Tag: Daniel Mengden

Angels knock off the A’s 9-7

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Angels won a wild and wooly game Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum as they sent the A’s down to their fourth loss in the last five games by a score of 9-7. It was also the third loss in a row for the Green and Gold.

With the loss, the A’s now trail the Houston Astros by five games in the race for first place in the AL West and are 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for the first Wild Card spot. Time is running for the Green and Gold as there are just 11 games left in the regular season. The A’s are now 90-61 on the season.

The Angels put one on the board in the top of the fourth. With one out, their all-world center fielder, Mike Trout, blasted his 35th home run of the year off Daniel Mengden. Mengden walked the next hitter, Justin Upton. Mengden retired Shohei Otani for the second out. Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons then lined a double off the wall in left center field. It went out like a rocket, and the A’s were able to get the ball back to the infield to prevent Upton from scoring. Mengden retired third baseman Tyler Ward for the third out. The Angels led 1-0 in the middle of the fourth inning.

The A’s answered by scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth. Angels manager Mike Scioscia replaced starter Tyler Skaggs with Cam Bedrosian. Skaggs made his first start since August 11th, and Scioscia had him on a pitch count. Skaggs did not allow a hit or  run in three innings of work. The A’s took advantage of Bedrosian’s wildness to load the bases with no outs. Bedrosian walked Jed Lowrie to start the inning. A’s DH Khris Davis singled to send Lowrie to second. Bedrosian walked Stephen Piscotty to load the bases with no out. Bedrosian struck out the next two hitters and was in position to get out of the jam. A left fielder ripped a double that bounced off the base of the left field wall that cleared the bases. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy followed with a single to drive in Canha with the A’s fourth run of the frame. Scioscia changed pitchers, and reliever Noe Ramirez was able to retire Ramon Laureano for the final out of the fourth. The A’s led 4-1 after four.

Melvin went to his bullpen to start the sixth inning. The move turned out to be a disaster for the A’s as the Angels plated six runs on four hits. Shawn Kelley started the inning and faced Jose Fernandez. Kelley retired Trout for the first out. Justin Upton singled off Matt Chapman’s glove to put runners on at first and second. Melvin brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to pitch to Ohtani. That strategy failed as Ohtani singled to load the bases. Andrelto Simmons singled to drive in Fernandez and Upton. The Angels trailed 4-3. Melvin replaced Buchter with Lou Trivino. Trivino hit Taylor Ward with a pitch to load the bases. Kaleb Cowart hit his first home run of the run and his first grand slam. Trivino retired the next two hitters, but the damage was done. The Angels took a 7-4 lead.

The Angels put two more on the board in the top of the eighth. The A’s brought in their seventh pitcher of the night, Cory Gearrin, to face the Halos. Ohtani walked. Simmons followed with a single. Ward reached on a fielder’s choice. Ohtani was thrown out at third, but Chapman’s throw to first sailed past Matt Olson and went into right field. Simmons scored, and Ward ended up on third base. Cowart, who hit a grand slam in his last at-bat, tripled to drive in Ward with the Angels’ ninth run of the night.

The A’s rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning and scored three times to make it a 9-7 game. Jed Lowrie got things going when he walked for the third time in the game. Davis struck out, but singles by Piscotty and Olson allowed Lowrie to score. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien walked to load the bases. A’s outfielder Dustin Fowler was sent in to pinch hit for Josh Phegley. Fowler came through with a single to drive in Piscotty and Olson. Angels’ pitcher Ty Buttrey retired Ramon Laureano for the third out. The A’s had one more opportunity to either tie or get ahead in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Angels’ seventh pitcher of the evening retired in order in the ninth to seal the win. The A’s lost 9-7.

Game Notes and Stats: Time of the game was three hours and 42 minutes. For all intents and purposes, it was a bullpen game for both managers. A’s manager Bob Melvin started Liam Hendriks for the first inning, and Daniel Mengden was able to go four innings with the Halos scoring just one run. Angels manager Mike Scioscia used seven pitchers to subdue the A’s.

Things went awry in the sixth and eighth innings as the A’s bullpen imploded and allowed the Angels to put eight runs on the board. The A’s used eight pitchers in the loss, and it appeared to many that the bullpen might be a bit tired at this stage of the season. Rookie Lou Trivino, who has been so good, was burnt by Kaleb Cowart when he hit his first homer of the year, and it was a grand slam to boot. Cowart also had a triple.

