Tag: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox continue to pound the A’s Starters.

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea heads to the dugout after being lifted in he third inning of Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox, for the second straight night, pounded the A’s starting pitcher. The Red Sox won a laugher 13-5. The A’s were hoping to have their starting pitcher, Sean Manaea, go deep into the game so that the overtaxed bullpen could get a rest. That did not happen as the Red Sox scored early and often to send the A’s down to their thirteenth loss in their last seventeen games. The A’s find themselves at 14-20, and the A’s starters are finding themselves pitching batting practice. The A’s starters, in the last seventeen games, have yielded seventy-six earned runs in their last eighty-three innings to produce a dismal 8.24 ERA. It is no accident that they have lost thirteen of those games.

The Red Sox wasted no time in solving Sean Manaea. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first with a home run on a 2-2 pitch. Xander Bogaerts singled with one out. Red Sox first baseman, Hanley Ramirez hit a monster shot that went way over the Green Monster to put the Red Sox in the lead 3-0. The ball traveled an estimated 468 feet. It was the second longest home run of the season.

In the bottom of the third, the Red Sox scored five times to send Manaea to an early shower. Manaea pitched just 2 and 2/3rds of an inning and gave up eight runs and ten hits.The Red Sox scored three more in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-0 lead. The big blow was a three-run dinger by Travis Shaw over the Monster. The A’s scored four times in the top of the sixth to end Sean Sullivan’s night. The A’s added another run in the seventh, but the Red Sox scored two in their half of the frame. There was no more scoring as the Red Sox won going away 13-5.

Game Notes- There were not too many bright spots for the A’s and manager Bob Melvin. The A’s did manage to score five times and had fifteen hits, but the pitching has to be a major concern. The starters are not going deep into the game, and the bullpen is being heavily taxed. The bullpen leads the league in most innings pitched, and that is not a good sign so early in the season.

The A’s have allowed eleven or more runs in three straight games. The last time that happened was August 9-11 against the New York Yankees in 2001.

The A’s made several roster moves Tuesday. Mark Canha went on the 15-day disabled list with a back strain. He was joined on the DL by pitcher Liam Hendricks, who has a right triceps strain. J.B.Wendelken was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. The A’s recalled infielder Tyler Ladendorf, pitchers  Andrew Triggs and lefty Daniel Coulombe.

Eric Surkamp was also recalled from Nashville, and he will face The Red Sox Wednesday night. Rick Porcello will go for Boston

Tuesday night’s game lasted three hours and two minutes, and 32,167 fans filled the seats at Fenway to see their beloved Bosox down the A’s.

Game time will be at4:10 PM PT

 

Oakland A’s Monday game wrap report: The Red Sox Pound the A’s

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s catcher Josh Phegley watches the Boston Red Sox Jackie Bradley Jr do the forearm bash with teammates after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning at Fenway Park on Monday night

The Oakland A’s started a three-game series in Boston Monday night. The A’s were hoping to get back on the winning track as they had their ace, Sonny Gray, pitching. Things did not go as planned as the Red Sox pummeled the A’s 14-7.

The A’s had a 4- 1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. The A’s didn’t have much trouble hitting Red Sox starter, Clay Buchholz. Oakland scored one in the first and two in the second. The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the second, but the A’s Khris Davis hit a solo homer into the seats over the Green Monster.

The Red Sox scored six times in the bottom of the fourth. They sent eleven men to the plate. Bob Melvin, much to his consternation, had to take Sonny out of the game.  Gray went three and 2/3rds innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs. Sonny was charged with his fourth loss of the year, and his record is now 3-4. Bob Melvin said this about Sonny “He’s going through a tough time,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We haven’t seen him struggle like this. Everyone struggles over the course of their careers, and he’ll figure a way out of it.”

The Red Sox continued to pour it on. They scored two in the fifth and four in the sixth to take a 14-4 lead. Jackie Bradley, Jr. hit a Grand Slam into the seats in right field just past the Pesky Pole. The late Dave Niehaus would say” Granma, get out the mustard and rye bread, it’s a grand salami.”

The A’s scored three runs late in the game but, alas, it was too little, too late.

Game Notes- The A’s have lost six out of the last seven and are 4-12 in their last sixteen games. The A’s are now five games under .500 with a record of 14-19.

