Tag: Oakland A’s

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A’s should sign Gio Gonzalez

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Photo credit: @BrewCrewBall

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The New York Yankees released Gio Gonzalez from their minor league system and Gonzalez is looking for a new team. The perfect fit for Gonzalez is the Oakland Athletics. The way the weak A’s rotation is these days, Gonzalez would be a welcome addition back in Oakland, and he will probably be their #1 starter as of right now. Some of the injured pitchers will be returning starting with Sean Manea, who is the legitimate #1 starter for the team. But regardless if Manaea returns soon, Gonzalez would fit perfectly on the A’s rotation.

We all know that it all comes down to money, personality and politics of baseball. But Gio loved it in the Bay Area. Gonzalez was the most popular A’s on the A’s Amigos program, talking to young bilingual students as soon as they came to the Oakland Coliseum. There will be absolutely nothing wrong for the A’s to take a flyer and give Gonzalez a one-year deal in Oakland. He is a total asset to the A’s.

If the A’s do not pick him up, he will be picked up very soon by one of the other 29 teams in the majors. Gonzalez will likely be signed within the next 48 hours. I hope the A’s will be that team.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Bassitt sets the tone with great bullpen help in Monday’s win over Texas

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sfgate.com photo: Chris Bassitt pitched five innings of shutout ball against the Texas Rangers Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum for the win.

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 A’s starter Chris Bassitt pitched five scoreless innings on Monday night, surrendering two hits and striking out seven and walking four a great line to help the A’s keep the Texas Rangers’ runs under control.

#2 Ryan Dull came into relieve for Bassitt. He struck two hitters in 1.1 innings

#3 The A’s bullpen, after Dull was lifted, came through with relievers J.B. Wendelken, Joakim Soria, and Fernando Rodney going 2.2 innings to shut the Texas offense down.

#4 The A’s Stephen Piscotty continues to hit the ball this time. He went yard for his fourth homer of the season in the second over center.

#5 You had a chance to speak with Oakland A’s president Dave Kaval in Sacramento on Monday regarding legislation in getting the environmental impacts and all the ground rules of constructing a new stadium at Jack London Square.

#5 The A’s and Rangers match up again tonight at the Coliseum for the Rangers Lance Lynn (2-1, 4.44 ERA) and for the A’s Frankie Montas (3-1, 2.70 ERA).

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

Hopes in the farm system for the A’s rotation?

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Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

By: Lewis Rubman
SRS Contributor
April 22, 2019

OAKLAND — The other night, someone said to me that half of the A’s starting rotation for the second half of this season currently is pitching for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators.

The A’s starting rotation certainly needs a boost, given the struggles Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada have been experiencing. Estrada already has been removed from the rotation, having been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lumbar strain. He had been battling lower back pain during spring training, and it’s not unlikely that the two 10-hour flights between Oakland and Tokyo aggravated his condition.

For the moment, Fiers, the mound staff’s ace as the season began, remains in the rotation, but it’s questionable how much longer the team can afford to keep him there.

To make matters worse, Brett Anderson, who had been a steadying presence on the mound until yesterday, when injured his left ankle trying to field Randal Grichuk’s swinging bunt in the top of the third . The good news that Anderson reports that he feels better and now can walk without limping.

But, in spite of this hopeful development and Chris Bassitt’s successful, albeit short (five innings) start in tonight’s 6-1 win over the Texas Rangers, the question of which, if any, Aviator starters are likely to help the parent club remains an important one.

Now seems like a good time to look at some of the possible answers, not only in Vegas, but also among the hurlers working their way up the ladder with the Double-A Midland RockHounds and the Class A-Advanced Stockton Ports. While we’re at it, a few glances at the A’s injured list also would be in order.

21-year-old lefty Jesús Luzardo is considered the team’s top prospect. He started two games for the big club during spring training, going a total of 9 2/3 innings, including his two stints in relief. He was impressive in that small sample, with 15 strikeouts against four walks, allowing six hits, no homers, and achieving a 0.93 ERA and a 1.034 WHIP. A shoulder strain shut him down in mid-March, and it’s likely he’ll be activated soon for a few appearances with Stockton or Midland before a promotion to what might be a brief fling with the Aviators, followed by a leap to the majors. Alas, this is the plan, but not the reality.

