Tag: Esteury Ruiz

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s injuries has played role in team’s struggles

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Oakland A’s pitcher Kyle Muller made his second start with Triple A Las Vegas and is working on making his way back to the big club from rehab (Kyle Muller instagram photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, the Oakland A’s open up a series against the Los Angeles Angels the last time these two teams met the Angels swept them no doubt this Angels team has improved over the course of their earlier struggles which had them at one time in last place.

#2 Amaury, the A’s have a number of injuries how much does that play into their struggling record?

#3 Amaury, the A’s pitcher Aaron Brooks has cleared wavers and is set to play for the Triple A Las Vegas Aviators. Brooks had been designated for assignment to make room for pitcher Jack McLoughlin. The A’s were hoping that Brooks would clear wavers so he could stay with the organization.

#4 On June 28th A’s pitcher Kyle Muller made his second rehab appearance going 1.1 innings at Triple A Las Vegas. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said he was please with Muller’s appearance. Muller will pitch again for the Aviators on July 2.

#5 It’s been a long time coming but the A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz who had suffered with a left wrist injury and was the 10 day IL since May 23. Ruiz is now taking swings off the tee and Kotsay is monitoring his rehab which is coming along.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Soderstrom getting around on the baseball; Erceg is back from strain injury; plus more news

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Oakland A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom who hit home runs in back to back games last Sunday and Monday has impressed manager Mark Kotsay with his improved hitting. (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 Oakland A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom hit back to back home runs one Sunday against Toronto and another Monday in San Diego. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is encouraged by Soderstrom’s improvement at the plate saying he’s getting better. Soderstrom is hitting .222 has 14 hits, 8 RBIs, and three home runs.

#2 Jerry, A’s reliever Lucas Erceg threw a 20 pitch bullpen session on Sunday. Erceg said he’s feeling healthy Kotsay said since Sunday Erceg has had no issues with the right forearm strain and came into relieve in Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Padres.

#3 Ross Stripling who has struggled all season with a 1-9 record and an ERA 5.82 is expected back in July his injury update is he’s a on a throwing program. Stripling is looking forward to increase the distance of his throws as Kotsay and the pitching coaches will determine when Stripling will be ready to see live action.

#4 Everybody is asking about Esteury Ruiz who last season lead the American League in stolen bases with 67. Ruiz is not having that kind of season this year. He’s battling a wrist injury he incurred when diving for a fly ball in the outfield in May. He was sent down to triple A Las Vegas to start the season. The A’s said there is no timetable for Ruiz’ return but he could return as soon as sometime this month.

#5 The A’s announced last week that they will be playing 10 percent of their home games away from Las Vegas to improve the team’s and the MLB brand. The A’s would play neutral site games anywhere from other minor league parks but the one top choice is they would play internationally where baseball wants to market and maybe expand.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Wendelstedt won’t be disciplined; A’s having slight uptick improvement so far this season

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed out in the first inning after a fan behind the Yankees dugout shouted something to plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt at Yankees Stadium in New York on Mon Apr 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Jessica, on New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s ejection on Monday. Boone had just come out of the dugout to question plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt about a ball that hit Oakland A’s hitter Esteury Ruiz’s foot and on a swing. Once back in the dugout Wendelstedt had warned Boone about saying anything further when a fan said something and Wendelsted threw out Boone who said nothing.

#2 The A’s who were the worst team in baseball last season has improved slightly. They won two straight series which didn’t happen much last season. They did get swept by the Cleveland Guardians who are the hottest team in baseball. But the A’s surprised everybody with a 2-0 shutout win over the Yankees on Monday, they maintain third place and are three games back in the AL West.

#3 The Chicago White Sox said before the season that they would be an improved team and they would compete but they have lost nine of their last ten games and are dead last in the American League Central winning on three games so far this season against 19 loses. The Sox have an atrocious road record winning only one game against 12 loses.

#4 Turning to the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James had lots to say about the officiating after last Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game 2 loss 101-99. LeBron was called for having his foot on the three point line and got only two points losing the three points in a close game. He also was called out of bounds in a game against the Golden State Warriors. LeBron questioned why the NBA has a replay center for when calls are going to stand like those ones?

#5 Jessica, the subject was raised about the Golden State Warriors possibly trading Stephen Curry. The Warriors who lost a play in game against the Sacramento Kings to be eliminated from post season. Curry scored only 22 points and teammate Klay Thompson had 0 points. The Warriors might even consider trading Draymond Green. It looks like Golden State is going to break up that old gang and try and get younger.

