Tag: New York Yankees

A’s beat the Yanks 5-2 Saturday for third consecutive win

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The 2:20 Wrap 

by Charlie O. Mallonee

As Butch Cassidy asked the Sundance Kid in that now timeless movie as they were being pursued by a posse who would not give up, “Who are these guys?” Who are these guys indeed? The Oakland Athletics have come home and looked like an entirely different team against the powerful New York Yankees.

The A’s have won the series

The 5-2 win on Saturday guarantees the Athletics will win the four-game series. In a four-game series you pray for split. You fear a 3-1 loss. Your worst nightmare is being swept.

On Father’s Day Sunday, the A’s will have the opportunity to sweep the Yankees in this four-game series. Oakland leads the season series 4-2.

The Athletics are 20-12 versus the Yankees over the last five years. That is the best record against the “Bronx Bombers” by an American League team over that period of time.

Jesse Hahn picked up the win but struggled early on

MLB: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Jesse Hahn worked hard for the win on Saturday Photo Neville E Guard USA Today Sports

Jesse Hahn got the start for the A’s and it looked like it was going to be a very short outing. He threw 31 pitches in the first inning while walking two New York hitters. He worked out of that jam and managed to work 5.0-innings in the game.

Hahn gave up two runs (both earned) on three hits. He struck out six and walked three. Hahn threw 105 pitches (69 strikes). His record improves to 3-4 with a 3.56 ERA.

Liam Hendriks, Josh Smith and Ryan Madson each worked an inning of scoreless relief.

Sean Doolittle came on in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

Santiago Casilla was not going to pitch on Saturday but he was hit in the left shoulder by a foul ball while standing in the dugout. X-rays proved negative so he will be fine.

Ryon Healy had a monster day

Healy hit two round-trippers on Saturday — one in the first inning and one in the third inning. He now has 17 home runs for the season.

This was is third multi-home run game. All three have come in this month of June.

Healy finished the game going 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, two runs and two RBI. His batting average currently stands at .288.

Matt Joyce also had a big game

Joyce led the game off for Oakland by hitting the first pitch from Tanaka over the right field wall for his eighth home run of the year. Joyce came to the plate five times — hit a home run, a double, a single and walked twice.

He also raised his batting average 13 points from .211 to .224.

Rookie Matt Chapman continues to be hot

Chapman who joined the A’s from Triple-A on Thursday had a 2-for-4 day. He hit a double, a single and scored a run. Chapman also had the opportunity to show off his speed on the base path and it is quite impressive.

His batting average is now at .273.

They all stood but the Judge did not rule

MLB: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Aaron Judge went hitless for the fourth time this month Photo Neville E Guard USA Today Sports

The Yankees young superstar — Aaron Judge — caused a stir in the big crowd every time he came to the plate. Fans were hoping to him display the power that has allowed him to record 23 home runs so far this year.

Judge walked in the first inning and was stranded at first base. He then struck out swinging twice and went down on strikes looking in his final at bat in the eighth inning. Yes fans — he is human.

Tanaka had a strange day on the mound for New York

NYY Tanaka
Tanaka had a rough start taking the loss for the Yankees Photo Neville E Guard USA Today Sports

Masahiro Tanaka (5-7, 6.34) started the game for the Yankees. The right-hander has been struggling recently and Saturday was no exception.

He worked just 4.0-innings giving up all five runs (all earned) on eight hits. Three of those hits were home runs — all solo shots. Tanaka walked one and struck out 10. He had a double-digit strike out game and took the loss. That is a rough start.

Domingo German entered the game in the fifth inning to relieve Tanaka. He pitched four scoreless innings giving up just four hits, walking three and striking out six. German earned himself some more pitching time with his performance on Saturday.

Where the teams stand after the game

Oakland

The A’s are 30-38 on the season and have won three consecutive games. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games. The A’s are in last-place in the American League West 15-games behind division leading Houston. They are 2-games behind the fourth-place Mariners.

Yankees

The Yankees are still in first-place in the AL East with a record of 38-28 and will probably stay there as Boston is losing as this story is being written. They started the day with just a one-half game lead over the Red Sox.

New York has now lost five games in a row and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Up next

The final game of the four-game series will get underway at 1:05 p.m. PDT on Father’s Day Sunday on Rickey Henderson Field. The Yankees will send Triple-A call-up RHP Luis Cessa (0-0, 5.40) to mound for the series finale. The A’s will counter with RHP Jharel Cotton (3-7, 5.52).

Holliday’s homer crushes Cotton’s no-no bid on Saturday; Bombers beat A’s 3-2

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
Matt Holliday’s home run ruined Jharel Cotton’s day Photo Brad Penner USA Today Sports

The Oakland Athletics reached out to their Triple-A affiliate for a starting pitcher to face the New York Yankees on Saturday. Jharel Cotton – who was sent down to Nashville after starting seven games (3-4) for the A’s – was back in a big league uniform for game two of the three game series in New York.

