Tag: O.co Coliseum

Raiders lose fifth in a row, 20-6, to Chargers

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Whenever the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers get together, you know that it is going be a battle between these two longtime rivals from the old American Football League.

Unfortunately, over the past two seasons, the rivalry has swayed towards the Chargers, especially after their 20-6 victory over the Raiders before a crowd of 54,750 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

With the victory, the Chargers have won six in a row, and now stand at 7-2, while the Raiders are going the other way, as they have lost five in a row and are now 1-8 on the season.

This is the Chargers fourth straight win in the series after the Raiders won the previous four in a row from the Chargers, that included a 19-16 victory by the Raiders over the Chargers that helped the Raiders clinch their first postseason berth since the 2002 season.

The Raiders still lead the all-time with a record of 62-54-2 since the series began in the first year of the AFL back in 1960.

Things started out well for the Raiders, as on fourth-and-5, punter Johnny Townsend faked the punt and scrambled 42 yards down to the Chargers 21-yard line to give the Raiders a glimmer of hope; however, the Raiders were not able to get any points on the board, as the Chargers defense held Derek Carr for a no gain on fourth-and-goal and the Chargers took over on downs.

“I have always said that I believe in that kid. In that fake punt, you can see that he is one of our fastest players. He is a tremendous athlete. He took his medicine for a while like a lot of us, but he is going to be a really good punter for us,” said Jon Gruden.

After the Chargers went three-and-out on their initial series of the afternoon, the Raiders wasted not long to get on the board.

Daniel Carlson got the Raiders on the board in the first quarter, as he nailed a 46-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead.

Following another three-and out by the Chargers, the Raiders mounted a drive of their own; however, Carr was sacked for an 11-yard loss by Melvin Ingram III and fumbled the ball and was recovered by Corey Liuget, who rumbled 24 yards down to the Raiders’ 40-yard line.

“We came up big. Everybody made hell of plays. It was a great team win. We have a great group of young players. Those boys are special. They came up big. When you have rookies that can step up and make plays like that, it’s big,” said Ingram.

The Chargers got all the way down to the Raiders’ nine-yard line, but like the Raiders were forced to settle for a Michael Badgley field goal that tied up the game.

The Raiders offense could not muster a first down, as they were forced to punt the ball back to the Chargers, who went down the field and it culminated with a Philip Rivers touchdown pass to former CAL star Keenan Allen for 11 yards that gave the Chargers a 10-3 lead with just 24 seconds remaining in the first half.

Carr just took a knee to end the first half, and the Raiders trailed at the end of the first half by a score of 10-3.

Melvin Gordon finally got in on the act for the Chargers, as he took a Rivers pass and ran 66 yards to the end zone to give the Chargers a 14-point lead just 2:28 into the third quarter.

After yet another punt by the Raiders, they got ball back in a hurry, as Rivers threw a long pass down the field; however, Safety Marcus Gilchrist picked off the Rivers pass intended for Allen at the Raiders 31-yard line.

“That’s part of things I’m talking about that we can do better, that can possibly change that ‘W’ and ‘L’ column for us,” said Gilchrist.

Unfortunately, the Raiders could only muster five yards on the ensuing series before they punted the ball back to the Chargers.

Once again, the Raiders defense came up big, as they held the Chargers off the scoreboard, as they were forced to punt.

Carr and the Raiders got rolling, as he found Doug Martin for a 23-yard gain, and then on the next play, he found Jared Cook for 31 yards that got the Raiders down to the Chargers 13-yard line.

Carlson got the Raiders within 11, as he nailed a 30-yard field goal.

The Chargers then began a long drive that included a 42-yard touchdown run by Austin Ekeler that was nullified by a 10-yard holding penalty that was called on Russell Okung.

On the very next play, Rivers was sacked by Shilique Calhoun and Johnathan Hankins; however, Hankins was called for Roughing the Passer that gave the Chargers a first down at the Raiders’ 33-yard line.

“It’s one of those things. Where you look back on it and I just needed to get to him, get him down faster. If I get him down faster. If I get him down quick enough, I don’t have to worry about that penalty. It’s on me to make sure I complete the plat and finish the play out,” said Calhoun.

Rivers and Allen hooked up for a 18-yard completion that put the Chargers into field goal range, and four plays later, Badgley kicked a 41-yard field goal that gave the Chargers a two touchdown lead.

The Raiders got the ball back after the field goal, and began to drive down the field; however, the drive stalled, as Carr was unable to find anyone on a fourth-and-5 and was forced to throw the ball away, giving the ball back to the Chargers.

Carr ended the day by going 24-for-37 for 243 yards, while Jalen Richard led the Raiders in receiving with five catches for 52 yards.