The A’s line was seven runs on seven hits and one error. The Angels’ line score was nine runs on nine hits and no errors.

The winning pitcher was the Angels’ third pitcher Noe Ramirez. Ty Buttrey earned his fourth save of the year.

The losing pitcher was the A’s Lou Trivino, who absorbed the loss. His record is now 8-3.

There were 15.031 fans in attendance as they watched their A’s go down to defeat.

Up Next: Game two will be played Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm PDT.

Brett Anderson will go for the A’s. Anderson is hoping to rebound from two poor outings since coming off the DL.

Felix Pena will pitch for the Angels.

Playoff premiere atmosphere more conducive to the Yankees in 5-1 win over the A’s

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — Mathematicians and Major League managers would have reached the same, logical conclusion on Tuesday night: two hits aren’t enough to qualify a team for critical, postseason analysis.

In a tightly contested ballgame between the two American League teams on a collision course to meet October 3 in a win-or-go-home, wild card scenario, the Yankees and A’s had everyone’s attention, but the A’s managed just two hits, and that ended the playoff preview assessment before it could get started.

“We just didn’t do enough offensively tonight,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “No matter what we give up, even if it’s two runs, when you get two hits, it’s going to be a tough time winning.”

Make no mistake: in their 19th game in 19 days, the A’s came to play, and their patchwork approach to pitching to the Yankees was executed brilliantly for six innings. Reliever Liam Hendricks started, and Daniel Mengden followed by allowing just one of the first 14 batters he faced to reach, before a base hit by Gleyber Torres on the last of his 51 pitches. Ryan Buchter picked Torres off first just three pitches into his appearance, and that kept the Bombers quiet for six innings.

Buchter allowed a Brett Gardner base hit leading off the seventh, and that was Melvin’s signal to turn to his top guys, starting with Jeurys Familia. But the former Mets’ closer allowed Giancarlo Stanton a base hit, and then walked Andrew McCutchen to load the bases. Then Aaron Hicks walked to force in a run and tie the game.

Familia escaped further damage by striking out the next two batters before Fernando Rodney induced Neil Walker into a foul pop that ended the inning.

With one front line reliever off his game, the A’s couldn’t afford two, and that’s what they suffered when Rodney elevated a pitch to Luke Voit leading off the eighth. That pitch was quickly deposited in the left field corner pocket for a 2-1 Yankees lead, courtesy of their lineup’s hottest hitter.

Voit’s shot was his seventh homer in 12 games dating back to August 24. The hot hitter quickly transformed into a galvanizing cheerleader greeting his teammates in the dugout.

“The whole Sammy Sosa hop, I don’t… it just happens,” Voit said. “I don’t know, I play with excitement, and like some of you guys say, it just feeds the team, ignites the team and, you know, we end up scoring three more runs. It’s huge and it’s like a playoff game and it’s fun to have emotions for those games.”

15 runs, 18 hits, 14 pitchers–September baseball is here! M’s down A’s 8-7 on Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND — If you are planning to come to the ballpark between now and the end of the season, bring seat cushion with you. Every team in the Major Leagues could expand their roster on Saturday. The A’s added eight players to their active roster, bringing their total of available players to 33.

A’s manager Bob Melvin talked about how much the club was looking forward to having the extra help down the stretch in September. After 136 games, a team is tired, bruised and battered from the rigors of playing every day. Melvin was also looking forward to having extra help in the bullpen.

Oakland lost the services of two starters last week. Sean Manaea was diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis and may not be available for the remainder of the season. Brett Anderson went down with a strained left forearm and is eligible to come off the disabled list on September 7. The A’s chose not to go out on the waiver trade market for a starter and instead bolstered their bullpen.

Saturday night was the beginning of a new experiment

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The Tampa Bay Rays shocked the baseball world earlier this season when they began using an “opener” instead of a starting pitcher in their games. Former Giants reliever Sergio Romo made headlines when he “opened” the game pitching one inning then turning it over to what would have been the starting pitching who was now a long relief pitcher. Confused?

There is a method behind the madness. First, the Rays really believe in the strength of their bullpen. Secondly, the Rays are adhering to the concept of limiting the number times hitters are allowed to see a “starting pitcher.” The prevailing thought is that batter should only see a pitcher twice because the hitters become too effective in the third time at bat.

