Tag: Oakland A’s

Giants open up nine game road trip starting in Oakland Friday night

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood gets the starting call Fri Aug 20, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s in game one of the three game series (photo file NY Post)

By Jessica Kwong

The San Francisco Giants lost to the New York Mets but still won the three-game series and had the day off on Thursday before heading into the Bay Bridge Series.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday was a “tough day for the middle of our lineup and some of the core pieces that have carried us.”

“Sometimes you’re going to have those days,” Kapler said. “I thought their pitchers made some good pitches throughout.”

Against their local rivals the Oakland Athletics, the Giants will start with left-handed pitcher Alex Wood, who is looking for his 11th victory of the season. It will be his 22nd start and he has proven to be a great asset to the Giants.

Last time he was on the mound, Wood held the Colorado Rockies to two runs in 6.2 frames, improving his record to 10-3 and giving the Giants a victory. Wood has a 4.14 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 115.1 innings. 

Meanwhile, the A’s will start with right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian, who seeks to improve his record at home to 5-2. It will be his 16th start of the season and his first time facing the Giants on the mound. 

Kaprielian in his last start gave up three runs in 5.1 innings against the Texas Rangers. The A’s won the no-decision match. The rookie has a 3.33 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP and a 6-4 record in 83.2 innings. 

The Giants still sit at the top of the NL West with a three-game lead over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. They have the best record in the league.

San Francisco visits the Oakland A’s tomorrow for the first of a three-game series. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. The Giants won two of the last three games against the A’s in June. 

The Giants will then return to New York to face the Mets for a three-game series.

A’s get much-needed win beat White Sox 5-4; Avoid four game sweep

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Oakland A’s starter Cole Irvin throws against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning of action in the fourth game of the four game series on Thu Aug 19, 2021 at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s ended their ten-game road trip with a much-needed win over the Chicago White Sox. The A’s had lost four in a row and five of the last six before Thursday’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. Thursday’s game with the White Sox.

The Sox had won the first three. Also, the A’s had lost their ace pitcher, Chris Bassitt, for the season when he was injured Tuesday night. The A’s are being tested in their journey to the 2021 playoffs. They had to find a way to keep Chicago’s big bats quiet and hope the A’s could get their offense going to produce a win. The A’s won the game 5-4 to end the road trip with a 5-5 record. The A’s remain two and 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros.

Lefty Cole Irvin started the game for Oakland. The White Sox put a run on the board in the bottom of the first. With one out, Chisox centerfielder, Luis Robert, singled to get things going for the Sox. Irvin walked the ever-dangerous Jose Abreu to put men on at first and second.

The next hitter, Eloy Jimenez, stroked a double to left to drive in Robert with the game’s first run. Cole walked Andrew Vaughnto load the bases. Irvin worked his way out of the jam by retiring Yoan Moncado and Brian Goodwin. 1-0 Chicago after one complete.

In the top of the third, A’s catcher Sean Murphy homered to tie the game at one apiece. It was Murphy’s 14th big fly of the season.

In the top of the fourth, the A’s plated a run to take the lead 2-1. With one out, singles by Mitch Moreland and Matt Chapman got the rally going. Chicago starter Dylan Cease walked Murphy to load the bases. Cease walked Tony Kemp to force in the run.

The White Sox regained the lead in their half of the fifth. With two out, Irvin walked Jimenez. In his rookie season, Andrew Vaughn slammed his a6th dinger of the year to put the Sox in the driver’s seat 3-2.

In the top of the sixth, A’s third baseman, Matt Chapman, continued his hot hitting by blasting his 19th home run of the year into the left-field seats. HIs hit tied the game 3-3.

The A’s plated two more in the seventh. Elvis Andrus reached on an infield single. Chicago’s flame-throwing reliever, Michael Kopech, was now pitching. Kopech retired Mark Canha and Starlin Marte. Kopech had to face the A’s slugger, Matt Olson. Olson untied the game with a blast deep into the seat in right field. The A’s led 5-3.