Martin led the Raiders in rushing, as he carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards.

Rivers went 18-for-26 for 223 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on the afternoon for the victorious Chargers.

Gordon led the Chargers in rushing, as he carried the ball 18 times for 93 yards, and also caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Allen was the leading receiver for the Chargers, as he hauled in six passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.

NOTES: Townsend became just the third punter since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have a run of at least 40 yards and a punt of 50 yards in the same game, as joins Reggie Hodges of the Cleveland Browns in 2010 and Jeff Hayes of the Washington Redskins in 1983.

Martavis Bryant was forced to leave the game for the Raiders in the third quarter with a knee injury, an injury that Gruden fears could be serious.

UP NEXT: The Raiders head out on the road for their next two games, as they will face the Arizona Cardinals on November 18 at 1:05 pm PT and then the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25 at 10:00 am PT. They return home on December 2 to face the Kansas City Chiefs at 1:05 pm PT.

Luck throws three touchdowns for Colts, as Raiders lose 42-28

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — After Andrew Luck threw his third touchdown pass of the afternoon, the Oakland Raiders got the ball back with a chance to tie the game late in the game; however, the Indianapolis Colts were having none of that.

Matthew Adams recovered a Doug Martin fumble that was forced by Darius Leonard at the Raiders’ 26-yard line, and the Colts and five play Marlon Mack put the game away with a one-yard run, helping the Colts complete 21-0 run on their way to a 42-28 victory over the Raiders before a crowd of 54,372 at the Coliseum on Sunday.

“It was a tough loss. They took control of the game offensively, they ran the ball repeatedly, they possessed the ball and made it tough on us. I thought we hung in there and fought,” said head coach Jon Gruden.

The Martin fumble was the only turnover of the game that saw the two offenses combine for 808 yards of total offense.

“Very disappointed. Both sides were playing hard, having a good game, offensively, defensively. To fumble like that in the end, it but a lot of went out there and played their hearts out. They put it all out there on the field. I’m really proud of ourselves,” said Martin.

Luck, who played his college football down the road at Stanford, threw three touchdowns, as he went 22-for-31 for 239 yards on the afternoon.

All three of his touchdowns went to three different tight ends, as Mo Alie-Cox, Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle were on the receiving end of the touchdowns.

The Luck touchdown pass to Doyle with 5:28 remaining in the game gave the Colts the lead for good, and then Mack put it away two minutes and 33 seconds later, as he scored from one yard out.

Luck’s first touchdown pass to Alie-Cox “was Michael Jordan esque,” according to Gruden, as the tight end made a fabulous one-handed catch in the end zone to give the Colts a quick 7-0 lead after their 11 play 75-yard opening drive.

As fate would have it, the six foot five inch Alie-Cox also played college basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mack ran for a career-high 132 yards and those two touchdowns. Just last week, Mack ran for a then career-high 126 yards in last week’s game versus the Buffalo Bills.

Derek Carr also threw three touchdowns, and ran for one, but the Raiders fell 1-6 on the season and face a short week, as they travel down interstate 880 to face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday night.

After the Raiders were unable to get a first down on their first series of the game, the Colts drove the field and settled for a 26-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri, as the first quarter came to an end, giving the Colts a 10-0 lead.

Carr got the Raiders back into the game on their drive, as he found Seth Roberts for a 31-yard touchdown pass to cut the Colts lead down to 10-7.

Following a three-and-out by the Colts, Carr once managed to get the Raiders into the end zone, as he found Jared Cook for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders were helped out by three defensive penalties on the Colts defense.

The Colts cut the Raiders lead down to one, as Vinatieri kicked a 25-yard field goal and the veteran kicker made NFL history on that field goal.

Vinatieri passed Morten Andersen for most points scored in NFL history on the field goal, as the game was stopped and the entire Colts team came out to greet the 23-year veteran out of South Dakota State University.

Carr and the Raiders got all the way down to the Colts one-yard line, and on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, Carr scored on a one-yard run that was originally ruled no good; however, there was a penalty and then Gruden challenged the call. The officials looked at it, and it was overturned, giving the Raiders a 21-13 lead.

It was the first NFL rushing touchdown for Carr, and it was the first one by a Raiders quarter since Terrelle Pryor scored on a 93-yard touchdown run against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 27, 2013.

The duo of Luck and Mack drove the Colts right back down the field, as Mack gained 49 yards on a first down run, then after a Nyheim Hines six-yard run, Luck found Ebron for a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut the Raiders lead down to 21-19. The Colts went for two points on the ensuing conversion, as Luck found Chester Rogers for the two-point conversion that tied up the game.

