Tag: Oakland A’s

A’s road woes continue as they lose their fifth in a row

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Boston Red Sox, behind a terrific performance by Rick Porcello, sent the Oakland A’s down to their fifth consecutive loss Tuesday night 5-1 at Fenway Park. Porcello was in command as he went eight innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. He threw a season-high 114 pitches.

A’s starter Aaron Brooks lasted only 4 1/3 innings and absorbed his third loss of the season. Brooks continued to give up gopher balls. The Red Sox hit two and Brooks has now surrendered eight long shots so far this year.

In the bottom of the first, with one out, Mookie Betts, the reigning AL MVP, homered to center field to give the Red Sox an early 1-0 advantage. Boston added another run in the second. With one out, rookie second baseman Michael Chavis singled to center. Brooks walked Mitch Moreland to put runners at first and second. Chavis advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on Sandy Leon’s single. Boston led 2-0 after two.

The Red Sox made it 4-0 in the fourth. Michael Chavis singled, and that was followed by Mitch Moreland’s eighth home run of the 2019 season. The Red Sox added an unearned run in their half of the fifth. Ramon Laureano dropped J.D. Martinez’ fly on the warning track in center field for a two-base error. Xander Bogaerts walked, and that was followed by a double to right field by Rafael Devers. A’s manager Bob Melvin walked to the mound and removed Brooks from the game. Brooks pitched 4 1/ innings and allowed six hits, five runs (four earned), walked three and struck out two. The A’s bullpen held the Red Sox scoreless the rest of the way.

The A’s only run came in the top of the ninth when left fielder Robbie Grossman hit his third homer of the year. Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg then retired the side to record the 5-1 win for Boston.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 14-18 for the year and are 0-5 on the nine-game road trip. The A’s play the final game of the three-game series Wednesday. at 10:05 am.

The Red Sox improve to 13-17. Both Rick Porcello and Aaron Brooks, are now 2-3.

Mike Fiers will pitch for the A’s on Wednesday. The Red Sox have not yet announced their starter.

Time of game was two hours and 35 minutes. 31,754 fans watched the game on a very chilly night in Boston. The temperature at the start of the game was just 50 degrees.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s waterfront ballpark no longer just a dream

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Photo credit: sf.curbed.com

Barbara Mason filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez on That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 How important is it for the Oakland A’s to have received Legislative approval on two bills SB293 and AB1191 to build at Jack London Square’s Howard Terminal?

#2 The park will be privately financed, which will have affordable housing, commercial properties and retail. This is a moment that A’s president David Kaval and the A’s have longed for.

#3 The A’s will be the only remaining team left in Oakland after the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders move. Everything after last week’s legislative meetings regarding the A’s new ballpark had fallen in place, and after the meetings, it looks much better than before for the A’s to start their move to Howard Terminal.

#4 How much would you agree that it’s almost like four on one when the Houston Rockets play the Golden State Warriors particularly during the postseason? It’s the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green vs. the Rockets’ James Harden.

#5 The San Jose Sharks are in a 1-1 series tie with the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks opened the series with a 5-2 win and dropped game two 4-3. In all, the Sharks have battled in each of the games and did it without their team captain Joe Pavelski, whose recovery from being knocked out in round one, Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s crumbled after great start, which has Melvin concerned after four losses

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie:

#1 The Oakland A’s opened up Monday night’s game with four runs after two innings and the start of the contest looked promising. The A’s Jurickson Profar started things off with a second inning, two-run single.

#2 It didn’t last long as Profar committed an error when he couldn’t handle an inning-ending double play ball in the third and the Boston Red Sox went on to score six runs.

#3 The loss now is the A’s fourth in a row as they dropped the first of three to the Sox to open the series. How concerned is manager Bob Melvin with a lot more of this road trip left?

#4 Profar is hitting just .165 and has been struggling, but the A’s need him at second base as they don’t have many choices at the moment. Do they stay with him or start to scout for another second baseman?

#5 The A’s will start Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) and the Red Sox Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA). Porcello had to have five starts to get his first win and Brooks got his second win after pitching five innings in good outing against the Rangers.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bruce Maxwell with the Acereros de Mexico

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Photo credit: nbcsports.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Ex-Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell is playing baseball with the Acereros de Monclova (Steelers) in Mexico. Maxwell hopes that he will be noticed by a major league scout and a return to the major leagues.

