Tag: O.co Coliseum

Preview for the upcoming 2-game series between the A’s and Dodgers

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s host a two-game series with the Dodgers starting Tuesday night at the Coliseum. The teams met earlier in the season as they split a pair in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 10th and 11th.

The defending National League champion Dodgers are currently in a tie for first place in the NL West with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Colorado Rockies are two games back, and the San Francisco Giants are in fourth place.
The Dodgers acquired two players in July that they hope will propel the team to another NL West division crown. They made a trade with the Baltimore Orioles to get All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, and it appears that he will be nothing more than a two-month rental. Machado will be at shortstop for LA as Corey Seager is out for the season after having Tommy John surgery. The other key player is Brian Dozier, who is another former All-Star who still has a lot of pop in his bat.

Both games between the two clubs will feature battles of left-handed pitchers. Tuesday night, the Dodgers will send Rich Hill out to do the pitching. Hill, who was with the A’s in 2016, went to the Dodgers along with Josh Reddick for Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas, has a 4-4 record and a 3.63 ERA. Hill is on a roll as he has allowed only two earned runs in his last 20 innings of work. Anyways, the A’s will have their ace, Sean Manaea, toeing the rubber. Manaea has a 10-7 record, and he beat the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday, allowing just one run and five hits. On Wednesday, the three-time NL Cy Young award winner, Clayton Kershaw, will go for LA. Kershaw has a 5-5 record and has a 2.55 ERA. Kershaw has spent some time on the DL with back problems this year. The A’s will counter with Brett Anderson. Anderson has a 2-3 record and a 4.64 ERA. Anderson beat the Detroit Tigers last Friday, and he gave the A’s seven strong innings of work. The Dodgers’ closer was Kenley Jansen.

The Dodgers have a lot of power in their lineup. In addition to Machado and Dozier in the infield, Cody Bellinger will be playing first. Bellinger, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, is hitting .241 with 18 dingers and 50 RBI’s. Third base will be manned by Justin Turner. Turner spent a lot of the season on the DL. Nonetheless, Turner’s batting average is .259 and he has six homers and 22 RBIs. In case the Dodgers need someone to fill in on the infield, they can use Max Muncy or Chris Taylor. Muncy, a former Athletic, has found a home in LA. His average is .259, and he has crushed 24 home runs and knocked in 49. Taylor has 12 dingers and 50 ribbies to go along with a 2.55 batting average.

All four of the Dodger outfielders are in double-digits in the home run department. Kike Hernandez, Matt Kemp, and Joc Pederson all have hit 17 homers this year. Yasiel Puig has 14. Catching will be handled by Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes.

The A’s, winners of their last six games, are currently in second place in the AL West. They trail the first-place Houston Astros by just four games. In the race for the first Wild Card slot, they find themselves 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees. The first Wild Card team hosts the one-game playoff. The A’s, with a record of 67-46, have the fourth best record in baseball. Their win-loss record is better than any team in the National League. The A’ are 33-10 in their 43 games.

The A’s improved the bullpen with the acquisition of Shawn Kelly, and on Monday, they announced that the had made a trade with the Tigers for Mike Fiers. Fiers has a 7-6 record with a 3.48 ERA in 21 starts this year.

It should be a good series, and hopefully, the fans will pack the ballpark. There will be two contending teams with a lot on the line.

A’s 3-game series versus the Tigers starts Friday night

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s host the visiting Detroit Tigers for a three-game series this weekend. The Tigers are not the same team that played the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 World Series. They are also not the same team that eliminated the A’s in the 2013 ALCS. The Tigers, my friends, have gotten old. Miguel Cabrera, who’s arguably their best player as well as a former MVP and Triple Crown winner, is out for the season with a torn triceps muscle. Their DH Victor Martinez is 39 years old and is nearing the end of his career.

The Tigers’ best player is right fielder Nick Castellanos. Castellanos made the AL All-Star team and is the most dangerous hitter in the Tigers’ lineup.

The Tigers’ pitching staff has been revamped. Max Scherzer left a couple of years ago to go to the Washington Nationals. Justin Verlander was acquired by the Houston Astros last year after the trade deadline in a waiver deal. Doug Fister had a few good years with the Tigers, but has floundered and is now on the DL with the Texas Rangers. Anibal Sanchez is gone, and Rick Porcello was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2015 for Yoenis Cespedes.

The Tigers’ current starting rotation consists of left Blaine Hardy, who will start Friday night, Jordan Zimmerman, Drew VerHagen, Lefty Francisco Liriano, and lefty Matthew Boyd are the other starters. The 34-year old left Liriano has been around the block a few times and his best days are behind him. Zimmerman came to Detroit as a free agent, but  he had some good years with the Nationals, but has been a bust with the Tigers. VerHagen and Boyd are not household names yet.

