scoring one run over the final 24 innings of the weekend, and looking defeated before they actually lost.

What’s wrong with the Orioles? Well to start, just about everything. They entered the year in a rebuilding phase, unable to go any further with a roster clearly inferior to AL East rivals Boston and New York, and things got worse from there. After Sunday, they’re a major league worst 8-26, hitting just .220 as a team, and they can’t catch or throw. Their 26 errors in 34 games ranks second-worst in the American League.

“We’ve got to man up, grow up, start playing better. Period. No ands, ifs or buts about it. We’ve just got to play better. We’re just not good enough right now,” said Orioles’ catcher Caleb Joseph.

On Sunday, veteran outfielders Adam Jones and Trey Mancini were late scratches, and platoon guys, CF Adam Gentry and 3B Pedro Alvarez, were in the Baltimore lineup but scuffling in one way or another. A’s starter Andrew Triggs, possibly still smarting from his unceremonious release from the Baltimore organization in March 2016, took it from there.

Triggs pitched seven, strong innings allowing two hits and striking out a season-high nine. The A’s pushed across a pair of runs in the fourth, and made them stand up in a 2-1 win. The Orioles threatened in the ninth, with a runner at third and one out, but closer Blake Treinen shut the door, getting Jace Peterson to ground out to second with the infield playing in. Then after intentionally walking Manny Machado, Treinen retired Chris Davis on a fly out to end it.

Standing near the game’s summary–as in foul territory adjacent to the diamond–was the story behind the story of how this game was won involving Triggs and Alvarez. In the spring of 2016, the then 29-year old Alvarez was a free agent, after he was non-tendered by the Pirates despite hitting 27 homers and appearing in 150 games for Pittsburgh in 2015.

When Alvarez drew little interest on the free agent market likely due to him averaging 177 strikeouts per season over his six full big league seasons, and being a below average defender at first and third base, the Orioles entertained the idea of signing the slugger and playing him in right field.

At the same time, Triggs had established himself as a minor league standout in the Baltimore organization, saving 17 games as a closer for Double-A Bowie while compiling a microscopic 1.03 ERA. That prompted the Orioles to add Triggs to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season, to prevent some team from poaching the right-handed prospect via the Rule 5 draft.

But when the Orioles agreed to a one-year deal with Alvarez for a price-friendly $5.75 million for one year, plus incentives, Triggs was released to make room for Alvarez on the 40-man roster. Soon thereafter, Triggs signed with the A’s.

Fast forward two years to Sunday, and what transpires? Alvarez hits a home run off Triggs in the second inning, but it’s the only run the A’s pitcher allows. Two innings later, Alvarez–playing third base despite his error-laden history–bobbles a throw from pitcher Alex Cobb, then recovers, only to make an errant throw to second base that ends up in right field. That allows two A’s baserunners to advance a base. The baserunners–Mark Canha and Matt Joyce–end up scoring the tying and eventual game-winning runs later in that inning.

The A’s moved a season-best, two games over .500 with the win.

On Monday, the A’s get a much stiffer challenge from the AL West-leading Astros at 7:05 p.m. Brett Anderson gets the start for the A’s, Dallas Keuchel for the Astros.

 

 

 

A’s beat O’s 2-0 in 12 innings on Khris Davis two-run walk-off home run

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Davis winning HR
Khris Davis hits the game-winning walk-off HR in the 12th inning Photo: @Athletics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Oakland – Both teams deserved to win this game. That line is overused by sports reporters around the world, but on Saturday night at the Coliseum, it was the truth. The Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics put on game-winning performances in their 12-inning affair but in baseball, there are no ties. The A’s won the game 2-0.

The Athletics left the field with their 17th victory of the season after designated hitter Khris Davis hit a Pedro Araujo 3-1 pitch halfway up into the seats in left field with Jed Lowrie on at first with no outs in the bottom of the 12th inning. Unbelievably, the A’s never had a runner in scoring position during the entire contest. It is not often a team is going to escape with a win and never had advanced a runner to second base, but there was nothing usual about this game.

Old Fashion Pitchers Dual

Cahill working
Trevor Cahill recorded 12 strikeouts in a no-decision Saturday Photo: @Athletics

Trevor Cahill started the game for Oakland. Cahill set the tone for the game in the top of the first inning when he struck out the first three Orioles he faced. He struck five of the first six hitters to come bat against him. Cahill looked unbeatable on the mound.

