Tag: Boston Red Sox

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s crumbled after great start, which has Melvin concerned after four losses

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie:

#1 The Oakland A’s opened up Monday night’s game with four runs after two innings and the start of the contest looked promising. The A’s Jurickson Profar started things off with a second inning, two-run single.

#2 It didn’t last long as Profar committed an error when he couldn’t handle an inning-ending double play ball in the third and the Boston Red Sox went on to score six runs.

#3 The loss now is the A’s fourth in a row as they dropped the first of three to the Sox to open the series. How concerned is manager Bob Melvin with a lot more of this road trip left?

#4 Profar is hitting just .165 and has been struggling, but the A’s need him at second base as they don’t have many choices at the moment. Do they stay with him or start to scout for another second baseman?

#5 The A’s will start Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) and the Red Sox Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA). Porcello had to have five starts to get his first win and Brooks got his second win after pitching five innings in good outing against the Rangers.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

BoSox big inning sinks A’s at Fenway 9-4

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @RedSox

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, April 29, 2019

Oakland got off to a good start Monday at Fenway Park, but the Red Sox got off to a better one.

The A’s jumped to a four-run lead after two innings. Boston surged ahead in with a six-run third and stayed there for a 9-4 win. It was the fourth straight loss for Oakland.

Boston returned to the win column after dropping two games to AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Xander Bogarets had the big hit of that six-run rally, sending a game-tying two-run double over the head of A’s centerfielder Ramon Laureano. It was revenge of sorts for Bogarets, who was thrown out by Laureano in consecutive games earlier this season when Oakland took three of four from the Bosox.

Mookie Betts drove in the first run of the big Red Sox rally, followed by an RBI single by J.D. Martinez. Both were set up when A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar bounced a throw to second for an error, and Andrew Benintendi was safe when A’s pitcher Frankie Montas missed the bag when covering first.

Michael Chavis capped the outburst with a two-RBI single.

Chavis added an RBI single in the fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr. also had a run-scoring single in the seventh, and Martinez added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Oakland did all of its scoring with a four-run rally in the top of the second, sparked by a two-run single by Profar. Josh Phegley followed with run-scoring single, and Matt Chapman doubled in Phegley.

Montas (4-2) was rocked for seven runs — one earned — in 4 1/3 innings.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave up all four A’s runs, fell 1/3 inning short of getting the win, which went to reliever Ryan Brasier (1-0). Matt Barnes came in with one out in the ninth to earn his second save.

Off the field, the A’s placed outfielder Mark Canha on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Canha would have an MRI on Tuesday.

With Canha headed to the IL, the A’s have only two bench players — outfielder Robbie Grossman and catcher Nick Hundley. In a corresponding move, the A’s recalled lefthander Ryan Buchler (0-0, 7.04) from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tuesday’s game features a pair of righthanders — Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) for Oakland, and Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA) for Boston.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Curry is expected back by game one of the playoffs; Kings fire Joerger, Walton most likely successor; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @theScore

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The Golden State Warriors say that Stephen Curry is day to day after he rolled his ankle in New Orleans on Tuesday night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says that Curry should be back by the first game of the NBA playoffs.

#2 Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger Thursday after three losing seasons. The firing most likely will be an open door for Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton to take over the coaching job in Sacramento. Wednesday was the last day of the regular season for the Sacramento Kings. They grew, they had won 12 more games than last season, and they have a core of players that are much improved over last season. Tony tells us what the Kings will do to get a viable shot at the playoffs for next season.

#3 It was kind of historical in Boston on Tuesday night when members of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots made an appearance on the field before the Sox ball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Both teams were showing their Championship trophies as both teams won Championships in the first year.

#4 Two players from Bay Area schools were drafted on Wednesday by the WNBA. From Cal, Kristine Anigwe, who was named Defensive Player of the Year, and from the Stanford Cardinal, Alanna Smith. It has to be a pretty big honor for these players to get to the next level and play in the WNBA.

#5 The A’s won another series this time over the Baltimore Orioles on this current road trip after getting swept in Houston by the Astros to start the trip. The A’s defeated the O’s in the four game series and head to Texas to open a three game series with the Rangers starting on Friday night.