Hitting stars for the Red Sox were Travis Shaw, who went 3-for-5, Brock Holt with a two-run dinger, and David Ortiz (Big Papi) had two doubles and Jackie Bradley, Jr with six RBI and a Grand Slam.

Tuesday’s game at Fenway Park will see the battle of the Seans. Sean Manaea will be making his third start of the season for Oakland. It will be a challenge for Manaea as Fenway can be a cruel place for lefties. The Red Sox will counter with Sean O’Sullivan.

Game time will be at 4:05 PM PT

 

What a Day for the A’s

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

A’s report for July 31st 2014

Today’s report was just going to be a pretty strait forward report on the upcoming ten game home stand against the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays an Minnesota Twins.

All that changed this morning when A’s General Manager Billy Beane pulled off a huge trade on the last day that non-waiver deals could be made. The A’s acquired the ace left handed pitcher, Jon Lester, and an old old friend, Jonny Gomes, from the Boston Red Sox early Thursday morning. As exciting as that was getting those two players, the big news is the the A’s are sending their All-Star left fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, to Boston. Cespedes in the third year of a four year contract and would be a free agent after the 2015 season. It was doubtful that the A’s could pony up the kind of money that Cespedes could command as a free agent in the future.

What this says is that Beane wants to win it all in 2014. The A’s under Beane have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs except for 2006 when they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Championship Series. Beane know that good pitching will stop good hitting and he now has four starters that all could be an ace on anyone’s team Lester, Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir and Jeff Samardzija

are all terrific pitchers. The fifth man in the rotation is still Jason Hammel who has been ineffective since coming to Oakland in a trade.

The A’s then traded lefty Tommy Milone to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Sam Fuld. Fuld was with the A’s early in the season but was Designated for Assignment as the A’s had too many outfielders at that time. Fuld is hitting .263 with an on base percentage of .356 and .722 ops.

The A’s plan to platoon Fuld and Gomes in left field. Gomes will play against lefties and Fuld will face the righties. Gomes is a local lad from Petaluma and he had a great clubhouse presence when he played he in 2012. Welcome back, Jonny.

Now to look at the three teams the A’s will face in the next ten days. The Kansas City Royals arrive Friday night for a three game set with the A’s. The Royals are currently in second place in the AL Central. Their record is 54-50 and they trail the Detroit Tigers by 4 ½ games. The Royals sent three players to the All-Star game. The standouts are outfielder Alex Gordon, catcher Salvador Perez and closer Greg Holland. The Royals also feature Eric Hosmer at first base, DH Billy Butler, third baseman Mike Moustakas and second baseman Omar Infante. The Royals cannot be taken lightly.

The Tampa Bay Rays arrive in Oakland on Monday with a record of 53-55 and have been playing better lately. The Rays had a lot of injuries to the pitching staff early in the season but some of the pitchers have returned from the DL and have been pitching well. One pitcher the A’ s won’t have to face is former Cy Young award winner, David Price. Price went to the Detroit Tigers Thursday in a three-way trade between the Rays,Tigers and Mariners. The Rays received Drew Smyley from Detroit and Nick Franklin from Seattle while Austen Jackson went to Seattle. The Rays, under Joe Maddon, play the game the right way and the A’s will be tested during this three game set.

Rounding out the home stand will be a four game series with the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are in last place in the AL central with a record of 48-58. The Twins have always played the A’s tough in the past. Former A’s catcher, Kurt Suzuki, is the team leader hitting .304 so far this year and Kurt made the AL All-Star team.

It will be interesting to see how the revamped A’s starting rotation performs during the next ten days.

The A’s have four goals in mind right now. One, win the division. Two, win the ALDS, 3, Win the ALCS and finally, win the World Series. They have made the moves to make this team very formidable. All the A’s have to do is go out and win.

A’s top Red Sox 3-2 in 10-innings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Sonny Gray versus the Boston Red Sox Photo credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland A’s defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-2 in 10-innings on Sunday to avoid being swept in the three-game series. The win also gave the A’s a 6-4 record for their very tough 10-game road trip. The victory keeps Oakland in first-place in the American League West.

The A’s scored the winning run in the top of the 10th-inning. With two out, Jed Lowrie hit a double (10) to center field. The Red Sox then intentionally walked Josh Donaldson. Alberto Callaspo drew a six-pitch walk to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Yoenis Cespedes stepped into the batter’s box. With a 0-2 count, Cespedes hit a slow roller to the third baseman Will Middlebrooks. Cespedes used his speed to safely reach first on a “bang-bang” play that allowed Lowrie to score. The run made it a 3-2 game and the A’s set the Sox down in order in the bottom of the 10th-inning to earn the win.