The Athletics M.A.S.H. unit is back in action as injuries are taking their toll on the major league roster. Kendall Graveman was unable to make his scheduled start on Friday night due to shoulder soreness. The projection is that he will be going to the disabled list.

Pitcher Jesse Hahn was moved to the 10-day disabled list after a triceps injury that occurred during his start last Tuesday. A MRI has ruled out any physical damage, but the team wants Hahn to rest his arm because he has dealt with this problem before in his career. The Hahn move made room for Cotton on the 25-man roster.

Cotton got off to a shaky start

Cotton issued a one-out walk to Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the first inning. He then hit Matt Holliday with a pitch. With Starlin Castro at bat, Cotton threw a wild pitch that allowed Sanchez to go to third and Holliday to second base. Castro hit a sacrifice fly to right field on the 2-1 pitch that brought Sanchez home and moved Holliday up to third.

Cotton induced Aaron Judge to fly out to center field for the third out of the inning, but the Yankees held a 1-0 lead after one inning of play.

Cotton put the first inning behind him and took control

MLB: Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
Lowrie puts the tag on Gardner for the out Photo Brad Penner USA Today Sports

Cotton set the side down in order in the second inning. In the third inning, the right-hander walked Brett Gardner. With Gary Sanchez batting, Gardner attempted to steal second, A’ catcher Josh Phegley delivered a nice throw on the first base side to Jed Lowrie who put the tag down on headfirst sliding Gardner’s backside six inches before his hand could touch second base. Sanchez went down on strikes to end the inning.

Cotton set the Yankees down 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth innings.

The sixth inning was no “Holliday” for Cotton

After getting the first two batters to fly out, Cotton walked Gary Sanchez. That brought former Oakland Athletic Matt Holliday to the plate. Holliday hit the 1-0 pitch over the left center field wall for a “no doubt about it” two-run home run to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

Cotton remained in the game to face Starlin Castro. Castro hit a single and that was all for Cotton. Frankie Montas came in and struck out Aaron Judge to end the inning.

Cotton worked 5.2 innings giving up three runs (all earned) on just two hits. He struck out five Yankees and walked three. Cotton threw 107 pitches (61 strikes). He was charged with the loss, so his record drops to 3-5 for the season.

Oakland kept the game close

 

MLB: Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
Healy drives in Khris Davis with the first of his two doubles Photo Brad Penner USA Today Sports

Khris Davis worked Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia for a two-out walk in the top of the sixth inning. Ryan Healy then hit his 10th double of the season on an 0-2 count to left field that brought Davis home for A’s first run of the game. Healy moved to third on the throw home but was left stranded there when the inning ended.

In the top of the seventh inning, Josh Phegley made it a one-run game after he hit his second home run of the year over the left center field wall. Adam Rosales followed Phegley and hit a double to center field. That chased Sabathia from the game. Adam Warren took over on the mound. Rosales was left stranded at third when the inning was over.

Oakland threatens in the eighth frame

With Tyler Clippard on the hill, Khris Davis worked the pitcher for another walk. Ryan Healy then followed by hitting hit 11th double of the campaign to left field, but this time Davis had to hold up at third base.

That sent Clippard to the showers and New York brought in the 6-foot-8 right hander – Dellin Betances. Betances struck out Trevor Plouffe and Chad Pinder to end the inning with the potential tying and go ahead runs left on base.

Not that guy again

Betances came back out the top of the ninth for the Yankees and set the A’s down in order to end the game and earn his fifth save of the year. Betances’ ERA now stands at 0.52. He worked 1.2-innings and threw 24 pitches (14 strikes). He allowed no runs, no hits, no walks and struck out three Oakland hitters.

Sabathia was amazing as well

MLB: Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
C.C. Sabathia struck out nine on his way to the win Photo Brad Penner USA Today Sports

Vallejo’s favorite son is still looking very strong on the mound. He worked 6.1-innings on Saturday giving up two runs (earned) on six hits (one HR). He walked three. Sabathia struck nine Oakland A’s. Not long ago some were talking about Sabathia as being a “has been” as a major league pitcher.

Don’t call a low strike on Jed Lowrie

Jed Lowrie led off the top of the eighth inning for the A’s. He worked the count to 2-2 versus Tyler Clippard. Clippard’s 2-2 pitch was a fastball that dropped low in the zone and home plate umpire Will Little called it strike three.

Lowrie began to immediately give Little his opinion of the call in language I do not think he learned to speak at Stanford. Little tossed Lowrie looking at him and explaining you called me a name. Really? You called me a name. Now, if you call my mother a name – then it’s on but you called me a name?