The rebuilding Tigers will have John Hicks at first, Niko Goodrum at second, Jose Iglesias at shortstop, and Jeimer Candelario at third. Iglesias has the most experience and is a very slick fielder. The Tigers’ outfield will feature Jacoby Jones, Victor Reyes, Mike Gerber, and Nick  Castellanos. James McCann will handle the catching.

The Tigers’ bullpen is a work in progress. Their best-known reliever is Shane Greene. The A’s took Greene to the woodshed twice in June as they tagged him with losses in two consecutive games.

The A’s continue to be the hottest team in the AL. Since June 16th, the A’s are 30-20 and have made up an 11-game deficit to tie the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. The A’s trail the first-place Houston Astros by just five games, The A’s have 10 games left with Seattle and six with Houston. Nothing can be taken for granted as the A’s continue to play well. They are confident the can come back anytime, anywhere. They own the eighth inning and have scored more runs in the eighth than any team in baseball. They have a terrific manager in Bob Melvin. Melvin had three lean years, but now has the horses and is doing a great job of managing.

Friday night’s game will feature a battle between two left-handed pitchers. Blaine Hardy (4-3, 3.61 ERA) will go for Detroit, and he will be opposed by Oakland’s Brett Anderson (2-3, 5.51 ERA). Anderson pitched six innings in his last two starts. Saturday’s game will have Jordan Zimmerman pitching for the Tigers, and he will be opposed by Edwin Jackson. Jackson beat the Toronto Blue Jays last Monday for his 100th career victory. On Sunday, the Tigers will have 34-year old left Francisco Liriano will be on the mound for Detroit, and the A’s will have the big righty Trevor Cahill do the pitching for Oakland. Cahill defeated the Blue Jays last Tuesday and allowed just six hits and two runs in six innings of work.

The A’s have to continue to win if they hope to make the playoffs. They play three against the Tigers this weekend. They have two interleague games with the LA Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday. They are off again on Thursday. They resume play against the LA Angels for three games starting August 10th then return home to play three against the Mariners, three against the Astros, and three against the Rangers.

The A’s have 52 games left on the schedule. The team has to play at a high level if they want to make the playoffs. It is as simple as that. End of story.

A’s defeat Blue Jays 8-3 to sweep 3-game series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s continued to play great baseball as they swept the three-game series versus the visiting Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Wednesday. The A’s won the game, 8-3, and Sean Manaea picked up his 10th win of the season.

Not only did the A’s sweep the three-game series, they won all seven games against the Blue Jays this year. It was the first time that the A’s had ever swept a season series from the Jays. The A’s, with a 30-10 record of since June 16, moved into a tie with the Seattle Mariners in the race for the second Wild Card slot. The Astros beat the Mariners on Wednesday. The A’s and Mariners trail the Astros by five games.

Manaea bounced back from his loss to the Rockies last weekend in Denver. Manaea went six-plus innings and gave up just five hits and one run. Jays’ starter Marcus Stroman went five innings and he was roughed up for 11 hits and seven runs.

The A’s scored twice in the second inning. Stroman walked the leadoff hitter Khris Davis. A’s first baseman Matt Olson doubled down the right-field line. Davis stopped at third. Stroman retired Mark Canha and Marcus Semien. The next hitter was Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy, hitting over .300 with runners in scoring position, singled into short right field to drive in Canha and Semien. The A’s led 2-0.

The A’s put two more on the board in the fourth. Semien led off with a single on the first pitch from Stroman. Lucroy doubled to drive in Semien all the way from first base. It was Lucroy’s third RBI of the game. Franklin Barreto grounded out, and that allowed Lucroy to advance to third. Lucroy scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Nick Martini. The A’s were in the driver’s seat 4-0.

The A’s continued to put more runs on the scoreboard as they plated three in the sixth. Mark Canha started the rally with a single to left. Semien followed with a single that sent Canha to third. Lucroy had his third knock of the game to drive in Canha. Barreto followed with a double that plated Semien and Lucroy to make it a 7-0 game.

Manaea started the seventh inning and gave up a single to Russell Martin. A’s manager Bob Melvin replaced Manaea with J.B. Wendelken to pitch. Aledmys Diaz reached on a fielder’s choice. Martin was out at second. Wendelken walked Darnell Sweeney to put men on at first and second. Wendelken struck out Brandon Drury for the second out. Wendelken gave up a double to Randal Girchuk. Diaz crossed home plate with the Blue Jays’ first run of the game. Teoscar Hernandez walked. Wendelken was struggling and had thrown 35 pitches in the inning. Melvin brought in Ryan Buchter to face Justin Smoak. Buchter struck out Smoak to end the inning.