The A’s bullpen was tasked with shutting down the powerful White Sox lineup. Yusmeiro Petit retired the Side in order in the seventh. Lefty Andrew Chafin walked Vaughn to start the eight. Chafin retired the next three Sox hitters.

A’s closer, Lou Trivino, gave up a single to Sox catcher Zack Collins in the ninth. He struck out Cesar Hernandez for the first out. Luis Robert hit a ball to deep centerfield. Starling Marte had room and caught the ball for the second out.

On the next play, Jose Abreu hit a flyball to shallow centerfield. As Starling Marte was about to catch the ball, shortstop Elvis Andrus collided with Marte. The ball fell to the ground. Collins scored to make it 5-4. Andrus dropped to the ground and appeared to be injured.

Andrus was hit in the neck. After a few moments, he appeared to be okay and stayed in the game. He was charged with an error for running into Marte. Abreu was in scoring position with the dangerous Eloy Jimenez at the plate. Lou Trivino had to find a way to retire Jimenez to preserve the win for Oakland. Trivino got Jimenez to fly out to Marte in center to end the game. The A’s win 5-4.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improve to 69-53. The A’s now lead the Boston Red Sox by 1/2 game for the second Wild Card slot in the American League. Chicago’s record is now 71-51.

The A’s return home to face the San Francisco Giants for three games over the weekend. The A’s then play the Seattle Mariners for three and three more with the red-hot New York Yankees.

Cole Irvin received credit for his ninth win of the year. Lou Trivino recorded his 20th save. Irvin went six innings and allowed seven hits. He stuck out one and walked four. 

Chicago’s Dylan Cease line was six innings, three runs, and four hits. Cease struck out four and walked five. Michael Kopech took the loss for Chicago.

The A’s hit three home runs in Thursday’s game. Before Olson’s two-run shot in seventh, the A’s had hit 14 consecutive solo blasts.

The A’s host the San Francisco Giants for three games this weekend. The Giants own the best record in baseball. They are in first place in the tough NL Western Division. They took two out of three from the A’s earlier when they played at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The A’s will send James Kaprielian(6-4, ERA 3.33) to face the Giants Friday Night. The Giants will counter with lefty Alex Wood (10-3, 4.14 ERA).

The game will start at 6:40 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitleberg: Bassitt to have cheek surgery no eye damage; Could be back by post season

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Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt could be back from cheek and jaw surgery as early as October in time for the post season (file photo from the mercurynews.com)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

# 1 Jerry, A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt will have surgery once the swelling on his face goes down. Bassitt suffered a broken cheek bone and broken jaw. Bassitt did not suffer any eye injury as originally mentioned.

#2 Bassitt could be out for the rest of the season with a possibility of returning to the post season in October. There will be a lot of rehabilitation for this kind of injury Jerry what kind of rehab will entail after coming out of cheek surgery?

#3 The A’s no doubt were shaken up after Tuesday night’s injury to Bassitt so much so they just fell flat at the plate getting shutout 9-0. It was if the A’s were just going through the motions to get the game over. Frankly you can’t blame them.

#4 You’ve had the chance to work with former A’s manager and current White Sox manager Tony LaRussa who was managing against his former team Tuesday night said that it was one of the scariest things he ever saw in his playing or managing career. Tony has been at this since 1963.

#5 The A’s conclude the four game series with the Chicago White Sox this morning and will start Cole Irvin (8-11 ERA 3.52) and for the ChiSox Dylan Cease (9-6 ERA 4.04) first pitch 11:05 AM (PDT)

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Drop Fourth In A Row 3-2 lose in Chicago’s South Side

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A’s Drop Fourth In A Row 3-2

By Barbara Mason

The Chicago White Sox Luis Robert hits a for an RBI single in the fourth inning against Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago on Wed Aug 18, 2021 (AP News photo)

Wednesday night the Oakland A’s took on the Chicago White Sox in Game Three of their series. The team was still reeling after the horrible accident that Chris Bassitt suffered last night in Game Two.

The good news today for Bassitt was that there was no further head injuries, no concussion and no damage to his vision. He did suffer some nasty lacerations that required stitches and will reguire surgery for a displaced tripod cheek fracture. More than likely a six week or beyond layoff. It was such a shame for the all-star pitcher who was having one heck of a season.