Sonny Gray started the game for Oakland and posted a no-decision. Gray worked 6.0 innings giving up 2-runs (both earned) on six-hits. Gray struck out three Red Sox hitters and walked two. He threw 102 pitches (60 strikes) while facing 24 batters.

Fernando Abad, Luke Gregerson and Sean Doolittle combined for 2.1-innings of relief for the A’s. With one-out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jim Johnson entered the game for Oakland. Johnson induced Jonny Gomes to ground into an inning ending double-play. Johnson faced just three hitters in the bottom of the 10th-inning to earn his third win of the season.

The A’s were led by Cespedes who went two for five in the game hitting a double (9) and the game-winning infield single. Brandon Moss went two for four and recorded a RBI. Josh Donaldson was just one for two at the plate but drew three walks and scored two runs.

John Lackey started the game for the Red Sox. Lackey pitched six-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on five hits. He struck out four A’s while walking three. Lackey threw 107 pitches (70 strikes) and faced 25 hitters in a no-decision.

The loss was hung on Boston reliever Chris Capuano (1-1). Capuano entered the game in the top of the 10th-inning and was responsible for Lowrie who scored the winning run.

The Red Sox were led on offense by A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski went two for four and hit his third home run of the season in the seventh-inning to tie the game at 2-2. Mike Carp also went two for four and scored a run for the Sox.

The A’s open a 10-game home-stand on Monday night with the Seattle Mariners. The Mariner series will be a four-game series that includes a traditional double-header on Wednesday. The double-header is necessary to make up the game was postponed on April 5th due to wet grounds. Oakland will probably have to call up a pitcher from Triple-A Sacramento to start one of the games on Wednesday.

The A’s will face the Washington Nationals for three-games next weekend and close out the home-stand with three-games versus the Chicago White Sox.

A’s add Alcantara to 40-man roster

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

raul-alcantara-pitching

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland A’s have added RHP Raul Alcantara to the 40-man roster. This move will protect Alcantara from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in December.

Alcantara came to Oakland from Boston along with Josh Reddick and Miles Head in the Andrew Bailey – Ryan Sweeney trade. He was signed by the Red Sox in 2009.

Alcantara split the 2013 season between Beloit and Stockton – both Single-A affilates. He posted a combined record of 12-6 with a 3.11 ERA. That win-loss record tied him for second best in the A’s farm system. Alcantara was third in ERA, fourth in innings and fifth in strikeouts.

Alcantara walked just 24 batters (1.38 per nine innings), and gave up just 11 home runs last season.

At just 20 years old and with stats like he has recorded, one can understand why the Athletics want to protect this developing talent.

THAT’S AMAURY: Sorry BoSox, umps made right call in Game 3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

AP472916991411_620x350

By DANIEL DULLUM
Pinch-hitting for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Saturday, October 26, 2013

Back in the 1960s, when Curt Gowdy was calling the Game of the Week for NBC, he often remarked about how pundits would claim that the then-new gadget called instant replay would show how bad the umpires were.

Instead, Gowdy told us, it showed how good the umpires really were.

And, on a chilly night in St. Louis, the late, great Cowboy would have been in his glory, making his point again.

That thought came back while watching the exciting finish to Game 3 of the 2013 World Series, which ended with, of all things, a walk-off obstruction call. If you truly like baseball and it’s nuances, this is fun stuff.

To recap, here’s the scenario:
With runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals’ Allen Craig had just reached third base on Jon Jay’s grounder to second with the infield drawn in. The lead runner, Yadier Molina, was thrown out at the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Boston catcher, noticed Craig – hobbled by a foot injury – lumbering toward third. Saltalamacchia’s throw sailed down the left field line. Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks, in his attempt to catch the throw, found himself blocking Craig’s base path.

Third base umpire Jim Joyce was all over it, with the correct ruling. According to the rulebook, it doesn’t matter whether or not obstruction was intentional. It’s a judgment call that gets a little sticky.

Any action that impedes the baserunner from advancing is called if the umpires determine that the runner – now advancing at his own risk – would have reached the next base safely. In this case, that base was home plate, and Craig slid across with the winning run in a 5-4 St. Louis victory.