Cahill would go on to work 6.0-innings and record 12 strikeouts while walking just one Baltimore batter. That tied Cahill for the second most strikeouts in six or fewer innings in Oakland history.

Cahill did not give up a run and allowed just four hits. He threw 98 pitches (58 strikes). Manager Bob Melvin indicated the plan was for Cahill to work seven innings but he did not want the righty to exceed 100 pitches.

Gausman
Kevin Gausman threw nine innings of two-hit baseball Photo: @Orioles

The other phenomenal story was Baltimore starting pitcher Kevin Gausman who entered the game with a record of 2-2. Gausman pitched a career-high nine innings and threw 113 pitches (66 strikes). He began the game throwing 89 mph and his last pitch of the contest registered at 98 mph on the radar gun.

Gausman threw nine shutout innings allowing just two hits while striking out six Oakland batters and walking two. It was a pitching performance that would normally have resulted in a victory.

The real irony for both of these starting pitchers who performed so well was they both recorded a no-decision for the game.

Relievers were key in this game

Oakland

  • Yusmeiro Petit came on in relief of Cahill in the top of seventh. Petit really struggled on Friday night but Melvin said had no hesitancy about sending Petit back to the hill. Petit threw 2.0-innings giving up no runs and allowing just one hit. He struck out four and walked three.
  • Santiago Casilla worked innings nine and 10. He pitched two shutout innings allowing just one hit and one hit batter.
  • Danny Coulombe pitched 1.1-innings striking out four Orioles and allowing one hit.
  • Chris Hatcher replaced Coulombe in the top of the 12th with one out. He walked the first man he faced – Trey Mancini. Craig Gentry was brought in as a pinch-runner for Mancini. With Adam Jones at bat, Gentry attempted to steal second base but was thrown out on a strong throw from catcher Bruce Maxwell to second baseman Jed Lowrie. It was the second caught stealing executed by Maxwell in the game. Hatcher induced Jones to ground out third to first for the final out of the game. Hatcher (3-0) picked up the win as he was the pitcher of record when Davis hit the game-winning home run.

Baltimore

  • Mychal Givens worked two great innings of relief of the O’s. He struck out five of the six Oakland hitters he faced and allowed no baserunners. It was simply a perfect relief effort.
  • Pedro Araujo worked the fateful 12th inning giving up the game-winning two-run home run to Davis. He is hung with the loss and is now 1-3 for the season.
Cahill K
Counting them up for Cahill Photo: @Athletics

Vital Stats

Oakland (17-16) 2 runs, 4 hits, no errors

Baltimore (8-25) 0 runs, 7 hits, no errors

Time of the game: 3:32

Attendance: 24612

Up Next

The Orioles will send RHP Alex Cobb (0-3, 9.68) to the hill to faceoff against the Athletics RHP Andrew Triggs (2-1, 5.20). This will be Cobb’s fifth start of the season. His last start versus the Angels was his longest outing of the year when he pitched 6.0-innings. Cobb has allowed 10 hits in three of his starts and allows just over five runs per appearance.

Triggs will make his seventh start of the season for Oakland. He made the start last Tuesday on the road in Seattle. Triggs pitched 4.2-innings in that game giving up four runs (all earned) off six hits. He struck out four hitters and walked three while throwing 89 pitches (49 strikes). The A’s went on to lose that game 6-3.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM.

 

 

 

A’s Score 4 in First, Need a Few More for 6-4 Win Over O’s

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s opened the weekend homestand against the Baltimore Orioles with a 6-4 win over the Birds friday night. The A’s rode homers from Khris Davis and Matt Olson in a four-run first inning, but needed Jed Lowrie’s RBI single in the sixth inning to pick up the win. Daniel Mengden fired five innings of three-hit, one-run ball for Oakland (16-16), but the Orioles tied the game off reliever Yusmeiro Petit in the sixth inning. Lou Trivino (2-0, 0.93 ERA) picked up the win in relief.

Adam Jones, appearing in career game 1,500 with the O’s, started the game with a solo homer for a 1-0 lead. Oakland bounced back in the bottom of the 1st though, with Khris Davis launching a three-run homer off Andrew Cashner and Matt Olson going back-to-back with a solo bomb.