Carr gave the Raiders the lead again on their possession, as the big play came when Carr found Cook for a 30-yard pass play to get the Raiders down to the Colts 22.

Martin then took over on the ground, as he carried the next two times for a combined 16 yards and then Carr gave the Raiders the lead, when he found Brandon LaFell for a six-yard touchdown pass.

Mack then tied up the game once again, as he scored from four yards out, four plays after Luck’s only completion of the afternoon to T.Y. Hilton that went for 34 yards.

After another quick offensive series by the Raiders, and an abysmal 25-yard punt by rookie Johnny Townsend gave the Colts great field position at their own 43-yard line.

Six plays later, Luck found Ebron for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown from 10 yards out.

After the Martin fumble that gave the ball back to the Colts, Mack put the game away, as he scored on a one-yard run.

Carr attempted to get the Raiders back into the game, but his fourth down pass to LaFell went incomplete and the Colts ran out the clock.

NOTES: Mack is just the seventh 100-yard rusher for the Colts in the seven seasons since Luck was drafted out of Stanford with the number one pick in the 2012 draft.

The second-year back out of the University of South Florida is the first Colts running back since Joseph Addai during the 2007 season to have back-to-back 100-yard games.

Raiders Offensive Lineman T.J. Clemmings was forced to leave the game with a knee injury in the second quarter. Former Raiders Safety Mike Mitchell left the game for the Colts in the second half with a calf injury.

UP NEXT: The Raiders travel to Levi’s Stadium for the first time ever, as they face the 49ers on Thursday night at 5:20 pm PT. This will be the first meeting between the teams since the Raiders’ 24-13 victory over the 49ers on December 7, 2014 at the Coliseum.

According to Pro Football Reference, there have been 784 prime-time games played in the NFL on November 1 or later and the matchup between the Raiders and 49ers will have a combined winning percentage of .133, the lowest winning percentage of any matchup in history.

McCrane’s field goal wins it for the Raiders in overtime 45-42

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Despite the fact that the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns entered the game with a combined record of 1-4-1, this was a heavyweight bout that went the distance.

Rookie Matt McCrane kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in overtime, as the Raiders came back from a 14-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Browns 45-42 before a crowd of 53,387 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

McCrane, who missed a 50-yard field goal on the Raiders initial series in the overtime, but Derek Carr and the Raiders drove down the field after stopping the Browns on their only possession of overtime and the Raiders picked up their first win of the season.

It was a huge day for Carr, who went 35-for-58 for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

The win by the Raiders spoiled the starting debut of the Browns number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield, who went 21-for-41 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mayfield’s first interception gave the Raiders their first points of the afternoon, as Gareon Conley returned the Mayfield pass 36 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders an early 7-0 lead with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter

On their ensuing possession, the Browns took over eight minutes off the clock and settled for a Greg Joseph 25-yard field goal to get the Browns within four.

After the Joseph field goal, the Raiders began to drive down the field; however, the drive stalled at the 29-yard line and the Raiders were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal off the infield dirt and the McCrane field goal went wide left.

On the first play after the missed field goal, rookie Nick Chubb took the handoff and ran 63 yards for the Browns.

Unfortunately, the Raiders could not do anything on their next series and were forced to punt the ball back to the Browns.

Just four plays into the drive, Mayfield found Darren Fells for his first NFL touchdown and after the subsequent two-point conversion, the Browns led 17-7.

Carr drove the Raiders right back down the field and the drive ended, when Carr found Amari Cooper for an eight-yard touchdown pass to get the Raiders within three of the visitors from Cleveland.

Joseph gave the Browns a 20-14 lead on their first possession of the third quarter, as he hit a 28-yard field.

Carr then was picked by Damarious Randall on the third play of the next drive and returned the interception 50 yards to the Raiders’ 31-yard line, and the Browns immediately took advantage of the turnover.

Rashaan Melvin was called for a 24-yard pass interference penalty that gave the Browns a first-and-goal at the Raiders seven-yard line. Two plays later, Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a two-yard touchdown pass and after it looked like, the Raiders stopped Duke Johnson on the two-point conversion, it was reviewed and the call was overturned to give the Browns a 28-14 lead.

After another punt by the Raiders, the Browns could have put the game away; however, that plan went awry.

Rookie Mo Hurst hit Mayfield, who fumbled the ball and Johnathan Hankins recovered the ball on the Browns seven-yard line.

Two plays later, Carr cut the Browns lead in half, as he found Jared Cook for a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Over the next three possessions, the two teams kept punting the ball back to each other that is until McCrane hit a 29-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Mayfield was then sacked again, and fumbled the ball and once again, and Hankins was all over it.

