Tag: Boston Red Sox

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s Miller going to All Star Game; Oakland opens 3 game series in Boston Tuesday

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Oakland A’s pitcher Mason Miller whose been lights out all season in relief has been selected by the American League to represent the A’s at the 2024 All Star Game in Arlington Texas (image from the Oakland A’s)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Oakland A’s reliever Mason Miller has done it all season shutting the door on opposing teams and tossing flame thrower pitches over 100 MPH. He leads all rookie pitchers with saves in MLB with 14, he has 66 strikeouts in 37.2 innings and manager Mark Kotsay says he’ll represent the A’s well at the All Star Game in Arlington.

#2 Tough way to finish the three game series for the A’s on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. The A’s facing the O’s with the series tied 1-1 just couldn’t get enough run production in a 6-3 three run loss Sunday.

#3 The Orioles after getting embarrassed on Saturday in a 19-8 loss to the A’s turned it around on Sunday and opened up the contest with four runs to establish the lead early in the contest.

#4 The Orioles Heston Kjerstad set the tone in the top of the first inning with a three run home run off A’s starting pitcher Mitch Spence. The A’s ended up making three errors in the game for the loss.

#5 The A’s will try to see if they can pick up a series win as they open up a three game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The A’s will be sending out Joey Estes (3-3, ERA 4.39) against the Red Sox starter RHP Brayan Bello (8-5, ERA 5.19)

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

Harrison solid, Giants eke out late 3-1 win to salvage game; Yaz homers at Fenway

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Top of the third inning home run by San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski at his grandfather Carl Yastrzemski’s old place of business Fenway Park in Boston on Thu May 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Fenway Park

Boston, Massachusetts

San Francisco Giants 3 (15-17)

Boston Red Sox 1 (18-14)

Win: Kyle Harrison (3-1)

Loss: Zack Kelly (0-1)

Save: Camilo Doval (6)

Time: 2:21

Attendance: 30,065

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants scored two runs in the seventh inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 and avoid the sweep at Fenway Park.

The Giants dropped the first two games of this series, and were now in danger of getting swept for the the third time in their four series at Fenway Park. The Giants were swept by the Red Sox in their first series at Fenway Park in 2007 (June 15-17), as well as in a short two-game set in 2016 (July 19-20).

The Giants needed a win to avoid getting swept for the third time at Fenway, and in order to do that, the Giants’ offense, which was held to only two runs over the first two games of this series, would have to wake up. The Giants would also need a solid outing from their young left-hander, Kyle Harrison, who despite coming into today’s game with a 4.09 ERA, has been off to a decent start this season.

The Red Sox sent Josh Winckowski to the mound for today’s game, and he started things off with a scoreless top of the first inning.

Harrison ran into trouble in the bottom of the first after hitting Rafael Devers and walking Tyler O’Neill with one out. Harrison struck out Rob Refsnyder, but he walked Connor Wong to load the bases. Harrison was in the jackpot early, but he got Garrett Cooper to fly out and escape the inning unscathed.

Both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the second, and Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run to the Red Sox’ bullpen beyond the short fence right-center field to put the Giants on the board. It was a special moment for Yastrzemski, who was playing in his second series at Fenway Park, where his grandfather and hall-of-famer Carl Yastrzemski called home for 23 years. Carl Yastrzemski had paid a visit to his grandson prior to the game, and it truly paid off dividends.

Yastrzemski, who is the second-longest-tenured Giant, was facing uncertainty after starting the season 1-for-20, but he has since heated up, and has swung the bat much better.

Devers singled on a ground ball up the middle to start the bottom of the third, and O’Neill doubled high off the Green Monster in left to tie the game. Harrison then walked Refsnyder, and the Red Sox appeared to pounce. However, Harrison struck out Wong swinging, and got Cooper to ground into a 5-3 double play to end the inning and escape any further damage.

With the game now tied 1-1, Winckowski pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Harrison ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth after giving up a one-out double to Ceddanne Rafaela. Harrison struck out Zack Short looking, and Jarren Duran hit a line drive up the middle into center field that seemed destined to fall and give the Red Sox the lead, but center-fielder Jung-hoo Lee dove and made a spectacular catch to end the inning and keep the game tied.

