Tag: Oakland A’s

At Home. Home Runs? A’s simply out of character in Wild Card game loss to the Rays

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — Seven A’s homered at least 20 times this season. Manager Bob Melvin’s wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel in advance of the win-or-swim Wild Card game: he penciled all seven into his lineup on Wednesday against the Rays.

What happened next wasn’t what anyone in Oakland was expecting. One of the most prolific power hitting teams in the history of Major League baseball whiffed. The A’s hit 257 home runs this season, 315 doubles or triples, and none of that carried over to the disappointing Wild Card loss, 5-1 to the Rays.

The A’s managed just eight singles across nine innings, and even those weren’t struck with much authority. Charlie Morton and three relievers shut the A’s down without allowing even as much as rallying moment.

The Rays? They smashed four home runs in the first five innings, including the first courtesy of Yandy Diaz on the game’s fifth pitch. In the season of the home run, the Rays got the directive. What happened to the A’s?

“We couldn’t string anything together tonight,” Melvin said. “They kind of beat us with our game. We’re normally a home run-hitting team,”

“Get into this Wild Card game and a lot of times it comes down to pitching and timely hitting.  They got us on the run early in the game, and we really couldn’t answer.”

Home runs don’t always decide baseball games, and they haven’t traditionally played a major factor in postseason games, but times are changing. The 2017 World Series between the Astros and Dodgers was supercharged, and this postseason could be similarly built. But if one club belts four, and the other swings and misses, that’s always been decisive, playoff game or not.

Playing at home normally provides an advantage as well. The Oakland crowd, better than 54,000, setting a new Wild Card attendance record, did their part. But the A’s couldn’t follow suit, another anomaly given their 52-29 record at the Coliseum this season.

Starting Sean Manaea seemed like a smart move as well. Tampa Bay didn’t hit left-handed pitching that well this season, ranking in the lower third in most categories. But it mattered little. Diaz, fresh off the disabled list, and seeing his first big league game action since July 22, made Rays manager Kevin Cash seem like a genius. The hard swinging Diaz homered opposite field in each of his first two at-bats.

Manaea lasted just two plus innings, but he wasn’t awful. The A’s ace struck out five, didn’t walk any, and allowed just four hits. But three of those four left the park.

“I just was trying to get good pitches to hit and luckily they went out,” Diaz said.

And one more home run related note: The A’s hit the fourth most home runs among AL clubs this season, but those 257 home runs ranks them eight best all-time as home run records fell like confetti in 2019.

And the Rays? The were a bit of an afterthought in terms of power hitting with 217 home runs, 15 fewer than the American League average this season. But the Rays were number one by allowing 181 homers, the fewest in all of baseball.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: This one’s for all the marbles, Rays-A’s, expect a good pitching match

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yahoo.sports.com file photo: Oakland left handed pitcher Sean Manaea will start for the A’s in Wednesday’s AL wildcard game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The American League Wild Card game between Tampa Bay and Oakland is a one and done series. London tells us what’s on the line as the Rays’ Charlie Morton matches up against Oakland’s Sean Manaea.

#2 The A’s have had a key player throughout the regular season. Whether it’s Jurickson Profar, Sean Murphy, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson or Matt Chapman, someone is always digging in at the plate.

#3 The Rays are a good road team they are 49-37, which is the second-best record in MLB. They can really make a game of it against the A’s tonight.

#4 It just seems like A’s manager Bob Melvin has been able to position and place hitters and pitchers in the right spots to get the best out of them and it’s paid off and it’s what’s in them the home field in these wild card games.

#5 It’s all on the line, it’s a one and done series. Does the one-game format of the wild card rob a team’s dream working 162 games to get here and then to be eliminated or is that the best part of the wild card format to keep teams on edge?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: It’s here, the AL Wild Card game, it’s anyone’s one and done; Raiders hold up for win against Colts; plus more

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2), right, is mobbed by his teammates after winning the game with a walk-off walk against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Sunday, July 28, 2019. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 6-5.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 After a long 162-game regular season, it all boils down to just one playoff game, the American League Wild Card game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 A’s pitcher Sean Manaea will get the call. He was out most of the season due to arm surgery, but when he returned, he pitched his first two games throwing shutout ball before being lifted. He’s now 4-0.

#3 After taking two tough loses earlier to the Kansas City Chiefs and later to the Minnesota Vikings, the Oakland Raiders faced the Indianapolis Colts and that one turned out to be a squeaker with the Raiders getting by with a seven-point win 31-24.