Carr then gave the Raiders the lead, when he found Jordy Nelson for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a three-point lead.

After another three and out by the Browns, McCrane kicked a career-long 44 field goal to increase the Raiders lead up to six.

The Raiders almost got the ball back on the kickoff, as McCrane recovered the fumble by Antonio Callaway; however, the call was reversed and the Browns took over.

It was Mayfield, who looked like the veteran and not the rookie, as he found Callaway for a 59-yard completion down to the Raiders’ one-yard line.

Carlos Hyde then scored on a one-yard run to give the Browns a one-point lead with 8:11 remaining in the game.

Once again, the Raiders were forced to punt the ball after a three-and-out, they shot themselves in the foot with penalties.

Dwayne Harris committed fair catch interference on Jabrill Peppers, to give the Browns the ball at their own 37-yard line.

Hyde then went 16 yards, and then six before Chubb took the handoff for Mayfield and scored from 41 yards out to extend the Browns lead to eight points.

“That was exciting. I’m happy for him, definitely. He fed off of me, I feed off of him. We gotta keep it going. I love when he breaks those runs,” said Hyde.

After the Browns successfully stopped the Raiders on fourth-and-one at the Browns nine-yard line, the Browns took over and were primed to run out the clock.

Unfortunately, the Browns were unable to run out the clock, as what looked like a first down on a Hyde run was overturned by the officials.

“I definitely thought that we had the first down. But they changed he call, We got to get it right there. If we’re going to win the game, we gotta get that one,” said Hyde.

The Raiders drove right down the field with no timeouts, and Carr found Cook for a seven-yard touchdown and the two-point was good to tie up the game with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Mayfield and the Browns got the ball back, but Mayfield threw his second interception and then Carr kneeled on the ball to send the game into overtime.

The Raiders got the ball in overtime, but McCrane missed the 50-yard field goal and the Browns were unable to capitalize, as they went three and out to give the ball back to the Raiders.

Carr drove the Raiders down the field, and McCrane ended the game with the 29-yard field goal and Jon Gruden was a winner on the Raiders sideline for the first time since the 2001 AFC Playoffs.

NOTES: Donald Penn was forced to leave the game with a leg injury in the second half, while the Browns lost Safety Terrance Mitchell to a broken wrist in the first half.

UP NEXT: The Raiders head to Los Angeles, where the Raiders will face the Los Angeles Chargers at the Stubhub Center next Sunday at 1:05 pm PT.

Winless Raiders to host Baker Mayfield and the Browns in Week 4

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With the first quarter of the season drawing to a close, the Oakland Raiders are in dire need of their first win…and they hope it’ll be versus the Cleveland Browns.

After playing two of their first three games of the season on the road, the Raiders return home to play two of their next three games beginning this Sunday when they will host the Browns and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Week 4’s matchup will mark only the second time since the Browns have traveled to the Black Hole and their most recent game, in 2015 at Cleveland, the Raiders defeated the Browns 27-20 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT. The Browns are 12-10 all-time versus the Raiders in the regular season.

Last week, Oakland (0-3) lost to the first-place AFC East Miami Dolphins 28-20 in South Florida. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson had the biggest day for the Raiders, hauling in six catches for 173 yards (28.8 yards per catch) and a touchdown. In his last two meeting with the Dolphins, Nelson has destroyed Miami catching 15 passes for 280 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

Nelson became just the third Raider pass-catcher this season to top 100 yards in a game, joining tight end Jared Cook (180 yards against the Rams in Week 1), and fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper (116 yards against AFC West rival Denver in Week 2), making Oakland one of two teams to accomplish the feat.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 345 yards on 27-of-39 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was Carr’s second 300-yard passing day of the season (Carr threw for 303 yards against the Rams in Week 1). Through the first three games of the season, Carr is sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game (302) and second in completion percentage (76.6).

Oakland held a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter before the Dolphins scored 21 unanswered points in the second-half to overtake the Raiders. Before kicker Mike Nugent booted a 52-yard field goal, the Raiders didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter in their previous two games.

Speaking of Nugent, the Raiders placed Nugent on injured reserve with a hip injury and signed kicker Matt McCrane. McCrane is in his first year in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent with Arizona at the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Strangely, the Raiders have led after three quarters in each of their previous three games but have yet to notch a win this season.

The Browns (1-1-1) are coming off 21-17 victory over the New York Jets in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football. Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson is just 2-32-1 as he enters his third season at the helm. Jackson, who spent 2010 as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach in 2011 where he led the club to an 8-8 finish, but wasn’t retained as the team hired Dennis Allen heading into the 2012 season.