After Thairo Estrada grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth, Red Sox Manager Alex Cora lifted Winckowski for Brennan Bernardo. Bernardo set down Yastrzemski and Nick Ahmed to combine with Winckowski for a 1-2-3 inning.

Harrison walked Tyler O’Neill with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but he induced a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Refsnyder to end the inning. That would be it for Harrison, who did not throw a single 1-2-3 inning in five shaky innings of work. However, he did his job, which was to have a solid outing, as he gave up just a run and three hits, and struck out seven. What really hampered Harrison was five walks and a 95-pitch pitch count.

Bernardo and Zack Kelly combined to throw a scoreless top of the sixth. Ryan Walker came in for the bottom of the sixth, and pitched through a one-out single.

Patrick Bailey lined a single the other way to left to start the top of the seventh, and Matt Chapman singled to left to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Thairo Estrada then came through with a big hit for a Giants’ offense that has struggled to get them with a single the other way to right to put San Francisco back ahead.

Cam Booser came in for Kelly, but the Giants were not done yet. Austin Slater struck out swinging, but Nick Ahmed knocked in Chapman with a sacrifice fly to right to extend the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

Erik Miller, who was the Giants’ opener last night, came in and pitched a shutdown 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. There would actually not be another base-runner the rest of the game. Japanese import Naoyuki Uwasawa threw a 1-2-3 top of the eighth in his major league debut, and Tyler Rogers threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth.

Uwasawa threw another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth, as he set down all six men he faced in his debut. Camilo Doval then came in and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his sixth save of the year.

Harrison got the win, and Zack Kelly took the loss. With this win, the Giants were indeed able to avoid their third sweep in four series at Fenway Park, as they improve to 15-17.

The Giants will now head to Philadelphia for the second leg of this three-city road trip, where they will take on the red-hot Phillies for a four-game wraparound series. Jordan Hicks will open the series for the Giants with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. in Philadelphia, and 3:40 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

Giants’ offense struggles again in 6-2 loss to Red Sox at Fenway

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Boston Red Sox second baseman Emmanuel Valdez completes a double play after forcing San Francisco Giants base runner Matt Chapman (26) in the top of the ninth inning at Fenway Park in Boston on Wed May 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Fenway Park

Boston, Massachusetts

San Francisco Giants 2 (14-17)

Boston Red Sox 6 (18-13)

Win: Kutter Crawford (2-1)

Loss: Daulton Jeffries (0-2)

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 30,787

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants’ offense was stymied again at Fenway Park, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Giants 6-2, and now have won the first two games to take the series.

After the Giants took two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a 6-4 homestand, the Giants went to Boston hoping to get back to .500 for the first time since March 30. Unfortunately for the Giants, the Red Sox shut them out last night, and the Giants would have to bounce back in a bullpen game.

For the Red Sox, Kutter Crawford made the start. Jung-Hoo Lee lined a base-hit to right to open the game, but Crawford set down the next three men he faced in order. Erik Miller would be the opener for the Giants, and he survived a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning.

Crawford pitched a 1-2-3 top of the second, and Daulton Jeffries replaced Miller, as he threw a scoreless bottom of the second. Tom Murphy then led off the top of the third with a home run over the Green Monster in left field for the Giants’ first run of the series.

Jeffries gave up a leadoff single to Ceddanne Rafaela in the bottom of the third, and then proceeded to walk Jarren Duran. Rafael Devers came up and hit a double to left to tie the game, and then Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short, which knocked in Durran to give Boston the lead.

The Giants bounced back with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth. Michael Conforto walked, and Thairo Estrada doubled him to third. Mike Yastrzemski, who is playing in his second series at Fenway Park where his grandfather and hall-of-famer, Carl Yastrzemski once played, laid down a bunt along the third base line to tie it up.

Jeffries immediately ran right back into trouble in the bottom of the fourth, as Connor Wong led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a ground out off the bat of Dominic Smith. Enmanuel Valdez doubled the other way off the Monster in left to put the Red Sox back ahead, and two batters later, Duran tripled in Valdez to make it 4-2.