Tony does the Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Do the Giants have a shot at being viable this season?; Puig tries to take on the whole Pirates team in brawl; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BruceBochy

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 It’s early in the season, but do the San Francisco Giants (4-8) have the players it takes to get out of the cellar and make this a viable season?

#2 The Cincinnati Reds’ Yasiel Puig wasted no time making things happen between himself and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. After Chris Archer Pirates pitcher hit the Reds’ Derek Dietrich in the backside, Dietrich took exception to getting hit and started jawing at Archer at that point both benches emptied and Reds star Yasiel Puig tried to take on the entire Pirates team.

#3 Talk about the Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant paring at the New York Knicks for next season. How will this important would a tandem like this be for the Knicks and how will it impact Golden State?

#4 The Oakland A’s, who won three of four from the Boston Red Sox, went out on the road and got swept in three games from the Houston Astros. The A’s still made the third game competitive with a one run loss. The Astros played catch up ball in order to win. The A’s lost the first game 12-4 of the four game series in Baltimore. In game two the A’s got a 13-2 win on Tuesday night.

#5 Oracle Arena is the home of many memories for fans, reporters, players and coaches Sunday. Was the last regular season game for Golden State what did you take away from 47 years of sports events at the arena in Oakland?

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez, who does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Astros McHugh throws well against A’s; Oakland’s Montas effort not enough to win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: ESPN

On the A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

If you look at the job that Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas did on Friday night he didn’t do all that badly he made it into the fifth inning almost into the sixth inning and he was charged with all three Houston Astros runs in the 3-2 loss. Montas drops his record to 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA.

Which isn’t bad for Montas considering his line on Friday was five innings, seven hits and two earned runs. The offense was shutdown by Astros pitcher Colin McHugh (1-1) 2.45 ERA. McHugh went six innings, three hits, with four strikeouts.

McHugh has a long history of pitching well against the A’s line up and McHugh used to be a starter and a reliever for Houston. So it wasn’t a surprise that the A’s lost the first game of this trip to Houston but by that much one run.

Jerry is a beat writer for the Oakland A’s and does the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

A’s finish off the Red Sox to win the four-game series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s beat the Boston Red Sox for the third time in four tries, and they finished the homestand with a record of 6-2. The Red Sox, the defending World Champions, are having problems as they are 2-6 for the first eight games of 2019. The Sox finish the 11-game road trip with three games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix before returning home to Boston.

The A’s sent lefty Brett Anderson to the hill to face Red Sox. Anderson went 5 1/3 innings, and allowed three runs and eight hits. Anderson recorded his second win of the young season. Eduardo Rodriguez started for Boston, and his record dropped to 0-2.

Here’s how the A’s did it Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox put two runs on the board in the top of the first. Mookie Betts led off with a single. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi laid down a sacrifice bunt. A’s first baseman Mark Canha tried to nail Betts at second. Betts was ruled safe, and the A’s challenged the ruler. After a brief review, the call was upheld, and the Sox had men on at first and second with no out. Anderson struck out Steve Pearce for the first out. J.D.Martinez singled to load the bases. Anderson walked Xander Bogaerts to force in a run. Eduardo Nunez fouled out, and Anderson walked Brock Holt to force in another run. The Red Sox had an early 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox added a run in the third when J.D. Martinez hit a solo home run with one out. Anderson Walked Bogaerts for the second time, but he was able to get Eduardo Nunez to hit into an inning-ending double play. The A’s tied the game in their half of the third. A’s catcher Josh Phegley led off with a double. Rodriguez retired Robbie Grossman on a fly to right field. Phegley tagged up and motored to third. Marcus Semien walked, and that was followed by Stephen Piscotty’s second home run of the year.