Apart from Jones’ solo shot, Mengden pitched effectively outing but was pulled after five innings with 84 pitches under his belt. Petit entered the game giving up four consecutive singles to put the A’s ahead by just one at 4-3. He got the punch-out prone Pedro Alvarez for the first out, but gave up another single to Danny Valencia for a tie ballgame. Trivino came in and got a double play from Jace Peterson on just his 2nd pitch thrown.

Brad Brach, on in the bottom of the sixth after getting the last out in the fifth, saw  Stephen Piscotty reach base on a throwing error by Manny Machado. Jonathan Lucroy collected one of three hits on the night, doubling to put runners on second and third with no outs. Brach got Matt Joyce to fly out weakly, then saw his defense cut Piscotty down at the plate on a fielder’s choice, but the major’s hit leader Jed Lowrie would knock in his 31st RBI on a single to tag Brach (0-2, 5.84) with the loss. Marcus Semien would single in the insurance run in the 8th inning.

Oakland sends Trevor Cahill to the mound for Gme 2 of the series. The Orioles counter with Kevin Gausman. First pitch is at 6:05 pm PT.

Orioles 12 runs, 20 hits & a win; A’s lose as Manaea goes only 1/3 of an inning

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Bob Melvin after the 12-5 loss on Manaea and more

A’s fans did not see this one coming

The Baltimore Orioles sent 11 men to the plate and Sean Manaea to the showers in the top the first inning on Saturday night in Oakland. Manaea was no mystery to the O’s hitters who roughed him up for six runs (all earned) on six hits in 1/3 inning of work.

RHP Michael Brady – who was just recalled from Nashville by the Athletics – took over for Manaea with one out in first inning. He gave up one run when he gave up a two RBI-double to the Orioles shortstop Tim Beckham (one run was charged to Manaea). After 1/2 inning of play, Baltimore led Oakland 7-0.

The A’s made some noise of their own in the bottom of the first. Newcomer Boog Powell picked up a leadoff walk. Chad Pinder struck out and Jed Lowrie grounded out. That brought Khris Davis to the plate to face RHP Dylan Bundy. Davis hit the first pitch from Bundy over center field wall for a two-run home run – his 32nd of the season. After one inning of play, the Baltimore led Oakland 7-2.

The Athletics held the Orioles scoreless in the top of the second inning. Rookie Matt Olson led off the bottom of the second for the A’s. He took the 1-0 pitch from Bundy over the right field wall on a line drive for his sixth home of the year to make a 7-3 game. The crowd of 29,742 fans started coming to life because it looked like the Athletics might make a game of it after all.

The Orioles began to dash the hopes of the Oakland fans in the top of the fourth inning. Joey Rickard led off and was hit by a pitch. Tim Beckham hit a double that moved Rickard to third. With two out and runners at second and third, the veteran Adam Jones singled to left-center field and drove the runners home to give Baltimore a 9-3 lead over the Athletics.

The A’s made some noise in the home half of the eighth inning with Orioles third pitcher of the game Miguel Castro on the mound. Ryon Healy led off with a single to right. With one out, Matt Chapman doubled to left moving Healy up to third base. Catcher Bruce Maxwell hit a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Healy home from third and moved Chapman up to third. Marcus Semien singled to right to drive Chapman in from third to make it a 9-5 game in favor of the Orioles. At that point, A’s fans felt like their team still had a chance to comeback in the game.

The Athletics went with their only left-handed reliever – Daniel Coulombe – to face the O’s in the ninth. The Orioles were not kind to Coulombe as they scored three runs on five hits (including three doubles). When the top half of the inning was over, Baltimore held a commanding 12-5 lead which would ultimately be the final score of the game.

The Orioles scored 12 runs on 20 hits. The committed one error and left nine runners on base. The A’s put up five runs on 10 hits. They played error free baseball and also left nine men on base.

Time of the game was 3 hours and 20 minutes.

