Tag: Houston Astros

MLB podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Astros could be a force if they can just clinch a playoff spot; Braves add Morton to IL; plus more news

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Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is hoping to lead the Astros into the post season, in the Wild Card the Astros are in third place and are 1.5 back in the AL West. (AP file photo)

On the MLB The Show podcast with Augie:

#1 Augie, the Houston Astros just holding onto the third position in the AL Wild Card and they are 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. If the Astros get into post season they will be as tough as anyone in the American League playoffs.

#2 One thing the Atlanta Braves have to be concerned about is their pitching rotation which added Charlie Morton to the 15 IL today. Morton is suffering from a right sprain finger and can’t pitch NL Division Series. Morton (14-12 ERA 3.64) how much will he be missed for the beginning of the post season?

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts set an Major League record for the most RBIs for a leadoff hitter in a season with 105. Betts hit an eighth inning double on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants pitcher Ross Stripling to score Dodgers Austin Barnes and David Peralta.

#4 The Los Angeles Angels had already shut down Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon now they have officially ended outfielder Mike Trout’s 2023 season as the injuries pile on the Angels. Trout who returned Aug 22after fracturing a hamate bone but was still in discomfort and returned to the 30 day IL. It was announced by the Angles Trout would be out for the rest of the season on Sunday.

#5 After the Pittsburgh Pirates took two out of three games from the Chicago Cubs in a previous series the Pirates came right and and rallied for nine runs against the Cincinnati Reds to come back and win 13-12. The Reds who have been suffering all season had their bullpen meltdown as the Pirates came back with nine runs to win it. The last time the Pirates came back to win scoring nine runs was way back in 1882.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s have won 12 of last 22 games; Oakland has shown improvement despite picking up 100th loss

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Former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher now with the Oakland A’s Sean Newcomb works in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park in Cobb County GA on Sun Jul 29, 2023. Newcomb had to apologize after the game for sending sexist, racist and homophobic tweets six years ago. On Sat Aug 5, 2023 Newcomb kicked a garbage can into a fire extinguisher sending chemical spray all over the Braves clubhouse after a 10 inning loss. Newcomb had to apologize for both incidents. Newcomb starts tonight for the A’s against the San Diego Padres (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s who went 3-3 on the last road trip in Arlington and Houston, lost two out of three in Texas and won two out of three in Houston. The A’s have played improved baseball going 12-10 in their last 22 games.

#2 The A’s were nearly no hit on Wednesday night in Houston by a combination of five Houston Astros pitchers. The A’s avoided getting no hit when Ryan Noda broke up the no hit bid with a single and later scoring in the inning.

#3 The A’s just couldn’t come back and fell to the Astros by four runs. The A’s lost their 100th game of the season with the 6-2 loss on Wednesday. This is the second year in a row they’ve lost 100 games.

#4 A couple of notes on tonight’s A’s starting pitcher Sean Newcomb, he comes over from the Atlanta Braves and nearly threw a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jul 29th. After the game Newcomb also had to apologize during a post game presser with the media not about losing the no hitter but about sexist, racist and homophobic tweets he sent out six or seven years ago. Later Newcomb on Sat Aug 5th kicked a garbage can that hit a fire extinguisher in the Braves clubhouse in frustration that sent chemical dust up in the clubhouse while a large fan was running, the team couldn’t come in the clubhouse to change out of their uniforms this was after a long ten inning game. Newcomb was angry for giving up the game winning hit to the Miami Marlins for the 7-6 loss. Do you think these might have been some of the reasons why Newcomb was dealt to the A’s?

#5 Jeremiah talk about tonight’s match ups to open the series Seth Lugo(6-7, 3.80 ERA) will go for the Padres and will be opposed by the A’s lefty, Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.75 ERA). First pitch at 6:40pm PT.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Good pitching beats good hitting; A’s can’t sweep nearly no hit by Houston

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The Oakland A’s Ryan Noda (left) runs past Houston Astros Yanier Diaz (right) for the A’s first run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Wed Sep 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerrry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s were prepared to sweep the Houston Astros on Wednesday night but as the old baseball saying goes good pitching beats good hitting. The Houston Astros used five pitchers who narrowly no hit the A’s. The Astros wound up with a two hit 6-2 win at Minute Maid Field.