There was a sigh of relief for all involved with the news. This hit looked so very serious and it was a surprise that he did not suffer more damage. The loss of blood alone was hard to watch as team mates gathered around him. Just a terrible moment for Oakland. The 9-0 loss was not a surprise after what had happened in the second inning of that game.

The A’s were back for Game Three on Wednesday and hoping for a bounce back after losing the first two games of the series.

The A’s started hitting from the first inning. They actually had runners on first and third with no outs and came away empty. In the third inning they had the bases loaded with no outs and not a single run. They cannot do this especially against a team the caliber of the White Sox, Chicago took the lead in the first inning 1-0 and in the fourth inning Seth Brown homered to tie up the game 1-1.

The tie did not last very long and Chicago took back the lead 2-1 in the fourth inning off a Luis Robert single which drove in Yoan Moncada.

Going into the sixth inning the score remained 2-1. The White Sox would extend their lead in the sixth 3-1 when again Robert singled and Moncada scored.

Oakland continued to threaten the Chicago lead in the seventh inning. Marte hit a sacrifice bringing Elvis Andrus home: the White Sox still leading 3-2.

Again in the eighth inning the A’s had two runners on base with one out and came up empty. This was three innings that Oakland had some great scoring opportunities and failed to take advantage of them.

The A’s could not do anything in the ninth inning and fell to the White Sox 3-2. They have now lost four in a row and tomorrow they hope to salvage one game in the series and avoid the sweep.

The loss today was an offensive loss. You cannot have the bases loaded and come away empty. Oakland had runners on first and third with no outs in the first inning and again nothing. This is not winning baseball and the A’s have to figure out a way to get these runners home.

Oakland starting pitcher Paul Blackburn had a nice game on the mound for Oakland He went 6 innings and had a pretty good day. With some production on the offensive side Blackburn might have come away with a win in this series.

Tomorrow the A’s will play Game Four in the series. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 AM. Cole Irvin will be on the mound for Oakland and Dylan Cease will start for Chicago.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Lose their Best pitcher rest of the Season

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Chris Bassitt Oakland A’s starter will be out for the rest of the regular season and could be back as early for the post season in October (@C_Bass419 photo)

A’s Lose their Best pitcher rest of the Season

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Chris Bassitt Medical Update

Chris was released from Rush University Medical Center last night. He received stitches for two facial lacerations and was diagnosed with a displaced tripod fracture in his right cheek that will require surgery. An exam of his right eye was normal for vision and no other damage is currently noted in the eye or the orbital bone. In addition, a head CT scan revealed no further injury. We are grateful to the White Sox, their medical staff, and the doctors and nurses at Rush for their excellent care. We’ll have more information on Chris as it becomes available. (Statement from the Oakland A’s)

Last night In Chicago, Chris Bassitt, Athletics All Star pitcher and ace of the staff was pitching in the second inning during the second game of a four-game series against the White Sox, when Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada hit consecutive singles, then Brian Goodwin lined a 1-1 pitch back to the mound hitting Bassitt on the face.

The ball that hit Bassitt was at a speed of 100.1 mph, according to Statcast. Bassitt remained down and after getting help from trainers of both teams, was carted out of the park. He left with a towel covering his face. Bob Melvin, manager of the team said Bassitt remained conscious and aware and was taken to the local hospital. After the game, a 9-0 win by the Chicago White Sox, manager Tony LaRussa and players like Jake Lamb (who was a teammate of Bassitt at Oakland) sent their best wishes to the pitcher.

Before starting the game Bassitt was 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA, ranked sixth in the league in strikeouts. The All Star pitcher led the Athletics in innings pitched with 151. His strike out rate is the highest of his career with a 24.3 percent and his walk rate lowest of his career, 5.8 percent. With over a month left in the regular season, the A’s ace was among the contenders for the coveted Cy Young Award.