In the batters box

Bal Jones vet hitting
Veteran Adam Jones went 3-for-5 at the plate*

Oakland

  • Khris Davis had a 2-for-4 game that included a home run (32) and two RBI (83)
  • Matt Olson showed his power with home run number six and RBI number 12
  • Matt Chapman went 2-for-3 with two doubles (12), one run and one RBI
  • DH Ryon Healy was 2-for-5 and scored a run
  • The A’s were just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position

Baltimore

Bal Beckham Maxwell
The A’s saw way too much of Beckham on Saturday*
  • Tim Beckham continues to hit at another level since joining the Orioles. He went 4-for-5 in this game with three doubles (12), scored three runs and posted three RBI (45). Beckham extended his hitting streak to 12 games. There have to be some general managers asking how did we overlook him at the trade deadline?
  • The veteran Adam Jones had a 3-for-5 night at the plate and recorded three RBI. He also scored a run.
  • First baseman Chris Davis who has been struggling going just 1-for-14 on the current road trip had 2-for-4 night that included two RBI.
  • The O’s scored 12 runs without the benefit of hitting one home run in the contest. They did hit eight doubles in the game. Many of those extra-base hits banged off the walls.
  • As a team, Baltimore was 9-for-18 with runners in scoring position

On the hill

Oakland

  • It was a nightmare for starter Sean Manaea who takes the loss and falls to 8-7 on the season. He gave up six runs (all earned) on six hits in 0.1 innings of work. His ERA now stands at 4.59
  • Michael Brady worked hard coming into a very difficult long relief situation early in the game. He worked 5.1 innings giving up three runs (earned) on seven hits. Brady struck out five Orioles and walked none
  • Liam Hendriks worked a scoreless 1.1 innings
  • Josh Smith did not allow a run in his one inning of work
  • Daniel Coulombe allowed three runs (earned) on five hits in one inning of relief

Baltimore

BAL Dylan Bundy
Dylan Bundy struck out 10 A’s hitters on his way to the win
  • Dylan Bundy got the win and improves to 12-8 on the season. It was an odd win by the numbers. He pitched 6.0 innings giving up three runs (earned) on seven hits including two home runs which accounted for all three runs. Bundy walked three and struck out 10 (the second time his has struck out that many in his career)
  • Darren O’Day worked a perfect seventh inning
  • Miguel Castro lasted just 0.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits to the A’s in the eighth inning.
  • Mychal Givens (a converted infielder) closed the game giving up no runs or hits in his 1.1 innings on the hill

Up next

The Orioles and Athletics will conclude their four-game series on Sunday at the Coliseum beginning at 1:05 pm PDT. Baltimore will start RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 2.08) while Oakland will send RHP Kendall Graveman (2-3, 4.97) to the mound for the home team.

*Photos USA TODAY Sports

Giants bullpen gives up sure win in late innings

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

SAN FRANCISCO – Johnny Cueto (13-3) appeared to have his first win since the All Star break in the bag after he threw a solid six and two thirds innings, allowing just three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Cueto also had a nice day at the plate putting together two hits and driving in a run. However, the Giants bullpen fell apart in the late innings and allowed the Orioles to make things competitive.

Hunter Strickland came in to relieve Cueto and got out of a seventh inning jam but gave up two runs in the seventh to let the Orioles back into the ball game, which included a solo shot by Mark Trumbo. The blast was Trumbo’s was number 34 of the season he still leads the AL in that category.

Derek Law replaced Strickland in the eighth and was able to limit the damage as the Giants still held a 7-5 lead heading into the top half of the ninth.

Then Santiago Casilla came into the game and not only let two runners get on base, but threw a hanging curveball right over the heart of the plate to Baltimore second baseman, Johnathan Schoop. Schoop made Casilla pay as he crushed the hanging breaking ball into the left field bleachers to give the Orioles the lead, eight to seven. The homer marked Casilla’s fifth blown save of the year.

“I have confidence in all my pitches,” Casilla said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I threw the curveball, and I just made a mistake. The ball didn’t break.”

The Giants then tried to make something happen off Orioles closer Zach Britton in the bottom of the ninth, but unfortunately could not get a run across the plate to push the game into extra innings. Britton added to his league leading save total, 37, as Baltimore sits just a half game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.

For San Francisco, its their 18th loss since the Mid Summer Classic and a real bad one after they held a six run lead heading into the top of the seventh.

The orange and black hit their stride at the plate, tallying 14 hits for seven runs and forced Orioles skipper, Buck Showalter,  to remove starter Wade Miley in the fifth inning.

Giants back up catcher Trevor Brown got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second inning. Brown got the start behind the dish after Buster Posey was a last minute scratch due to back tightness. The injury could have been sustained from the flight back and has gradually worsened, according to Posey.

Before Sunday’s ball game, Brown had been hitless in his last seven at bats, with just three hits in his last 19. But Brown made the most out of his start and was a huge spark for SF’s offense. He finished the game three for five with three RBIs.