In 2017, Maxwell took a knee during the National Anthem in Oakland. To this day, he is the only major league player to do so, but things got more complicated for the catcher when he was later was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Eventually, the A’s let him go after the 2018 season, a season where they won 97 games and made it to the one-game wild card playoff against the New York Yankees.

During his three years in Oakland (2016-18), Maxwell played in 127 games, recorded a combined .240 batting average, five home runs and 42 runs batted in. The A’s obviously expected more productivity. The German-born catcher is looking for another opportunity and a fresh start. I think wverybody deserves a second chance since it is not like today’s major leagues are super-rich with great catchers. The Philadelphia Phillies’ J.T Realmuto is in his prime, while the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yaider Molina and the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey are nearing the end of their respective careers.

Maxwell is 28 years old. He is working in Mexico to impress a major league team. I hope he succeed and can return to play for one of the 30 teams in the majors.

As of today, Maxwell’s club Monclova is 14-7 for third place in the Norte (North) Division and two games behind Tijuana.

BoSox big inning sinks A’s at Fenway 9-4

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Photo credit: @RedSox

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, April 29, 2019

Oakland got off to a good start Monday at Fenway Park, but the Red Sox got off to a better one.

The A’s jumped to a four-run lead after two innings. Boston surged ahead in with a six-run third and stayed there for a 9-4 win. It was the fourth straight loss for Oakland.

Boston returned to the win column after dropping two games to AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Xander Bogarets had the big hit of that six-run rally, sending a game-tying two-run double over the head of A’s centerfielder Ramon Laureano. It was revenge of sorts for Bogarets, who was thrown out by Laureano in consecutive games earlier this season when Oakland took three of four from the Bosox.

Mookie Betts drove in the first run of the big Red Sox rally, followed by an RBI single by J.D. Martinez. Both were set up when A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar bounced a throw to second for an error, and Andrew Benintendi was safe when A’s pitcher Frankie Montas missed the bag when covering first.

Michael Chavis capped the outburst with a two-RBI single.

Chavis added an RBI single in the fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr. also had a run-scoring single in the seventh, and Martinez added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Oakland did all of its scoring with a four-run rally in the top of the second, sparked by a two-run single by Profar. Josh Phegley followed with run-scoring single, and Matt Chapman doubled in Phegley.

Montas (4-2) was rocked for seven runs — one earned — in 4 1/3 innings.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave up all four A’s runs, fell 1/3 inning short of getting the win, which went to reliever Ryan Brasier (1-0). Matt Barnes came in with one out in the ninth to earn his second save.

Off the field, the A’s placed outfielder Mark Canha on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Canha would have an MRI on Tuesday.

With Canha headed to the IL, the A’s have only two bench players — outfielder Robbie Grossman and catcher Nick Hundley. In a corresponding move, the A’s recalled lefthander Ryan Buchler (0-0, 7.04) from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Tuesday’s game features a pair of righthanders — Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) for Oakland, and Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA) for Boston.

A’s, Treinen swept and embarrassed in Toronto by the Blue Jays

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By Morris Phillips

Last season, the A’s couldn’t get enough of the Blue Jays. This season? They would prefer to forget they ever took the field with those guys.

The A’s suffered a 5-4, 11-inning loss on Sunday, the culmination of being swept in consecutive weekends by Toronto (0-6), the ultimate getback after the A’s went 7-0 against the Blue Jay’s in 2018. What’s worse, the A’s blew a 4-1 lead in the 11th as closer Blake Treinen couldn’t close the door.

Brandon Drury’s three-run homer wiped out the A’s lead, and four batters later, Justin Smoak’s RBI single scoring Freddy Galvez ended it.

“Falling behind guys and giving up soft contact like that is just embarrassing on my end,” Treinen said. “The team scraps as well as it did to get runs late and then they put their faith in me to go out there and get three outs. I mean a leadoff hit is whatever, a guy goes across the plate it doesn’t matter, but then I just didn’t execute pitches and fell behind and lost some feel and it sucks. It really sucks.”

The A’s fell to 14-16 with the loss, four games off the pace of the division-leading Astros, who won 4-1 over the Indians Sunday night.

Chris Bassitt was impressive–and more expressive–in his second start, allowing a run in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. With all the upheaval and inconsistency in the rotation, Bassitt appears to be stability after two, superior starts.