#2 The Astros pitching into the ninth inning coughed up two runs but it wasn’t enough for the A’s to come back falling four runs short. Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly gave up the two hits and two runs in the failed no hit attempt.

#3 Jerry, talk about the Astros four run third inning off A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn who exited after the inning. Blackburn’s line three innings, four hits and four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts.

#4 Jerry talk about Ryan Noda’s single on the bottom of the top of the ninth inning off Pressly to end the Astros no hit bid.

#5 The A’s will open up a ten game homestand against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. Starting pitcher for San Diego Seth Lugo (6-7 ERA 3.80) for Oakland Sean Newcomb (0-1 ERA 0.75) a 6:45pm PT first pitch at the Oakland Coliseum.

Jerry is a A’s reporter and does A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Astros almost no-hit A’s beat the Green and Gold 6-2 at Minute Maid

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Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly thanks the almighty after striking out the Oakland A’s Brent Rooker to end the ball game in the top of the ninth at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Wed Sep 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s were set to sweep the Houston Astros Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park . The A’s won the first two games by shutting down the Astros’ potent lineup. The A’s had Paul Blackburn on the hill. His task was to give the A’s a quality start and hope the A’s offense could come through for the third straight game.

Unfortunately for Oakland, the Astros’ pitchers turned the tables on the A’s. The A’s recorded their first hit of the game with one out in the ninth. Had the Astros no-hit the A’s, the A’s would have been the second team in Major League history to have been the victims of a perfect game and a no-hitter in the same season. The only team to have that happen was the 2010 Tampa Bay Rays. As it was, the Astros beat the A’s 6-2.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Blackburn walked Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena. The next hitter, Yordan Alvarez, who had hit 21 home runs against the A’s since 2019, stepped to the plate. Alvarez launched a missile that left the park traveling 117.7 miles per hour. It was Alvarez’s 27th big fly of the season. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman followed with his 23rd home run of the year to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. Blackburn labored through the inning. He threw 34 pitches and was done for the night. 

The Astros added a run in the fifth to make it 5-0. Lefty Kyle Muller was pitching for Oakland. With two out, Michael Brantley singled.. Astros’ catcher Yainer Diaz doubled to drive in Brantley. The Astros made it 6-0 in the seventh.

Lefty Easton Lucas, acquired from Baltimore in the trade for Shintaro Fujinami, retired the first two Houston hitters. Lucas had to face Kyle Tucker now. Tucker was hitless in ten trips to the plate in the series. However, Tucker had owned A’s pitching before this series.

Tucker found one of Lucas’ pitches to his liking and sent it out of the park to make it a 6-0 game. For Tucker, it was his 105th run batted in. Tucker leads the AL in that department. It was his 27th home run of the year and his 100th career homer.

The A’s put two runs on the board in the ninth. Astros’ closer Ryan Pressly was on the mound to finish off the A’s. Four Houston pitchers had held the A’s hitless for eight innings. Pressly retired Tony Kemp for the first out. Zack Gelof walked. He was the fourth base runner of the game for the A’s. All Pressly had to do was get the next two outs without a hit.

Ryan Noda, who hits from the left side, broke up the no-hitter with a single up the middle, sending Gelof to third. Seth Brown singled to drive in Gelof with Oakland’s first run. Noda went to third on the play and scored on Shea Langelier’s sacrifice fly. Pressly struck out Brent Rooker to end the game. The Astros won 6-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 46-100 for the year. This is the second consecutive year that the A’s will have lost 100 or more games in a season. The Astros improved to 83-64. The Astros needed the win as the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Seattle Mariners beat the LA Angels. The Astros have a one-game advantage over the Rangers and a game and 1/2 lead over Seattle. With 15 games left in the season, the race will go down to the wire.

