Tag: mlb

The Los Angeles Angels Mickey Moniak (left) gets congratulated from third base Eric Young Sr (right) after hitting a home run off Oakland A’s starter Joey Estes in the top of the fifth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Jul 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (42-57). 000 110 051. 8. 15. 0

Athletics (42-57). 002 010 200. 5. 8. 0

Time: 3:08

Attendance: 10,380

Sunday, July 31, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–They say that the third time’s the charm. This pleasant Sunday afternoon at the vacant lot off the Nimitz, it was more of a curse than a charm. The Wandering Athletics who visit there 81 times a year and had just won two straight games against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, blew 5-2 lead in the eighth inning and went down to an ignominious 8-5 loss.

As was expected, the A’s placed Jacob Wilson on the ten day injured list, retroactive to July 20, when he strained his left hamstring while scoring a run in his major league debut. They concurrently reinstated Abraham Toro from the IL.

Joey Estes, who started for the Athletics, has pitched some good baseball recently, including a complete game shutout of the Angels here at the Coliseum on July 3. Still, he was only 4-4, 5.29 at game time. His performance Sunday was more in tune with the rest of the season than with that highlight.

He went 5-2/3 innings, not even enough for a so-called quality start, and allowed two runs, both earned, on eight hits, one for all the bases, two walks, and a hit batter. Estes ended the day with a slightly reduced ERA of 5.11.

TJ McFarland replaced him while the A’s were ahead 4-2 with the Angels threatening with runners on first and second and two down and closed out the inning and allowed only a single in the following one, throwing 18 pitches in the process.

(Estes had thrown 97, 64 qualifying as strikes). The A’s used, and the Angels abused, three more hurlers. Lucas Erceg, the eventual loser, whose record now stands at 2-3, 4.01, failed to get an out against the four batters he faced and who scored four runs, all earned, against him on two hits, a walk, a wild pitch, and a hit batter.

He was followed by Scott Alexander, who was charged with a blown save after staying on the mound for a third of an inning and allowing a run, earned, and a hit. Michel Otáñez also took his lumps, yielding a run, also earned, on two hits, a walk, and a wild pitch although he did log five strikeouts.

Carson Fulmer had a brilliant future in front of him when the White Sox made him their first round choice (eighth overall) in the 2015 draft. Nine years later, his promise remains unfulfilled. The 30 year old righty had a lifetime big league record of 7-10, 6.14 when he accompanied the Halos as a non-roster invitee to spring training after having appeared in three games in 2023.

He was sent to Salt Lake, where he pitched all of three innings before rejoining the Angels, for whom he went 0-2, 3.45 before making his second start and 26th of the season Sunday. Fulmer lasted only 4-2/3 innings before Hunter Strickland relieved him. In his brief tenure on the mound, the 30 year old AAAA pitcher surrendered three runs, all earned, on five hits, one which left the park, and two bases on balls. He faced a score of batters in the no decision that raised his ERA to 3.66.

The team from Anaheim sent five bullpen denizens to the mound. Hunter Strickland (a hit in 1-1/3 innings), Hans Crouse, two runs, earned bug posthumous, on a hit and two walks in 1-1/3 frames), Ben Joyce (a hit and a wild pitch in two thirds of an inning), Luis García (one inning, one strikeout), and Carlos Estevez, who earned his 18th save with by holding the A’s to a walk in the ninth inning.

The A’s pulled ahead with a two run bottom of the third on doubles by Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, and Brent Rooker only to give up one of those runs in the visitors’ fourth on two singles, a hit batter, and Brandon Drury’s sacrifice fly to the center field wall.

The Angels chipped further at the A’s lead one frame later when Mickey Moniac’s fly to right made it just over the wall, 377 feet from the plate, for his sixth home run of the year, a solo shot that made it 3-2.

The Athletics retaliated in the bottom of the frame when Miguel Andújar drove a liner off the front of the left field seats for his four dinger of the year and Fulmer to the showers with the green and gold now leading 4-2. They tacked on another pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh on a walk to Schuemann, singles by Andújar and Butler, a bases loaded walk to Rooker, and a wild pitch.