#4 The 49ers got a bye last Sunday for Week 4. Will having a bye be an advantage for San Francisco or will it be a disadvantage knowing they won’t get much rest between now and the end of the season?

#5 The San Jose Sharks open up their regular season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Center. With a lot riding on some of the changes, how much pressure will there be on Erik Karlsson. the Sharks’ bonus player, going into the season?

Barbara Mason does Headline Sports each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wild Card preview: Rays and A’s at Oakland Coliseum

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2) removes his helmet after batting against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2019.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — After a long season of 162 games, the A’s and Rays will have to have a one-game playoff to determine which team will advance to the American League Division Series. The winner will then face the Houston Astros. The Astros had the best record in the AL, and the series will start in Houston.

The A’s finished the season with a record of 97-65 to earn the right to host the Wild Card game. The A’s are 52-27 at the Coliseum this season. The Rays are a good road team, and they will not be intimidated having to play in Oakland. The Rays are 48-37 away from home and that record is the second-best in the MLB.

The Rays believe that they have a slight advantage as they will send Charlie Morton to the hill Wednesday night. Morton had a career-year with a record of 16-6. He pitched 194.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.05. Also, he struck out 240 batters and was very stingy in issuing walks. Morton was effective against right-handed hitters. The A’s lineup is loaded with righties as Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, and Khris Davis will have their collective hands full trying to get to Morton. Morton limited righties to just four home runs in 351 at-bats.

The A’s have not announced their starter as of Monday afternoon. People are speculating that Bob Melvin will go with either Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea. Fiers, like Morton, had a career year. Fiers was 15-4 for the year and had an ERA of 3.90. Fiers also pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati in May. Manaea made five starts for Oakland after coming off the IL in August. Manaea was 4-0 and was quite effective. He pitched 29.2 innings. Manaea had to learn how to deal with a declining velocity on his fastball. He threw at 93-94 MPH before being shut down with a shoulder injury last summer. His fastball has been clocked around 90 MPH this year, but he has been throwing strikes and moving the ball in the zone.

While the A’s might not have the edge in the starting pitcher department, they do have a better bullpen than the Rays. If the A’s starter, whoever that may be, falters, Melvin will not hesitate to bring in the relievers. The bullpen, missing Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, has been bolstered by the additions of lefties Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, and Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo has pitched very well and can be used as a closer. Melvin will also rely on Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks. Hendriks has performed exceptionally well and went to the All-Star Game this year.

The Rays’ bullpen includes Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, and Oliver Drake. The long relievers are Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks. Current Cy Young winner Blake Snell is back and throwing well. Six-foot seven-inch Tyler Glasnow will also be available. They will be ready to shut down the A’s offense when called on.

The A’s will also have the advantage on offense and defense. The A’s have three players in the infield that hit over 30 homers each this year. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson led the team with 36 dingers each. Semien had a career-high 33 round-trippers. Chapman and Semien are candidates for AL Most Valuable Player. Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Chad Pinder, Jurickson Profar, and Josh Phegley can all drive the ball out of the park.  On defense, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are again candidates to win a Gold Glove. Marcus Semien at shortstop has worked hard to improve his defense. He worked with Ron Washington to get better and he, too, is a Gold Glove candidate.

The Rays offense is led by Austin Meadows. Meadows had 33 home runs to lead the team. The Rays’ other hitters are Jesus Aguilar, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, and Nate Lowe. Fans on the West Coast may not be familiar with these names, but they are the reason that the Rays won 96 games this season.

The A’s won the season series four games to three. The Rays are a very determined team. The A’s are also highly motivated to move to the ALDS. This will be the A’s third Wild Card game since 2014, and the first-ever in Oakland. The A’s lost a wild one 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals in 2014. They fell to the Yankees last year 7-2 in New York. The A’s believe that they can go to the World Series. The first step will be defeating the Rays. The Houston Astros are hoping the A’s win. They won the season series 11-8. The Astros have to be careful about what they wish for. The A’s won six of the last eight played. They have the confidence to do it.

The game with the Rays should be very close. The Rays do not quit. Neither do the A’s. Each team knows that they have to win or go home. The A’s will have a large crowd cheering their every move. Let’s hope the home field advantage will prove beneficial to Oakland. I think the A’s will prevail and win by a score of 5-3.

