That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s trade Allen to Braves; Marlins hire Dodgers first base coach McCullough; plus more news

Former Athletics shortstop Nick Allen was traded to the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitcher Jared Johnson on Mon Nov 11, 2024 (AP file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Athletics infielder Nick Allen was traded from the A’s to the Atlanta Braves minor league pitcher Jared Johnson. Allen in the 2024 season hit .175, with one home run, four RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 81 games with the A’s triple A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators.

#2 The Miami Marlins have hired Los Angles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager on Monday. McCullough was first base coach for the Marlins for the last four years and McCullough’s last year was this past World Series where the Dodgers won it in five games.

#3 Former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose who passed away at 83 years old on Sep 30th was honored last Sunday at Great American Ballpark by the Reds with a 14 hour visitation at the ballpark. It was a rainy day honoring Rose the all time hits leader. With the cooperation of Rose’s daughter’s Fawn and Kara who exchanged stories, hugs, and tears. “We wanted to do something like this” said Reds executive director Rick Wells, “You could see from the turnout, it means a lot to the people here. It’s a moving experience.”

#4 New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone will be meeting with Juan Soto with owner Hal Steinbrenner as they will fly to California to try and convince Soto to join the Yankees for the 2025 season. Soto is scheduled to meet with New York Mets group that includes owner Steve Cohen.

#5 Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco allegedly was in a fight over a woman that involved guns drawn in San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic that police said was an altercation in a parking lot. The woman was being held for questioning by police it was not reported if there were any injuries. Franco has had previous legal problems which include him being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl.

Amuary Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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

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 take care of business with 6-3 win over Rangers

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 8-2 by the Nationals

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals started this weekend with a three-game series at Nationals Park. The A’s lost 8-2 to the Nationals in their series opener on Friday. Oakland fell to 33-83, while Washington improved to 51-66.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langaliers, Lawrence Butler, Nick Allen, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (2-3, 4.52 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up eight hits, four earned runs, four walks, and three strikeouts.

The A’s quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Stone Garett. JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Nationals cut the A’s lead in half and tied the score in the bottom of the second inning. Ildemaro Vargas singled on a ground ball to Lawrence Butler. Keibert Ruiz scored to cut the A’s lead to 2-1 as Dominic Smith went to third base. Stone Garrett singled on a ground ball to Butler. Smith scored to tie the game 2-2 as Vargas went to second base.

The Nationals took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jake Alu was out on a sacrifice fly to JJ Bleday. Ildemaro Vargas scored for a 3-2 lead with two outs.

The Nationals extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Keibert Ruiz homered on a fly ball to right center field for a 4-2 lead.

The Nationals expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ildemaro Vargas homered on a fly ball to left center field. Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz scored for a commanding 7-2 lead.

The Nationals added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jake Alu homered on a fly ball to right center field for an 8-2 lead.

Notes
The A’s recalled Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas, placing Tony Kemp on the paternity leave list on Friday.

On Thursday, Zack Gelof became the fastest to reach six home runs in A’s history.

Up Next
The A’s and Nationals will continue their series on Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.

A’s Hold on to Beat the Rockies 8-5

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics kicked off the weekend by visiting the Colorado Rockies Friday. The A’s held on to beat the Rockies 8-5 in their series opener at Coors Field. Oakland improved to 29-76, while Colorado fell to 40-63.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Jordan Diaz, Ramón Laureano, JJ Bleday, Aledmys Díaz, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) got the win after pitching five innings and giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano singled on a ground ball to Randal Grichuk. Brent Rooker scored for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Diaz went to second base.

The A’s scored thrice in the top of the second inning. Shea Langaliers tripled on a fly ball to Brenton Doyle. Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kemp hit a sacrifice bunt. Langaliers scored for a 3-0 lead. Nick Allen went to second base, while Kemp went to first base on a Kyle Freeland committed a throwing error. Jordan Diaz reached on a ground ball to Alex Trejo, a call that stood after an official scorer’s ruling. Nick Allen scored for a 4-0 lead. Kemp went to third base, while Brent Rooker went to second base.

The A’s scored once in the top of the third inning. Nick Allen tripled on a sharp line drive to Jurickson Profar. Shea Langaliers scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Randal Grichuk homered on a fly ball to left-center field to reduce the A’s lead to 5-1.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.

The Rockies scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado began the inning by challenging a play at first base, but their call was overturned after further review. Ryan McMahon grounded into a forceout, while Nick Allen went to Zack Gelof. Jurickson Profar, a former Oakland Athletic, scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-2. Ezequiel Tovar was out at second base, while McMahon went to first base.