The A’s decided to go with the same philosophy on Saturday night. Reliever Liam Hendricks was put into the role of “opener.”  He lasted 1.2 innings, giving up two runs off two hits. He gave up both runs in the second inning. Danny Coulombe came on to relieve Hendricks and gave up an RBI double to the only batter he faced. Emilio Pagan then took over from Coulombe and ended the second inning by getting Haniger to fly out in foul territory. That second inning set the tone for the rest of the game.

“Starter” Daniel Mengden entered the game in the top of the third inning and lasted 2.0 innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits. Mengden walked one and struck out one Mariner. You will want to listen to Melvin’s comments about Mengden’s performance.

The A’s newest pitcher–reliever Cory Gearrin–made his Oakland debut in the game in the fifth inning, and it was less than a stellar beginning. Melvin said that Gearrin is not used to pitching from behind (the A’s were down 8-1 at that point). Gearrin allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits. Melvin said Gearrin just needs to get his feet on the ground and he will be fine.

The A’s also used Hatcher, Buchter, Wendelken, and Familia as relievers in the game. For those of you scoring at home, that is a total of nine pitchers used by the A’s in nine innings.

Those nine pitchers gave up 8 runs (7 earned) off 12 hits. They struck out five M’s batters and walked two.

The M’s used six pitchers in the game even though their starting pitcher (who was a traditional starting pitcher) James Paxton lasted 5.0 innings. Seattle pitching gave up 7 runs (6 earned) on six hits. They walked six and struck out 18 Oakland batters. Paxton struck out 10.

Oh, you would like to know who won the game

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I am sorry. I am so tired from the length of the game (3 hours and 33 minutes) that I forgot to mention the Mariners won the game 8-7. Paxton was the winner and is now 11-5 on the year. “Opener” Liam Hendricks took the loss and is now 0-1 for the season.

The M’s (76-60) now lead the four-game series 2-1. The Astros (83-53) beat the Angels Saturday night, so the A’s (81-56) are now 2.5 games back of Houston for first-place in the AL West. The win moves Seattle within 4.5 games of the A’s for second-place and for the second Wild Card slot.

Just when you thought it was over–it wasn’t

The A’s were trailing 8-2 as they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. If it had not been a fireworks night, a good portion of the 28,760 fans in the crowd would have already been on the freeway headed home. Instead, the fans were still in their seats after three-plus hours and were ready to see their team make some fireworks of their own.

Alex Colome came out of the bullpen to take over the pitching duties for Seattle. The first batter he faced was Khris Davis who promptly dispatched a 2-1 pitch into the right field seats for his 40th home run of the season. The crowd came to life and this reporter got his focus back because the A’s are team of late-inning miracles.

Stephen Piscotty followed up the home run with a single. Matt Olson struck out pinch hitting for Pinder. Ramon Laureano singled up the middle and Piscotty moved up to second base. Mark Canha walked to load the bases with one out. Dustin Fowler entered the game as a pinch hitter and struck out.

That brought a pitching change by Seattle, who sent Edwin Diaz to the mound and Colome to the showers. Marcus Semien hit a double to left-center field that cleared the bases with the help of a fielding error charged to Denard Span and made the score 8-7. Matt Chapman struck out to end the inning.

Another wild ninth inning
In the top of the ninth, Jeurys Familia took the hill to stop the Mariners from scoring additional runs. Familia set the side down in order giving the A’s a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.

The M’s brought in their closer Edwin Diaz to stop any thoughts the A’s had of winning the game. Jed Lowrie led off the ninth with a base-on-balls. Khris Davis went down swinging. Stephen Piscotty also struck out, so it all came down to Matt Olson with Lowrie at first. Olson also became a strikeout victim and Diaz notched his 51st save of the season.

Back to the need for a seat cushion
This game featured 15 runs, 18 hits, and 13 pitching changes. That required 3 hours and 33 minutes to complete. Trust me, you will want a seat cushion for any game that goes that long. Plus, get seats close to a restroom.

Up next
The A’s and M’s wrap up this four-game series on Sunday at 1:05 PM PDT.

Seattle will send RHP “King” Felix Hernandez (8-12, 5.49) to the mound to make his 401st MLB start. The A’s will return to using a traditional starting pitcher by sending RHP Edwin Jackson (4-3, 3.03) to the hill.