The Line for Oakland was two runs, two hits, and no errors. Blackburn was the losing pitcher. He pitched three innings, allowing four runs, four hits, and two home runs. 

The line for Houston was six runs, nine hits, and no errors. The Astros hit three home runs. The winning pitcher was Hunter Brown. Brown went five innings, allowing no hits and no runs. He struck out seven and walked two. 

The A’s are off on Thursday. The A’s will host the San Diego Padres for three games starting Friday night. Former A’s manager Bob Melvin will return to the Coliseum for the first time after leaving in 2021. Melvin took the A’s to the playoffs six times in the ten years he managed the club. Lefty Sean Newcomb (0-1 ERA 0.75) will go for Oakland. Seth Lugo (6-7 ERA 3.80) will go for San Diego. The game will start at 6:40 p.m.

A’s do it again beat Astros 6-2; Oakland shocks Houston at Minute Maid

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Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Tue Sep 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

My, oh my. Wow!!! The Oakland A’s beat the Houston Astros for the second straight night. The score this time was 6-2. The A’s starter, JP Sears, pitched well for the third straight game. Sears gave the A’s a quality start as he went six innings, allowing two runs and five hits.

The A’s bullpen held the Astros scoreless in the game’s last three innings. The A’s offense hit two home runs, one by Langeliers and one by Tony Kemp. Zack Gelof and Seth Brown had two doubles in the game. The A’s are now 12-9 in their last 21 games. Oakland is now playing a different brand of baseball these days. The A’s will be going for the sweep on Wednesday.

Here’s how the A’s beat future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander. Verlander entered the game with a lifetime record of 22 wins and seven losses against the A’s. His career ERA against Oakland is 2.27. In 2012 and 2013, Verlander beat the A’s in the playoffs to end Oakland’s season. 

The A’s had Verlander’s number Tuesday night. The A’s put three runs on the board in the top of the first. With one out, Zack Gelof doubled. Ryan Noda singled to drive in Gelof with the game’s first run. Verlander struck out Seth Brown for the second out.

All Verlander had to do to get out of the jam was to find a way to retire Shea Langeliers. Langeliers, who homered Monday night, sent his 19th dinger of the year into the stratosphere. There was no doubt about it when the ball left Shea’s bat. The ball hit the back row of the seats in the stadium. The A’s led 3-0.

Houston put a run on the board in their half of the first. Houston’s all-world second baseman, Jose Altuve, reached on an infield single. Sears retired Jeremy Pena for the first out. DH Yordan Alvarez laid down a bunt that stayed fair and sent to Altuve to second.

Sears walked Alex Bregman to load the bases. Sears now had to pitch the Kyle Tucker. Tucker loves to hit against the A’s pitching. Tucker had a three-homer game against the A’s earlier this year. Sears got Tucker to ground out. Altuve scored on the play. Sears struck out Jose Abreu to end the inning. The A’s lead 3-1 after one inning.

In the top of the third, Zack Gelof led off with his second double of the game. Seth Brown doubled to drive in Gelof with the A’s fourth run.

Tony Kemp led off the fifth with a solo home run to make it a 5-1 game midway through the inning. The Astros plated a run in their half of the inning. Mauricio Dubon and Martin Maldonado singled to put men on first and third with no out.

Sears made the fielding play of the night when he caught Jose Altuve’s popup and then threw to first to nail Maldonado to complete the double play. Jeremy Pena singled to drive in Dubon to make it a 5-2 game. The Astros didn’t know it then, but Houston would not score again.

The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth. Lefty Parker Mushinski was now pitching for the Astros. Mushinski hit the leadoff hitter, Ryan Noda, with a pitch. Seth Brown doubled for the second time to drive in Noda with Oakland’s sixth run. There was no more scoring as the A’s won.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 46-99 for the year. Houston falls to 82-64. Houston’s home record for the year is now 37-37, hardly a home-field advantage. It’s reminiscent of Houston’s failure to win at home in the 2019 World Series. The Washington Nationals won all four games at Minute Maid Park to become World Series Champs. 