Allen finished 8-28 in his two-plus seasons in Oakland before being fired four games into the 2014 season as the team got off to a 1-10 start.

For Cleveland, quarterback Baker Mayfield will make his first-career NFL start when he leads the Browns into the Black Hole. Mayfield was selected first overall by the Browns in this year’s NFL Draft, but the Browns opted to start the season with Taylor under center and wanted Mayfield to watch and learn.

With Cleveland trailing 14-3 shortly before halftime, the rookie replaced veteran Tyrod Taylor, who was already playing poorly completing just 4-of-14 passes for 19 yards, when Taylor suffered his third concussion in the past 13 months.

In the second half, Mayfield energize that team and the home crowd, helping the Browns outscore the Jets 18-3. Mayfield threw for 201 yards on 17-of-23 attempts and even caught a two-point conversion from wide receiver Jarvis Landry that tied the game 14-14 in the third quarter.

Landry caught a game-high eight catches for 103 yards against the Jets, and leads the Browns with 20 catches for 278 yards. Rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway has the Browns’ lone touchdown catch this season.

Running back Carlos Hyde rushed for 98 yards on 22 attempts and scored two touchdowns last week and given the Raiders inability to stop the run, (Oakland surrenders 116.3 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 22nd in the NFL), there could be some opportunities for Hyde to have another big game.

Defensively, Cleveland has some good, young players on that side of the ball that new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams can mold into a formidable group.

Second-year defensive end Myles Garrett has become one of the more feared pass rushers in the NFL. Garrett’s four sacks this season are tied for the most in the NFL with New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan, Chicago defensive end Khalil Mack (sorry Raider Nation), and Von Miller.

Garrett also has two forced fumbles.

Fellow defensive lineman in second-year defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi is quickly making a name for himself too, pacing second on the Browns with three sacks.

Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, who the Browns selected fourth in the same draft as Mayfield, has played great for Cleveland so far this season. In his first pro game, Ward intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice.

Ward leads the team with two interceptions and along with fellow cornerback Terrance Mitchell, has solidified Cleveland’s pass defense.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders heads south to Los Angeles for a tough matchup in the AFC West against the Chargers in Week 5 before flying to London to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, while Cleveland will head home to prepare for back-to-back visits from AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens and Chargers.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Jaime Jarren at the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum & Hall of Fame Wall at the Coliseum

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Photo credit: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Jaime Jarrin has been the Spanish voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers for over half a century. As you can see, Jarrin is standing at the popular Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame wall conveniently located at the Club Level entrance of the Oakland Coliseum, the home of the Oakland Athletics.

Jarren is pointing at the flag of Ecuador. Ecuador is his country of birth. Aside from Jarren, other folks love to stop by the same area to take pictures of the colorful wall.

Amaury Pi-González serves as the Vice President of The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame, a nonprofit organization that was founded in San Francisco in 1998.

Click the link for more information: http://www.hispanicheritagebaseballmuseum.org/

Despite obvious flaws, Shohei Ohtani continues to shine for the Angels

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Photo credit: @AngelsRadioKLAA

By Mizhuo Takagi

OAKLAND — Despite him missing 2/3rds of the season as a pitcher and the Los Angeles Angels having a losing season, two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohitani has proven his abilities and remains a candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Ichiro Suzuki was the sensation when he made his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2001, and the high-volume contact hitter not only won the AL Rookie of the Year, but also the AL MVP. 17 years later Ohtani crossed the ocean from Japan, but he is totally different. He is a slugger and a pitcher who can throw the ball over 100 miles per hour.

Ohtani made his debut as DH on March 29, and as a pitcher on April 1. Both debuts occurred in Oakland and the lucky fans in the Bay Area got to watch him hit and pitch.

Ohtani’s two-way endeavor brought excitement to both sides of the Pacific. In fact, there were approximately 200 Japanese reporters and crew members on Opening Day and 100 to 150 through the season when he plays at home.

Ohtani was met with skepticism, but he was named AL Player of the Week on April 8, and later AL Rookie of the Month for April.

When Ohtani’s right elbow injury was reported in June, disappointment spread. It was like, “the dream is over!” But he came back after missing six weeks with the injury and one of the two dreams is still alive. He continues to hit homers and contribute to production.

On September 2, Ohtani became the first player to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings since Babe Ruth. Now, he has extended the number of HRs to 20. He received his second career Player of the Week honor on September 10.

Ohtani played DH during three-game series against the A’s from September 18 to 20, and there were Ohtani fans all the way from Japan who stopped by Oakland just to watch him play.