But seriously, Major League Baseball has to establish a strike zone that is consistent and realistic. It must also be hitter friendly. The majority of fans come to the park to see home runs … not strike outs.

Rubber game of the match on Sunday

Both teams have the opportunity to win the series on Sunday. The Athletics will send RHP Andrew Triggs (5-3, 2.77) to the hill Sunday. Triggs has been the man the A’s have been able to depend on this season. What he needs from his team is run support.

The Yankees will counter with RHP Michael Pineda (5-2, 3.35). Pineda has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts.

The first pitch is scheduled for 10:05 a.m. PDT on Sunday.

 

 

Giants Minor League Spotlight: Prospects who are trade bait for a closer

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suarez

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Major League non-wavier trade deadline is August 1st at 1:00 PM PDT. The San Francisco Giants are definitely one of the teams that are in the “buyers” category as that deadline approaches. The Giants are said to be on the hunt for a closer to carry them to another championship.

Closers do not come cheap. Even rental players who will be free agents next year can command a king’s ransom. The Yankees 100 mph-plus throwing Aroldis Chapman is the closing pitcher that is receiving the most attention. Chapman is a free agent after this season and the Yankees are not looking like a playoff team. It may be time to get value for your assets.

In today’s baseball business environment, teams want talented prospects that are not too far away from being ready to break into the big leagues. Teams can never have enough depth in their minor league system. The players you do not plan on using in the majors can become valuable trade pieces to bring you talent to fill holes that might open up in your player personnel plan.

Teams have been salivating over the Giants number three rated prospect – right hand pitcher Tyler Beede. Beede is currently pitching at the Double-A level for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He is 5-5 on the season with a 3.00 ERA in 16 starts. Beede has a two-seam fastball that he throws 90-95 mph that creates ground ball outs. He has an above average changeup to go with a workable curveball. Beede needs to get stronger and develop more stamina but he will be a frontline pitcher. That is why the Giants say he is not available as a trade piece. Unavailable has a tendency to become “a well maybe” at 12:30 on August 1st.

Let’s say Beede really is not available. Then, who else might the Giants be willing to part with in order to get the closer they desire? I must confess that I have spent a great deal of time covering the Oakland Athletics so my thought patterns on going after prospects has been influenced heavily by the thinking and actions of Billy Beane over the years.

If I am the general manger of a team that has a closer that the Giants want, I am looking for pitching in return for my asset. I want a starting pitcher who is at Double-A and is projected to make it to the big leagues by late 2017 or Spring 2018. I want a pitcher who will be a number one to three starter. I also want a left handed pitcher if at possible because you can never have enough “lefties”. I will also try to get a Double-A level player who can hit and an A-ball pitcher who is still developing (a lefty would be nice). Desperate teams make desperate moves.

Do the Giants have a pitcher that meets that criteria? They do and his name is Andrew Suarez.

Suarez is a left hand pitcher who is 6-foot-2, 205-pounds. He was drafted by the Giants in 2015 in the second round out of the University of Miami. Scouts say Suarez has an above average fastball and slider and possesses above average control. He also has a curveball and changeup that he adds into his mix of pitches. Suarez works at 89-93 mph on the radar gun with his fastball topping out at 95.

Suarez started the season at Class-A San Jose where he went 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He has struggled a bit since his promotion to Double-A Richmond where he’s posted 3-6 record with a 5.14 ERA but he is getting more comfortable. In his last start on July 18th, Suarez worked 7.0-innings giving up two runs (earned) on four hits. He walked three while striking out 10 opposing hitters. Suarez has worked at least seven innings in his last three starts.

The scouting projections have Suarez ready to pitch in the big leagues in late 2017 or early 2018.

Will Andrew Suarez be a member of the San Francisco Giants organization on Monday? If I have a closing pitcher that Giants want, he wouldn’t be but I am not going to be making that decision. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Charlie O. Mallonee reports on the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Sacramento Kings and is the host of a weekly podcast for Sports Radio Service

Yankees beat A’s 5-4 to sweep the series

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MLB: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher John Axford Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND–The New York Yankees downed the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Sunday at the Coliseum in Oakland. It was a painful loss on three fronts.

First, the loss gave the Yankees a four-game sweep over the A’s in the series. The last time the Athletics were swept in a four-game series at home was in April of 1999. After sweeping the Texas Rangers in three games to begin the home stand, the A’s could have never imagined closing it out 0-4 against a team they swept in New York earlier in the season.

Second, the A’s are not being able to take advantage of their home field environment. Oakland’s record is now just 8-15 at home while they are 11-11 on the road. That is really quite extraordinary as most teams fare much better in home stadiums before fan friendly crowds. For some unknown reason that is not happening for the Athletics at this point in time.