A’s win a seesaw battle over the White Sox 7-6 on Saturday in Chicago

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Martini vs Chi
Nick Martini recorded his first major-league hit on Saturday Photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics won their second game of the four-game series with the Chicago White Sox 7-6 at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday. However, the win did not come easy.

As the game entered the bottom of the ninth inning, the A’s held a 7-6 lead. Blake Treinen continued on the mound in an attempt to close it out for Oakland. Yoan Moncada led off for the White Sox and wound up safe at first when Treinen could not handle the throw from first baseman Matt Olson. Treinen was charged with an error. Avisail Garcia took a little pressure off Treinen by striking out.

Jose Abreu reached first safely when Marcus Semien made a fielding error and a fielder’s choice turned into back-to-back errors with the tying run at second base and the potential winning at first.

DH Matt Davidson then became Treinen’s best friend when he grounded into a six to four to three (Semien to Barreto to Olson) double play to end the game and give the A’s their second win in the series.

It may have been a costly win

A vs Chi
Photo: @WhiteSox

A’s starting pitcher Daniel Mengden had to leave the game after the second inning with a right foot sprain. The team does not know what is next for Mengden. It could be that he will be rested and possibly miss his next scheduled start. The other possibility is a trip to the DL if the injury is more serious in nature and requires extended time off.

Mengden has struggled in his last five starts. He is 1-2 with an 8.98 ERA over those five games. His opponents have batted .295 against him in those games. Mengden pitched 2.0-innings on Saturday giving up five runs (all earned) in the first inning including one home run.

Oakland could call Chris Bassitt back from Triple-A Nashville to take Mengden’s spot on the roster if that becomes necessary.

A’s with the bat
Nick Martini, who was called up to give the A’s some fresh legs after the Friday doubleheader, recorded his first major-league hit in the eighth inning when he singled to right-center field to drive home Stephen Piscotty from second base to give Oakland a 7-6 lead. Even though they no longer officially track it as a statistic, Martini’s RBI-single proved to be the game-winning hit.

Matt Olson, who homered in the second game on Friday night, hit his 17th home run of the year in the sixth inning off of White Sox pitcher Chris Volstad. This was the third time Olson has homered in back-to-back games this season. He also extended his hitting streak to five games.

Stephen Piscotty his sixth home run of the year in the second inning off Chicago starter Dylan Covey. He went 2-for-3 in the game to make it his 14th multihit game of the season.

A’s on the mound
The bullpen came through for the Athletics again on Saturday. Oakland had to use six relievers in the game. The relievers pitched 7.0-innings allowing just one run off three hits. They struck out 10 and walked just one hitter.

Lou Trivino had a very interesting relief appearance. He entered the game in the sixth inning with one out and the bases loaded. He induced Moncada to ground into a force play, but Anderson was able to score from third to tie the game. Trivino was charged with a blown save (1).

Trivino came back out for the seventh inning and struck out the side in order to keep the A’s in the game. Trivino was the pitcher of record when Martini hit his RBI-single and was awarded the victory to up his record to 5-1 for the year.

Treinen worked 1.2-innings for a five-out save. It was his 17th save of the season.

The A’s love the road
The A’s have now won six of their last seven games and are 4-1 on this 10-day road trip. Oakland is 20-17 on the road this season.

The A’s have homered in a franchise-record 24 consecutive road games.

The A’s are 13-7 in one-run games in 2018.

Up next
The A’s and White Sox will wrap up this four-game series on Sunday at 11:10 pm PDT. Oakland will send RHP Paul Blackburn (1-1, 8.03) to the mound. The White Sox will start LHP Carlos Rondon (0-2, 4.41).

Don’t give in: The A’s keep fighting in dramatic, 6-5 win over the Angels in 11 innings

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–After a rough week, and after a rough, first eight innings on Sunday with just three hits, as well as their continued struggles against suddenly superior AL West competition, the A’s struck back.

And lo and behold, the Angels–beset by injuries and saddled with a shaky bullpen–capitulated.

The A’s came up with a pair of runs in the ninth to tie, and Jonathan Lucroy’s game-winning hit scoring Jed Lowrie in the 11th to beat the Angels, 6-5.

“On the homestand, we had some good teams coming in here. We were trying to make up for that Astros series,” Lucroy said.