That newfound three run lead was obliterated by an Angel’s blitz in the top of the eighth. Lucas Erceg relieved McFarland and gave up back to back singles to Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto, both of whom advanced on a passed ball. Erceg hit Brandon Drury with a pitch to load the bases but not before releasing a wild one that gave O’Hoppe the gift of third base.

A walk to Jo Adell and the basepaths still were crowded with Angels after O’Hoppe hopped home. A pinch hitting Nolan Schanuel beat out an infield single in spite of Gelof’s mighty effort. Brett Harris, who entered the game as a defensive replacement for Toro, chose not to try for the force at home on Rendon’s grounder but instead went for the around the horn double play.

All he got for that was a force out at second. Kevin Pillar, hitting for Moniak, smacked a double that drove in two more runs. He was at third while trying to advance on the play, but the review crew in New York overturned that call.

At that point, Mich Otáñez was called on to stop the hemorrhage. He applied the tourniquet, but the Angels now held a 7-5 lead, which they stretched to 8-5 in an inning that featured a wild pitch by Otáñez and the pitcher’s failure to cover first on a grounder hit to Brown.

The win was the 5,000th regular season victory in the history of the California, Anaheim, and Los Angeles Angels. The loss was a bitter one for the Athletics, in spite of good performances from Andújar (three for five, including a home run), Rooker (a double and two RBI), Butler (2 for 3, a double, and two walks; his fourth consecutive multi-hit game), and Bleday, whose third inning RBI two bagger put him in second place for doubles in the American League.

The Houston Astros come to The Town for a night game set for 6:40 Monday evening. Hogan Harris (1-3, 3.40) will hurl for the homeless heroes; Spencer Arrightetti (4-7, 5.63), will throw for the ‘stros.

Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (left) gets congratulated by teammates JJ Bleday (33) and Miguel Andujar (22) after slugging a three run home run in the bottom of the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 The Oakland A’s made a fast two wins to start this second half of the 2024 season after the All Star break. Taking Friday night’s game in a 13-3 laugher over the Los Angeles Angels and Saturday getting run production from Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler with 3 RBIs each in the A’s 8-2 win.

#2 Before the All Star Break the A’s took two out of three from one of baseball’s toughest team the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia. If the A’s are on the way to winning a whole bunch of games was the Philadelphia experiment a good curve of that?

#3 A’s are getting a sense that this team is starting to jell. Their hitting has vastly improved but the pitching has also kept them in games with recent help from starters JP Sears on Friday and Saturday starter Mitch Spence on Saturday.

#4 A’s have been rolling they’ve won six of their last ten games they’re 13.5 games off the pace in the AL West and have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to be a factor in this race. Some say this A’s team can’t do it and would be lucky if they don’t lost 100 games this season. In view of what you’ve seen in recent games is this just a passing phase or are these A’s serious?

#5 The Angels will try and avoid getting swept today at the Oakland Coliseum and will start RHP Carlson Fulmer (0-2, ERA 3.45) and the A’s will try for the sweep with starter RHP Joey Estes (4-4, ERA 5.29).

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter at 1080 KWAI Honolulu

Oakland A’s Brent Rooker (25) slugs a bottom of the first inning three run home run in front of the Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (41-57). 001 001 000. 2. 6. 0

Athletics (39-61). 300 400 10x. 8 11 1

Time: 2:29

Attendance: 14,574

Saturday, July 20, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The A’s made it two in a row and clinched the series win against the Angels this lovely Saturday afternoon at the decrepit but, as ever, beautifully manicured Oakland Coliseum. They handily defeated their visitors from the south, 8-2, in a game whose outcome never was in doubt.

Mitch Spence, who started for the Athletics, began the season well, but his performance declined steadily since his first appearance of the season, on March 29. He had been 3-1, 2.84 through April 30. He pitched exclusively in relief through May 13, compiling a record of 4-2, 4.26, after which he joined the rotation. He was 4-4, 4.35 on June 30 and 5-6, 4.75 at game time. The 26 year old righty began to reverse that decline this afternoon.