With his energy on the mound, along with the quality pitches, Bassitt carried the A’s for seven innings. J.B. Wendelken picked Bassitt up with a brisk eighth, and Joakim Soria gave up a couple of hits, but kept the game 1-1 in the ninth.

A weird vibe persisted because of the A’s aversion to being swept and their lack of offense–two singles and an Khris Davis double–through nine innings. Bassitt did his best to explain the team’s malaise that preceded the game’s unusual conclusion in the 10th and 11th.

“It was just we were all kind of sleepwalking a little bit,” Bassitt opined. “It happens. Everyone goes through this, but we obviously have to snap out of it.”

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s just can’t do anything with Jays on the verge of getting swept

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sfexaminer.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels on June 15, 2018. He will be the starting pitcher against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman:

#1 After the Toronto Blue Jays were swept in a brief two-game series by the visiting San Francisco Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Oakland A’s came into Rogers Centre and are on the cusp of getting swept in a three-game series.

#2 The A’s faced the Jays starter Aaron Sanchez on Saturday and the A’s, who have a lot of pop in their lineup, were lucky to even get a pop up off Sanchez, who gave up only a run in five innings against the A’s.

#3 The A’s have a 6-12 record against right-handed pitching as opposed to 8-3 against lefties. This is something no doubt that the Jays have studied film on and have dominated the A’s in their meetings this season.

#4 Former Oakland A’s Eric Sogard scored a run after hitting a double on Saturday and has hit safely in all nine games he has played for the Jays. Sogard is hitting .400, three doubles and two home runs.

#5 It’s the A’s last chance to snap the Jays’ five-game winning streak against them as they will start pitcher Chris Bassitt (1-0, 0.00 ERA) against Trent Thornton (0-3, 5.79 ERA) for Toronto.

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Vlad Jr. Debuts, Jays Walk Off Over A’s 4-2

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Photo credit: @Cut4

By Matthew Harrington

All eyes were on the A’s Friday night as they took on the Toronto Blue Jays. No, it wasn’t because of the man leading the galaxy in homers, Khris Davis, but instead on a Jays player with a Hall-of-Fame pedigree. Vlad Guerrero Jr., baseball’s top prospect, made his debut Friday night, “accounting” for the winning run in a 4-2 walk-off win. Former Athletic Eric Sogard homered and Brandon Drury hit a two-run walk-off jack. Robbie Grossman knocked in both A’s runs with a two-run homer.

Mike Fiers started for the A’s and had arguably his best start of the season going seven innings with six hits and the two earned runs. He was touched up by Sogard in the first. Randal Grichuk added another on an RBI single in the bottom of the third, but Fiers wriggled out with the no-decision after Grossman took reliever Joe Biagini deep to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Marcus Stroman started the game for the Jays and was once again lethal against Oakland, firing seven innings of one-hit ball after limiting the A’s to one run on eight innings in an earlier outing this season.

For Guerrero, the debut started off failing to live up to the hype. He was 0-for-3 heading into his ninth-inning at-bat. Guerrero worked a double off Yusmeiro Petit for a double. He was lifted for pinch-runner Alan Hanson who moved to third on a sacrifice bunt but was stranded after Teoscar Hernandez’s line-drive out. Drury hit the game-winning homer off Petit (0-1, 2.93 ERA)  though to send the Toronto faithful home with a win. Closer Ken Giles (1-1, 2.19 ERA) wound up the winner with a clean top of the 9th, striking out two A’s while working around a hit.

Oakland will face Vlad Jr. and the Jays Saturday with Brett Anderson starting for Oakland and Aaron Sanchez taking the bump for Toronto.

A’s Report: Alameda County, A’s reach agreement for possible 50% Coliseum purchase

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Photo credit: @Vince_Cestone

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 25, 2019

On Tuesday, the Athletics announced that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the term sheet between the County and the Oakland Athletics providing for the possible purchase by the A’s of the County’s 50 percent interest in the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Complex for $85 million.

The County Board of Supervisors and the A’s will now work to draft acquisition documents based on the non-binding term sheet. The final acquisition documents will require approval by the Board of Supervisors.

The Coliseum site is currently owned jointly by the City of Oakland and Alameda County. If the transaction is finalized, the A’s will own the County’s 50 percent interest in the site.

In November 2018, the A’s unveiled their vision for the redevelopment of the Coliseum site, seeking to transform the current Coliseum site in ways that will address several specific community needs and opportunities expressed by East Oakland residents.