“He’s been great,” Posey said about Brown’s performance this year. “He gave us a chance to win the game.”

Outfielder Hunter Pence also had a good game and it appears his swing could be coming into form. Pence hit a bomb to center field, 436 feet to be exact, and added a single during the Giants big fifth inning. Pence’s dinger was his first since returning from the disabled list. Prior to today’s game, Pence had not put one into the seats dating all the way back to May 18.

Fortunately, the Dodgers (65-52) lost to Pittsburgh on Sunday, 11-3, keeping the Giants a game ahead in the NL West.

After blowing a huge lead and taking a loss in what looked to be the Giants first back-to-back wins since July 30 and 31 as well as their second consecutive series victory, San Francisco will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at home tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. PT as Matt Moore takes the mound.

“I think everyone knows what’s at stake. I don’t think there’s really any motivation needed,” Posey said. “This time of the year, this is when it’s fun. Each game as we get further and further along will have a little more importance on it. I think the group of guys in here generally thrive in these situations.”

Oakland A’s Wednesday game wrap: The A’s beat the O’s again, Ross Detwiler shines in 1-0 shutout

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The A’s beat the Baltimore Orioles again behind the strong performance of the veteran lefty Ross Detwiler. The final score was 1-0. Detwiler, traded to Oakland by Cleveland, was recalled from Nashville to start for the Green and Gold, Detwiler was 4-0 in Nashville and with his performance Wednesday probably will make another start shortly. Detwiler pitched eight scoreless innings and allowed just six hits and did not walk a batter. He just mesmerized the Oriole hitters. A’s manager Bob Melvin said Detwiler “mixed it up really good. He kept the ball down in the zone, and it was way more than we expected.” Melvin also said that Detwiler’s performance was phenomenal
The A’s and veteran lefty Ross Detwiler dodged a bullet in the first inning. He gave up two singles and threw two wild pitches, but the Orioles failed to score. With Jones at second, O’s shortstop J.J.Hardy singled just over Danny Valencia’s head in right field. Jones was waiting to tag up as he thought the ball might be caught. When it wasn’t, Jones took off and tried to score. The home plate umpire ruled him safe but the A’s ask for a review. The call was overturned, and Jones was ruled out. Jones never got his front leg down, and A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell tagged him on his back foot for the out.

The A’s scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the third. Doubles by Marcus Semien and Yonder Alonso produced the only run the A’s would need to win their third straight one-run game.

Game Notes. The A’s now have a three-game winning streak and are in fourth place in the AL West. With the loss, the Orioles are now in second-place in the AL East, a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays.

The A’s and O’s conclude the four-game series Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 12:35 pm. Andrew Triggs will pitch for Oakland, and the A’s will face the Oriole ace, Chris Tillman.

Time of game was two hours and twenty-four minutes and 13,481 happy fans watched the A’s win.

O’s power their way past the A’s 11-3

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
693Athletics Orioles Baseball
Patrick Semansky AP Photo

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sunday afternoon in Baltimore started off with promise for the Oakland Athletics. The A’s put up three runs in the top of the first inning, and they appeared ready to do battle to win the rubber game of the three game series with the Orioles.

Instead, the A’s allowed the O’s to put on a power display that included six home runs, score 11 unanswered runs and never scored again after the first inning en route to losing the game 11-3. The loss meant the A’s also lost the series two games to one.

Oakland has now lost six of their last seven games. Even more importantly, the A’s have dropped four games under .500 for the first time this season. They are now 4.5-games behind division leading Seattle.

In the batter’s box

Manny Machado was the star of the game for the Orioles on Sunday. Machado went 2-for-4 in the game with six RBI. Both of his hits were home runs. His home run in the bottom of the eighth inning was a grand slam that put the game out of reach for the A’s. Machado now has nine home runs for the season.

Mark Trumbo went 3-for-5, had two RBI, scored a run and hit his ninth home run of the year in the game off Graveman.

Joey Rickard had a strong day at the leadoff spot for the O’s. Rickard went 2-for-4, scored three runs, had an RBI and hit his third home run of the season off Ryan Dull.

Jonathan Schoop could do no wrong on Sunday. Schoop went 3-for-4, scored two runs, recorded a RBI and hit his fifth home run of the year.