The win allowed the A’s to capture the three-game series on the heels of an embarrassing three-game sweep at the hands of the World Series champion Astros. After the twists and turns of the first 72 games of the season, the A’s are 36-36, the 13th time their record has landed at .500. The A’s concluded a 5-5 home stand, and they’re 15-14 over their last 29 games. All the symmetry hasn’t left the A’s in good position within their division. They trail the first-place Astros by a season-high 11 1/2 games after Houston won their 11th in a row, a 7-4 win over the Royals on Sunday.

The win allowed the A’s to disrupt their season-long, late inning pattern of winning when leading, and losing when trailing. Prior to Sunday, the A’s were 0-33 when trailing after eight and 31-0 when leading.

Oakland starter Daniel Mengden pitched more effectively than he did in his previous two starts, battling into the sixth inning where he departed trailing 4-2. Mengden allowed a combined 12 earned runs to the Rangers and Astros in his first two June starts, then gave up solo shots to veterans Chris Young and Albert Pujols on Sunday. But when Mengden could have unraveled, he didn’t. In the sixth, after Pujols’ shot gave the Angels the lead, Mengden uncorked a wild pitch with runners at first and third, allowing Andrelton Simmons to score. But Mengden recovered, striking out Martin Maldonado with a runner in scoring position before he was lifted for reliever Yusmeiro Petit.

“I’m just missing spots,” Mengden explained. “But we know we are in every game. With a few good at-bats, we’re right there.”

Those good at-bats did take place until after Andrew Heaney departed. The Angels’ starter finished eight innings, striking out eight while walking one. At one point, he retired 13 of 14 A’s batters. But things unraveled when he departed.

The Angels used five relievers, and four allowed a base hit, and three issued at least one walk. Blake Parker entered first and allowed a leadoff home run to Marcus Semien that trimmed the Angels’ lead. But Parker couldn’t settle down, walking two of the next three hitters.

“I’ve got to get ahead with better pitches. Go out there and one pitch, one run, I gotta regain my focus. I can’t have a four-pitch walk right after that,” Parker admitted.

Cam Bedrosian came on needing only to record the final out, but he surrendered the game-tying base hit to Mark Canha. Jake Jewell started the 11th, but allowed a leadoff single to Jed Lowrie, then hit Khris Davis on the first pitch with an errant curveball. And Eduardo Paredes failed to throw strikes on five of his first six pitches before Lucroy’s game-winner one-hopped the centerfield wall.

Of the 15 players currently on the disabled list for the Angels, relievers Kenyan Middleton and Blake Wood are lost for the season, and Jim Johnson, who was woefully ineffective as an Athletic in 2014, landed on the list last week with lumbar strain. Top option Justin Anderson couldn’t go on Sunday after throwing 28 pitches Friday night. So when the 11th inning opened, manager Mike Scioscia turned to Jewell in just his second major league appearance, then Paredes, who dragged a 7.15 ERA to the mound.

The A’s concluded a stretch of 20 home games in their last 25 with Sunday’s win. Now they hit the road for 27 of their next 35 games starting Tuesday in San Diego.  Paul Blackburn will make that start opposed by the Padres’ Eric Lauer.

 

Mengden tosses a complete game shutout to lead the A’s to a 3-0 win over the D-backs Saturday

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Joyce HR
Matt Joyce started the scoring with a first-inning leadoff home run Photo: @Athletics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Daniel Mengden pitched a brilliant game for the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon to lead them to a 3-0 victory and even the series at 1-1 as the teams head into the finale on Sunday. Mengden worked 9.0 – shutout innings giving up just two hits, walking none while striking out five Diamondbacks.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin had nothing but compliments for Mengden and his starting performance Saturday. The skipper did reveal that Chad Pinder’s eighth-inning leadoff home run probably gave Mengden the chance to go for the complete game rather than using a closer in the top of the ninth.

This game was all about the pitching

Oakland

Daniel Mengden

  • That is the only name that will appear in the box score for the A’s. This was his second career shutout. His first came versus Philadelphia on September 17, 2017.
  • Mengden has now won his last three consecutive starts. That is the first time he has done that in his career.
  • Over his last eight starts, Mengden has posted a 1.79 ERA while striking out 31 in 50.1 innings pitched.
  • Mengden threw 102 pitches of which 76 were strikes.
  • The key pitching stat for the game is zero Base on Balls.
  • Mengden is now 5-4 on the season with a 2.85 ERA.