Third, it was another one-run loss. All losses are frustrating, but the one-run loss games just seem to come back to haunt a team because they are contests that could have been won if one thing had gone differently in the game. The A’s are 6-7 in one-run games this season.

On Sunday, the A’s took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Billy Burns was able to steal second and third base and then score on a Stephen Vogt ground out. It looked like things might be going to go the A’s way in the game.

The Yankees scored single runs in the second and third innings off solo home runs from Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury. The crowd became nervous as New York took the 2-1 lead.

Oakland came back to score to two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Stephen Vogt hit a double to left field that scored Jake Smolinski and Billy Burns. The crowd came to life with the A’s back in the lead 3-2.

The Yankees served notice that they were not going to go down easily by putting together a four-hit two-run inning in the top of the sixth to retake the lead 4-3.

The Yankees put the dagger into the A’s in the top of the seventh inning. With two and runner at first, Carlos Beltran hit a double down the left field line that allowed the Aaron Hicks to score from first giving New York a 5-3 lead.

The A’s did make it interesting by scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but it ultimately was too little too late and the Yankees won the game 5-4.

In the batter’s box

Carlos Beltran went 2-for-4, scored a run, had a double and a RBI for the Yankees. He has now hit safely in five straight games (10-for-22, .455).

Jacoby Ellsbury had a 1-for-4 day that featured a home run. He is hitting .310 over his last 24 games.

Mark Teixeira snapped an 0-for-19 hitless streak with an RBI single in the sixth inning

Billy Burns had a big day for the A’s scoring three runs to go with two stolen bases. He went 2-for-4 for the game.

Coco Crisp hit a double and that extends his hitting streak to six games.

Stephen Vogt had a big day going just 1-for-4 but he had three RBI in the game. Two of those RBI came off a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth.

On the hill

The Yankees put together a strong pitching performance on Sunday against the A’s. Starter Michael Pineda (2-5) picked up his second win of the season working six strong innings. Pineda gave up three runs (all earned) on six hits while striking out six batters and walking just one.

Pineda working six innings allowed the Yankees to then go to their three-headed bullpen monster of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. Miller did give up a run but it was unearned as it was created by an error. Chapman picked up his sixth save of the season and threw a number of pitches in excess of 100 mph.

Jesse Hahn did not have a bad start for the A’s. He went 5.2 innings giving up four runs (all earned) on six hits. He struck out three and walked none, but he did give up two home runs.

John Axford was asked to come in and get Hahn out of trouble in the sixth was not able to make it happen. The bullpen cannot save the day every time.

Daniel Coulombe who was just called up from Nashville worked the final two innings of the game. He did not give up a hit or a run. Coulombe struck out two and walked none.

The Disabled List continues to grow

The Athletics announced on Sunday that Sonny Gray has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right trapezius. The A’s now have 13 players on the DL which is the most in the Major Leagues.

Gray had been struggling through a very tough beginning to his 2016 season. His record stands at 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA in nine starts.

This is the first time Gray has been on the disabled list in his career.

Left-hander Daniel Coulombe was brought up from Triple-A Nashville to replace Gray on the Major League roster.

This is Coulombe’s second time up with the big club this season. He faced the Red Sox on May 10 giving up three runs (all earned) in two innings of work. Coulombe had a 0.56 ERA in 13 appearances for Nashville.

 

Up next

The A’s travel to Seattle for a three-game series with the Mariners. The Mariners are coming off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds and have won four games in a row. Seattle has sole possession of first place in the American League West.

The pitching probables are:

Mon 5/23 LHP Rich Hill (6-3, 2.54) vs RHP Taijuan Walker (2-3, 2.95)

Tue 5/24 RHP Kendall Graveman (1-6, 5.48) vs. RHP Nathan Karns (4-1, 3.33)

Wed 5/25 Athletics To Be Announced vs, Hisashi Iwakuma (2-4, 4.39)

The Yankees return to New York City and will begin a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

The Yankees snap the A’s four-game winning streak

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by Jerry Feitelberg

thegreedypinstrips.com photo credit file photo: The New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova who pitched at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday night against the Oakland A’s

OAKLAND–The A’s not only lost the game Thursday night to the visiting New York Yankees 4-1, but they also lost their star right-fielder Josh Reddick for several weeks due to an injury.Reddick broke his thumb stealing second in the bottom of the seventh inning. Reddick appeared to have jammed his left hand sliding into the base. After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin said  Reddick “caught his thumb on (Starlin) Castro’s foot. Reddick will see a hand specialist Friday to determine the extent of the injury.