Buchter stayed in the game to pitch the eighth. With one out, Yangervis Solarte worked Buchter for a walk. Jays’ catcher Russell Martin blasted a home run to make it a 7-3 game. Buchter retired Diaz for the second out. Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to get the third out of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, Barreto hit his fourth home run of the year to end the scoring. Trivino retired the Jays in the ninth and the A’s won 8-3.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improved to 64-46, and moved into a tie with the Mariners in the race for the second Wild Card slot.

The A’s line score was eight runs, 13 hits, and no errors. The Jays’ line was three runs, eight hits, and no errors.

The A’s hitting stars were Jonathan Lucroy and Franklin Barreto. Lucroy had three hits, four RBIs, and two runs. Barreto also had three hits, including his fourth home run along with three RBIs.

Attendance was 17,088.

Up Next: The A’s are off on Thursday. On Friday, the A’s will start a three-game series versus the Detroit Tigers. A’s lefty Brett Anderson will pitch, and Tigers’ lefty Blaine Hardy (4-3, 3.61 ERA) will make his third consecutive start.

Bay Bridge Series: A’s and Giants–Two Teams Going in Different Directions

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Photo credit: twitter.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s took four out the six games from the San Francisco Giants these past two weekends and the A’s won the first ever Bay Bridge Series trophy. The A’s won two out of three at AT&T Park and did the same at the Oakland Coliseum. The two Bay Area teams crossed path like two ships in the open sea with one full steam ahead and the other one just trying to stay afloat.

The A’s acquired Mets closer Jeurys Familia, and on his first day with the A’s on Sunday, the Dominican native saw action as he pitched two effective innings in relief and won the game. Now, Familia is 5-4 and comes from the Mets–a team going nowhere with perhaps a seize of taking the cellar-dweller status away from the Marlins–with 17 saves in 21 opportunities. The A’s are contenders and still looking to land a starter.

On Saturday, a new attendance record was set at the Oakland Coliseum since 1968–a record-setting 56,318 in attendance as Mount Davis was opened to the public for the first time in 13 years. On Friday, 45,606 followed by Sunday’s 44,379. A grand total of 146,303 attended for part two of the Bay Bridge Series.

It is good to see this great rivalry. Also, the Bay Area Champion Trophy was a great idea. At the Coliseum this weekend, a lot of families were in attendance–many of whom had different loyalties. So it was not rare to see,some A’s fans and some Giants fans in the same family. As I walked around for an hour before game time, I noticed nothing but joy among the fans during this great series, the first in Oakland since the All-Star Break, with good weather.

Right now, the Giants have a much different look. Right now, the A’s are young, aggressive and exciting as they’re hitting home runs in bunches, while the Giants are pretty much a veteran ball club trying to hold on and return to the form of their most recent odd-year dynasty.

The Giants have a superb fan base and likely do not want to mention the word “rebuild” and they are hoping against hope that their team have enough to make a comeback. They’re playing in a division, where it looks like the Dodgers (now with Manny Machado) are the favorites to win for a six straight time and maybe earn themselves another trip to another World Series. Duggar, Slater, Moronta and Suárez are some of the young blood on the Giants’ roster trying to make an impression compared to the veterans. Only time will tell, but if the Giants continue to hover around the .500 mark, the powers-to-be might have to star selling players before July 31. In a way, they are very lucky to be playing in the NL West, where nobody has gotten really hot, taken first place and opened a big lead.

But I notice that these two teams are going in different directions. The A’s are playing four games starting tomorrow at Arlington, Texas, against the last-place Texas Rangers, three at Denver against the contending Colorado Rockies, and then return home on July 30 for a eight-game homestand over 10 days–three versus the Toronto Blue Jays, three versus the Detroit Tigers, and finally, a two-game set versus the Dodgers.

The Giants head to Seattle for a couple of games at Safeco Field against the Mariners next Tuesday and Wednesday, travel back to San Francisco to host the contending Milwaukee Brewers for four games and then fly to San Diego to close out July against the Padres for a brief two-game series.

Will the Giants ‘back up the truck’ if by then? If they have not made a run? Only the shadow knows. Stay tuned.

Obviously, the Giants want to continue with this cast and hope that Joe Panik and Evan Longoria get back to play and roll the dice! It’s interesting enough that the Giants’ No. 1 pitcher Madison Bumgarner and No. 2 pitcher Johnny Cueto have not fared that well after coming out of the DL. This Sunday, Cueto gave up four home runs–two to Khris Davis and two to Matt Olson. When Cueto was pitching this week, he doesn’t give the long-ball with that frequency, but the A’s continue to hit home runs with the best of teams in baseball this season.