Please note – the runner is not awarded the next base automatically, and home plate umpire Dana DeMuth ruled that Craig would have scored if not for getting tangled up with Middlebrooks. Theoretically, if Craig were thrown out by a proverbial country mile, DeMuth could have called him out, basing his decision on whether or not the obstruction made a difference. Had that happened, in all likelihood, the inning would have ended and the game moves along to the 10th.

But it was a close enough play to cite the obstruction rule, which the umps correctly did

In a rare postgame interview involving umpires, Joyce explained to the media, “The baserunner has every right to go unobstructed to home plate, and unfortunately for Middlebrooks he was right there. And there was contact. So (Craig) could not advance to home plate, naturally.”

Then, Crew Chief John Hirschbeck, clearly annoyed by the inquisition, clarified, “There does not have to be intent, OK?”

Understandably, the Red Sox players and coaches were stunned, confused, and downright upset. No one wants to lose a World Series on a technicality, but the Red Sox did.

However, as upset as the Red Sox are, the rule is clear, and the umpires got it right. The replays proved it, and Joyce deserves credit for a solid call under fire. If anything, Red Sox fans should be more upset that Saltalamacchia made that wild throw to third in the first place. With your closer on the hill and Pete Kozma (.217) on deck, extra innings seemed to be right around the corner.

Tim McCarver, working his final World Series for FOX, said that in his 50-plus years in baseball, he’d never seen a game end like that. Which is, again, one of the great things about baseball – no two games are alike, and the chances of seeing this happen again are slim at best.

For example, in September 1987 I was at the Metrodome in Minneapolis watching the Twins face Kansas City. In the first inning, the Twins turned a 5-4-2 doubled play (third-to-second-to-home for those who don’t know how to score a game) to kill a Royals rally, and left George Brett with the odd scoring of hitting into a DP while reaching safely on a fielder’s choice. I hadn’t seen a 5-4-2 DP before, and I haven’t seen one since. It’s part of the wonderful unpredictability of baseball, like a wild pitch on an intentional walk (which I’ve seen).

The ending of Game 3 is yet another reason why baseball is better. You can’t take a knee or dribble the ball at mid-court to run out a clock. The pitches must be thrown until that third out is recorded. Or, in this case, the winning run is scored.

Thankfully, instant replay isn’t a required part of baseball just quite yet. A 10-minute huddle in front of a monitor under a hood would have killed the moment, reducing it to the level of, say, the NFL – a model of micromanagement.

Let’s hear it for the human element in sports officiating, while we still have a chance to do so.

—

I’d like to thank Amaury for the opportunity to fill some space while he enjoys some well-deserved time off. Rock on! DD

Ultimately errors will kill you not umpires

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
Does anybody remember the 1986 World Series? The one won by the New York Mets over the Boston Red Sox in seven games?
Well I do very well, since I was broadcasting with two other colleagues, for the old CBS Hispanic Radio Network, when on game six, a ground ball from the bat of Mookie Wilson went right through the legs of first
baseman Billy Buckner, that error was key and one error never forgotten by Red Sox fans.
I will bet anything that if the Red Sox do not win this 2013 World Series, many of their very passionate fans will blame third base umpire Jim Joyce for calling obstruction in the ninth inning by third baseman Will Middlebrooks. But, what Red Sox fans should remember,(during the first three games of this 2013 Series) is the two very bad throws to third base, one by reliever Craig Breslow, and last night by catcher Jarrod Saltalamachia, which cost them the game.
With pitching this good, if you made errors like this, you will not win.
It is as simple as that.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Museum and does News and Commentary each week for Sportstalk Radio

A’s play most important elimination game in 25 years

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

131010092213-sonny-gray-ap2-single-image-cut

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

OAKLAND–Tonight(5:07PM) the Oakland Athletics will face the Detroit Tigers in an elimination game. The winner travels to Boston to open the American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, the other team goes home.

But why is tonight the most important game in the past quarter century for the A’s?

–For starters, they will face again the same pitcher that eliminated them last year, Justin Verlander on the fifth and final game of the Divisional Series.

–For over 25 years the Oakland Athletics have not been able to go “deep into the postseason”, under three different ownerships.

–I was there for those great championship seasons, the five pennant and three consecutive trips to the World Series in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Those were the days when the Oakland A’s rocked the bay. The Walter Haas ownership was without a doubt the best ever for the A’s and one of the best ever in the history of professional sports in the bay area.