Osamu and Noriko Suzuki, who used to live in Menlo Park in 2001, visited the Bay Area to watch Ohtani play. His first season in the MLB may be a let down, but they felt relieved rather than disappointed.

The Suzukis said, “We were worried about his injury, but he is hitting well and even a Rookie of the Year candidate. It could have been a better season, but I think he has a great season and we are happy for him.”

Japanese college student, Taku Shibata, and his three friends were all decked out in Ohtani t-shirts in Oakland.

Shibata said, “I hope he will continue to play two-way as long as he can. It would have been awesome if I could watch him pitch too, but I will definitely come and watch him when he recovers from injury. He is truly a star for my generation.”

If Ohtani undergoes Tommy John surgery, he will likely not return to the mound until 2020. It has been reported that he has not made any decision yet and is trying to look at other options. So many pitchers have gone through Tommy John surgery, but there is no example nor two-way player like him.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Angels Manager Mike Scioscia Likely to Say Goodbye

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By: Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND, Calif. — Chances are very good that this week was the last time we will see Angels manager Mike Scioscia as manager with the Angels at the Oakland Coliseum. During their last home stand of the season and during the penultimate game at Angel Stadium on Saturday, September 29, the Angels will give everybody in attendance a Mike Scioscia bobblehead, a sellout of 45,000 is expected.

As a manager, Scioscia led the Angels to their only World Series championship on 2002 against the San Francisco Giants.

Scioscia is the all-time managerial leader in wins, games managed and division titles. He also was honored as the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2002 and 2009.

I have very good memories and experiences with Scioscia. Not only did I have the privilege of calling the 2002 World Series for the Giants, but during the past eight seasons, I traveled to Anaheim to do the Spanish play-by-play for the Angels at Fox Sports Network with my good friend José Mota, who does commentary. Mota is bilingual and as qualified as anybody I have ever met in baseball.Although this season the Spanish Fox Sports West production of the Angels ceased to exist due to a business decision by Disney, who acquired a ton of regional sports networks, including Fox Sports West. Anyhow, you can still see Mota during pre and post games for the English Fox Sports and sometimes on Angels’ radio and other MLB outlets.

There were many times where I have interviewed Scioscia in Spanish (Scioscia speaks conversational Spanish) for the Fox Sports’ Angels pregame in Anaheim. He was always available to talk baseball. A man that was in the Los Angeles area was always thought to be the perfect manager for the rival Dodgers, a team he played for 13 seasons from 1980-1992. He was arguably one of the best defensive catchers of any generation. To try to score on a close play at the plate against Scioscia was a tough thing to do, he was Fernando Valenzuela’s first and foremost catcher. Fernando has always told me great things on how Scioscia guided him when he was a Dodgers rookie. Preston Gómez, a great pioneer manager and lifetime baseball man, once told me: “Scioscia era el hombre que los Dodgers debían de haber firmando de manager.” Translation: “Sciosica was the man that the Dodgers should have signed as their manager.”

On March 29th when the Angels played the A’s at the home opener in Oakland, Scioscia told me this: “I really like my ballclub this year.” Unfortunately, injuries to his pitching staff, many Tommy John surgeries–all while the news broke that Japanese rookie sensation Shohei Othani, who could be the Rookie of the Year in the AL, was also told he had to submit to the surgery.

The Angels’ best player in the game is Mike Trout. Scioscia and Trout have the ultimate respect for each other. They are both huge fans of the Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles. Trout was born and raised in southern New Jersey and Mike Scioscia hails from Pennsylvania. Obviously, Scioscia’s team was not the one that was going to chase the Houston Astros or even contend for a Wild Card spot.

Scioscia could write his own ticket. I do not know what he will choose to do after his managerial life, but whatever he does, he will be just as good as he has been as the Angels manager for the last 19 seasons–the longest tenured manager in the MLB. He could possibly take an advisory position and assistant to Angels owner Arturo “Arte” Moreno. I can easily see that.

Listen to A’s home games in Spanish on KIQI 1010AM/990AM in San Francisco/Oakland/San José/Sacramento/Stockton.

A’s win the series vs. Angels with 21-3 blowout

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The A’s won a laugher as they rapped out 22 hits and put 21 runs on the board to blowout the Los Angeles Angels 21-3 and win the series 2-1. Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who is rumored to be retiring at the end of the season, probably will need some Tylenol to remove his headache or antacid to calm his stomach after Thursday’s debacle. The A’s hitters were scorching hot, and it is too bad there is not a run bank so that the A’s could have some stored for the weekend series versus the Minnesota Twins.

The Angels drew first blood in the top of the third. With one out, A’s starter Edwin Jackson walked Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun. The next hitter, Jose Fernandez’s drive into right field went for a double that drove in Calhoun to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.