Chris Bassitt was pitching against the Chicago White Sox, the team that originally drafted him in 2011 and made his major league debut with them in 2014. He has been a starter for the A’s since 2015 and his seven year record in the major leagues is 31-25 with a 3.22 ERA in all 25 games, all as a starter.

We here at Sports Radio Service also wish Chris Bassitt a speedy recovery.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio lead announcer on the A’s flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chris Bassitt’s injury overshadows A’s loss to White Sox 9-0

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Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt follows through on his first inning delivery against the Chicago White Sox on Tue Aug 17, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. Bassitt later would be hit in the head by a line drive by Brian Goodwin. The latest word is Bassitt is conscious and x-rays performed will determined if there were fractures from the line drive. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s had their ace, Chris Bassitt, on the mound as they tried to even the series with the White Sox at one apiece Tuesday night in Chicago. Bassitt, leading the American League in wins, ran into a little bit of a jam in the second inning.

He gave up singles to the first two batters he faced. The third hitter, Brian Goodwin, sent Bassitt’s pitch right back at him. The ball was traveling at 100 miles per hour. Bassitt tried to defend himself, but the ball hit him in the face. He dropped to the ground in obvious pain. The team trainer ran out and gave him a towel to stop the bleeding.

Bassitt was placed on a cart and taken to the hospital. The A’s announced that Bassitt was conscious and aware. The most important thing on everyone’s mind is his health. Former A’s manager and current White Sox skipper, Tony La Russa, said, “I hope he caught a break and is OK.” A’s manager Bob Melvin in a very brief press conference, said this: “we don’t think the eye is the problem. We will know about potential fractures tomorrow.”

In all the years that this writer has been following baseball, I have witnessed three other pitchers being hit in the head by a line drive. In 1957, lefty Herb Score was hit by a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald. Score recovered but was never returned to the pitcher he was.

The A’s Brandon McCarthy was hit in the 2012 season. McCarthy suffered a skull fracture, and the injury was life-threatening. Fortunately, McCarthy recovered and resumed his career. In the 2012 World Series, Detroit Tigers pitcher Doug Fister was hit by a line drive. Fister stayed in the game and was lucky not to have had a serious injury.

The A’s still had to play a baseball game. Everyone knew their hearts were with Bassitt. It’s very hard to concentrate on playing a game when your teammate has suffered such a serious injury.

The summary of the game will be brief. The Sox scored five times in the second. Former A’s third baseman, Jake Lamb, hit a three-run blast off Burch Smith, who took over from Bassitt. The Sox led 5-0 after two. Jose Abreu hit a three-run homer in the fourth to make it 8-0. The Sox added a run in the sixth to finish with a 9-0 run.

Wednesday night A’s will battle the White Sox in game three of this four game series with the A’s starting Cole Irvin (8-11 ERA 3.52) for the Sox Lance Lynn (10-3 ERA 2.26) first pitch 5:10 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

There will be no game notes or stats. The staff of Sports Radio Service and all of baseball are hoping and praying for Chris.

White Sox win first game of four-game set with A’s 5-2

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Former Oakland A’s and now Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendricks gets into the double fist pump mode after closing the door on his former team on Mon Aug 16, 2021 in Chicago (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s met the Chicago White Sox for the first time this season Monday at Guaranteed Rate Field on the Southside of Chicago. The teams entered the game with identical records of 68-50. The A’s sent Frankie Montas to the hill Monday night.

Montas had pitched well in his last several starts. The White Sox countered with the veteran lefty, Dallas Keuchel. Montas had to be on the top of his game as the White Sox lineup is loaded with tough outs. Two outstanding Chicago players returned to action after missing most of the season with injuries. Eloy Jiminez was back in the lineup, hitting behind last year’s MVP Jose Abreu. Luis Robert returned to his spot in center field after being on the 60-day IL.

The A’s knew they had to put runs on the board to beat Keuchel. Oakland put two on the board in the top of the second. Matt Chapman, with one out, blasted his 18th home run of the year. The home run was Chappie’s fourth blast in the last three games. Keuchel then hit Josh Harrison with a pitch.