MLB The Show Postseason 2019 podcast with Daniel Dullum: Taking a look at wild card matchups; Bochy gets ready for retirement; plus more

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photo from the olympian.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano makes his way through the dugout after hitting a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners’ Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Playoff pairings are almost set: A’s to host AL Wild Card vs. Tampa Bay

2 Giants hope to give Bochy a good sendoff against Dodgers

3 Verlander gets 3,000th K, Astros clinch home field; Mets’ Pete Alonso sets MLB rookie HR mark

4 Look for managerial changes in the next few days

5 After 72 seasons, Cubs play final game on WGN-9

The MLB The Show podcast with Daniel is heard every Sunday and through the postseason on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast with Matt Harrington: It’s Rays and A’s for the Wednesday wild card, but where?

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Marcus Semien rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Seattle.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Matt:

#1 The Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays both qualify for at least one game of wild card baseball the site is yet to be determined as it’s too close to call but either way there’s no doubt it should be a nail biter.

#2  The Rays Tommy Pham led the way with a two run homer and they got quality pitching from Tyler Glasnow who pitched 4 1/3 innings of no hit ball against the Toronto Blue Jays as the Rays beat the Jays 6-2 to clinch for a wild card birth.

#3 In the National League the Los Angeles Dodgers are in a four game win streak they took the first game game of their series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night 9-2 and ran away with the NL West this season by over 20 games on top.

#4 The Oakland A’s announced they will start Sean Manaea who came in the season after recovery from Tommy John surgery and in his first two games he threw shutout ball. Manaea has won his last four starts with 1.21 ERA.

#5 The timing is good for the return of A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty who just came off the IL manager Bob Melvin said it will be an adjustment period over the weekend in Seattle in preparation for Wednesday’s wild card game vs. the Rays.

Matt Harrington does the MLB podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Don’t Help Themselves, Wild Card Race Tied After M’s 4-3 Walk-off Win

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Photo credit: @Mariners

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s clinched a postseason berth Friday night, but it was hardly cause for celebration. By virtue of the Cleveland Indians losing earlier in the night, the A’s knew they’d be locked into a spot in the Wild Card game. The only question is where will that game be played?

The picture didn’t get clearer Friday. The A’s needed a win in Seattle to stay a game ahead of Tampa Bay for home field advantage in the do-or-die game, with the Rays winning earlier in the night. All signs were pointing up when Matt Olson hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give Oakland a 3-2 lead. But closer Liam Hendriks couldn’t hold on to the lead and the Mariners rallied to walk the A’s off 4-3 on a J.P. Crawford double. Now both Oakland and Tampa sit at 96 wins apiece.

Hendriks got a quick out before Mallex Smith singled. The A’s closer bounced back with a punchout of Dylan Moore, but Smith advanced to second and third base on wild pitches and scored easily on a Shed Long single to tie the game. Crawford then took a 3-2 pitch to left field on a line for the walk-off winner.

The A’s were trailing 2-1 heading into the top of the seventh after Seattle scored runs in the top of the first and third innings off Mike Fiers. Marcus Semien’s 33rd homer of the season in the leadoff spot was the lone as run off Justus Sheffield to that point. Matt Chapman singled off reliever Zac Grotz with one out in the seventh, then Taylor Guilbeau was called in to face Olson. Olson hammered a 3-2 count over the wall in left field to give the A’s the 3-2 lead. AJ Puk, Jake Diekman and Joakim Soria all pitched scoreless innings in relief of Fiers, who pitched five strong, but will most likely watch the Wild Card game from the dugout, thanks to the reemergence of Sean Manaea.

The Rays have yet to announce a starter for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays, but Trent Thornton and his 5.00 ERA will await the Tampa hitters who will step up to the plate eagerly. For Oakland Brett Anderson takes the hill against Marco Gonzalez, who despite a 4.09 ERA has 16 wins to his credit.

A’s near a playoff berth after defeating the Mariners 3-1

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s downed the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to one. Any combination of an A’s win or Cleveland loss will give the A’s a Wild Card berth. The Indians lost again to the Chicago White Sox and are now three games behind the A’s. The Tampa Bay Rays did not play. The A’s lead them by one game in the race for the first Wild Card. If the A’s hold on and win the first Wild Card, the one-game elimination will be played in Oakland next Wednesday.

It was a very emotional night in Seattle for their fans and for Felix Hernandez. Hernandez, who had been the ace of the Mariners’ staff for many years, was probably making his last appearance as a Mariner. His record coming into the game was 1-7. His effectiveness and velocity had been affected by shoulder injuries. Hernandez, in the past, had owned the A’s. The Green and Gold feared facing him. However, times changed, and he was just another pitcher. Hernandez had other thoughts on Thursday night as he wanted to go out as a winner.