The Giants have a lot of big contracts locked to players like Cueto, Samardzija and Melancon, while they will have to make a decision with Bumgarner…to extend his contract or even trade him in the current market where everybody is looking for pitchers. We will also find out if other guys like veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen will say ‘adios’ to San Francisco.

Amaury Pi-González is on his 41st season of broadcasting the MLB. He’s currently broadcasting for the A’s (his first team in 1977) and has also broadcasted the Giants, Angels and Mariners. In 2010, the Cuban-born broadcaster was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame (BARHOD) alongside Jon Miller and Gary Radnich. As far as baseball in Spanish, Pi-Gonzalez is only the second broadcaster in the country as the longtime Spanish voice of the Dodgers, trailing Jaime Jarrin, who has been broadcasting for over 50 years.

Chapman’s walk-off single wins it for the A’s 6-5 over the Giants in extras

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Matt Chapman ended the weekend with one swing of the bat, and gave the Bay Bridge Series to the Oakland A’s.

Chapman hit a single off of Brandon Crawford’s foot and bounced into the outfield, to give the A’s a thrilling 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants in 10 innings before a sellout crowd of 44,374 at the Coliseum on Sunday.

Marcus Semien led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk off of eventual losing pitcher Ty Blach, Semien stole second with Stephen Piscotty at the plate. Piscotty then flew out for the first out and then Blach intentionally walked Khris Davis to get to Matt Olson, who flew out for the second out and then Chapman ended it with his single.

With the loss, the Giants are now just one game over .500 at 51-50, and are now five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

This game went back and forth in the later innings, as Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Giants a 5-4 lead. However, that lead was short-lived, as Davis hit his second home run of the afternoon in the bottom half of the inning to tie up the game.

Sean Manaea was outstanding for the A’s, as he did not allow a base runner until Nick Hundley singled with one out in the top of the fifth inning and then two batters later, Austin Slater broke up the shutout for Manaea, as he doubled off the right-center field wall.

Manaea went 6.2 innings, allowing just two run, while scattering four hits, not walking a batter and striking out five, but he did not fare in the decision.

Johnny Cueto went seven innings, allowing four runs, on six hits, walking two and striking out three, but did not fare in the decision.

Cueto struggled to get to seven innings pitched, as he gave up three home runs, before giving way to Melancon in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Davis hit a home run, a two-run blast and that was the first of three home runs allowed by Cueto on the afternoon, as he gave up two home runs to Matt Olson in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.

Nick Martini got the A’s first inning going, as he legged out an infield single and then three batters later, Davis hit the first pitch he saw from Cueto into the left field seats to give the A’s an early 2-0 lead.

Olson extended the lead up to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he took a Cueto offering and put it into the right field seats for his 20th home run of the season.

After the Slater double that scored Hundley in the top of the fifth inning, Olson launched his second home run of the game and 21st of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning.

It was the second two-homer game of the season for Olson, and the fourth of his career.

The Giants put together a rally in the top of the seventh inning, as Hundley picked up his second hit of the afternoon, and then two batters later, Slater followed up his second hit of the afternoon.

After Brandon Crawford made the second out of the inning, Manaea was replaced by Emilio, who immediately gave up a single to Slater and that was all for Pagan, as Leo Trivino came on to face pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval, who then cut the A’s lead down to 4-3, as he doubled off the right-center field wall.

The Giants were not done, as pinch-hitter Alen Hanson then singled to score pinch runner Steven Duggar to tie up the game.

NOTES: This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams, as they split a two-game series at AT&T Park on April 3 and 4.

UP NEXT: After an off day on Monday, the Giants continue to play the American League West on the road, as they travel to Seattle and open a brief two-game series against the Mariners on Tuesday night at 7:10 pm PDT. Andrew Suarez will take the ball in the opener, while the Mariners will send James Paxton to the mound.

Lucroy’s walk-off single lifts A’s past Giants 4-3 in extras

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Jonathan Lucroy ended the game with one swing of the bat when the Oakland A’s needed it the most.

Lucroy hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning, helping the A’s to a 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a sellout crowd of 56,310 at the Coliseum on Saturday night.

“Hard fought game,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

It was the second walk-off of the season for Lucroy, with his first coming on June 17 against the Los Angeles Angels and it was the seventh game-ending RBI of Lucroy’s career.

Things looked bleak for the Giants in the top of the ninth inning, as A’s closer Blake Treinen came to close it out; however, a funny thing happened on the way to the game ending.

Treinen was able to retire Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, but then Alen Hanson reached on a wild pitch after he struck out with the game on the line.

Hunter Pence then tied up the game with a double down the right field line that easily scored the speedy Hanson from first base.