He walked Stephen Piscotty and Vimael Machin to load the bases. Mark Canha singled to drive in Harrison with the A’s second run. Keuchel settled down and retired the next two A’s hitters to end the threat. The A’s didn’t know it at the time that they were done for the night.

Chicago added single runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Montas left the game after the fifth inning, trailing 3-2. Frankie gave up three runs and allowed eight hits, all singles. He threw 99 pitches in his five innings of work. The White Sox added another run in the bottom of the eighth. Luis Robert led off the frame with his third home run of the year. 

The White Sox bullpen held the A’s offense at bay after Keuchel left after five innings of work. The A’s only hit after the fourth inning came in the eight when Jed Lowrie doubled. Former A’s closer Liam Hendriks struck out the side in the ninth to record his 27th save of the year. Chicago wins 5-2.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the A’s record stands at 68-51. The A’s trail the Houston Astros by two and 1/2 games in the race for first place in the AL West. The A’s drop 1/2 game behind the Boston Red Sox to be the number one Wild Card. The New Yankees downed the LA Angels to move with one and 1/2 games behind the second AL Wild card.

The line for Oakland was two runs, six hits, and one error. The A’s had two extra-base hits. Matt Chapman’s homer and Jed Lowrie’s double.

The line for the White Sox was five runs, ten hits, and no error. Luis Robert paced the Sox’ attack with three hits, two singles, and a home run. Chisox manager Tony LaRussa played small ball in the bottom of the sixth. Robert led off the inning with a single.

Robert then stole second. He was called out on the throw from Yan Gomes to Machin. The Sox won the challenge, and Robert was credited with a stolen base. Robert went to third on Brian Goodwin’s ground out. Sox catcher Zeby Zavala, who had two singles earlier in the game, laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to drive in Robert with Chicago’s fourth run of the night.

Chris Bassitt will pitch for the A’s Tuesday night. Bassitt is 12-3, and his ERA is 3.06. Chicago will counter with Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez is 1-0, and his era is 1.35

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Peters with two HRs helps Rangers defeat A’s; A’s open up three game series in Chicago tonight

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Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Manaea gives up the big fly a two run homer to the Texas Rangers DJ in the first inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara a tough series in Arlington again the Oakland A’s lost two out of three the A’s are now three games out of first place in their chase of the Houston Astros.

#2 The A’s starting pitcher Sean Manaea gave up three runs in the first inning to the Rangers who jumped all over the A’s for seven runs and seven hits five innings.

#3 The DJ Peters hit two homers for the Rangers, Peters hit the fourth longest home run against the A’s at Globe Life Field that went into the second deck in left center field.

#4 Manaea has been struggling now 8-8 allowed 15 runs in his last 11 innings in his last three games.

#5 The A’s open up a four game series in Chicago against the White Sox on Monday night, the A’s will start Frankie Montas (9-8 ERA 3.98) and for the White Sox Dallas Keuchel (7-6 ERA 4.51) 5:10 pm first pitch.

Barbara does the A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s, Manaea roughed up in 7-4 loss to the Rangers

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By Morris Phillips

The look on Sean Manaea’s face? Not good.

After allowing a second home run on Sunday afternoon to Texas’ DJ Peters–or better yet, assisting Peters–Manaea looked up at the Globe Life Field retractable roof, and without saying anything, and just looking at his eyes, appeared to be saying, “What am I doing?”

In the grandest circuit of professional baseball anywhere in the world, you won’t see two, more majestically struck baseballs. Peters deserves credit, but Manaea would admit, he was more than helpful.

It’s been one of those seasons for Manaea: sometimes spectacular, sometimes awful, the A’s top line starter can’t find a groove from start to start. Manaea allowed seven earned runs in Sunday’s 7-1 loss, the second time he allowed as many runs this season. He also allowed five earned runs in a loss at the Coliseum two weeks ago to the Padres.

But in 12 of his 25 starts this season, Manaea’s been splendid, allowing zero or one earned run. In one stretch of five starts spanning June and July, Manaea strung together five such starts, including his four-hit, complete game shutout at Seattle on June 2. None of the last three starts for Manaea have fallen into the splendid category. With the season on the line, he needs to get back to winning.