Fernandez pitched very well for Seattle. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and three runs. When he left in the top of the sixth, the Mariners fans gave him a standing ovation that lasted well over a minute and Fernandez, with tears in his eyes, made a final curtain call.

The offensive player of the game for Oakland was Matt Chapman. With one out in the first inning, Chapman walked. A’s first baseman Matt Olson singled to right. Chapman went to third on the play, and when he saw the throw from the right fielder was slow coming into the infield, Chappie took off and rounded third and score. The A’s had an early 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second, Marcus Semien worked Hernandez for a walk. The next hitter, Matt Chapman, as he did Wednesday night in Los Angeles, blasted his 36th home run of the year to make it 3-0.

The A’s Sean Manaea, making his fifth start of the year, was very effective. He gave up a run to the M’s in the bottom of the fifth. A’s manager Bob Melvin let Manaea go one more inning. Sean went six innings and allowed four hits and one run. Lefty Jesus Luzardo pitched the seventh and eighth and retired all six hitters he faced. Liam Hendriks retired the Mariners in order in the ninth to secure the win for Oakland and earn his 25th save of the year. The A’s won 3-1.

Game Notes: The A’s improved to 96-63 with three games left on the schedule. The Tampa Bay Rays have three games left with the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. The Indians will finish the season in Washington with three games against the Nationals.

The A’s won 97 games last year, and if they sweep the Mariners, they will finish with 99 wins.

The Houston Astros appear to have the best record in the American League. They will play the winner of the AL Wild Card game. The Minnesota Twins will face the New York Yankees in the other ALDS. The Twins have become the first time in MLB history to hit more than 300  homers in a season. They have hit 301 so far this year. The Yankees need one more to be the second team. They have hit 299.

Up Next: The A’s will send Mike Fiers to the hill Friday night. Fiers is 15-4 for the year, and his ERA is 3.91. Lefty Justus Sheffield will go for Seattle. Game time will be at 7:05 pm PT.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Gruden expects more aggressive offense this Sunday; A’s hold on for dear life, get walkoff HR from Chapman; plus more

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Photo credit: @NBCSRaiders

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he hopes the offense could provide more vertical shots and that the receivers can be more aggressive.

#2 Gruden did say that the offense needed to be more aggressive and that was before the release of Antonio Brown during the first three weeks of the season.

#3 In the first three games of the season, Raider quarterback Derek Carr has thrown 23 passes for 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and has completed 13 pass for 257 yards.

#4 Turning to baseball, at one time, the Oakland A’s had a two-game lead before Wednesday night. The A’s had just a 1/2 game lead and the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning, beating the New York Yankees on Wednesday and the A’s dropped two straight games and almost lost a third in Anaheim on Wednesday night, but thanks to a Matt Chapman home run, they came back with two runs in the ninth to win it 3-2 and hold a 1/2 game lead in the AL wild card.

#5 The PGA Tour Safeway Open starts today at Silverado Resort in Napa. Some of the big names at the event include the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Phil Mickelson and Hideki Maysuyama, a five-time winner.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Chapman saves the A’s bacon with 2-run bomb; A’s stay 1/2 game up in wild card

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Photo credit: halosheaven.com

On the A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The A’s dropped two crucial games — one against Texas last Sunday at the Coliseum and another on Tuesday night in Anaheim. The A’s in never give up style, down 2-1 on Wednesday night in the top of the ninth, got a two-run jack from Matt Chapman his 34th to get the A’s a 3-2 one-run win.

#2 You look at that score last night in Anaheim 2-1 going to the ninth, manager Bob Melvin just had to have that bad feel in his stomach that the club was going to go down three in a row, but these never give up A’s have a hero every night when they win a game.

#3 Talk about A’s starter Frankie Montas’ return back in the rotation. He misses 60 games and he comes back pitches six innings and gives up four hits and an earned run, two walks and six strikeouts.

#4 Jerry talk about the relievers the A’s used four relief pitchers and they held it together to beat the Angels in the Big A. Everybody is up to beat the A’s in the wild card drive and the A’s are doing everything to stay at the top.

#5 A’s are headed for Seattle to open up a four-game series with the Mariners on Thursday, who can be tough customers in their own right. The Mariners, who got two hits and shutout 3-0 on Wednesday night by the Houston Astros, are not too happy and are looking to take things out on the A’s, but the A’s will scratch and claw to try to keep their heads above water in the AL wild card race.

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