A’s manager Bob Melvin came out to argue that the Pence ball was interfered with in the bullpen area; however, after a 1:18 review, the play stood and the game was tied.

“It is a ground-rule, and Hanson scored easily,” said Bochy.

The A’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Tony Watson gave up back-to-back singles to Matt Olson and Matt Chapman and then Reyes Moronta came on to replace Watson.

Moronta then got Chad Pinder to sacrifice Olson and Chapman to second and third, and then after an intentional walk to pinch hitter Nick Martini, Moronta then got Marcus Semien to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Andrew McCutchen drew walk against Treinen in the top of the 10th inning with one out, but Treinen struck out both Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey to end the inning.

Madison Bumgarner gave up four walks and a base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning that gave the A’s a 3-1 lead on the Giants.

Olson led off the fifth with a single, then Chapman, Chad Pinder, Josh Phegley and Marcus Siemen all walked against Bumgarner and that was the end of the night for the left-hander.

“First four innings, I was cruising and then in the fifth, I could not find the corner,” said Bumgarner.

Phegley’s walk tied up the game, then Semien’s walk gave the A’s lead for the first time and after Bumgarner was lifted for Sam Dyson, Mark Canha grounded into a double play that scored Pinder with the final run of the inning.

“Dyson kept it close for us,” said Bochy, as the reliever went two innings, and allowed a walk and a strikeout before being replaced by Ray Black in the top of the seventh inning.

The combined five walks in the fifth inning are the most in an inning for the Giants since they walked five in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on July 3, 2007 at Great American Ballpark. Barry Zito allowed the five walks in that fourth inning, a game that the Giants would lose 7-3 to the Reds.

Bumgarner went just four innings, allowing three runs on two hits, walking six and striking out and he did not fare in the decision. The streak of 89 consecutive starts that Bumgarner went at least five innings came to an end, the 89 consecutive starts were a major league high.

The six walks by Bumgarner were a career-high, as he gave up five walks four times in his career, with the last time coming against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 4, 2016 at Miller Park.

Brandon Belt returned from the paternity list after the birth of his son August (Augie), and hit his 14th home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Belt home run was the first hit that the Giants got off of Trevor Cahill on the evening, and was just the second runner that Cahill allowed to reach prior to the sixth inning, which was the end of the line for Cahill.

In all, Cahill went 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits, but he did not fare in the decision.

Cahill got into a jam in the top of the sixth inning, as he gave up a leadoff single to Hunter Pence, then Cahill regrouped to strikeout both Gorkys Hernandez and Steven Duggar consecutively. Unfortunately, Cahill then walked to load the bases and Cahill’s night was done and Ryan Buchter came on to replace Cahill.

Buchter then was able to get Crawford to strikeout to end the inning and the threat for the Giants.

Crawford made the defensive play of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he ran from his position at shortstop to make a running catch off of foul ball from Olson. Pablo Sandoval was in the shift, and nowhere near third base and Crawford reached out to make the running catch in the Coliseum’s very deep foul territory.

In the bottom of the 11thinning, Crawford made another great defensive play, as he slid to catch an Olson fly ball that would have easily fallen in for an easy double for Olson with one out.

As fate would have it, Will Smith then gave up back-to-back singles to Chapman and Pinder and then Lucroy ended it with a single.

Pence got the Giants within one in the top of the seventh inning, as he singled up the middle to score Posey easily from third base.

The Pence single came off of Leo Trivino, after he replaced Buchter with one out in the inning after Hanson hit a single that sent Posey to third base.

All in all, Pence went 3-for-5 at the plate, including that double in the top of the ninth inning that tied up the game.

“Nice game by Hunter,” said Bochy.

Trivino was able to get out of the jam, as he struck out Hernandez and then was able to get Duggar to ground out to Jed Lowrie at second base to end the inning.

Treinen came on in the top of the ninth inning, and was unable to pick-up his 25thsave in 28 opportunities. In all, Treinen threw 44 pitches, the most by the reliever since April 18 against the Chicago White Sox and it was the sixth time in his career that he threw 40 or more pitches in a game in his career that spans 254 games.

NOTES: Ryder Jones was optioned back to Sacramento after Belt was activated from the Paternity List to the game.

Belt’s newborn’s full name is August “Augie” Kyle Belt, and he joins older brother Grayson, who will be four years old in August.

The baby is named after Belt’s former head coach at the University of Texas, the late Augie Garrido, whom Belt played for in 2008 and 2009.

Garrido, who passed away in March of 2018 was the winningest coach in NCAA Baseball history until current Florida State Head Coach Mike Martin passed him. The veteran coach led both Cal State Fullerton and Texas to the College World Series 15 times, winning five of them for the Titans and Longhorns.