“Giving up home runs, so, yeah,” Manaea said when asked what needs to change. “I guess, throwing stuff down the middle, I guess that counts as better command.”

“It was just some long balls that got him today,” manager Bob Melvin said of Manaea. “This is a tough stretch for him. A lot of guys go through tough stretches. You’ve got to pitch your way out.”

Manaea was both good and bad within Sunday’s start. He walked just one batter, struck out five, but five extra-base hits–three homers and two doubles– each chased home at least one run. None were cheap, especially the two hit by Peters. The 460-foot home run he tagged in the first inning was one of the longest hit in the short history of the new Arlington ballpark, and could be seen picking up passengers in flight.

“I just want to be as prepared as possible and do my homework, from the elite bullpen arms to the starters every day — watching films and taking notes,” Peters said of his breakout performance which netted him two of his four career home runs. “Obviously, I’m still new but being as prepared as possible is definitely key. That’s what all of the championship teams do.

Manaea departed trailing 7-1 after five innings, and that put the A’s in an impossible spot, but they still rallied with Mark Canha’s homer in the sixth, and RBI hits from Tony Kemp and Sean Murphy in the seventh and eighth. But the ninth brought no magic: Starling Marte flew out to left with a pair of runners aboard to end the ballgame.

Matt Chapman stayed hot with a solo shot in the 2nd off winning pitcher Koby Allard. He had three hits on the afternoon, and he’s homered three times in the first six games of the road trip.

The A’s have 44 games remaining, and as they’ve grown accustomed to in recent seasons, there are plenty of moving parts around them. The Astros also lost, so the A’s squandered an opportunity to get within 1 1/2 games of the AL West lead. The trio of wild card contenders in the AL East–Boston, New York and Toronto–all won with Boston equaling Oakland’s mark at 68-50.

Frankie Montas gets the start Monday in Chicago for the first of four games with the White Sox. Familiar face Dallas Kuechel gets the start for Chicago, and at age 33, the veteran may be losing velocity and fooling hitters less frequently. Kuechel has allowed 21 home runs in 22 starts this season.

Oakland Gets Past the Rangers 7-3 in Game Two

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Oakland A’s Matt Chapman (left) hits the first of two home runs against the Texas Rangers in the second inning gets congratulations from third base coach Mark Kotsay (7) at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Sat Aug 14, 2021 (AP News photo)

Oakland Gets Past the Rangers 7-3 in Game Two

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Oakland A’s took on the Texas Rangers in Game Two of their series. After a rough game yesterday laden with errors Oakland really needed to clean up their act and get back on track. There is no way the A’s should be losing to the Rangers although during this season Texas has seemed to have Oakland’s number at times.

A clean game void of errors should be the pathway to the A’s first win in this series.

Oakland got off to a good start in the first inning when Jed Lowry singled driving Starling Marte home jumping out to a 1-0 lead. The Rangers would tie up the game in the inning 1-1. The good news was that the A’s did not fall behind in the early innings.

In the second and the sixth innings those home runs started coming in. Matt Chapman had one in the second and Matt Olson had a home run in the sixth inning for a 3-1 lead. The Texans answered and tied up this game 3-3. After six innings this game was closely contested.

The A’s had scored in three innings but really got going in the seventh inning. Two more home runs, one by Mitch Moreland and Matt Chapman had his second homer of the game. The A’s were really rolling at this point. Marte doubled and Olson singled as well in this taking the lead 7-3.

It was a quick eighth inning as relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit took care of business in short order. The A’s were three outs away from the win and tying up the series.

The Texans could not contain those Oakland home runs and in the ninth inning Seth Brown knocked another one out of the park. This was a season high five home runs for the A’s as they led 8-3. They had scored in five different innings.

Oakland cleaned up those errors, they had a great defensive game and those home runs made all the difference in this A’s win.

Game Three is scheduled for 11:35 AM with the A’s looking to win the series. Sean Manea is set to take the mound for the A’s while the Rangers Kolby Allard will get the nod for Texas.