Spence lasted 5-1/3 innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits, three walks, and a wild pitch to get the win that lowered his ERA to 4.67. Scott Alexander (untouched in two thirds of an inning), Austin Adams (a walk and a strikeout in an inning), and Tyler Ferguson (one hit and a pair of strikeouts in two innings) followed him to the mound. He threw 85 pitches; 35 were balls.

Rookie Jack Kochanowicz, who began last year in High-A Tri-City, made his first big league appearance nine days ago in relief against Seattle. This afternoon marked his first start in the show.

It was not an impressive performance. The 23 year old right hander surrendered seven runs, all earned, on seven hits, one of them a home run, in four innings. He issued three free passes and struck out four Athletics. His pitch count reached 74 in his abbreviated mound tenure and took the loss, leaving him at 0-2, 14.14 Kenny Rosenberg replaced him in the fifth and held the A’s to one run on four hits and a walk.

The A’s picked up where they had left off in yesterday’s 13-3 thrashing of the visiting Angels. Brent Rooker took a 96 mph sinker 445 feet deep, into the left field seats above the American League scoreboard, with Miguel Andújar and JJ Bleday on base, to put the green and gold up 3-0 after an inning of play. It was his 22nd roundtripper and drove in his 63rd, 64th, and 65th runs batted in of 2024.

A combination of sloppy play by the Athletics and heads up baserunning by the Halos’ Jo Adell allowed Los Angeles to get back a run in the third. Adell led off with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third when catcher Kyle McCann couldn’t handle Spence’s third strike to Luis Guillome, forcing the throw to first that put Adell in position to score on Anthony Redon’s sacrifice line drive to left.

It was the bottom of the fourth that proved to be the Angels’ undoing. Brett Rooker and Kyle McCann singled, Harris and Max Schuemann walked, Lawrence Butler doubled to add four runs to the Athletics’ advantage.

The visitors drove Spence from the mound in the sixth. Zach Neto’s double down the left field line that went just under Harris’s glove at third plated Tyler Ward, who had led off with a walk and moved on to second on Logan O’Hoppe’s single to center. Scott Alexander, retiring with nine pitches. the two batters he faced to put out the fire.

The homeless wonders tacked on an insurance run in the seventh, courtesy of Schuemann’s leadoff double and Miguel Andújar’s RBI single off Rosenberg.

Both Butler and Andújar, the numbers one and two in the batting order, went three for four. The former drove in three runs; the latter, one. Rooker went two for three and had three RBI. Schuemann drove in the remaining tally.

Lower calf soreness forced Los Angeles first sacker Nolan Schanuel to leave the game after the top of the third.

Joey Estes (4-4, 5.29), who’s been on a tear recently, will pitch for the Athletics in their attempt to sweep the series when he goes against the Angels Carlos Fulmer (0-2, 3.45). The first pitch is scheduled for 1:07.

left to right the Oakland A’s Seth Brown (15), Brett Harris (77) congratulate Max Scheumann (12) on his three run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Jul 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris, the A’s have been a hitting bunch of late. They took two out of three from the Philadelphia Phillies when the finished the first half of the season and they come back last night and won in lopsided contest beating the Los Angeles Angels 13-3.

#2 The A’s Max Scheumann contributed with a three run home run and had four RBIs in the ten run win against the Angels.

#3 The A’s JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers both hit two run home runs. They’ve getting their share of extra bases but over the last week it’s been a huge improvement.

#4 Earlier this season the A’s were having issues with getting run production but in their last road trip against Boston and Philadelphia would you say that’s helped build their confidence?

#5 Angels and A’s match up again today at the Coliseum. The Angels will be starting RHP Jack Kochanowicz (0-1, 12.00 ERA) he’s matching up against the A’s RHP Mitch Spence (5-6, ERA 4.75).

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