Kendall Graveman started for Oakland, and he pitched relatively well. H went five and 2/3rds innings and allowed eight hits and two runs.The Yankees scored the first run in the third. With two out, Graveman walked Brett Gardner. Gardner scored on a double to left by the veteran Carlos Beltran. Beltran committed a base-running blunder when Brian McCann’ flyball to right was dropped by Reddick. Beltran did not run as he probably thought there was just one out in the inning. He stopped at third instead of coming home. Graveman retired the next hitter to end the inning. Reddick tied the game with a solo homer to right in the bottom of the fourth. The Yanks regained the lead in the sixth. Aaron Hicks doubled to drive in Dustin Ackley with the go-ahead score. The Yanks may have scored more, but they committed two more blunders on the basepaths. New York added two more runs in the ninth. With two out, Brett Gardner walked and scored on a blast into the right-field seats by Carlos Beltran. For Beltran, is was his 401st career home run.

Ivan Nova started for New York and won his third game of the year. Graveman took the loss, and his record is now 1-6. Bob Melvin said that Graveman “was a lot better today and we did not give him enough run support.” The A’s had to face the Yankees’ big three relievers in the game. Dellin Betances pitched the seventh, Andrew Miller the eighth and Aroldis Chapman closed out the ninth. The Yankees are now 18-22 while the A’s drop to 19-23.

Game two of the four-game series will be played Friday night at the Coliseum. Game time will be at 6:05 PM PT. The game will be followed by the first fireworks display of the season

Time of game was 2 hours and 39 minutes, and 17,456 were in the ballpark to watch the A’s go down to defeat.

 

The A’s sweep the Yankees, beat them 7-3

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Rich Hill delivers at the New York Yankees in the second inning of Thursday’s game at Yankee Stadium

The Oakland A’s did something Thursday night that hasn’t happened since 2006. They swept a three-game series from the Yankees in New York. Lefty Rich Hill had a very impressive performance as he won his second game of the year. Hill went six innings and allowed just three hits and two runs and had ten strikeouts. Only one of the runs allowed by Hill was earned. The Yankees Luis Severino also pitched well. Severino also went six innings giving up seven hits and two runs. The big difference in the game was the Oakland offense. The A’s hit four home runs in the contest. Three were solo jobs, and the big blast was a two-run homer by Chris Coghlan that iced the game for the A’s. Khris Davis, Coco Crisp and Mark Canha hit solo homers. The other big difference was the bullpen. TheYankee bullpen allowed five runs in the last three innings of the game. The Yanks were able to break through for one run, but the A’s relievers continue to shut opponents down.

The Yankees scored the first run of the game for the third time in the three-game series. A’s starter Rich Hall walked Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to start the bottom of the second. Hill got Chase Headley to ground out to Jed Lowrie for the first out. Lowrie was positioned just to the left of second base and able to keep Headley’s ball from going into center field. Lowrie threw to first for the out, but he could have possibly nailed A-Rod at second, and Semien could have completed the double play. However, He was reacting and didn’t see that Rodriguez would have been out easily. The run scored when Aaron Hicks singled softly to center driving in Teixeira for the score.

The A’s scored in the top of the fourth to tie the game at one. The tie didn’t last long as the Yankees scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth.With one out, Rich Hill walked Alex Rodriguez. Hill attempted to pick A-Rod off, but his throw went wild past first. Since A-Rod was on the move, he received credit for a stolen base, and Hill was charged with an error allowing A-Rod to advance to third. Aaron Hicks singled softly to center to drive in Rodriguez and give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth, Mark Canha took Severino deep for his second home run of the year. The blast came on a 0-2 count with two out. The A’s scored twice in the top of the seventh. Lefty Chasen Shreve took over for Severino in the seventh. His first two pitches were hit out of the park. Khris Davis hit the first pitch he saw from Shreve into the left-center field bleachers. Coco Crisp hit the next pitch into the left-field seats to put the A’s ahead 4-2. The Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one-run game. Fernando Rodriguez gave up the run. Bob Melvin brought in John Axford to get the final out of the inning. Axford retired the ever dangerous Carlos Beltran for the third out.

The A’s put two more runs on the board in the eighth. Chris Coghlan homered with a man on to make it 6-3 and they added the seventh run in the ninth. Liam Hendricks and Ryan Madson worked the ninth. Madson recorded his sixth save of the year. The A’s win their fifth in a row 7-3.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are now 9-7 for the season and have won five straight. They have also won all six games they have played on the road so far this year. The Yankees fall to 5-9 and are 1-8 in their last nine games.

After the game, Chris Coghlan that the A’s were motivated by comments made by the Yankee announcers who said: ” the A’s are just above a Triple-A team and that they didn’t know our names.” It looks like they know the players names now.