The Line score for Oakland was six runs, ten hits, and no errors. JP Sears was the winning pitcher, improving his record to 5-11.

Houston’s line was two runs, six hits, and no errors. Justin Verlander was the losing pitcher, and he is 5-3 with Houston since coming to the team from the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 Tuesday and now trail the Astros by one game in the race for the AL West crown.

The final game of the three-game series will start at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday. Paul Blackburn (4-4, 3.88 ERA) will go for Oakland. Hunter Brown (10-11, 4.47 ERA) will be on the hill for Houston.

Three A’s pitchers hold Astros to three hits as Oakland wins opener of three-game series 4-0

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Oakland Athletics pitcher Ken Waldichuk throws against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Minute Field in Houston on Mon Sep 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, behind great pitching by Mason Miller, Ken Waldichuk, and Trevor May, stopped the hard-hitting Houston Astros 4-0 to win the first game of the three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, elected to use righty Mason Miller as the opener. Miller gave the A’s two innings, allowing only a single in the first inner. Miller kept the Astros scoreless in his two innings of work. Lefty Ken Waldichuk came into the game, and he was fantastic.

Without question, he had his finest performance of the season. Waldichuk pitched six innings and did not allow a hit. His only mistake was hitting Kyle Tucker with a pitch in the fourth inning. Waldichuk’s throw to first caught Tucker trying to steal.

The play went 1-3-6. Waldichuk was the winning pitcher. He is 3-7 for the season. Trevor May earned his 20th save. It took work as the Astros, limited to just one hit over the first eight innings, got singles by Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena to start the ninth. May got the dangerous Yordan Alvarez on a sharp line drive to deep right field. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker were retired on fly balls to Esteury Ruiz.

The A’s offense hit three solo home runs. Brent Rooker blasted his 24th of the year in the top of the second to give the A’s all the runs they would need. Oakland scored their second run of the night in the fifth. With one out, third baseman Kevin Smith doubled.

Nick Allen singled to drive in Smith with the A’s second run. With two out in the seventh, Shea Langeliers continued his homer binge with an opposite-field homer to make it 3-0. For Shea, it was his 18th of the year. Ryan Noda led off the ninth with his 15th big fly to give the A’s a 4-0 cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth. May did the job and the A’s won 4-0.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 45-99 for the year. Oakland is 11-9 in their last 20 games. The Astros are now 82-63. The Texas Rangers won Monday night and are two games behind the Astros in the race for first place in the AL West.

The Astros came into the game with a home record of 37-35. With the loss, they are 37-36 at home. The A’s can continue to add to the Astros’ home woes Tuesday night. It will be challenging as the A’s will be facing the ace of the Houston staff, Justin Verlander.

The line score for Oakland was four runs, seven hits, and no errors. The line score for Houston was no runs, three hits, and no errors. The winning pitcher was Ken Waldichuk. Framber Valdez was the losing pitcher.

Tuesday’s game will start at 5:10 p.m.

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.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s open 8 game road trip Tuesday in San Francisco

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Oakland A’s JJ Bleday head home after hitting his eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning against the Houston Astros at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Jul 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Oakland A’s were beaten by the Houston Astros (56-44) three out of four games at the Oakland Coliseum (28-74) and most recently last Sunday 3-2 in a close contest.

#2 The Astros Mauricio Dubon played hero with the gamer a home run in the top of the ninth inning for Dubon’s fifth home run of the season. It gave the Astros a one run leg up to get by the A’s by a run.

#3 The Astros Yanier Diaz belted his 11th home run of the season, Diaz had two hits in the game which included the home run and helped the Astros win Sunday’s game.