The 56,310 in attendance broke the record of 55,989 that packed the Coliseum on June 26, 2004, when the A’s’ defeated the Giants 8-7 in 10 innings, when Marco Scutaro singled in Bobby Kielty. Octavio Dotel picked the win for the A’s, while Jim Brower took the loss for the Giants. This was also the largest crowd in the Major Leagues during the 2018 season.

UP NEXT: The Giants and A’s will meet again Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

Johnny Cueto looks for his fourth win on Sunday afternoon, as he takes the mound for the Giants in the last regular season meeting against the A’s this year. Sean Manaea will go for the A’s, as he looks for his 10th win of the season.

A’s Offense Still on Break in 5-1 Loss to Giants

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s offense still thinks the All-Star break is ongoing. That’d be the only explanation for the A’s 5-1 loss to the Giants at home in round two of the Bay Bridge Series.

Rookie Dereck Rodriguez (5-1, 2.72 ERA) stymied the A’s hitters to just one run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings, while home runs from fellow rookie Ryder Jones and Pablo Sandoval handed starter Edwin Jackson (1-2, 2.93) the loss. Mark Canha, the hero of Saturday’s tilt at AT&T Park, knocked in the lone run for the Green and Gold.

Two of the three A’s hits of Pudge’s kid came in the top of the second. Khris Davis hit a double and scored on Canha’s sacrifice and Dustin Fowler also singled in the inning. Rodriguez struck out five batters and walked none to tie the season series at two games apiece.

Jackson pitched well, and on most nights the potent A’s offense would back his outing. He held a 1-0 lead into the fourth, and was no-hitting the Giants before Andrew McCutchen broke up the no-no with a one-out double. After Brandon Crawford pushed McCutchen to third, Buster Posey singled him in for the two-out RBI and a tie game.

San Francisco took the lead in the next inning after Ryder Jones took a Jackson offering off the foul pole in right field for a solo homer. Sandoval tagged Jackson with another solo blast in the top of the seventh to send the righty to the showers down 3-1.

The Giants tacked a pair of runs off the A’s bullpen in the top of the eighth after former Giant Yusmeiro Petit allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning. He would the game with a runner on third, two out and a run in on a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. Ryan Butcher would yield an RBI single to Brandon Crawford to close the book on Petit with two earned runs. The bullpen struggles further stoke the fire of a rumored trade between the A’s and Mets for closer Jeurys Familia.

The Giants’ bullpen, minus a comeback liner that bounced off Mark Melancon’s foot, cruised with relatively little incident. Reyes Moronta, Melancon and Tony Watson combined for one hit on 2 2/3 innings of work to finish out the game.

The Bridge Trophy will now come down to the winner of Sunday’s game, thanks to a bizarre tie-breaking criterium. Both teams are tied at two wins apiece, meaning regardless of who wins Saturday’s contest, Sunday’s winner would take home the hardware. In the event of a series split, the winner of the final game gets the trophy.

Oakland feels confident for Saturday’s matchup, a showdown between Johnny Cueto and Sean Manaea, but may be trailing the series 3-2 with Saturday’s Madison Bumgarner and Brett Anderson match-up at 6:05 pm PDT.

Rodriguez helps Giants even Bay Bridge Series en route to 5-1 rout of A’s

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — In his first ever appearance against the Oakland A’s, Dereck Rodriguez showed one of the hottest teams in baseball that he is for real.

Ryder Jones hit a solo home run off of Edwin Jackson leading off the top of the fifth inning, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 5-1 victory over the Oakland A’s before a sellout crowd of 45,606 at the Coliseum on Friday night.

Jones, called up from Sacramento to take the place of Brandon Belt, who was placed on the paternity list, as his wife Haylee gave birth to their second child, a boy named August Kyle. It is the second boy, as Haylee gave birth to a baby boy during the 2014 World Series Championship season.

Andrew McCutchen came up huge for the Giants both offensively and defensively, as he broke up Jackson’s no-hit bid by doubling in the top of the fourth inning with one out. McCutchen then scored the tying run, as Buster Posey singled into shallow center field, two batters later.

McCutchen made two great catches in the outfield, as he robbed Matt Chapman of potential extra bases to end the fourth inning and did it again in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he robbed Jonathan Lucroy of an extra base hit.

Pablo Sandoval extended the Giants lead up to 3-1 in the top of the seventh inning as he took a Jackson offering and put it into the right field seats to extend the Giants lead.

Rodriguez pitched a great game for the Giants, as he went 6.1 innings, allowing one run, on three hits, walking no one and striking out five.

“It started with Rodríguez, what another nice job he did,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “A nice job pitching, got us into the seventh there and really had all of his pitches going again.”