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but they didn’t inch closer to the A’s to take the lead or at least tie the ballgame. Michael Toglia singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Elehuris Montero scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-3. Nolan Jones went to third base. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Bleday. Jones and Toglia scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-5.

The A’s expanded their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Ramón Laureano homered on a line drive to center field for a 8-5 lead.

Notes
The late A’s pitcher Vida Blue would’ve turned 74 today.

The A’s will honor the five members — Carney Lansford, Gene Tenace, Bob Johnson, Roy Steele, and Jason Giambi — of the 2023 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame during the annual Bay Bridge series on August 6, 2023.

Up Next
The A’s and the Rockies will continue their series on Saturday at 5:10 pm Pacific. Paul Blackburn (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will start for the A’s, while Chris Flexen (0-4, 7.71 ERA) will start for the Rockies.

A’s Lose 10-3 to Red Sox; Boston gets an early jump on A’s in early going

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox faced off in a middle game Saturday. The A’s looked to stop their three-game losing streak, but they didn’t because they lost 10-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Oakland fell to 25-66, while Boston improved to 47-43.

The A’s starting lineup featured Nick Allen, Jordan Diaz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Aledmys Díaz, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Manny Piña, Cody Thomas, and Austin Pruitt. Pruitt entered the game after Paul Blackburn was scratched due to an undisclosed illness but pitched just 1.2 innings and gave up four hits, four earned runs, and one home run. In addition, Pruitt (1-6) took the loss.

The Red Sox took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Turner singled on a line drive to Rooker. Duran scored for a 1-0 lead. Alex Verdugo homered on a fly ball to left field. Turner scored for a 3-0 lead. The umpire reviewed Verdugo’s play for a home run, but the call on the field was upheld.

The Red Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Duran homered on a fly ball to left center field. Connor Wong scored for a 5-0 lead.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the third inning. Manny Piña homered on a fly ball to left center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-1.

The Red Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Connor Wong was out on a sacrifice fly to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 6-1 lead with one out.

The Red Sox poured in the runs in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Rafael Devers doubled on a sharp line drive to Rooker. Masataka Yoshida scored for a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Red Sox added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Duran hit a ground-rule double on a line drive down the right-field line. Christian Arroyo scored for an 8-1 lead. Yoshida singled on a line drive to Bleday. Duran scored for a 9-1 lead.

The A’s added one home run in the top of the sixth inning. Rooker homered on a fly ball to left-center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 9-2.

The Red Sox reached a double-digit lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Christian Arroyo doubled on a line drive to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 10-2 lead.

The A’s added one single in the top of the eighth inning. Bleday singled on a ground ball to Casas. Ryan Noda scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 10-3 as Aledmys Díaz went to second base.

Notes
A’s left-handed pitcher Sammy Long turned 28 on Saturday.

A’s prospect outfielder Lawrence Butler will bat fifth and start in left field in the 2023 All-Stars Futures Game at 4:00 pm Pacific at T-Mobile Park on Saturday. Meanwhile, A’s prospect catcher Tyler Sodestrom will bat seventh and start at first base.

Up Next
The A’s and Red Sox will wrap up their series on Sunday at 10:35 am Pacific. Starting for Oakland JP Sears (1-6 ERA 4.09) Boston starter TBA.

A’s Blow Lead in 5-4 Loss to Pirates

The Oakland A’s Nick Allen turns on the jets to run out a ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Mon Jun 5, 2023 (@Athletics photo)

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics opened a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. The A’s fell short against the Pirates 5-4 in a back-and-forth series opener at PNC Park. Entering play, Oakland looked to end their four-game losing streak, but they couldn’t get in the win column as they dropped to 12-50, while Pittsburgh improved to 32-27.

The A’s Pitt stop wasn’t complete without their starting lineup of Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, Carlos Pérez, JJ Bleday, Jonah Bride, Jace Peterson, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears pitched for 4 2/3 innings and gave up two hits, one run, one earned run, five walks, and six strikeouts before exiting the game. And, although Manny Piña wasn’t in the A’s starting lineup, the Venezuelan catcher celebrated his 36th birthday today.

The A’s wasted no time taking a quick lead in the top of the first inning. Ryan Noda singled on a line drive to Ji-Hwan Bae, and Esteury Ruiz scored for a 1-0 lead.