Designated Hitter Matt Wieters got in on the power act hitting his fifth round tripper of the season off Graveman in the second inning.

The Orioles scored 11 runs off 12 hits. The picked up five base-on-balls and struck out just eight times. Baltimore left 13 men on base.

The key man at the plate the A’s was Josh Reddick. Reddick went 3-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI. He has eight hits in his last eight consecutive at-bats which ties a franchise record. Reddick’s success at the plate has also caused the opposing team’s defense to abandon the shift which opens up the field for him.

Danny Valencia continues to look strong since returning to the lineup. Valencia went 2-for-4 on Sunday with a RBI.

On the hill

RHP Chris Tillman started the game for Baltimore. After giving up three to the A’s in the top of the first, no one thought Tillman would be around long enough to figure into the decision let alone pick up the win. Tillman went 6.1 innings giving up three runs (all earned) off six hits. He struck out seven and walked four. With the victory, Tillman’s record improves to 4-1 on the year.

Brad Brach and Vance Worley combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for Baltimore to close out the game.

Kendall Graveman struggled again as a starter for the Athletics. Today his sinker just was not sinking. The opposing hitters were able to tee up on his pitches and drive them where they wanted the ball to go. Graveman gave up six runs on five hits in 2.2 innings of work. He walked three, struck out two and issued four home runs. Graveman took the loss and his record now stands at 1-4.

Ryan Dull and Marc Rzepczynski came on in relief of Graveman.

J.B. Wendelken – who was called up from Triple-A Nashville – saw action in his first major league game ever. He may want to forget the experience. Wendelken worked 1.1 innings and his time on the mound ended with Manny Machado hitting a grand slam home run off the rookie. It was not a storybook beginning to a career.

A’s backup catcher Josh Phegley took the mound to close out the game out for Oakland.

Up next

The A’s stay on the East Coast and open a three-game series in Boston on Monday night. Sonny Gray is scheduled to face Clay Buchholz in the series opener.

The Orioles travel to Minnesota for a three-game series with the Twins.

Oakland A’s Preview of the Weekend series with the Orioles; Bassitt to undergo Tommy John surgery

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

file photo by Bay Area News Group: Oakland A’s starting pitcher Chris Bassitt pitching in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum September 24, 2015

Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt will need reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Cincinnati doctor Dr. Timothy Kremchek said that Bassitt will need ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. Surgery is schedule for this Friday. The A’s put Bassitt on the DL  last Friday after a Thursday game where he got lit up in Detroit giving up seven runs and ten hits in 3.2 innings. Bassitt on the season was 0-2 with a 6.11 ERA.

The Oakland A’s will be in Baltimore Friday night to start a three-game series with the Orioles. The Orioles got off to a hot start winning the first seven games of the season but have cooled off recently and have a record of 15-11. They are currently in second-place in the AL East just 1/2 game behind the Boston Red Sox. The Birds play the Yankees Thursday night at Camden Yards.

The A’s will be on their second long road trip to the East Coast. They went on a ten-game trip from April 19th to April 28th when they played the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers. The A’s won the first four games on that trip but lost five of six before coming home to play Houston and Seattle.  The A’s won the first two games against Houston but lost the finale and then were swept by Seattle. The A’s hope to find their mojo as playing Baltimore, Boston, and Tampa Bay will be no picnic.

The Orioles have a lot of power in their lineup. They are led by Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and Matt Wieters. Machado, who is just twenty-three years old and in his fifth season in the Bigs, will be playing at short in place of J.J.Hardy. Hardy broke his foot and is on the DL for six weeks. Machado has been at third but he is very athletic, and there should be no problem with him moving over to short. Machado is hitting .355 and has an astounding OPS of 1.083. The Orioles brought in the power hitter, Mark Trumbo from Seattle. Trumbo is having a terrific year so far. He is hitting .337, with eight home runs and twenty-two RBIs. Perennial All-Star, Adam Jones was sidelined early in the season due to a rib injury. Jones is just now becoming the player that he has been, and that could spell trouble for the A’s pitchers.  The Orioles Chris Davis, not to be confused with the A’s Khris Davis, can really pound the ball and he loves playing in the homer-haven Camden Yards. Davis hit over forty dingers last year and has seven so far this season. He is not hitting for average, but the A’s pitchers have to be careful with him.