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Ruiz welcomed back to the Show after 2 run blast

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Oakland A’s outfielder found himself demoted in the minor leagues after the first week of the season even though he was hitting above .400. Here he’s wearing a Last Dive Bar wrist band who are promoting that A’s owner John Fisher should sell the team. The Last Dive Bar has indicated that the A’s were offended by Ruiz wearing the wristband and that was the real reason he was demoted. All is forgiven as Ruiz is back up with the big club and hit a big fly against the St Louis Cardinals on Wed Apr 17, 2024 at the Oakland Coliseum. (photo from The Dive Bar on X)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, when the Oakland A’s demoted outfielder Esteury Ruiz to triple A affiliate Las Vegas. At the time of the demotion Ruiz was hitting over .400 and last season led the A’s and American League in stolen bases. So the demotion had people scratching their head.

#2 Without complaining Ruiz took the demotion and in one of his at bats slugged a ball that hit the back of the bleachers at Las Vegas ball park. Ruiz cannot be denied and his production strong was promoted back to the big club Wednesday.

#3 The Last Dive Bar an A’s fan club who had been involved in the Summer of Sell, boycotts and reverse boycotts drives with the Oakland 68s had Last Dive Bar wristbands with their name on it and Ruiz and teammate Brent Rooker had been photographed with the wristbands on. Hence Rooker has not played much this season and is on the 10 day IL and has been hitting and Ruiz was sent down shortly after the photos were made public.

#4 All is forgiven now as Ruiz who the A’s brass can’t deny is back in the show and was in the line up yesterday slugged a two run home run which was key in the A’s win over the visiting St Louis Cardinals at the Coliseum.

#5 The A’s open a three game series to open their road trip on Friday night in Cleveland. For the A’s Joe Boyle (1-2 ERA 6.23) he’ll be opposed by the Cleveland Guardians Tristen McKenzie (1-2 ERA 6.23) first pitch 4:10pm PDT.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A Star is Born in 2023 and it is Esteury Ruiz

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Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz heads home after hitting a two run homer off the Detroit Tigers on Sep 23, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum. Ruiz led the American League with 67 stolen bases in the 2023 season. (AP News photo)

A Star is Born in 2023 and it is  Esteury Ruíz

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The Oakland A’s rookie, Esteury Ruíz stole a rookie record 67 bases this past season, born in Azua, a town of over 120,000 people west of the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, 100 kilometers – 62 miles away.

Numerous players were born in Azua, including the Miami Marlins Sandy Alcántara who in 2022 unanimously won the Cy Young Award in the National League. The 24-year-old rookie was tutored by Major League Baseball Rickey Henderson, the undisputed stolen base king of all time.

The stolen base record for a rookie established by Ruíz this past season is the new major league record. The record of 66 was previously held by Kenny Lofton, in 1992 with the Cleveland Indians (that was the name of that team, today the Cleveland Guardians).

Esteury Ruíz established the new MLB record for a rookie in stolen bases during his 132nd game of the season. It was in Anaheim, with two games left in the 2023 season, a sunny Sunday when in the third inning the Dominican kid broke the Lofton record, stealing his 67 base of the season.

The rookie will never forget this 2023 season “nunca se me olvidará este año” trans- “I will never forget this year”. Yet, he knows he needs to exhibit more patience at the plate, as he only walked 20 times in 449 plate appearances.

It is unfair to compare this kid with Rickey Henderson, because one season doesn’t makes a career. However, not a power hitter, Ruíz has many other good tools, like his defensive play in center field, just one season after the A’s had another young kid playing that position, Christian Pache, now playing with the best team in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, probably on his way to the World Series.

Esteury Ruíz, who mostly hits in the lead-off position or last in the lineup is a good kid, enjoys the game, works hard and loves, I mean loves, to run the bases. He also knows there is only one Rickey, Because there is nobody like Rickey: In 1982 Rickey Henderson stole 130 bases, the current one-season record, then also became the first and only three time over 100 stolen bases per-year-player in history, in 1980-82-83, ending with 1,406 stolen bases, also the current record in history.

2023 a good year to steal? Yes. The bases are slightly larger, the pitchers are limited in how often they can throw over to first base, Second base is where the majority of the bases are stolen, it is “donde está la acción” trans- “where the action is”.

This 2023 season stolen bases were at an all time high 81% success rate. And Ruíz did his part, Felicidades Esteury!. Quote: I was stealing all the bases, and when you had to go to arbitration they say, “You know, only the big boys make the money “So I got to try and figure out how to hit a Home-run too”. -Rickey Henderson.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcasts and commentaries at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Forget the game it’s all about Kelce and Swiftie; Warriors Green to nurse ankle for nearly 2 months; plus more news

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Travis Kelce’s mom Donna #87 and Taylor Swift (right) watch the action from a luxury suite at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in a game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs on Sun Oct 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

#1 What the betting odds on how long that Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce will be staying together?