The A’s added to their lead in the top of the third inning. Seth Brown doubled on a line drive to Ji-Hwan Bae, and Ryan Noda scored for a 2-0 lead. Brent Rooker went to third base. Carlos Perez was out on a sacrifice fly to Connor Joe, and Rooker scored for a 3-0 lead. Brown went to third base with one out.

The Pirates avoided a shutout in the bottom of the fifth inning. Connor Joe doubled on a fly ball to Seth Brown deflected by Jace Peterson, and Mark Mathias scored to cut the A’s lead to 3-1. Andrew McCutchen went to third base.

The Pirates snatched a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Andrew McCutchen walked, and Ke’Bryan Hayes scored to cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Mark Mathias went to third base, and Austin Hedges went to second base.

Bryan Reynolds walked, and Mathias scored to tie the game 3-3. Hedges went to third base, and McCutchen went to second base. Jack Suwinski flew into a sacrifice fly double play, Seth Brown went to Jonah Bride, and Hedges scored for a 4-3 lead. McCutchen was out at third base with three outs.

The A’s tied the game 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning. Aledmys Diaz doubled on a sharp line drive to Bryan Reynolds, and Brent Rooker scored for a 4-4 tie.

The Pirates regained their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Andrew McCutchen was out on a sacrifice fly to Ryan Noda, and Ji-Hwan Bae scored for a 5-4 lead with two outs.

The A’s and Pirates will meet again on Tuesday, June 6, at 4:05 pm Pacific. A’s starter for Tuesday right hander James Kaprielian (0-6 ERA 8.12) he’ll be opposed by the Pirates right hander Mitch Keller (7-1 ERA 3.25) at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Late To The Party: A’s stymied through six innings, lose 6-3 to the Astros

By Morris Phillips

On Sunday, the A’s didn’t throw up, they threw their hands up.

The visitors’ weekend visit to Houston highlighted how competitive they’ve been with the division leaders in splitting the first 12 meetings. That thin veneer of big league equality got wiped out at Minute Maid Park as the Astros completed a three-game sweep on Sunday, winning 6-3.

Cristian Javier had gone since July 1 without a win, recording an 0-5 record over six starts. His issue–including a loss to the A’s in Oakland on July 27–was allowing walks (12) and home runs (8) in numbers too inflated to give himself a chance to win. That wasn’t the case on Sunday however. Javier allowed one hit, no runs and three walks that alone didn’t harm him.

Consequently, the A’s had to wait their turn… the one that materialized after manager Dusty Baker lifted his starter after six innings.

“Once he came out of the game, we had some good at-bats and put some hits together and gave (ourselves) a chance,” manager Mark Kotsay said of the A’s offense.

The A’s are challenged offensively, everyone with a bean counter knows that. But they’re also battlers and gamers, a testament to the atmosphere Kotsay has instilled in his clubhouse. So given an opportunity to rally, they did, it just came too little, too late to interrupt their eighth, consecutive loss.

Nick Allen homered in the eighth, and Noah Bride contributed an RBI groundout in the ninth in front of Tony Kemp’s run-scoring single that cut a 6-0 deficit to 6-3. Reliever Rafael Montero’s task was to finish the game, and give closer Ryan Pressly a day off, but that plan failed when he walked Cal Stevenson, forcing Baker to summon Pressly.

With two on and one out, and the A’s trailing 6-2, Pressly allowed Kemp’s RBI single but retired Vimael Machin to end the game, picking up his 22nd save.

Cole Irvin’s been fantastic as the top starter for a team on pace to lose 100 games that doesn’t hit much, but he’s shown wear in his last three starts, culminating on Sunday. Irvin’s lost all three, and allowed a home run in each. Besides Bregman’s blast, Jose Altuve’s two-run double stung the most, leaving Irvin in a 4-0 hole after two innings.

“Sometimes you tip your cap, a combination of just some good hitting and maybe some bad luck with placement of the balls,” Kotsay said of Irvin’s outing.

On Saturday, Skye Bolt went viral with his upset stomach and the resulting projectile celebration. Amazingly, he stayed in the game. On Sunday, a Ramon Laureano swing caused an ache, and the outfielder did depart in the fourth inning with soreness in his ribcage area. Both are day-to-day and any negative change would require a roster move to address a shortage of outfielders.

The A’s travel to North Texas and will meet the struggling Rangers on Monday. James Kaprelian will start opposed by the Rangers’ Glenn Otto. Texas has lost 14 of 22 since the All-Star break.