The A’s will face Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright, and Chris Tillman over the weekend. Jimenez’ record is 1-3, and he has an ERA of 5.20. Wight is 1-2 and Tillman, who is the ace of the staff, is 3-1 and has an ERA of 2.81. The A’s will use left Rich Hill on Friday. Jesse Hahn and Kendall Graveman will go on Saturday and Sunday. Hill is 3-3 and has not been able to be consistent. He does have a lot of strikeouts, but he did not have command of his pitches in his last start. The Orioles have been very tough on lefties this year, and Hill will have to be on top of his game if the A’s are to get a win.

Should be an interesting series. The Orioles will be trying to get back on the winning track as they have lost six of their last ten The A’s, too, want to right the ship. They have lost nine of the last twelve games played and have fallen into fourth place in the AL West with a record of 13-16. The A’s starting rotation has been a problem as they have lost Felix Dubrount for the season and Chris Bassitt may also have surgery soon. Sonny Gray has not looked like the Sonny Gray of 2015. He lost to Seattle the other night, but Bob Melvin said he thought he pitched well. Gray lasted just two innings against Detroit in his previous start. Jesse Hahn was terrific in his first start of the season against Houston. He did not have a good spring, but he seems to have put it all together while he was in Nashville. The bullpen has been very good but fell apart on Wednesday as the A’s lost to Seattle. The A’s do not have a lineup with a lot of big power hitters as the Jays, Orioles, Tigers and Red Sox. They have players like Josh Reddick, Khris Davis, Stephen Vogt, and Marcus Semien. These guys will hit between fifteen and twenty homers a year, but they are not in the sam league as a Nelson Cruz or a Mark Trumbo or a Joey Bautista. They A’s did have two big boppers, but one plays for the Mets(Cespedes), and the other is with Toronto(Donaldson).

The A’s like to think that they are like the little train that could. They play with confidence, and they never quit. Bob Melvin and his staff are responsible for instilling that ethic in the players.

 

Donaldson’s Dramatics: 3-Run Homer In Ninth Beats Baltimore 5-4

Published on by kahlilnajar7Leave a comment
Oakland Athletics' Josh Donaldson (20) is welcomed after hitting the game-winning three-run home run off Baltimore Orioles' Zach Britton in the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 18, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. Oakland won 5-4. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Oakland Athletics’ Josh Donaldson (20) is welcomed after hitting the game-winning three-run home run off Baltimore Orioles’ Zach Britton in the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 18, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. Oakland won 5-4. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Kahlil Najar

OAKLAND – The fireworks weren’t over after the All-Star game for the A’s. Josh Donaldson cranked a three-run shot to deep right-center field in the bottom of the ninth to give the A’s (60-36) a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles (52-43).

“It was an amazing game all around,” said Bob Melvin. “Being able to put up a three spot in the ninth against a really good closer without an out. We’re going to play all 27 outs.”The game played out like a heavyweight boxing match. The hated Manny Machado and the Baltimore Orioles were coming to town six weeks after Machado and Donaldson had some words at third base and the teams matched each other with beaning each others players.

The A’s were able to get on the board first in the bottom of the third inning when Coco Crisp was able to cross home plate. Crisp hit a single to get on base then advanced to second on a wild pitch by Baltimore starting pitcher Chris Tillman. With Crisp on second John Jaso hit his 15th double of the year to center field and scored Crisp easily to give the A’s a 1-0 lead.

Baltimore waited until the fifth inning to strike and take the lead from Oakland. J.J. Hardy was beaned by Samardzija to start the inning and was moved to third after a single by Machado and ground out by the Orioles. Schoop then came up and hit his seventh home run of the year to left field and make it a 2-1 game.

Oakland didn’t take long to respond as Derek Norris came up in the bottom of the inning and hit a line shot over to left field that missed hitting the net in the Overstock.com “O” and tied the game at two a piece.

In the seventh, after hearing boos all night Manny Machado hit his 10th home run of the season over the out of town scoreboard with Hardy on base to give the Orioles a 4-2 lead. The homer was a slap in the face of all 27,000 Oakland fans that were in attendance as they could feel this one slipping away.

That was until the bottom of the ninth.