Following back-to-back two-run innings for the Red Sox, the Giants’ lethargic offense went down 1-2-3 against Sanchez in a true shutdown inning. The submariner Taylor Rogers, who finished the bottom of the fourth, gave up a single to Refsnyder to start the bottom of the fifth.

Rogers then induced flyouts from Tyler O’Neill and Wilyer Abreu. Bob Melvin lifted Rogers for Luke Jackson, who immediately surrendered a base-hit to Wong, as well as a base-hit by Smith to knock in Refsnyder and make it 5-2.

LaMonte Wade Jr. walked to start off the sixth, but Sanchez then retired the side in order. Jackson pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, and Sanchez did the same in the top of the seventh. That would do it for Sanchez, who struck out six, and gave up just four hits and two runs against the struggling Giants’ offense.

Mitch White came in for the bottom of the seventh and retired the first two men he faced. However, Abreu singled, and Wong doubled to tack on another run for the Red Sox to make it 6-2.

Chris Martin came in for Boston, and he and White each pitched 1-2-3 innings in the eighth. Red Sox Manager Alex Cora went to Greg Weissert for the ninth. After giving up a leadoff single to Matt Chapman, Weissert struck out Michael Conforto, and got Thairo Estrada to line into a 6-3 double play to end the game.

Kutter Crawford got the win, and Daulton Jeffries took the loss. The Giants fall back to three-games under .500 at 14-17, and they will try and salvage a game in this series with Kyle Harrison on the mound. First pitch will be at 1:35 p.m. in Boston, and 10:35 a.m. back in San Francisco.

Sox Criswell and four pitchers combine for 4-0 shutout over Giants at Fenway

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell throws against the San Francisco Giants line up at Fenway Park in Boston on Tue Apr 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

By William Espy

The San Francisco Giants (14-16) started a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox (17-13) on Tuesday evening. Coming off of a series win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park, the Giants find themselves second in the National League West, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On this road trip, they’ll visit Fenway Park in Boston before heading off to Philadelphia and then Colorado, returning home on May 10th. Logan Webb started on the mound for the Giants, while the Red Sox went with Cooper Criswell.

Both pitchers have had a strong start to the season, so it seemed this game may not be heavy on offense, however, almost instantly the first inning challenged that idea. Red Sox pitcher Cooper Criswell and four relievers combined for a four hit 4-0 shutout against the Giants.

With two outs in the inning, Rob Refsnyder of the Red Sox came up with runners on first and second. A single to the outfield allowed Tyler O’Neill to score from second, and Wilyer Abreu advanced to second. Enmanuel Valdez came up next and after a lengthy nine-pitch at-bat, he flew out to Mike Yastrzemski. Also, it’s worth noting, that Yastrzemski was returning to the ballpark where his grandfather, Carl, spent his legendary career.

Webb struggled with control early on, throwing a lot of pitches and not hitting the strike zone when ahead in the count. Even the strikeout to start the second one was a generous call by the umpire. Having eclipsed the 40 pitch mark before recording the second out of the second inning, he was going to need to improve his efficiency drastically or the Giants would need to call on the bullpen much earlier than they had hoped.

This was reinforced by the Red Sox scoring their second run of the game when Jarren Duran singled to center and Reese McGuire scored from third base. He got out of the inning on a ground out from O’Neill, but he was already nearing the 60-pitch park. Refsnyder got hit second RBI of the night with a single to right field which allowed Abreu to score from second base.

It took until the fourth inning for the Giants to get a base runner when LaMonte Wade Jr walked, however, they had still been held without a hit up to that point. Webb remained in the game to start the bottom of the fourth.

Duran started the inning with a single, stole second then advanced to third on a ground ball. With two outs, a line drive by Abreu went straight down the first base line and Duran scored on the resulting triple. Sean Hjelle came into the game at this point, ending Webb’s disappointing start with 90 pitches, four earned runs, three walks, and nine hits allowed over 3.2 innings pitched. Hjelle immediately got them out of the inning by striking out Refsnyder.