Arizona

Clay Buchholz

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Clay Buchholz took the loss but pitched very well for D-backs Photo: @Dbacks
  • This was his second start for the Diamondbacks. He started versus the Mets on May 20 but did not figure into the decision.
  • It looked like it would be a short outing for Buchholz when Matt Joyce his the first pitch of the game over the right-field wall into the seats for a “no doubt about it” home run to give the Athletics a quick 1-0 lead.
  • Buchholz then settled down and proceeded to retire the next 15 Oakland hitters he faced. The next A’s batter to reach base was Chad Pinder who hit a double deep into center-field but Buchholz was able to get out of the inning stranding Pinder at third base.
  • The D-backs lifted Buchholz after 6.0-innings of work. He allowed the one run (earned) on just two hits. He walked none and struck out three batters.
  • Buchholz was charged with the loss and his record falls to 0-1 for the year.

Jorge De La Rosa

  • De La Rosa replaced Buchholz in the bottom of the seventh inning.
  • After inducing Jed Lowrie to fly out to center, Matt Olson hit a 2-2 pitch over the center-field fence that bounced around in the television camera box for his eighth home run of the season. That gave the A’s a 2-0 lead.
  • De La Rosa was able to finish the inning without giving up any additional runs.

Fernando Salas

  • Salas was the third and final pitcher used by Arizona in the game. He came in for the bottom of the eighth to face the leadoff man Chad Pinder. Pinder hit the first pitch from Salas over the center-field fence for his fifth home run of the year to give Oakland a 3-0 lead.
  • Salas did give up one additional hit – a double to Marcus Semien – but he was able to close out the inning without allowing any additional scoring.

It was home run or nothing game

Athletics

  • Those “Swingin’ A’s” scored all three of their runs off home runs.
  • Matt Joyce hit his sixth HR of the season. His first leadoff shot of the year and the ninth of his career
  • Matt Olson hit his eighth round-tripper of the year and it was his first HR to be hit off a lefthand pitcher this season.
  • Chad Pinder who hit his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning had the only multi-hit game for Oakland. He hit a double to leadoff the sixth inning for the A’s.
  • Marcus Semien recorded his 12th double in the contest.

Diamondbacks

  • The D-backs had two hits in the game. Both were singles.

 

Up Next on the Schedule

Up next game

The Diamondbacks and the Athletics will close out their three-game series with the “rubber game” of the match on Sunday at 1:05 PM. The real surprise here is Oakland will be starting RHP Frankie Montas who has been called up from Triple-A Nashville. Montas has spent the entire season with the Sounds appearing in nine games recording a record of 1-5 with an ERA of 4.39 in 41.0-innings on the mound. He has struck out 33, walked 13 and allowed five home runs. His WHIP is 1.34. The transaction will not become official until tomorrow morning.

Montas will face the crafty RHP veteran Zack Greinke. Greinke is 3-3 on the year with a 3.71 ERA.

Charlie O
My namesake was at the game! Photo: @Athletics

A’s cap sweep, impressive road trip with Mengden’s gem in 9-2 win over the Blue Jays

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By Morris Phillips

Ten-game roadie through three of the toughest venues the American League has to offer, seven wins, at least one home run hit in every game, a signature moment in Chad Pinder’s eighth inning, grand slam on Saturday, an aggressive approach to every at-bat that brought definition to the Oakland A’s offense, and one, significant injury that will be of concern going forward.

With all that happening and more, starter Daniel Mengden could have struggled to carve out his own niche of notoriety, but his pitching performance Sunday afternoon at the Rogers Centre was too good for that.

Mengden went seven innings, allowing two hits as the A’s romped, capping a rare, four-game road sweep with a 9-2 spanking of the Blue Jays.

“We went right after it the first couple times through and then started pitching backwards,” Mengden explained. “We just tried to pitch unpredictable as much as we could, and the defense was extraordinary behind us.”

Sunday’s stellar performance marked yet another breakthrough for the former Texas A&M starter who needed 13 starts to win at the Coliseum in Oakland for the first time. Now, Mengden can say he’s the prince of daytime baseball, having won a day start for the first time in 2018 after coming up short on four occasions.