In their half of the third, the A’s jumped all over Angels starter Matt Shoemaker as they put five runs on the board and sent Shoemaker to an early shower. A’s catcher Josh Phegley got things going when he led off the inning with a single. Nick Martini followed with a single to put two men on with no out. Matt Chapman, who has been playing well in the second half of the season, doubled to drive in Phegley and Martini. Jed Lowrie hit a solid line drive for a single. Chapman went to third on the play. Shoemaker settled down as he struck out Khris Davis and Matt Olson. He did not get out of the inning as Stephen Piscotty, who had homered and doubled last night to drive in five, continued his hot hitting as he blasted his 26th big fly of the year into the seats in left field to put the A’s ahead 5-1. Scioscia brought in former A’s reliever, Jim Johnson, to get the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the A’s put on a hitting clinic. Johnson was greeted by a single off the bat of Marcus Semien. The next hitter, Josh Phegley, lined out to Mike Trout who was able to double up Semien, who was running on the pitch. The inning appeared to be over when Martini hit a ground ball to Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Simmons throw to first went for an error. That miscue opened the floodgates as the A’s hitters went to town on Johnson. The A’s had five straight singles before Ramon Laureano doubled. Semien singled. Josh Phegley flew out to right field to end the inning. The A’s put seven runs on the board and had eight hits in the inning. Six of the runs were unearned. The A’s had a commanding 12-1 lead after four complete.

Angels star Mike Trout hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth off of Jackson. Jackson then walked Angels’ DH Shohei Ohtani. A’s manager Bob Melvin went to the mound and brought in Emilio Pagan to finish the inning. The A’s onslaught continued in the bottom of the sixth. Davis started the rally with a double. Angels’ reliever Miguel Almonte walked Olson and Piscotty to load the bases. Ramon Laureano’s single drove in Davis for the first run of the inning. With the bases loaded, Semien’s double cleared the bases. For Semien, it gave him a career-high five RBIs in a game. The hit parade continued when Phegley singled to drive in Semien with the A’s 17th run of the day. Phegley scored the sixth run of the inning and eighteenth of the game on Nick Martini’s single.

In the seventh, Scioscia decided to use his catcher, Francisco Arcia, as the pitcher. The use of a position player as a pitcher worked for just two hitters. Arcia retired Semien and Matt Joyce. He gave up a single to Phegley. It was Phegley’s third hit of the day. Martini then blasted the first home run of his career to make it 20-2. Chad Pinder, who replaced Chapman at third, took Arcia deep for his 12th of the year and the A’s increased the advantage to 21-2.

The Angels scored a run in the top of the ninth. Francisco Arcia homered with two out to score the Angels’ third run of the game, but it was too little, too late. Arcia became the first player in MLB history to pitch, catch and homer in the same game.

The A’s routed the Halos 21-3.

Game Notes: Edwin Jackson was the winning pitcher. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run and three hits. His record for the season improved to 6-3 and the A’s have won 13 of the 16 games that he has started.

The Angels’ Matt Shoemaker absorbed the loss, and his record dropped to 2-2.

The A’s are now 92-61 for the season, while the Angels fell to 75-78.

With the win, the A’s improved their record to 58-25 dating back to June 16, which is the best record in the Major Leagues over that span.

The A’s lowered their magic number to five to clinch a Wild Card spot. They currently have a six-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays, who play tonight. They are currently two games out of the first AL Wild Card spot behind the Yankees, who play tonight.

The A’s accounted for 21 runs on the game, the most runs the A’s have scored in a contest since June 18, 2000, at Kansas City. The 21 runs are tied for second in Oakland history.
The 18-run margin of victory was second largest in Oakland history.

This is the third time in Oakland history, the A’s have scored five or more runs in an inning three times in one game (June 14, 1969, at Boston; Sept. 30, 2000, vs. Texas).

Matt Chapman amassed his 24th double of the second half, which is now tied with Rajai Davis for the most doubles post All-Star break in A’s history.

Stephen Piscotty clubbed his seventh homer of the month and now has 22 RBI in September. He recorded his 85th RBI of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning, matching his career best. He leads the Majors in RBI for the month and is tied for first with seven homers.

Marcus Semien tallied a career-high five RBIs in the contest.

Nick Martini clubbed his first career round-tripper in the seventh inning.

Up Next: The A’s play the last three home games of the season starting Friday night versus the Minnesota Twins at 7:05 pm PDT. After the home series versus the Twins, the A’s finish the season on the road with three in Seattle and three more in Anaheim.

The A’s have not announced their starting pitcher for Friday night. It is possible that it will be a bullpen game. The Twins will send Jose Berrios to the mound. He is 11-11 with a 3.81 ERA.