Michael Conforto got the Giants their first hit of the ball game to open the fifth inning with a groundball single, however, Patrick Bailey immediately grounded into a double play. Hjelle hit Garrett Cooper with a pitch in the bottom of the fifth, it appeared to hit the Red Sox’ first baseman right in the wrist and he exited the game in clear discomfort.

Boston seemingly made it 5-0 on a groundball to short, the runner on third scored and the throw was too late. However, the Giants didn’t agree and initiated a manager’s challenge. Upon replay, it appeared that the first baseman caught the ball a split second before the runner made it to the base and the umpire overturned the call. As a result, the Giants got out of the inning and trailed 4-0.

Brennan Bernardino took over on the mound for the Sox to start the sixth inning, while Bobby Dalbec came in for the injured Cooper. Yastrzemski got hit by a pitch to start the inning, it looked fairly similar to what happened to Cooper, but Yastrzemski remained in the game.

Bernardino wouldn’t make it through the inning though as he was replaced by Greg Weissert with two outs. Taylor Rogers took over pitching duties for the Giants for the bottom of the sixth. After walking the first batter, he struck out the next two and Refsnyder grounded out on the first pitch to end the inning.

After a couple of uneventful innings, the Giants found themselves with runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth. O’Neill grounded to Matt Chapman who stepped on third, and threw it to second where they got the out and the shortstop threw it to first where the umpire called the runner out, seemingly giving the Giants a triple play.

After a manager’s challenge though, it would be overturned as the runner was safe at first. Eventually, Landen Ruopp would get a strikeout to end the inning, and the Giants had their final opportunity to get some offense on the board.

Justin Slaten entered the game to close it out for the Red Sox who led 4-0 entering the top of the ninth. The first batter of the inning, Jung Hoo Lee flew out to right field. Wilmer Flores was the next batter up and he singled up the middle.

Chapman then hit a soft liner up the middle, putting runners on first and second. Kenley Jansen started warming up for Boston at this point as well. Conforto grounded out to the second baseman, so the runners advanced and the Giants were down to their final out. Bailey struck out on three pitches, and the Red Sox walked away with a shutout win to start the series.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Giants open up three game series vs. Red Sox Tuesday at Fenway

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San Francisco Giants Carl Yastrzemski (right) is congratulated by third base coach Matt Williams (9) after hitting a bottom of the third inning solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Marko:

#1 Thario Estrada and Mike Yastrzemski hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates to give the Giants some lift in a three run inning in an eventual 3-2 win.

#2 Giants starter Keaton Winn got the win pitching six innings giving up three hits and one run and five strikeouts.

#3 Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald had three hits and the Giants wound up taking two out three to win the three game set against the Pirates. Completing their three game series.

#4 The Pirates loss is their tenth loss out of their last 13 games. The Pirates scored a run when Winn hit Edward Oliveras in the top of the fifth who later scored when Rowdy Tellez hit a RBI double. It wasn’t enough as the Pirates fell short.

#5 The Giants will start a road trip in Boston against the Red Sox on Tuesday night at 4:10pm PDT. Starting pitcher for the Giants right hander Logan Webb (3-1 ERA 2.33), the Red Sox have not announced a starter as of yet.

Join Marko for the Giants podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Estrada and Yastrzemski hit back to back homers in Giants 3-2 win over Pirates

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San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada runs the bases after hitting a home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Pittsburgh (14-15). 000 001 001. 2. 5. 0

San Francisco (14-15) 003 000 00x. 3. 8. 0

Time: 2:23

Attendance: 36,380

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants continued their flirtation with .500, coming a step closer when they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, this sunny and windy afternoon. The win improved the record of Bob Melvin’s men to 14-15 and excellent mound work by Keaton Winn and long balls by two heretofore underperforming batters, Thairo Estrada and Mike Yastrzemski.

Winn, San Francisco’s starting pitcher, was 2-3, 3.54 at game time. The 26 year old right handed rookie was coming off two strong starts, in which he had garnered that pair of wins. He had pitched six innings in each of them and held his opponents, Miami on April 17 and the Mets on the 22nd, to a run and four hits apiece.