The Orioles put in their reliable closer Zach Britton to close the game. Back to Back Home Run Derby champion Yoenis Cespedes was up to bat first. The crowd was anxious in anticipation on a homer from Yo but he did the exact opposite. Cespedes hit a slow roller to third base that Machado wasn’t ready for so Cespedes was able to make it to first safely. Brandon Moss was next and he hit a nice bloop single to right field that landed him at first and the speedy Cespedes made it to third. Donaldson, who had been without a hit tonight, came up to the plate representing the winning run. On a first pitch two-seam fastball down the middle of the plate, Donaldson launched his 21st home run of the year into the back of the Coliseum and sent everyone home with a 5-4 Oakland victory.

The battle between Machado and Donaldson was not lost on crowd tonight or on Bob Melvin. Nor were the lead changing home runs by each player.

“Certainly there’s a little of irony involved in the whole thing,” said Melvin. “Our fans came out and there was some heckling. I think Machado handled it pretty well and he had a huge at bat and hit a big home run. Then to see JD come up in the ninth and you think ‘Really? Could this happen?’ and it did. We’ve seen JD come up big for us in those big at bats.”

The A’s and Orioles head back at it tomorrow night when Jason Hammel takes on Wei-Yin Chen, game time 6:05 pm.

A’s win a “laugher” over the O’s 11-1

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics were involved in a wild baseball affair on Sunday in Baltimore. The game featured 12-runs, 16-hits, 15-walks, an overturned grand slam home run, a bench clearing confrontation between the teams and two ejections as the A’s defeated the Orioles 11-1. The win also gave the series victory to Oakland two games to one.

The A’s not only showed off their high-powered offense but they also demonstrated their high-quality pitching. Scott Kazmir worked seven innings of shutout baseball giving up just four-hits while striking out seven hitters and walking just two men. Kazmir threw 96 pitches (62 strikes) en route to his seventh win of the season. Kazmir’s ERA is now a paltry 2.20.

The overriding philosophy of the A’s is to have their hitters “get on base”. They do not care if you get a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch as long as you get on base. On Sunday, the A’s walked more times than they got a hit. Oakland recorded 11 bases-on-balls off Baltimore pitching. Add to that 10-hits and you can see that the A’s had runners on base almost constantly.

The big inning for the A’s came in the top of the third. Derek Norris led off the inning with a walk. Callaspo then walked. Kyle Banks walked to load the bases for John Jaso. Jaso hit a fly ball to deep right-center field that appeared to leave the park and was called a home run by the umpires. The umpires reviewed the play and changed the call to a double. Norris and Callaspo scored but Banks was sent back to third while Jaso returned to second with a two-run double.

With runners at second and third and no outs, Nick Punto walked on four straight pitches from Ubaldo Jimenez. Josh Donaldson hit into a force out at home but the bases remained loaded with one out. Brandon Moss then took the first pitch to him over the center field wall for a grand slam home run with no review required. Moss’ 16th home run of the season gave the A’s a 6-0 lead and sent Jimenez to the showers after just 2.1-innings.

The A’s went on to score a run in the fourth inning, three-runs in the fourth inning and one in the ninth inning for the 11-1 win.

Jaso and Moss finished the game with four-RBI each. Nick Punto posted two-RBI and both came with two outs in the inning. The A’s left only two runners in scoring position with two out.

John Jaso went two for six and a run scored to go with his four-RBI. Punto went two for three with a run and two walks plus his two-RBI. Yoenis Cespedes went two for five on the day. Alberto Callaspo went one for three with two walks and three runs scored.

The Athletics went six for 10 with runners in scoring position.

In a lineup oddity, the A’s used three catchers in the game but only two worked behind the plate. Jaso was the DH, Vogt played right field and Derek Norris was the starting catcher. In the bottom of the sixth-inning, Manny Machado hit Norris with his back-swing and Norris was taken out of the game as a precaution. Vogt came in from right field to take over the catching duties.

In the bottom of the eighth-inning, Machado came to bat with two out. Machado thought a 1-1 pitch from Abad was deliberately thrown at his knees. On the next pitch, Machado swung and let the bat fly down the third base line. There was little doubt that he intended the bat to fly at Abad. Both benches cleared their dugouts and the pitchers emptied the bullpens. There were a few shoves and some yelling but it was a “nothing to see here” situation. The umpires ejected Machado and Abad once calm was restored.

Machado was also the instigator of the benches clearing brawl in the Friday night game. Machado can expect a less than warm welcome from A’s fans when Baltimore comes to Oakland in July.

The A’s are four for six on the road trip and now head to Los Angeles for a three-game series with the Angels.