The A’s travel to Toronto to face the best offensive unit in the American League. Sonny Gray will pitch on Friday, Chris Bassitt on Saturday, and Eric Surkamp on Sunday. Toronto will counter with Aaron Sanchez, J.A.Happ, and Marcus Stroman.

Attendance was 33,818.

The A’s win their fourth in a row, beat the Yankees again.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Doolittle gets the save and is congratulated by A’s catcher Stephen Vogt in the A’s second win in the three game series in Yankee Stadium Wednesday night

The A’s won their fourth game in a row Wednesday night as they beat the Yankees 5-2. Kendall Graveman pitched his best game of the year. Graveman went six and a third innings allowing just one run and three hits. He struck out a career-high eight men and had the Yankee hitters befuddled all night long. Nathan Eovaldi started for New York and took the loss. Eovaldi allowed just one hit in the first three innings of the game but lost it in the fourth. The A’s appear to be road warriors this year. They have won all five games they have played away from the Coliseum. The A’s are now 8-7 for 2016 and will be going for the sweep Thursday night.

The Yankees scored the first run of the game for the second night in a row. With one out in the second inning, Yankee shortstop, Didi Gregorius, hit a home run that went down the right field line and barely cleared the wall over the 314-foot marker.

The Yankee starter, Nathan Eovaldi allowed just one hit in the first three innings of work. The A’s however, scored three times on five hits in the fourth inning. Billy  Burns, leading off the inning, doubled to left centerfield.  Chris Coghlan followed with a double to drive in Burns. Josh Reddick singled to short left field. The throw from Aaron Hicks appeared to nail Coghlan at the plate. However, Brian McCann couldn’t handle the throw cleanly, and Coghlan scored. Reddick took second on the play. Reddick advanced to third on a Danny Valencia single. Stephen Vogt flew out, and that allowed Reddick to tag up and score the A’s third run of the inning.The A’s loaded the bases with one out but the inning ended when Yonder Alonso flew out to left, and Danny Valencia was throw out at home trying to score.

The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the seventh but failed to score. With one out. Graveman walked Chase Headley. Bob Melvin decided to take Graveman out of the game and replaced him with Marc Rzepczynski. Didi Gregorius followed with a single that sent Headley to third and Gregorius advanced to second when A’s center fielder, Billy Burns, committed an error when he bobbled the ball. The next hitter, Aaron Hicks, hit a ground ball to Coghlan at third. Coughlan tagged Gregorius and then threw to first to get Hicks and complete the double play to end the inning.  The Yankees requested a review of the play, and the umpires upheld the call as there was not conclusive proof that Coghlan missed the tag.

The A’s scored two more runs in the top of the eighth. Billy Butler and Stephen Vogt singled to start the inning. Jed Lowrie walked to load the bases with no out. Khris Davis singled sharply past the drawn-in infield to drive in Butler and Vogt. For Davis, it was his second hit of the game. The Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the eighth when Carlos Beltran put a Ryan Dull pitch into the second deck in right field. For Beltran, it was his fourth home run of the year and the 396th of his career. Ryan Dull had allowed no hits and no runs so far this year until Beltran hit the home run. The A’s lead 5-2 heading into the ninth. Bob Melvin brought in his closer, Sean Doolittle, to pitch the bottom the ninth. Doolittle gave up a single to Brian McCann to start the inning but then retired Alex Rodriguez, Chase Headley and Didi Gregorius to p[ick up his second save of the year and Kendall Graveman recorded his first win of the year and his first win since July 4th, 2015. The A’s win 5-2.

Game Notes-There were some strange doings in the contest. In the second inning, Jacoby Ellsbury was awarded first base when A’s catcher Stephen Vogt was called for catcher interference. Ellsbury appeared to hit a foul, but the umpire ruled that Vogt’s hand or glove touched Ellsbury’s bat and sent him to first. Later in the game, A’s third baseman, Danny Valencia appeared to hurt his hamstring attempting to score. Chris Coghlan moved over to third from second and Jed Lowrie, who was the designated hitter, went to second. That meant that the pitcher had to hit, and Graveman went to the plate as he had to bat fourth. He did not get a hit, but it was strange to see a pitcher in the game as a hitter.

Billy Burns led the A’s with two singles and a double. Khris Davis, who has had a tough start to the season, had two hits in the game and drove in two.

The A’s announced that Eric Sogard underwent successful knee surgery Wednesday and will miss significant time this season. Sogard hopes to return later this summer.

The A’s and Yankees conclude the three-game series Thursday night. Lefty Rich Hill will pitch for Oakland, and the Yankees will counter with Luis Severino.

Time of game was two hours and fifty-seven minutes. 37,386 people watched the A’s beat the Yankees.