This was the first time he’d ever faced the Pirates, and he performed very well, allowing just one run, earned, on three hits and a walk over six full innings, in which he struck out five batters. He threw 80 pitches, 29 of which were balls. earned the win and even his won-lost count to 3-3 while lowering his ERA to 3.18.

Winn’s opposing number was Jared Jones, also a 26 year rookie righty making his sixth start in the show. A tad less than half of his deliveries are four seamers, and he also throws a slider, curve, and change up. He pitched well in four of the five innings he worked, but he had a rough third frame over all, he yielded three runs, all earned, on six hits, two of them home runs, and a walk while striking out three.

His pitch count reached 83, 55 strikes. He took the loss, bringing his record to 2-3,3.18. (You’ll note a lot of numerical similarities between the two teams in this dispatch).

The game was a scoreless tie for the first 2-1/2 frames, but then the Giants’ bats heated up. They opened their half of the third with their first back to back home runs of 2024. Estrada smacked a first pitch slider into the left center field bleachers, leaving his bat at 106.2 mph and landing 397 feet from the plate.

It was the second sacker’s fourth round tripper of the year. Yastrzemski followed with his second four bagger of the season, a 402 foot blast to center that had an exit velocity of 105.1 mph. It came on a 2-2 four seamer. Back to back singles by Tyler Fitzgerald and Jung Hoo Lee, followed by a sacrifice fly by LaMonte Wade, Jr., and the hometown crew was up, 3-0 a third of the way through.

The Bucs narrowed the gap to 3-1 in the top of the fifth. Edward Oliveres was hit by a pitch to open the frame, and Rudy Tellez banged a two bagger to left center to bring Pittsburgh’s designated hitter home.

Luis L. Ortiz relieved Jones and sent SF down in order in the sixth and held the Giants scoreless in the seventh, despite a two out single by Yaz followed by a Fitzgerald’s windblown double to left. Kyle Nicolas set them down, 1,2,3 in the eighth.

Erik Miller replaced Winn and held the Pirates to walk in the seventh, giving way to Ryan Walker, who put Pittsburgh down with just a hit batter in their share of the eighth.

Camilo Duval went for his fifth save in the ninth. It would have taken an eclipse for the Giants to have darkened the stadium for his entrance so the crowd had to settle for video clips. But that didn’t mean that there was no excitement, not after Tellez sent a double to right center and scored on Triolo’s single to left center, making it 3-2.

With Michael A. Taylor at bat, Triolo moved into scoring position on a passed ball, bringing ex-Giant Joey Bart, who had replaced Henry Davis as catcher after Davis had been pulled for a pinch hitter in the previous inning. Doval got him out on a checked swing grounder to short, averting a demoralizing loss and giving the Giants the win for the game and the series.

The Giants will have a day off in Boston Monday and play the Red Sox on Tuesday and will follow that with visits to Philadelphia and Denver before returning home to face the Cincinnati Reds on May 10.

Red Sox beat A’s 1-0 to complete three-game sweep; Loss is 6th out of last 7 games for Oakland

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Oakland A’s pitcher TJ McFarland gives up the intentional pass to Boston Red Sox hitter Trevor Story (foreground) to load the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Apr 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg and Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND- The Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland A’s 1-0 Wednesday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep. The A’s have lost six of the seven games played this season. The pitching for both teams was excellent—the game’s only run came in the fourth inning.

The A’s starter, Ross Stripling, pitched well enough to win.“Strip was great. [He] pounded the zone…..I think the biggest difference this outing from his first was he actually crowded some guys with his sinker, which is a good sign. Obviously, he’s a guy that’s gonna keep hitters off balance. He did a great job today…..It was a great outing for him.” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay.

The A’s had their chances but could not get a hit when needed. They threatened to score in the fifth, seventh, and ninth innings. They failed all three times. Each team’s bullpen held the opposition scoreless. The game summary follows below.

The Red Sox drew first blood in the top of the fourth inning. Stripling had the Sox under control for the first three innings. With one out in the fourth, Singles by Triston Casas, Matsataka Yoshida, and Cedanne Radaela loaded the bases.