Anderson, A’s trounce the Angels 10-0

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Photo credit: @Acbeam

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — Brett Anderson had his best performance of the season as he led the A’s to a 10-0 win over the Angels. Anderson made his third start since coming off the DL and was in total control as he throttled the Angels’ offense. He went 6 2/3 innings and allowed no runs and three hits. The A’s bullpen of Ryan Dull, Frankie Montas, and Aaron Brooks gave up one hit the rest of the way. The A’s came to life as they put 10 runs on the scoreboard. Stephen Piscotty was the hitting star with a double, home run and five RBIs.

The A’s put on their hitting shoes in the bottom of the fourth as they sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs on six hits and a walk. Nick Martini and Matt Chapman singled to start the rally. Jed Lowrie doubled to drive in the first two runs of the night. Khris Davis reached on an infield single, and Lowrie went to third on the play. Pen walked Matt Olson to load the bases. Piscotty doubled to clear the bases, and the A’s had a 5-0 lead. Ramon Laureano singled, and Piscotty advanced to third. Pena struck out Marcus Semien for the first out of the inning. Jonathan Lucroy hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Piscotty with the sixth run of the inning. The A’s led 6-0 after four.

The A’s continued the onslaught in the bottom of the fifth. Angels manager Mike Scioscia replaced Felix Pena with Parker Bridwell. Matt Chapman singled to start the A’s rally. Bridwell retired Lowrie for the first out. Davis walked to put men on at first and second. Bridwell struck out Matt Olson for out number two. Piscotty blasted his 25th home run of the year about four rows deep in the second deck in left field. He has hit a career-high 25 home runs and a career-high 81 RBIs. The A’s led 9-0 after five.

The A’s put the 10th run of the night on the board in the seventh. A’s manager Bob Melvin inserted some of the role players as the game was well in hand at this point. Franklin Barreto hit for Lowrie and struck out. Matt Joyce, hitting for Davis, singled and was safe on second on a throwing error by Jefry Marte. Olson reached on the fielder’s choice. Piscotty was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ramon Laureano hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Joyce with the A’s 10th run, which was unearned. There was no more scoring as the A’s won their 91st of the year by a final score of 10-0.

Game Notes: The A’s picked up a game on the Astros as Houston lost to Seattle. They are four back with just 10 games left to play. The Yankees won again on Wednesday and the lead the A’s by 2 1/2 games in the race for the first Wild Card spot.

A’s Brett Anderson was the winning pitcher. His record for the year is now 4-5.

Angels’ Felix Pena absorbed the loss. His record dropped to 3-5.

Up Next: Game three of the series will be played Thursday afternoon at 12:30 pm PDT at the Coliseum. The A’s will send Edwin Jackson to the mound. Jackson (5-3, 3.17 ERA) Jackson will be opposed by the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker (2-1, 3.98 ERA)

A’s finally complete the Mike Fiers trade

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Photo credit: @AthleticsPR

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — Last month, the Oakland Athletics acquired starter Mike Fiers from the Detroit Tigers. Fiers had a brief stint with the Tigers this year. Prior to his departure, Fiers posted a 7-6 record and a 3.48 ERA in 21 starts in Detroit.

In exchange, the A’s were going to receive two prospects or a considerable amount of cash. The A’s received two unknowns–the first of those two was reliever Nolan Blackwood and the second was starter Logan Shore. Shore was initially an A’s second-round draft pick in 2016, but his MLB career hasn’t panned out the way he wanted. Shore was described as a “fast track candidate” out of the University of Florida, but injuries hampered his early progress in both the minor and major leagues.

Shore’s line in Double-A in 2018 features a 5.50 ERA, 68 2/3 innings pitched, 49 strikeouts, 19 walks, 7 home runs and 4.27 fielding independent pitcher.

Shore’s most recent injury was a ulnar nerve irritation, which forced him to finish the 2018 season on the DL.

I accept the final result of this specific trade. At 33 years old, Fiers is on the older side, but he has been dominating in Oakland thus far. Fiers currently has a 5-1 record with a 3.09 ERA since August 6th. Moreover, Fiers remains under the A’s control, as he’s eligible for arbitration.

If healthy, Shore will be a solid prospect for the Tigers’ roster. Shore just has a slightly lackluster arm, so he has to put in a little bit more effort to work his way into the Tigers’ pitching rotation.

As for Blackwood, the 23-year-old was ranked 30th on this year’s list of A’s prospects on MLB Pipeline. Blackwood has a deceptive bullpen arm, but could use some other deceptive bullpen arms to complement him on the mound.