As for the A’s, they came into their own on the completed 7-3 road trip: the starting pitching continued its steady, incremental improvement after a rough start over the first 15 games of the season. Meanwhile, the bullpen was needed early and often over the duration of the trip, and delivered consistently. The offense was carried by the long ball, with Marcus Semien’s fifth inning blast on Sunday the 19th of the trip through New York, Boston and Toronto. And as Mengden mentioned, on Sunday, while he dealt, the A’s defense ran circles in support.

 

What just happened? Astros blowout the A’s on Saturday night 11-0

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Altuve
Astros celebrate Photo: @astros

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics ran headlong into reality at 100 mph as the World Champion Houston Astros reminded the “Green and Gold” who they were playing as they were humbled on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park. The Astros shutout the Athletics 11-0 before a delighted sellout crowd who came to see their champs crush the young upstarts.

Lance McCullers Jr. dominated the A’s. In fact, he held them hitless through the first five innings. Mark Canha broke up the potential no-hitter in the top of the sixth inning when he hit a single to center. Stephen Piscotty then singled to right moving Canha up to second and A’s fans began to have hope that their team had solved McCullers’ pitches and were about to break open the game. Bruce Maxwell promptly hit into a double play and Matt Joyce flied out to left field to end the inning. That would prove to be the only two hits that McCullers would allow in his 7.0-innings of work.

The A’s would have only two additional baserunners in the contest as they managed to get a base hit and a base-on-balls off Astros reliever Hector Rondon in the eighth inning. Tony Sipp came in to mop it up for Houston in the top of the ninth to preserve the win.

Oakland used six pitchers who gave up 11 runs (10 earned) off 13 hits which included four home runs. A’s pitchers walked six Astros and struck out six.

On the Hill

This game was really all about pitching. For Houston, it was about pitching to perfection. For Oakland, it was about pitching breakdowns.

Houston

McCullers
Lance McCullers Jr. was in command on the mound Photo: @astros
  • Lance McCullers Jr.: he picks up his third win of the season to raise his record to 3-1 in five starts. He pitched 7.0-innings giving up no runs off just two hits. He walked none and struck out seven A’s batters. He threw 100 pitches (65 strikes).
  • Hector Rondon: he had the rockiest inning of the night for the Astros giving up a hit and a base-on-balls in his 1.0-inning on the bump. He threw 21 pitches (11 strikes).
  • Tony Sipp was brought in to work the top of the ninth and he did his job very well. Sipp gave up no runs, no hits, allowed no baserunners and struck out one.

Oakland

  • Daniel Mengden: Mengden would not want to use this as an excuse but he did bury his grandfather in Austin on Friday. He worked just 2.1-innings giving up five runs (4 earned) off six hits. He walked one and struck out one. Mengden was not sharp on Saturday and took the loss as his record drops to 2-3 on the young season.
  • The A’s used five relief pitchers in the contest.
  • Oakland has to be concerned about the performance of Wilmer Font who they just picked up from the Dodgers. Oakland hoped that Font would be able to work long relief and possibly spot start. On Saturday night, he gave up three runs (all earned) off three hits which were all home runs. That is not the way any pitcher wants to start out with a new team. It may be time to go back to the drawing board on that decision.

At the Plate

Astros

  • Jose Altuve: “The little big man” showed why is worth the “big bucks” by going 4-for-5 in the game scoring two runs and picking up two RBI. He hit his second home run of the year off Font and picked up his fifth double the season off Mengden. The man is a monster.
  • Alex Bregman had a big game for the ‘Stros. He went 2-for-3 at bat picking up two RBI. He also walked twice. Bregman now has 12 RBI for the young season.
  • George Springer hit his fifth HR of the season. He upped his RBI total to 17.

Athletics

  • They had three hits: Chapman, Canha, and Piscotty. All singles.

Up Next

Because the A’s had the big win on Friday night, Sunday becomes “the rubber game” of the match. Yes, the Athletics have the opportunity to win the series on the road in Houston if they can beat the Astros on Sunday afternoon.

Houston is going to send RHP Gerrit Cole to the hill on Sunday. Cole is 2-1 on the year in five starts. He has struck out 49 batters and walked just eight. Cole has allowed just three home runs. He has a WHIP of 0.77.

The A’s will counter with Trevor Cahill who is 1-0 on the season in two starts. He has an ERA of 2.25 in 12 innings pitched. Cahill has struck out 14 hitters and walked just four. He has a WHIP of 1.08.

This game has the potential of being a real pitchers duel. Game time 11:10 PDT.