Second Baseman Emmanuel Valdez’s fly ball to short right field drove in Casas with the first run of the game for Boston. The A’s mounted a threat in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, A’s third baseman, J D Davis, doubled to deep center field—Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta Struck out Seth Brown on a 95 Mile-per-hour four-seam fastball.

The next hitter, Brent Rooker, mired in an early season slump, blasted a ball Ceddanne Rafaela caught at the 400-foot sign. The Red Sox lead 1-0 after four. Kotsay said the A’s simply got beat by good pitching, “We know those first five games weren’t clean games. These last two games were clean; they were competitive. We had a chance to win both games. That’s the type of baseball that I was expecting us to play. We had opportunities with the bases loaded. We also got a couple balls dead center that is this park seem not to go anywhere…..the at-bats [today] were better, even though we didn’t score…..the Red Sox’ bullpen has got it going right now, [and] it was a challenge.”

In the bottom of the fifth, the A’s loaded the bases with one out. Singles by Tyler Nevin, his first Major League hit, Nick Allen, and Ryan Noda gave the A’s a chance to put some runs on the board. The next hitter, Zack Gelof, hit into a 6-4-3 to end the inning.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the eighth inning. Lefty T.J. McFarland was on the hill for the A’s. McFarland retired Abreu for the first out. Jarren Duran singled. It was Duran’s fourth hit of the day. Rafael Devers doubled to put men on at second and third.

The A’s issued Sox shortstop Trevor Story an intentional walk to load the bases. The threat ended when Triston Casas grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. The Sox still lead 1-0 halfway through the eighth. The Red Sox dodged a bullet in the eighth; with one out, Zack Gelof singled.

Story fielded J J Bleday’s ground behind second base. Trevor stepped on second to get the out on Gelof. Story’s throw to first to complete the double play went awry, and Bleday went to second on the error. Sox reliever Chris Martin could not field Davis’s ball. Bleday went to third on the play. Martin struck out Seth Brown to end the inning.

The A’s had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen walked Shea Lamgeliers and Lawrence Butler. Pinch hitter Abraham Toro hit into a fielder’s choice. Langeliers went to third on the play. All the A’s needed to tie the game was a hit. Jansen ended the A’s thoughts of tying the game when he struck out Ryan Noda to preserve the win for the Red Sox. The Sox win 1-0.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are 1-6 to start the 2024 season. Boston improved to 5-2. The Line score for Oakland was no runs, eight hits, and no errors. Boston’s line was one run, ten hits, and two errors. The Winning pitcher was Nick Pivetta. Pivetta lost his first start 1-0 and won his second start 1-0.

Kenley Jansen recorded his second save. The A’s Ross Stripling pitched well for the A’s. Stripling went seven innings, allowing eight hits and one run. Stripling did not walk a batter and struck out three. Stripling threw 85 pitches, 61 for strikes. Stripling is now 0-2 for 2024.

The game lasted two hours and 21 minutes. There were 6,436 fans in attendance. The A’s are off on Thursday. They will start JP Sears and the Tigers have not yet decided on a starter in Detroit on Friday. The game will start at 10:10 a.m.

A’s Drop Second Game of Three-Game Series, 5-4 to Red Sox in 11 Innings

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JD Davis Oakland A’s third baseman slugs a single in the bottom of the tenth inning at the Oakland Coliseum against the Boston Red Sox on Tue Apr 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics (1-5, 4th AL West) lost a heartbreaker 5-4 to the Boston Red Sox (4-2, 3rd AL West) in 11 innings at the East Bay Coliseum.

Just over 5,000 faithful fans cheered for their home team for more than three hours (3:04), just to be let down after 11 innings of play in the city of Oakland.

The game got off to a good start for the visiting Red Sox, as they posted a tally in the top of the first inning. Boston shortstop Trevor Story hit an RBI double, scoring third baseman Rafael Deavers, to put them up 1-0.