#2 Tickets for Chiefs home games tickets, Kelce jerseys, and Swift themed merchandise have been going off the racks at 25 percent mark up or more.

#3 Amaury, talk about how you see Golden State Warriors 33 year old Draymond Green’s bad ankle being a part of the aging process or age had nothing to do with it he’s just 33 and he got an ankle injury.

#4 How surprised were you when Jimmy Butler came out for his new look at Media Day at the Miami Heat with long hair and pierced lips and Jimmy Buckets saying to the media present “go ahead laugh.”

#5 Amaury, talk about how surprised you are at the top two base stealers in baseball the Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuna Jr with 73 and the Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz with 67.

#6 Amaury, check it out the odds makers have the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series by plus 260. The Braves liked you say are stacked with superstars, just for example the Braves had eight All Stars representing them in July.

#7 The Braves finished well ahead of the pact in the NL East 14 games on top over the second place Philadelphia Phillies. Do you see the Braves going through the post season like butter?

#8 Amaury, Best for last to talk about, the Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and the award that Camilo Doval received on Sat Sep 30th at Oracle Park.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Boyle, A’s defeat Angels 7-3 for 50th win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics continued their division rivalry series against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. The A’s defeated the Angels 7-3 at Angel Stadium for their 50th win of the season. Oakland improved to 50-111, while Los Angeles fell to 72-89.

The A’s starting lineup featured Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Jordan Diaz, Carlos Pérez, Nick Allen, Esteury Ruiz, and Joe Boyle. Boyle (2-0, 1.69 ERA) took the win after pitching for seven innings and giving up two hits, three earned runs, two walks, six strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s wasted no time getting on the board. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left field for an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Angels finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mike Moustakas was out on a sacrifice fly to Brent Rooker. Nolan Schanuel scored to tie the ballgame 1-1. Brandon Drury went to third base with two outs.

The Angels then took the lead. Logan O’Hoppe homered on a fly ball to center field. Brandon Drury scored to put the Angels up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The A’s responded with a five-run eighth inning to regain the lead. Zack Gelof singled on a ground ball to Jo Adell. Nick Allen scored to cut the Angels’ lead to 3-2. Esteury Ruiz went to third base, while Ryan Noda went to second base. And, with Brent Rooker batting, Ruiz scored on a balk to tie the game 3-3. Noda advanced to third base on a balk, while Gelof advanced to second base on a balk. In addition, Shea Langaliers homered on a fly ball to right center field. Noda scored to extend the A’s lead to 6-3.

The A’s added a run in the top of the ninth inning. Zack Gelof singled on a ground ball to Mickey Moniak. Tyler Sodestrom scored to expand the A’s lead to 7-3. Esteury Ruiz went to third base.

Notes
Esteury Ruiz tied the AL rookie stolen base record with 66 stolen bases.

In his second season with the A’s, Dany Jiménez (reliever) represents San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Up Next
The A’s will conclude their series and season with a finale against the Angels on Sunday afternoon at 12:07 pm Pacific. The A’s will start JP Sears (5-13, 4.49 ERA), but the Angels’ starter is TBD.

A’s drop 9-4 decision to Rangers in series finale

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers ended their series on Sunday. The A’s dropped a 4-9 decision to the Rangers in their series finale at Globe Life Field. Oakland fell to 44-99, while Texas improved to 78-64.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Lawrence Butler, Kevin Smith, Tyler Sodestrom, Esteury Ruiz, and Luis Medina. Medina (3-9, 5.68 ERA) took the loss after pitching for 4 1/3 innings and giving up six hits, five earned runs, three walks, three strikeouts, and one home run.

The Rangers did it big in the first inning. Marcus Semien, a former A’s shortstop and second baseman, homered on a fly ball to left field for an early 1-0 lead. Robbie Grossman hit a ground-rule double on a line drive to center field. Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver scored to make it a 3-0 game.

The A’s finally got on the board in the third inning. Tyler Sodestrom homered on a line drive to right field to cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. Seth Brown singled on a sharp line drive to Robbie Grossman. Zack Gelof scored to make it a one-run game, 3-2, as Ryan Noda went to third base. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Leody Taveras. Noda scored to tie the game 3-3, as Brown went to second base. Lawrence Butler reached on a fielding error by Josh H. Smith. Brown scored for a 4-3 lead, as Jordan Diaz went to third base and Butler went to second base.

The Rangers regained the lead in the fifth inning. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager scored for a 5-4 lead, as Lowe went to second base. Lowe advanced to second base on a throwing error by Kemp.

The Rangers poured in the runs in the sixth inning. Josh H. Smith tripled on a sharp line drive to Esteury Ruiz. Leodys Taveras scored for a 6-4 lead. Evan Carter was out on a sacrifice fly to Lawrence Butler. Smith scored to make it a 7-4 game with two outs. Marcus Semien homered on a fly ball to left-center field to double the lead to 8-4. Corey Seager homered on a line drive to right field to expand the lead to 9-4.