Cozart comfortable all over the diamond as the Angels cruise past the A’s

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Photo of Angels’ Zack Cozart courtesy of mlb.com

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Zack Cozart has some history at the Coliseum, just none as eventful as his first 72 hours as a member of the Angels.

After seven seasons as a shortstop with the Reds, Cozart opted to sign a three-year deal with the Angels and all the uncertainty that comes with it. So far, the uncertainty of what position he’ll play, and where he’ll hit has been quite motivational for Cozart.

On Saturday, as Anaheim’s second baseman hitting leadoff, Cozart led the Angels past the A’s 8-3, with a pair of hits and two runs batted in. Cozart filled in at third base for Ian Kinsler, who landed on the disabled list before the game.

A’s starter Daniel Mengden allowed runs in four of the six plus innings he worked, and trailed 7-0 at one point. But Mengden wasn’t solely culpable as the A’s defense behind him committed an error and several misplays. While Mengden wasn’t as sharp as he was to finish 2017, he wasn’t far off, according to manager Bob Melvin.

“Hopefully we put that one away, because obviously the defense got a lot better as the game went along, but Mengden didn’t deserve the fate that he got,” Melvin said.

Khris Davis got the start in left field, and Rene Rivera’s line drive in the third eluded his glove for two-base error. Two other defensive lapses would follow and the A’s fell into a 3-0 hole early.

In the sixth, Cozart doubled, scoring Rivera and Jefry Marte. Mike Trout–who had three hits–followed with a well-placed single, scoring Cozart, and the Angels led 6-0.

Cozart’s double and triple gave him a cycle through the first three games of the season and an early .357 batting average. He hit leadoff on Opening Day and had three hits, including a home run. He hit fifth on Friday, moving from third to second during the game. All of the activity dwarfed Cozart’s previous appearance at the Coliseum, a pair of hitless interleague games for the Reds in 2013.

“Usually I just show up to the park and I know I’m playing shortstop,” Cozart said. “Now it’s different, but I kind of knew what my role was going to be: starting third baseman, but just in case, second base, shortstop, whatever. It’s just unfortunate that Kins got a little banged up and now I’m playing second for a little bit.”

Matt Shoemaker held the A’s offense in check for five innings before a three-run sixth made things competitive. Shoemaker was mostly good, and some bad, starting 17 batters with a strike, but walking four. Manager Mike Scioscia opted to remove his starter after Stephen Piscotty singled home a pair of runs in the sixth. But Cam Bedrosian came on to limit the damage, striking out Boog Powell to end the inning.

“We’re one swing away from tying it,” manager Bob Melvin recounted. “So it was good that we battled back-sitting at a 7-0 deficit and we continued to fight back, the attributes you want to see–but we dug ourselves too big of a hole.”

The A’s conclude the opening series on Sunday at 1:05pm with Daniel Gossett facing international sensation Shohei Ohtani, in his first major league pitching assignment.

 

A’s win finale at Texas, hope to build on positive finish in 2018

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Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington,Texas, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

By Morris Phillips

Across the board, you pick the statistic, and the numbers reveal the A’s are trending toward a bounce back season in 2018.

But it’s the A’s, right? They’re always building.

True, but this time a group of youthful, talented players are in place, they’ve shown some acumen for winning at the big league level, and they may catch the rest of the AL West at a vulnerable moment.

Finishing the season with a 5-2 road win over Cole Hamels and the Rangers, winning 17 of 24, and going nearly the entire, second half of the season with a winning record (40-39) fosters that belief.

“I want guys, when they come to spring training next year, to be in a different mindset than we’ve been,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We want to hit the ground running.”

Oft-injured, and previously ineffective Daniel Mengden made the transition early, finishing 2017 strong, after two stints on the disabled list, strong enough that the 24-year old has put himself on the short list of candidates for next season’s starting rotation.

After Kendall Graveman and Sean Manaea, Mengden has put himself in a group with Jharel Cotton, Paul Blackburn, Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett as candidates for the other three spots. And, as they did last season, the A’s may elect to forgo signing a veteran starter, confident they can get consistent they can get quality starts out of their young, core group.

After Sunday’s seven innings of shutout baseball–in the hot, Texas sun, no less–Mengden has belief that previously seemed unattainable.

“Having some time last year, then getting back this year, I knew what I had to do and stuck to the plan,” Mengden said.