–One year prior to that great run (1987) the Athletics hosted the Major League All Star Game, Oakland was the talk of the Bay Area. I remember as a part of the Oakland A’s All Star Committee, appointed by the A’S, we met with then Mayor of Oakland Lionel Wilson. Oakland was a city on the move. Good things were happening in Oakland, and the Oakland A’s greatly helped into that great civic pride.

–Today the Oakland Coliseum is an antiquated place to play baseball in a time in history were every other team seems to have a brand new and fan friendly park. A victory tonight, puts the A’S in the American League Championship Series and just four more wins from a fifth World Series title.

–An A’s team than wins a World Series this year could be extremely important for the future of this franchise, where they are going to play, and if they will be able to move to San José, per owners Wolff and Fisher desires. The Athletics in the World Series this year, would put the baseball park issue ‘front and center’, no way Commissioner Selig could hide from that. His blue ribbon commission has spent over 4 years trying to make a decision on the move of the A’s to San José, four years and no decision(World War II lasted around six years).

–But most important a win tonight for Bob Melvin’s A’s is a huge step in returning the prestige the luster back,of this franchise, after the last few years of the “party”across the bay at a truly beautiful stadium.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
One of these teams will win the 2013 World Series, in alphabetical order: Athletics, Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers,  that’s it – it will be reduced tonight by one more team leaving and going home. They are all traditional franchises that have been operating in one same town for over a century, except the Athletics and Dodgers)

Zito’s cryptic explanation highlights Giants’ blowout loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips 

August 21, 2013

PhotoIt’s not just that the Giants are losing. It’s how they’re losing. 

Wednesday’s 12-1 super-sized beat down at the hands of the Red Sox wasn’t just embarrassing, it may have been Barry Zito’s final start as a Giant, less than four innings in length and hard to watch as the Boston hitters found the lefty’s offerings to be of little mystery. 

For GM Brian Sabean, trying to figure out which parts of his last place club should return for 2014 and which parts should be dispatched to the nearest recycling center couldn’t be any more difficult. One year removed from a second World Series title in three years, the Giants carried the worst record in baseball for nearly two months and now seem just as unhealthy in completing a third month of awful performances. The 2013 Giants will be known for meager offense supported by raggedy pitching that have their opponents reluctant to leave town after a three or four game series. 

The Red Sox came in struggling and sleepy and left town Wednesday afternoon happy and alert, just what you would expect after a 12-run outburst that took just 12 hits with have of those going for extra bases. After Stephen Drew’s three-run homer in the seventh off reliever Michael Kickham it was hard to tell if the game was being played at AT&T Park or Fenway Park. 

Zito allowed half of the 12 runs and was gone in the fourth inning, and this was after the veteran was temporarily promoted back into the starting lineup due to Chad Gaudin’s injury. But Zito the starter wasn’t any better than Zito the reliever as the desultory appearance kept his ERA over 10 over his five relief appearances and Wednesday’s start. 

So what could the multi-millionaire athlete offer in explanation afterwards? 

“Some strange stuff happened out there today,” Zito said. “Baseball is a strange game sometimes. The nature of the game is so unpredictable. That’s why we all love it and why we all hate it.” 

Given that explanation, we move on to Thursday evening when the first place Pirates begin a four-game set with the Giants that starts with a Jeff Locke-Matt Cain matchup at 7:15pm.

Scutaro with the literal walk off

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Jeremy Kahn

August 20, 2013

PhotoSAN FRANCISCO-Marco Scutaro was given the nickname “Blockbuster” when he was acquired by the San Francisco Giants.

Scutaro walked on four straight pitches with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning against Brayan Villareal, as the Giants came back to defeat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 before a sellout crowd of 41,551 at AT&T Park.

Shane Victorino maybe in the American League, but he is still tormenting the Giants.

Victorino hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning off of Ryan Vogelsong that gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

Besides the Victorino home run in the third, Vogelsong gave up a run in the top of the first inning, when Mike Carp drove in Jacoby Ellsbury with a sacrifice fly to right field.

In all, Vogelsong went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking one and striking out five.

Joaquin Arias drove in the Giants only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he tripled to score Roger Kieschnick, who singled to leadoff the frame.

Jake Peavy went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits, while walking one and striking out four, but did not fare in the decision.

Buster Posey tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Scutaro.