 

 

The A’s start the road trip with a win, beat the Yankees 3-2.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s hitter Josh Reddick splinters the bat to fly out while New York Yankee catcher Brian McCann is behind the plate

NEW YORK–The Oakland A’s received a terrific performance from lefty Eric Surkamp Wednesday night in New York. Surkamp did not get out of the fifth inning in his first two starts with Oakland. He managed to work into the sixth but did not get the decision. His opponent, Michael Pineda also gave up two runs and did not have a decision, either.The A’s bullpen was terrific as was the Yankee’s. However, the A’s was better as the A’s won 3-2. The Yankees used Chasen Shreve, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Johnny Barbato. Barbato gave up the winning run to the A’s in the eleventh. The A’s bullpen kept the Yanks off the board to secure the win. The A’s improved to 7-7 and the Yankees fell to 5-7.

The Yankees put one on the board in the bottom of the first. Surkamp retired the first two batters he faced. The third hitter, the veteran Carlos Beltran, doubled to left. Surkamp walked Mark Teixeira to put men on at first and second. The designated hitter, Alex Rodriguez hit a single to left to drive in Beltran with the first run of the game. The pitch was right over the middle of the plate, and A-Rod did not miss. Surkamp struck out catcher Brian McCann to end the inning. Surkamp threw twenty-four pitches in the frame.

In the top of the second, the A’s tied the game at one. Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso singled to put runners on at first and second. Marcus Semien, swinging on a 3-0 pitch, singled to left to drive in Lowrie with the tying run.

The Yankees regained the lead in their half of the fifth inning. Shortstop Didi Gregorius led off with a single. The A’s got Gregorius in a rundown as he took off on a 3-2 count to avoid a double play. Gregorius appeared to make it back to first safely, but, he was ruled out as he ran out of the basepath. Brett Gardner walked on the next pitch. Starlin Castro doubled to left. Gardner stopped at third and then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carlos Beltran. Yankees lead 2-1 after five.

The A’s  answered in the top of sixth. Danny Valencia, leading off, tripled into the gap in left-centerfield. Brett Gardner got his glove on the ball but couldn’t make the catch. The Yankees brought the infield in to cut off the run at home. Stephen Vogt struck out. With the infield still drawn in, Jed Lowrie singled to right to drive in Valencia with the A’s second run of the game.

There was no more scoring in regulation, and the game went to extra innings. The A’s broke through in the eleventh to win the game. Jed Lowrie doubled with one out. Khris Davis grounded out, and that allowed Lowrie to advance to third. Mark Canha singled past Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius to drive in Lowrie with the winning run. The A’s win the first game of the three-game series 3-2.

Game Notes- Eric Surkamp, who did not get a decision, pitched very well Tuesday night. He went five and 2/3rd innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. He threw a career-high ninety-nine pitches. Marc Rzepczynski retired one batter to close out the sixth. The bullpen allowed just one hit in 5 1/3rd innings of work.John Axford retired the side in order in the seventh. Sean Doolittle did the same in the eighth. Fernando Rodriguez pitched the ninth and tenth. He allowed just one hit in the ninth and set the Yanks down in order in the tenth.Ryan Madsen closed out the game for the A’s as he put the Yanks down 1-2-3 in the eleventh. Rodriguez received credit for the win and Madson the save.

Jed Lowrie was the hitting star for Oakland. He had three singles and a double. He scored one run and drove in another.

There was a celebrity sighting at the game Tuesday night. Larry David, creator of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was in the front row in back of home plate. David played the voice of George Steinbrenner in the Seinfeld series.

Game two will be played in New York Wednesday night at 4:05 pm PT.Kendall Graveman will go for Oakland, and Nathan Eovaldi will be on the hill for New York.

Time of game was three hours and thirty minutes, and 31,952 watched the A’s beat the Yankees.

The A’s face off against the Yankees Tuesday in New York

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit bing images: Aroldis Chapman New York Yankees

The Oakland A’s play the Yankees in New York Tuesday night to start a ten-game road trip that will take them to New York, Toronto, and Detroit. It will be a major test for the A’s to face these three potent teams. First, up will be the Yankees. The legendary franchise is struggling a bit to start the season. The Yankees are a veteran club, and many of their key players are reaching geezer status. However, these geezers can be dangerous, and the Yankees have a starting rotation that could be one of the best in baseball. The Yankee bullpen is also strong even with Aroldis Chapman out with a 30-day suspension.

Alex, Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and Jacoby Ellsbury lead the Yankee lineup. All these players have made the All-Star team in past years. A-Rod has been an MVP. Teixeira and Ellsbury were MVP candidates. The Yankees acquired former Chicago Cub shortstop, Starlin Castro, to play second. Castro has responded and is hitting .333 and has an OPS of .925. The Yankees also have stolen thirteen bases so far to lead the league in that category. A’s catchers Stephen Vogt and Josh Vogt will have to be on their toes to keep Ellsbury and Gardner from stealing a base.