The Beantown Boys followed that up in the top of the second with another run. Left Fielder Jarred Duran did the damage this time, with a linedrive single, sending home, appropriately named, Triston Casas. The DH after crossing the plate, put Boston up 2-0, early in the contest.

The A’s didn’t take too long to respond, as they got themselves on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame. Catcher Shea Langeliers belted a 2-run homer, to even the score at 2, after the second inning. Third Baseman J.D. Davis also scored on the home run.

For the third consecutive inning, Boston managed to put up at least one run. Second Baseman Pablo Reyes belted a single to center field, knocking in right fielder Tyler O’Neill. The BoSox were up again, 3-2.

Once again, Oakland responded immediately in the bottom of the same inning. Center Fielder J.J. Bradley blasted a two-run homer, putting the home team back in the lead, 4-3. First Baseman Ryan Noda was the other runner batted in,

Next there was a 3 inning scoring drought, until the top of the seventh. Trevor Story created his own narrative by slicing another rbi base hit. This one was a single to right field, scoring Duran. The game was tied at 4, which stood for the allotted 9 innings.

Extra innings were in store for the fandom. Neither team was able to cross the plate in the 10th inning.in Finally in the 11th, Boston decided to end the baseball battle in their turn of the stanza.

Since Boston was the visiting team, any run would not end the game immediately, but would put the onus on Oakland. Boston did just that, ALMOST. They did not exactly hit someone in; however, Tyler O’Neal was responsible for the GW RBI, by ignominiously hitting into a double-play, that was enough to allow Wilyer Abreu to score the winning run.

Boston won the game dramatically 5-4. The winning pitcher was RHP Josh Winckowski (1-0), while RHP Mitch Spence (0-1) took the L.

The two combatants will be back in action Wednesday Afternoon at 12:37 PDT, with projected pitchers: Oakland’s RHP Ross Stripling (0-1, 7.20) vs. Red Sox’ RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 1.50).

A’s make 5 miscues as Red Sox trounce and shutout Oakland 9-0

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Oakland A’s centerfielder JJ Bleday can’t make the catch off of the Boston Red Sox Emmanuel Valdez’s hit in the top of the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Apr 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 1, 2024

Boston (3-2). 125 001 000. 9. 9. 0

Athletics (1-4). 000 000 000. 0. 4. 5

Time: 2:31

Attendance: 6,618

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This is not an April Fool’s joke. The team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics might have climbed to just one game under .500 if they had managed to defeat the under performing Boston Red Sox tonight. That turned out to be a delusion of grandeur. The A’s defeated themselves, 9-0, and the Bosox climbed to 3-2.

It’s not as if the green and gold had been facing a healthy franchise. Over the weekend, the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy wrote what mutandis mutandi a few years ago could have been written by John Shea or Scott Ostler, the two Chronicle reporters who deserve to share a Pulitzer Prize for their recent coverage of the Fisher fiasco.

“It should be clear to all by now,”Shaughnessey wrote, “The Red Sox brass is not going to spend money or make much effort to improve this team. The message to Alex Cora, his staff, and fans, is unambiguous: This is your team. Figure it out. We don’t care if you finish last for the fourth time in five years and the seventh time in 13 years, we are not going to spend another penny to make it better. We are done.”

I can’t wait until the Boston ownership starts to complain about how outdated the fabled Fenway Park is and how badly the team deserves a new stadium, perhaps in Atlantic City. To tell the truth, Fenway is long on tradition and charm but low on good sight lines. Except for the bleachers and the expensive seats, you’re likely to have an obstructed view; in the bleachers, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in the middle of a fist fight

The Bosox jumped to an early lead against the Athletics’ starting right hander, Joe Boyle.who broke into the majors when he joined the last September 17 and went on to compile a record of 2-0, 1..69. Jarren Duran laced a sharp lead off single, stole second, and advanced to third when Shea Langeliers’ throw went into center field. Triston Casas’ single to center drove him home, and the A’s went to bat against Tanner Houk (6-10, 5.01 last year; 15-19, 3.86 lifetime) trailing 1-0.