The A’s sent Rodriguez to the showers in the bottom of the fourth when they plated three more runs to take a 6-3 lead. With one out, Ramon Laureano walked. Phegley followed with a single. Robbie Grossman doubled to drive in Laureano with the A’s fourth run. Rodriguez retired Marcus Semien for the second out of the inning. The next hitter, Stephen Piscotty, who had homered in his previous at-bat, hit a fly ball to deep right-center field. The ball appeared to be catchable, but it seemed as if it was drifting away from the clutches of Jackie Bradley, Jr. Piscotty’s ball landed between Bradley and Betts and then bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. Phegley and Grossman scored on the play. The A’s are in the driver’s seat as they led 6-3 after four.

In the bottom of the sixth, The A’s put another run on the board to take a 7-3 lead. With two out, consecutive singles by Semien, Piscotty, and Khris Davis produced the A’s seventh run of the game.

The A’s bullpen of Lou Trivino, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks kept Boston off the board and preserved the win for Oakland 7-3.

Game Notes: The A’s hitting star was Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty was 4-for-4 with two singles, a double, and a three-run homer. He drove in five runs and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

The A’s outfielders threw out two runners on the base paths Thursday. Robbie Grossman picked up an assist when he threw out Steve Pearce trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning. Ramon Laureano threw out Mookie Betts in the ninth when Betts tried to go from first to third on a single by Andrew Benintendi. For Laureano, it was the third time in the series that he nailed a runner trying to take an extra base.

The A’s have a record of 38-16 in the last 54 games played against the Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s line score was seven runs, thirteen hits, and no errors. Boston’s line was three runs, 10 hits, and no errors.

Time of game was three hours and 16 minutes. 15,095 fans were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s start a 10-game road trip Friday as they play the Houston Astros for three, Baltimore Orioles for four, and finish the trip with three against the Texas Rangers.

The A’s Frankie Montas will pitch Friday night, and he will be opposed by Houston’s Collin McHugh.

Red Sox snap their four-game losing skid with 6-3 win over the A’s

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @RedSox

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Boston Red Sox snapped two streaks as they beat the Oakland A’s 6-3 in game three of the four-game series. Previously, the Red Sox lost four in a row and had not scored a run in 22 straight innings.

A’s starter Marco Estrada went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, one of which was unearned, and two hits before exiting the game. A’s starters went six innings in the first six games of the homestand, and that streak was also snapped at the Oakland Coliseum Wednesday.

Both bullpens came through as neither team could do anything until the fateful ninth inning. The Red Sox scored three times after two were out in the ninth to earn their second win of the year.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Singles by Kendrys Morales and Jurickson Profar put men on at first and second with no out. Eovaldi walked Marcus Semien to load the bases. Eovaldi struck out Ramon Laureano for the first out. Nick Hundley singled off the glove of Rafael Devers to drive in the A’s first run. It was Hundley’s first RBI of the year. Eovaldi retired Robbie Grossman and Matt Chapman to end the inning. The A’s lead 1-0.

The A’s increased the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Marcus Semien walked to lead off the inning. Ramon Laureano, who is having quite a series against Boston, sent Eovaldi’s 83 MPH curveball over the 400-foot marker in center field for his second home run of the year and his second in the series with the Red Sox.

Boston’s Blake Swihart snapped Boston’s 22 innings of scoreless ball against the A’s when he homered over the wall just to the left of the 388-foot marker in right-center field. The Red Sox trail 3-1 midway through the fifth.

The Red Sox plated two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. Mookie Betts worked Marco Estrada for a leadoff walk. Estrada struck out Andrew Benintendi for the first out of the inning. The next hitter, Rafael Devers, hit a ground ball to second baseman Jurickson Profar who airmailed the ball over Marcus Semien’s head into left field. Betts went to third on the play. Estrade then walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Estrada and brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Mitch Moreland. Moreland, who loves to hit against the A’s in Oakland, doubled down the right field line to drive in two, Melvin changed pitchers again and his reliever, J.B. Wendelken, retired the last two hitters to end the inning. The score is 3-3 in the middle of the sixth.

The Red Sox dodged a bullet in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, Marcus Semien singled. With Laureano at-bat, Semien stole second and advanced to third when Blake Swihart’s throw to second went into center field. Laureano hit a ball that Sox shortstop Brock Holt, going to his right, fielded the ball and threw to first. Laureano was ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a 50-second review. The score was still 3-3 after eight.