The starting rotation inclu the veteran C C Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino. Their bullpen is excellent. Dellin Betances is the setup man, and Andrew Miller is the closer for right now. Johnny Barbato and Chase Shreve have also performed well so far.

The Yankees have committed seven errors in the first eleven games. The A’s, however, lead the league with ten.Both the A’s and the Yankees are one game under the .500 mark. The record for the Green and Gold is 6-7. The pitching matchups for the three games are the following. On Tuesday, the A’s will send LHP Eric Surkamp to the hill. Surkamp enters the game with a 0-1 record and an ERA of 4.00. He will be opposed by Michael Pineda (1-1, 6.55 ERA). On Wednesday, it will be Kandal Graveman (0-1, 2.38) going against Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 6.94.) Thursday’s game will feature lefty Rich Hill (1-2, 4.15 ) versus Luis Severino (0-2, 5.91.)

The A’s  are starting to hit, and they gained a little confidence as they beat the World Series Champs, the Kansas City Royals, two out of three over the weekend. Graveman, Chris Bassitt, and Sonny Gray have all pitched well. Rich Hill has had two not-so-good outings and one good performance so far. Eric Surkamp has to perform well, or he may be sent down when Jesse Hahn is ready. The A’s bullpen has been fairly good this year. They are way better than last year.This road trip will be a big test for the team.

The A’s  still have work to do to improve the defense. They lead the league with ten errors in the first thirteen games. If they are to improve over last year’s won-lost record,  they cannot give opponents extra outs. Bob Melvin, Ron Washington, and company have their work cut out for them. Lastly, the A’s need to win at least five games on the trip. It will be a tall order as the pitchers will face three potent offensive lineups. Should be interesting.

 

 

Gray Starts Slow, A’s Lose 7-0 to Yankees

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New York Yankees' Brian McCann, left, scores as Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris can't catch the ball in the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 13, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. McCann scored on a hit by Brian Roberts. A's Norris received an error on the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
New York Yankees’ Brian McCann, left, scores as Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris can’t catch the ball in the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 13, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. McCann scored on a hit by Brian Roberts. A’s Norris received an error on the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Kahlil Najar

OAKLAND – Sonny Gray (6-3) gave up three runs on 49 pitches in the first two innings and the A’s lost to the New York Yankees 7-0. Jed Lowrie and Derek Norris were able to pressure Phelps and get a double and single respectively however those were the only offensive highlights of the game for the A’s. Gray was able to settle down in the later innings and ended up going six innings and striking out 7 batters in his first ever outing against the Yankees.

On his slow start, Gray said,”They were aggressive and once we were able to start making pitches down in the zone I got them out. It was just a little too late.”

“That’s been his problem the last few times, whether it’s ball/strike ratios (or) giving up some hits like he did tonight. Good news is that he settled in pretty well. He was able to give us six innings and threw the ball well, so that was good to see,” said head coach Bob Melvin on Gray. In his last three starts Gray is 1-1 with an ERA of 6.

In addition the poor start from Gray, the A’s have been struggling at bat lately – especially John Jaso, Josh Donaldson and Derek Norris. Jaso has a 0-for-17 streak, Donaldson is 0-for-27 and Moss is a little better but is still 1-for-17.

“Sometimes it goes that way. You get hits in bunches and everybody is hot and other times you cool off as a club. You’ve just got to keep grinding. We’ve been in a bit of a funk for about a week or so,” echoed Melvin on the slump of his team. The A’s are now 3-5 over their last 8 games. However overall they are 40-26 which is good for the second best record in the league.

All of the Yankees 12 hits were singles. Three of those in the first inning led to a 2-0 lead after one. The Yankees 1-2-3 hitters started off the game with a single each and Brett Gardner ran over home plate and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Mark Teixeira hit a deep sacrifice fly to Coco Crisp and scored Derek Jeter who was on third to make it a 2-0 game. In the second after a Brian Roberts single and a Kelly Johnson walk, Brett Gardner hit a single to left field that scored Roberts from second and bring the lead to three.

The A’s weren’t able to figure out Yankees starting pitcher David Phelps as he held them hitless until the fifth inning when Derek Norris smacked a single to left field. On the night, Oakland weren’t able to get a base runner past second base.

The Yankees secured the win in the eighth inning when they were able to beat up A’s reliever Jeff Francis for five hits and four runs.

Prior to tonight, the A’s had beaten the Yankees seven straight times at the Coliseum.

Hiroki Kuroda and Scott Kazmir head to the mound tomorrow when both teams face off again at 7:05 PM.