Notes
The A’s wished the San Francisco 49ers good luck this season.

The A’s rejected an offer from the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, a local Black-owned development group, to buy half of the Coliseum. A’s president, Dave Kaval, sent a letter to AASEG leader Ray Bobbitt on Wednesday saying that they appreciate the offer but aren’t interested in selling or disposing of their interest in the Coliseum.

Up Next
The A’s will take on the Houston Astros for a three-game series starting Monday at 5:10 p.m. Pacific.

A’s take care of business with 6-3 win over Rangers

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers met again for game two Friday. The A’s sealed their rodeo road game with a 6-3 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Oakland improved to 44-97, while Texas fell to 76-64. Devin Sweet (1-0, 4.50 ERA) took the win in his first game pitching for the A’s.

The A’s starting lineup featured Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Ryan Noda, Aledmys Díaz, Jordan Diaz, Kevin Smith, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn pitched three innings and gave up six hits, two earned runs, three walks, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first. Ryan Noda grounded out to Nathaniel Lowe and Jordan Montgomery. With two outs, Zack Gelof scored for an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The A’s lead was short-lived as the Rangers went ahead in the bottom of the first inning. Corey Seager homered on a fly ball to right-center field. Marcus Semien scored for a 2-1 lead.

The A’s quickly responded with a game-tying single in the top of the second inning. Esteury Ruiz singled on a line drive to Evan Carter. Nick Allen scored to tie the ballgame 2-2. With three outs, Ruiz was at second base on the throw from Carter to Jonah Heim to Corey Seager.

The Rangers regained their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a line drive to Brent Rooker. Marcus Semien, a former Oakland Athletic from 2015 to 2020, scored for a 3-2 lead.

The A’s immediately tied the ballgame 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning. Esteury Ruiz homered on a fly ball to left-center field.

The A’s took a two-run lead in the top of the sixth inning. This was a “welcome home” moment for Shea Langaliers. Langaliers, a Keller, Texas, native and a Keller High School and Baylor University alum, homered on a fly ball to center field. Kevin Smith scored for a 5-3 lead.

The A’s extended their lead just before the seventh-inning stretch. Ryan Noda doubled on a sharp fly ball to Leody Taveras. Brent Rooker scored for a 6-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Notes
On Friday, the A’s reinstated Lawrence Butler from the bereavement list and optioned Jonah Bride from Triple-A Las Vegas.

A’s left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas made his MLB debut Friday. Lucas pitched one inning and gave up two hits, one earned run, two walks, and one strikeout.

Tony Kemp was named the A’s nominee for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Vote for Kemp at mlbtogether.com/clemente21.

The A’s Filipino Heritage Night, hosted by P-Lo and Anthony Presents, is coming up. Get your tickets at athletics.com/filipino.

Up Next
The A’s and Rangers will meet again on Saturday for game three at 4:05 p.m. Pacific. The A’s starting pitcher is TBD, while the Rangers’ starter will be Nathan Eovaldi (11-4, 2.95 ERA).

A’s get blown out 6-1 by White Sox

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox concluded their four-game series on Sunday. The A’s got blown out by the White Sox 6-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field and split the series. Oakland fell to 38-93, while Chicago improved to 52-79.

White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger (6-6, 3.32 ERA) won after pitching seven innings and giving up one hit, one earned run, two walks, and ten strikeouts.

The A’s starting lineup featured Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, Tony Kemp, Aledmys Díaz, Carlos Pérez, Jordan Diaz, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (3-4, 4.15 ERA) took the loss after pitching six innings and giving up nine hits, four earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts.

The White Sox got on the board first. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson scored for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Eloy Jimenez was out on third base on the throw, Kemp to Jordan Diaz to Zack Gelof to Aledsmy Díaz. Vaughn went to second base with two outs.

The White Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Jordan Diaz, who committed a throwing error. Andrew Benintendi scored for a 2-0 lead. Gavin Sheets walked, and Vaughn made it 3-0. Yoan Moncada went to third base. Paul Blackburn threw a wild pitch and committed a missed catch error.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Zack Gelof was out on a sacrifice fly to Andrew Benintendi. Esteury Ruiz scored to cut the White Sox’s lead to 3-1 with two outs.

The White Sox added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Gavin Sheets singled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Yoan Moncada scored to make it 4-1.

The White Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yoan Moncada doubled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi scored to make it 6-1.

Notes
According to reports, a reported third victim was uninjured in Friday night’s game between the A’s and White Sox. The A’s blew out the White Sox 12-4 on Friday.

Up Next
The A’s will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday at 6:40 pm Pacific.