The Sox scored three runs on four hits. Eduardo Nunez led off the frame with a single. Nunez was caught stealing and A’s reliever Fernando Rodney struck out Brock Holt for the second out. Blake Swihart kept the inning going with a single. Jackie Bradley, Jr. followed with a single sending Swihart to second. Rodney uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to third and second. The AL MVP Mookie Betts worked the count to 3-2. Melvin had Rodney pitch to Betts. Mookie hit a ground ball that hit third base and bounded away from Matt Chapman. Swihart and Bradley scored, Andrew Benintendi followed with a triple to drive in Betts, and the Red Sox had their first lead of the series 6-3.

Game Notes: Neither pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi nor Marco Estrada, figured in the decision. Eovaldi, who struggled a bit with his control, went five innings and allowed three runs and four hits. Eovaldi hit A’s third baseman Matt Chapman with a pitch in the first inning. The 90 MPH fastball hit Chapman on his left wrist. Chapman shook it off and stayed in the game.

Ramon Laureano hit his second home run of the year with a man aboard in the fourth to give Oakland a 3-0 lead. Boston’s bullpen held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way. Matt Barnes received credit for the win, and the A’s Fernando Rodney took the loss. Ryan Braiser picked up his first save.

The Red Sox line score was six runs, nine hits, and one error. Blake Swihart was the hitting star for Boston with a home run and two singles. The A’s line was three runs, five hits, and one error. Ramon Laureano hit a two-run dinger in the fourth.

The A’s are now 5-4 for the year, and Boston improved to 2-5.

Time of game was three hours and 21 minutes. The attendance was 14,207.

Up Next: Game four will be played Thursday afternoon at the Coliseum. It will be a battle between two left-handed pitchers as Brett Anderson (1-0) will go for Oakland and Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1) will pitch for Boston.

A’s shut out the Red Sox again

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s were led by Mike Fiers’ six scoreless innings, limiting the Red Sox to five hits. Fiers earned his second win of the season. The As’s bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the win and the A’s won by a score of 1-0. Sox ace, Chris Sale, who was roughed up by the Seattle Mariners in his first start last week, made just one mistake. He gave up a solo home run to Matt Chapman, and that was the run the A’s needed to shut down the potent Red Sox offense for the second night in a row. The last time the A’s shutout the Red Sox in back-to-back games was on August 30th and 31st in 1996.

Sale, as Fiers, went six innings he allowed one run and three hits. Sale did not display his blazing fastball. He kept the hitters off-balance with a variety of speeds that ranged from 75 to 92 MPH. Sale, known as a strikeout artist, managed to strike out only one A’s hitter.

The A’s third baseman, with one out, hit his third home run of the year. With the count 3-2, Chapman sent Sale’s 88 MPH fastball over the wall in left field to give Oakland an early 1-0 lead after one inning of action.

That was the whole ballgame. The Sox had chances, but failed to get the clutch hit that would have tied the game. They had a threat going in the fourth when they were able to have men on at first and third with two out. Fiers retired Brock Holt on a ground ball to first baseman Kendrys Morales to end the inning. In the sixth, Boston managed to get a man as far as third, but Fiers again rose to the occasion as he struck out Xander Bogaerts for the third out. In the top of the ninth, with closer Blake Treinen on the hill, Xander Bogaerts lined a shot to right center. The ball hit the 388-foot marker and remained in play. Had the ball been a couple of inches to the left, it would have been a home run. The ball stayed in play. Ramon Laureano, who made two tremendous defensive plays Monday night, performed his magic as he played the ball off the wall and threw a strike that nailed Bogaerts at third for the second out of the inning. Mitch Moreland walked. Treinen regrouped and struck out Brock Holt to record the save.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 5-3 for 2019. Mike Fiers, who had six innings of work, was the sixth game in a row that an A’s starter has gone at least six innings. Mike Fiers is now 2-1, and Chris Sale is 0-2. Treinen recorded his third save. Chapman’s homer was his third of the year. The Red Sox are 1-5.