#4 Barbara, the A’s head to San Francisco on Tuesday night. A’s fans coming from Oakland plan to do a reverse boycott at Oracle Park and invite all San Francisco Giants fans to join them to chant “sell the team” and “keep the A’s in Oakland.” The event is called Reunite the Bay and it’s in support of keeping the A’s in Oakland and avoiding a relocation.

#5 The A’s will start Ken Wadichuk (2-6 ERA 6.75) the Giants have not announced a starter for Tuesday night. First pitch is slated for 6:45pm PT. How do you see the A’s matching up with the Giants in this brief two game series?

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

Astros Dubon belts 9th inning HR game winner to defeat A’s 3-2 at Coliseum

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Houston Astros’ Yainer Diaz (21) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning  at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Jul 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

Houston (56-44). 000 010 101. – 3. 5. 2

Oakland (28-74) 100 001 000 – 2 7. 0

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 11,231

Sunday, July 23, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Making a quick turnaround from last night’s upset 4-1 victory over the Astros, the Athletics sent rookie riight Luis Medina to the mound against the visitors from Texas. The home team lost, 3-2.

Medina, 3-7, 579 at game time, had been grand in his last start, which came on July 18 at the Coliseum, when he threw 5-2/3 shutout, three hit innings in a 3-0 win over. the Red Sox.

He kept the Astros at bay this afternoon, lasting five innings, in which he threw 93 pitches, 59 for strikes, and yielded just one run, which was earned and came on a homer, on two hits and three walks He struck out six and came away with a no decision that gave him a record of 3-7, 5.50.

The Astros went with Hunter Brown and his 6-7, 4.26 slate. He’d faced the Athletics a couple of times earlier in the season, both as a starter going 1-0, 2.08 with a WHIP of 0.77 against them. He got the win in the second start in which he went 5-1/3 frames and yielded four runs on eight hits.

He threw six strong innings In today’s contest, yielding two runs, both earned, on six hits, one of them out of the park, two walks,, and a hit batter while striking out four. He threw 88 pitches, 57 for strikes. Like Medina, he had to settle for a no decision, which left his season’s totals at 6-7, 4.19).

After Molina kept the ‘stros off the board in the top of the first, helped by a two out, two on marvelous diving catch of José Abreu’s sinking liner by Cody Thomas in right, JJ Belay sent a two out solo blast over the State Farm. advertisement in right center field for his eighth home run and 24th run batted in of the season. That put the A’s up, 1-0, practically from the get go.

Oakland loaded the bases with no one out in the home third after Jordán Díaz singled to right, Aledmys Díaz was hit by a pitch, and Tony Kemp reached base on an error by first baseman Bligh Madris. But the promising rookie Zack Gelof bounced into a 5-2-3 double play, and JJ Bleday flew out to left.

Yanier Díaz tied things up in the visitors’ half of the fifth, leading off with his 11th home run of ’23, a 398 foot shot to left center that came off an 82.9 mph slider.

Poor baserunning by Jordán Díaz fulfilled The Curse of the Leadoff Double when the A’s DH got caught in a brief rundown after trying to advance on a ground ball hit in front of him, but the Athletics pulled ahead in their next turn at bat. Bleday singled to center, stole second while Seth Brown was striking out, advanced to third on a throwing error by Houston catcher Díaz, and scored on Tyler Soderstrom’s two out single to center.

Sam Long relieved Medina to pitch a perfect top of the sixth for the A’s and was removed in favor of Tayler Scott when Madris led off the inning with a single to left center. It turned out to be an unfortunate decision.

Chas McCormick flew out to the warning track in center. Yanier Diaz, whose home run had tied the score, singled to left. Scott hit Peña with a pitch but recovered to fan Dubón but walked Julks to force in the tying run. That was it for Scott. It was Sam Moll to the rescue, getting Tucker out on a grounder to third.

Seth Martínez took over for Brown with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh and retired the side in order.