After hitting his second batter of the night, Rodriguez was able to Matt Chapman to fly out to McCutchen in right field and that was the end of the night for Rodriguez.

Reyes Moronta came on to replace Rodriguez, and he got Mark Canha to pop out to Sandoval and then Dustin Fowler grounded out to Alen Hanson to end the inning and the threat.

“We know, it’s a group of guys that have been around for a while and we’ve got to get these guys some run support,” Posey said.

The bullpen trio of Moronta, Mark Melancon and Tony Watson allowed no runs, one hit, one walk and no strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work.

The A’s got to Rodriguez in the bottom of the second inning, as Khris Davis doubled to lead off the inning, after Olson flew out for the first out of the inning to send Davis to third base, then Chapman was hit by a pitch. Canha then hit a sacrifice fly to Gorkys Hernandez in left field to score Davis with the A’s first run of the evening.

“After I signed with the Giants in the offseason, I felt like it was a fresh start and I wanted to make a good impression,” Rodríguez said.

Jackson also went 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six.

McCutchen drove in the fourth run of the evening for the Giants, as he hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning off of former Giants reliever Yusmeiro Petit.

The Giants got the eighth inning rally started in the top of the inning, as Gorkys Hernandez led off the inning with a single, then Steven Duggar singled for the first time tonight, following a Alen Hanson sacrifice bunt back to Petit, McCutchen’s sacrifice fly to Fowler, easily scored Hernandez.

Brandon Crawford got in on the act, as he singled to right field to score Duggar from third base to put the game away.

Sandoval just missed his second home run in the top of the ninth inning, as he hit a double high off the wall in the left-center field.

NOTES: The two home runs by the Giants tonight bring their total for the month up to eight. It was the third home run of the month for Sandoval, two for Chase d’Arnaud, and for Hernandez, Hanson and Jones.

This was the A’s first sellout of the season, as they drew a season-high in the opener of the three-game series.

Evan Longoria began his rehab assignment with the Sacramento Rivercats, as they traveled to El Paso to face the Chihuahuas. Longoria went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI before being replaced by Myles Schroder at third base.

McCutchen ended the game with eight putouts, the most in a nine-inning game by a Giants right fielder since Randy Winn ended with eight on April 7, 2006 against the Atlanta Braves.

It was the sixth time in McCutchen’s career that he ended a game with eight-or-more putouts in the same game. McCutchen’s career high is nine, that he did twice with the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 19, 2014 versus the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park and on May 11, 2015 on the road versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

With his run-scoring single in the top of the third inning that scored McCutchen, Posey extended his hitting streak at the Coliseum up to seven games.

Jeff Samardzija, currently on the disabled list underwent an MRI on Monday and also received a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection on Monday as well.

“We’re just trying to avoid those flare ups that we’ve had all year,” Samardzija said. “I guess there’s good news and bad news and the bad news is that we’re back here where we’re at. But the good news is after doing this once or twice, we’ve got a really good plan moving forward.”

Samardzija is on the disabled list for the third time this season with inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

“This team has put me in the situation to have the ability to come back and wait until I’m 100 percent with how great the young kids have been pitching,” Samardzija said.

UP NEXT: The Giants and A’s will continue the Bay Bridge Series Saturday night at 6:05 pm PT.

Madison Bumgarner will make his ninth start of the season, on Saturday evening, as he looks for his fourth win of the season. Trevor Cahill will take the mound for the A’s, as he looks for his second win of the season.

Part 2 of the Battle of the Bay continues Friday night

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Battle of the Bay continues Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum as the Oakland A’s host the San Francisco Giants for three games. The two teams met last weekend in San Francisco, and the A’s won two out of three.

Both teams welcomed back their two All-Star players from Washington D.C. while the other 23 players on each team had a nice four-day vacation.

The A’s, playing their best baseball since the 2014 season, find themselves in the race for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They are just three games back of the Seattle Mariners for the slot. They play the M’s 10 more times this season.

The A’s are getting solid play from the position players and their DH Khris Davis. The bullpen has been one of the strengths of the team. The starting rotation has been a work in progress. Six pitchers that have started have been on the DL this year.

The A’s, if they were to make the playoffs, need another starting pitcher. The big caveat is this: Will they be able to do it without giving any key players? Do they have enough prospects to make the trade? Rumors are swirling that the A’s are looking at Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer.

The Giants are also in the thick of the race in the NL West. They are in fourth place four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. They trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by 3.5 games and are two games behind the Colorado Rockies for third place.

If the Giants are to make the playoffs, they probably will have to win the division. The Dodgers traded for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado, who will give them another potent bat. Corey Seager is on the DL for the year, and the Dodgers have missed him.