Up Next: The teams play game three of the four-game series Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm. Marco Estrada (0-1) will go for Oakland, and Nathan Eovaldi (0-0) will pitch for Boston.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Final Four–Who’s going to win it all?; Stanford eliminated by Norte Dame women; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SInow

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The Final Four is amongst us and taking a look at each game this coming Sunday. Taking a look at Auburn-Virginia, Auburn has been the surprise — do you see this game being a real contest?

#2 Texas Tech-Michigan State is the next game on Sunday. The Red Raiders gave it their all when they beat Gonzaga last Sunday and the Spartans are one the winningest and high-ranking teams in the Tournament.

#3 The Stanford Women (31-5) and Notre Dame (34-3) battled it out, but after giving it their all all season long, the Cardinal could not withstand and lost to the Fighting Irish 84-68.

#4 The Oakland A’s started the 2019 season with two loses in Tokyo to the Seattle Mariners. Since that trip, it looks like the A’s have shaken off the jet lag and have been on track winning taking three of four from the Angels since coming back to Oakland and a win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night to open another four-game series.

#5 The San Jose Sharks’ troubles continue after they dropped their eighth loss in nine games to the Western Conference first place Calgary Flames on Sunday. The win secures the Flames for first place and what was worse was that it was done on the Sharks’ home ice.

Barbara Mason does That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Homer-happy A’s pound the Red Sox 7-0

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit:

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The A’s Aaron Brooks earned his first win of the year as he pitched six innings and allowed the struggling Boston Red Sox just two hits. The A’s bullpen pitched with three scoreless innings and limited the Sox to two hits.

In the last five games, the A’s starters have all pitched six innings, and the A’s have won four out of five. The defending World Champion Red Sox have not had a good start to the season. They have lost four of the five games played and their starting pitching, to be blunt, has not been good. The fans in New England have to wonder what happened to the team that won 119 games last year. They hit well in Seattle, but could not manage four hits in Oakland Monday night. The A’s play the Red Sox exceptionally well at the Oakland Coliseum and Monday’s game was no exception. The A’s took the season series 4-2 last year, including Sean Manaea’s no-hitter last April 19th.

The A’s hitters hit four home runs Monday night. They victimized David Price three times, and Heath Hembree gave up a solo blast to Matt Chapman in the eighth.

The game summary follows below:

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Khris Davis blasted David Price’s 82 MPH change up over the left center field wall for his fifth home run of the season. Price then struck out the next three A’s hitters to end the inning.

In the third, Ramon Laureano, who had made two outstanding defensive plays in the second, sent David Price’s 91 MPH four-seam fastball out of the park to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Price retired the first two batters he faced. Price walked Mark Canha, and Chad Pinder sent Price’s first pitch change up out of the park to put the A’s ahead by four runs. The A’s broke it open in the bottom of the eighth. Matt Chapman greeted Red Sox reliever Heath Hembree with his second home run of the season. Stephen Piscotty singled and went to second when Khris Davis reached on a throwing error by Edwin Nunez. Kendrys Morales singled to drive in Piscotty and Davis scored on Pinder’s single to make it 7-0. Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning to end the game.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s improve to 4-3. The Red Sox drop to 1-4. Aaron Brooks was the winning pitcher, and David Price absorbed his first loss of the season.

The A’s homers were hit by Khris Davis (5), Ramon Laureano (1), Chad Pinder (1), and Matt Chapman (2). Davis has five homers in the first seven games of the season. He joins Mark McGwire and Reggie Jackson as the only A’s with at least five home runs in the first five games of the season.

The A’s improved to 36-15 in their last 51 games against the Red Sox in Oakland.

A’s starting pitchers have thrown six innings in each of the last five games and have a 0.30 ERA and have a .115 OBA in that span.

Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning. For Rodney, it marked his 900th appearance in a MLB game. Rodney tied Arthur Rhodes for 25th on the all-time list.

The A’s line for the game was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. For Boston, it was no runs, four hits, and one error.

Up Next: The A’s and Red Sox will play game two of the four-game series Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time is at 7:05 PM. Mike Fiers (1-1) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Boston’s lefty Chris Sale (0-1)

Time of game was two hours and 42 minutes. 12,417 fans were on hand to watch the game.