Chad Smith replaced Moll when Grae Kessinger was announced to bat for Madris with one out and Abreu, who had walked, on first in the eighth. The righty on righty move worked; Kessinger fouled out to left, and McCormick bounced out, third to first.

Gelof greeted Hector Neris in the home eighth, lining a double to left on the reliever’s second offering. Bleday followed him with a walk. Seth Brown moved both of them up with a sacrifice bunt. They had to stay there on Thomas’s checked swing ground out, 1-3. Soderstrom then flew out to right. The Curse of the Leadoff Double strikes again!

In the top of the ninth with two out, ex-Giant Mauricio Dubón jumped all over a hanging Chad Smith slider for a 404 foot tie breaking home run to left center.

That gave Bryan Abreu the opportunity to earn his third save. He succeeded, retiring the bottom third of the Athletics’ lineup in order.

The win went to Neris, who now owns a record of 6-2, 1.48. Chad Smith, now 2-1, 6.59, was tagged with the loss.

The disappointing defeat worsened the A’s season record to 28-74, .274.

The Yankees beat Kansas City, 8-5, this afternoon at The Stadium in the Bronx. The Royals now stand at 28-73, .277

On July 23, 299, Cleveland’s hapless Spiders, who ended their season at 20-134, .130, the all time worst in major league baseball, did not play, and so they remained at 15-68, .217. The 1962 New York Mets, like their predecessors in futility in 1899 Spiders, didn’t play on July 23rd, which left their record of 24-70, .255 intact.

This afternoon game wrapped up the series with Houston. The Athletics have Monday off and will open a two game set against the Giants at Oracle Park at 6:45pm PT Tuesday evening. Ken Waldichuk (2-6 ERA 6.75) will pitch for Oakland, and Alex Cobb (6-3, ERA 3.15) is scheduled to go for the Giants. There will be a large vocal and visible contingent A’s fans protesting their team’s abandonment of The Town. They expect many Giant fans to join them in the United the Bay phase of the Stay and Sell campaign.

Champion Astros Grounded by A’s 4-1, but still lead series 2-1; Astros No hit bid broken up by A’s Gelof in 6th

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Oakland A’s second baseman Zack Gelof gets the force on the Houston Astros runner Jose Abreau (79) but Gelof makes a throwing error to first in the top of the fourth inning. Gelof made up for it later breaking up Astros pitcher Cristian Javier’s no hitter in the sixth inning and getting his first MLB home run in the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

OAKLAND, Calif.– The World Champion Houston Astros (55-44) took an “L” from the struggling Oakland Athletics (28-73) , losing 4-1 on a Saturday Evening in the Bay. Oakland snapped their eight game skid with the victory.

In Game # 99 for the Astros, the first five innings were uneventful and scoreless. As for the Athletics, they weren’t able to even get a hit through that segment of time. After five complete innings, 0-0.

The Top of the sixth changed the theme of the game, when Houston’s third baseman Alex Bregman belted a homer to left field, chasing A’s Paul Blackburn from the game after a base hit and walk. However, the Oakland relief pitcher, Austin Pruitt forced an inning-ending double play, keeping the game close, 1-0 Astros.

In the Bottom of Stanza Number six, the A’s flipped the script, by ending the no-hitter (Zack Gelof), chasing the starting pitcher, and taking a lead 2-1 on a two-RBI base hit by third baseman Jace Peterson. He knocked in Gelof and first baseman Seth Brown.

Gelof was at it again in the bottom of the seventh, as he blasted a solo dinger to right center to give Oakland a comfortable 3-1 lead after seven.

The Athletics were not finished scoring, as they tallied another run on the scoreboard on a home run blast by Seth Brown. After 8, 4-1 Oakland.

That was all Oakland needed, as they slammed the door shut in the top of the ninth, despite a near three-run homer by the Astros. Athletics win 4-1!

The two teams will play the series finale Sunday Afternoon (1:07 PDT), with projected starters: Astros RHP Hunter Brown (6-7, 4.24) vs. A’s Luis Medina (3-7, 5.79).