Working with the city, public agencies, and community residents, the A’s seek to revitalize the Coliseum site by pulling the adjacent neighborhood fabric into the site and creating new economic, cultural, and recreational opportunities.

Preliminary plans include a large park, surrounded by substantial new housing, including affordable housing, a skills center, community gathering space, office and retail developments, and restaurants.

The new park would be anchored by the two focal points of Oakland sports history: Oracle Arena, repurposed as a concert and cultural events center; and the original Coliseum baseball diamond, preserved to inspire the next generation of ballplayers.

There was, however, no further statement concerning the possible construction of a new baseball stadium on the current Coliseum site.

OL’ CROOKED HAT TIES CY
Around the Turn of the Century, “Cy” Young pitched in 906 major league games. A’s reliever Fernando Rodney pitched his 906th career game last Saturday against Toronto.

There is, of course, a difference. Hall of Famer Young started 815 of his games, and Rodney has not started a game since his MLB debut in 2002.

Rodney, by the way, is fifth on the all-time list for games without a start. John Franco is first with 1,119, followed by Kent Tekulve with 1,050, Trevor Hoffman (1,035) and Francisco Rodriguez (948).

Rodney is also the last active MLB player who was born in the 1970s.

A’s FACE TORONTO THIS WEEKEND
The A’s will try to avenge a three-game sweep they suffered at the hands of Toronto last week, when they start a three-game weekend home series against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays’ top prospect, is expected to be in the Toronto lineup. Guerrero was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He was hitting .367, with a .424 OBP, three home runs and eight RBIs at Buffalo.

Friday’s probables are righthanders Marcus Stroman (1-3, 1.76) for Toronto and Mike Fiers (2-2, 8.28) for Oakland.

A’s sweep the Rangers out of Oakland with a 6-5 win in the series finale

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Rangers final
Photo/Graphic: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics completed a sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 6-5 win on Wednesday afternoon at the Coliseum. The victory did not come easily. The A’s had to battle the boys from Texas and finally won it in the bottom of the ninth in a walkoff.

As the A’s came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, the game was tied at five runs apiece. Matt Chapman grounded out to lead off the inning. Stephen Piscotty then singled up the middle to give the A’s a baserunner. Khris Davis flied out for the second out of the inning. Piscotty moved up to second base with a steal. Chad Pinder singled to right and Piscotty was able to score the winning run for the A’s.

The A’s record improved to 14-13 with the win. The Rangers dropped to 12-11 with the loss. Blake Treinen (1-1) picked up the victory while Chris Martin (0-2) was saddled with the loss.

Seven of the 11 runs scored in the contest came via home runs. The A’s recorded two home runs. The Rangers recorded three round-trippers.

A’s key performances

  • Oakland starting pitcher Aaron Brooks gave up three earned runs in 5.0 innings of work. He tied a career-high with seven strikeouts. Brooks did not issue a base-on-balls. Unfortunately, Brooks did not figure into the final decision.
  • The A’s relievers gave up two runs which allowed the Rangers to tie the game. Soria was charged with a Blown Save after he gave up an earned run in the seventh inning.
  • Blake Treinen walked two and struck out one Ranger en route to picking up the win. He has now pitched 28.0 consecutive scoreless innings at the Coliseum dating back to July 31, 2018.
  • Marcus Semien had a 2-for-5 game that included a 3-run home run. Semien is currently batting .321 with five doubles and three home runs.
  • Stephen Piscotty has picked up a hit in each of his last six games. He is hitting .522 (12-for-23) over that stretch. Wednesday was also his 500th career game.
  • Chad Pinder’s walkoff single was his the first walkoff hit of his career. Pinder now has three consecutive multi-hit games.

Rangers Piscotty
Graphic: @Athletics

Texas stars

  • Nomar Mazara recorded the third multi-home run game of his career on Wednesday as he went yard against Brooks and Petit. Mazara now has four home on the season.
  • Logan Forsythe had a big day at the plate for Texas. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and a walk.
  • Pitcher Kyle Dowdy made his first career start against the A’s and allowed three runs (all earned) on four hits in 3.0 innings on the hill.
  • Texas used four pitchers in the game.

Up Next

The A’s have Thursday off and will start a three-game series in Toronto with the Blue Jays on Friday. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. will make his MLB debut for the Blue Jays on Friday night.

The Rangers head to Seattle for a four-game series that begins on Thursday night.