Errors cost the A’ dearly in the second frame. Masataka Yoshida opened it with a walk. He went to third when JJ Beday dropped Enmanuel Valdéz’s fly ball at the center field fence. Yoshida scored on Ceddane Rafaela’s sac fly to right, on which Valdéz moved up to third, whence he scored on Lawrence Butler’s errant throw home.

It was Ryan Noda’s turn to be the goat in the third. With runners on first and second and no outs, he made a nifty grab on Valdéz’s slow grounder between first base and the pitcher’ mound and a back hand flip that went past Boyle, covering the bag. That, combined with an error by Boyle himself, who threw a pick off throw into center opened the gates for five more runs and, after a double by Trevor Story, led to Boyle’s early departure.

He had lasted a mere 2-2/3 innings, in which he managed to throw 84 pitches, 48 for strikes. Seven of the eight runs he allowed were earned, and they came on eight hits, four walks, and a wild pitch. He struck out four Bosox, took the loss, making his record 0-1, 23.63.

Lefty Kyle Muller replaced him and was the sole bright spot in the A’s otherwise dreary performance. He left after going 5-1/3 innings and yielding one run.. The tally he allowed, which came in the sixth, didn’t come on an error, but if Zack Gelof hadn’t bobbled Yoshida’s grounder with one out and runners on second and third, it would have resulted in an inning ending double play instead of a run producing force out.

Muller gave up only one safety during his tenure and walked two while setting a half a dozen Red Sox down on strikes. Michael Kelly closed down the Bostonians in the top of ninth, allowing just a lead off base of balls.

Tanner Houk was Boyle’s opposite number for Boston. He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out ten. He threw one less pitch, 83, in his six full frames than Boyle did in his 2-2-2/3; only 20 were balls. He was the winning pitcher, giving him a 1-0, 0.00 mark for the newborn seaon. Chase Anderson took over for him to start the bottom half of the seventh and shut the A’s down on one hit over the final three innings.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, afternoon at 12:37pm PDT, Oakland’s Alex Wood (0-1, ERA 16.20) will try to undo his disastrous previous outing as he faces the Red Sox and Brayan Bello (1-0, ERA 3.60)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Ohtani says interpreter stole money to pay off gambling debts; Interpreter never graduated or worked at Sox or Yanks; plus more news

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Will Ireton Los Angeles Dodgers manager of performance operations (left) interprets for Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (right) at a pre game press conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Mon Mar 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 A look into Los Angeles Dodger’s designated hitter Shohei Ohtani’s personal trainer Ippei Mizuhara stole the money from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts. It was learned that Ohtani did not pay for Mizuhara’s gambling debt Ohtani said the $4.5 million to pay the debt was stolen by Mizuhara. Ohtani made it clear he did not know about Mizurhara using the stolen money to pay an illegal bookie.

#2 Mizuhara’s background was found to be suspicious as well it was discovered he never attended UC Riverside and never graduated there in 2007, Mizuhara never was an interpreter for the Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima from 2007-2011. The Red Sox released a statement saying that Mizuhara never worked for the Red Sox. It was also reported that Mizuhara was an interpreter for the New York Yankees in 2022 but the Yankees said that Mizuhara never was an interpreter for them in 2022.

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that it was good that Ohtani addressed the media before Monday night’s game at Dodger Stadium. It gave Ohtani a forum to clear the air and address some of the questions about his knowledge that money was going to an illegal bookie to pay Mizuhara’s debts.

#4 Although no one will admit it in the Dodgers clubhouse that this whole thing is a distraction but has to be the largest paid athlete of all time tied to a gambling scandal and it’s turned into a federal investigation and questions where is this going to end up?

#5 Turning to the Oakland A’s the A’s have announced that they have cut the time in half on Thursday opening night and will open the gates at the Oakland Coliseum parking lot from four hours to two hours early. The A’s have said they did that because there was no sense opening up the lot when they are expecting a low paid attendance to show up. Two large A’s fan groups the Oakland 68s and the Last Dive Bar said that cutting the parking lot times from two to four hours will cut their boycott time down to just two hours and they also planned to have tailgates before the game now that time has been cut in half. The 68’s said the A’s are playing mind games.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com