The Giants’ starting rotation has seen their share of injuries, too. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija have all missed significant playing time this tear. Samardzija is back on the 10-day DL.

The Giants own a record of 50-48 and are much improved over last season. They have brought up Steven Duggar and Austin Slater. They released veteran outfielder Austin Jackson. Hunter Pence has been relegated to a reserve role. Evan Longoria is on the DL, but Pablo Sandoval has been filling in quite nicely as his replacement. Buster Posey has been hobbled by a hip injury, but he should be able to play in Oakland as DH Nick Hundley will handle the catching chores,

The pitching matchups for the series shapes up this way. On Friday night, the A’s will send the veteran Edwin Jackson to the hill. Jackson is 1-1 with a 2.59 ERA. Jackson, whom the A’s called up in late June, has been a pleasant surprise, allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his four starts and showing no signs of age. The veteran journeyman will get the ball for the A’s to kick off the second half. He will be opposed by Dereck Rodriguez, who is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez, is 4-1 and has a 2.89 ERA. Rodriguez has been a welcoming addition to the Giants’ staff.  On Saturday, the game will start at 6:05 pm PDT.

The A’s are honoring the 1989 World Series Champions, many of whom will be on hand. Trevor Cahill will go for Oakland. Cahill is 1-2 with a 3.10 ERA. Cahill was on the DL with a strained Achilles tendon. In his return on July 12th, he lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs and three hits. The A’s need him to pitch better in the second half. Lefty Madison Bumgarner goes for the Giants. MadBum is 3-3, and has a 2.90 ERA. The Giants feel that he is not in top form yet as he is allowing 3.1 walks per nine innings of work.

Sunday’s game will feature Seam Manaea (9-6-3.42 ERA) going for his 10th win of the year. Manaea started strong and slumped a bit, but in his last eight starts, has given up three or fewer runs. He will be opposed by Johnny Cueto, who is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA, and has missed most of the season. Cueto has a history of starting well in the first half and them stumbling in the second half. Since he has been sidelined for most of the season, it will be interesting to see if he can return to form.

After the three-game homestand, the A’s go back on the road for four games against the Texas Rangers and three games against the the Colorado Rockies.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Oakland A’s–What a Difference a Year Makes!

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Photo credit: nytimes.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — Part two of the Bay Bridge Series continues on Friday, July 20, at the Oakland Coliseum, as both Bay Area teams open the second half of their season. The last weekend prior to the All Star break, the A’s took two out of the three games against the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

On this date in 2017, the A’s did not play. However, the next day–the first game of the second half–on July 21, they had a record of 43-53 and were in fifth (last place) with 23 games behind the Houston Astros.

As the A’s open the second half of this season, their record is 55-42 and they’re in third place, eight games behind the first-place Houston Astros and three games behind the second-place Seattle Mariners for a Wild Card spot.  From 2017 to 2018 to date, that’s an improvement of 12 more games won and 11 less games lost.

Anywho, the Giants on July 20, 2017, were in last place in the National League West with a record of 37-61, 29 1/2 games out of first-place, which was held by the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants ended in the cellar last year as they lost 98 games. In the second half of last season, the Giants had one of the worse second halves in their history, winning just 27 more games to to end the season with a 64-98 record. Because 2017 was such a pathetic season for the Orange and Black, they’re better this season. The Giants begin this series against the A’s in fourth place with 50-48 record, four games behind the first-place Dodgers and also four games behind a Wild Card berth.

Both teams are fighting to get into the postseason at this time, which is a totally different situation at this time last year when both teams finished in last place in their respective divisions. The big difference this season is that the A’s weren’t expected to contend. The Giants acquired two veteran players in Evan Longoria, who should return to the lineup soon, and Andrew McCutchen.

Both clubs have their fair share of injuries, especially to their pitching staffs, with the Giants suffering more than the A’s when it comes to position players. Two regulars, second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Evan Longoria are still out.

Both teams, however, should be buyers. July 31 is the trade deadline, and after that day, players have to clear waivers and trades will become more complicated.

Notes: The A’s  released veteran Santiago Casilla. The 37-year-old pitched in 26 games in relief with a 3.16 earned run average. The Dominican began his career with the A’s in 2004, went to the Giants for the next six seasons, and came back home full circle to the A’s in 2017.

The A’s announced they’re opening Mount Davis, 8,190 seats behind center field this Saturday, and the game is at 6:05 pm PDT. On that day, the A’s will honor their 1989 World Champion team, who won the World Series against the Giants. Many A’s stars of the 1989 roster will be on hand.

The current total capacity of the Coliseum is 56,782. The record attendance for an A’s game at the Coliseum was established on June 26, 2004. Also, an A’s game against the Giants would’ve seen 55,989.