29-year-old Jake Buchanan, with a major league lifetime record of 2-3, 4.73 ERA, hardly qualifies as a prospect. But we’re not talking about prospects here. What interests us is someone who might help solve the A’s current need for effective starting pitching. After three starts, Buchanan looked like he might be the man for the job. He went 2-0 for the Aviators and boasted a 2.50 ERA while holding opponents to a .222 BA. But that was before yesterday’s outing against the Fresno Grizzlies. Buchanan was knocked out of the box after surrendering nine hits, two of them home runs, and five runs, all of them earned in four innings.

A.J. Puk, the A’s top draft pick in 2016, and the promising, but as yet unproved Jharel Cotton are recovering from the Tommy John surgery they underwent a little over a year ago. Reports on them have been encouraging, but, as with Luzardo, when they’ll return to full form remains an open question.

Daniel Mengden, who started 17 games for Oakland last year, is available in Las Vegas, where he’s won his three starts with a 3.00 ERA, throwing seven innings of two-hit ball in his last appearance, Saturday night in Fresno.

Edwin Jackson, who bolstered the A’s sagging pitching corps last year, going 6-3, 3.33 ERA after joining the team on June 25, didn’t land a major league contract after the season ended. The A’s signed him to a minor league deal a little over a week ago and sent him to Arizona for spring training. The plan is to bring him up to Vegas, where he’ll pitch himself into starter mode. We can only hope he’ll be able to repeat his mildly miraculous 2018 campaign.

Sean Manaea, the lefty who no-hit the Red Sox a year ago yesterday, is an outlier. He underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in September and might rejoin the rotation late this season. He has likely done some rehabbing.

Oakland obtained Jorge Mateo, Dustin Fowler and right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian in exchange for Sonny Gray just before the 2017 trading deadline. Kaprielian was the Yankees’ first choice in the 2015 but has missed over three years of action due to the Tommy John-shoulder syndrome. He’s on the A’s 40-man, assigned to Stockton, but has yet to make an appearance with the Ports. He seems the least likely of the A’s recuperating moundsmen to have any impact on the team in 2019. Daulton Jeffries and Wyatt Marks are two other Ports starters who might have a bright future with Oakland, but it’s more likely going to be at Howard Terminal than at the Coliseum.

Daniel Gossett had been recovering nicely from Tommy John surgery but was returned to the 60-day injured list last week. He’s not expected to be available this season.

None of the pitchers on the A’s double-A affiliate in Midland is on the 40-man roster. Until last Saturday, Brian Howard seemed to have a shot at making that list in the near future. In his first three starts, he threw 16 innings to go 2-0. The tall (6’9”) 23-year-old righthander accompanied that with a 0.56 ERA, a .200 opponents’ batting average and a 2.06 WHIP. Then last Friday he had a melt-down against the Frisco Rough Riders, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, letting his ERA balloon to 7.20.

23-year-old righty Barry Feigl, with just one year’s experience in pro ball, has the best record on the Ports’ pitching so far this season. He’s started three games and has gone 1-0. His ERA is 2.25, and he has held opponents to a batting average of .175 over 16 innings. His WHIP is a sparkling 0.94, and his BB/K ratio is 5/22. It’s unlikely we’ll see him with A’s this year, but two or three years down the line, he’s a possibility (if he doesn’t flare out or get traded).

The picture I’ve just sketched is not a pretty one, but it’s not a complete one either. They are based on stats, not on observation or even a careful reading of the play-by-play. In any case, three starts are not enough to show a pitcher’s ability or potential or even to judge his performance with any great accuracy. Nor do my remarks necessarily mean that there is no one pitching in the A’s system who could rise quickly to the occasion. There may indeed, be several major league quality hurlers under contract to Oakland who haven’t caught my eye. And Fiers might catch fire, and Estrada could yet make his mark. But until then, the A’s face some serious problems with their starting pitchers.

A’s swept by the Blue Jays at the Coliseum, Anderson hurt in 5-4 loss

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — A rare and surprising weekend at the Coliseum ended with the tying and winning runs on base, and the A’s failing to push the runners across in their disappointing, final two at-bats.

The A’s fell 5-4, officially ending the most impressive run of success in their home ballpark in their 40 plus years in Oakland.

The A’s were swept at home by Toronto for the first time since 1993. The sweep ended an unprecedented run which saw the team win 15 of its previous 18 series at the Coliseum, tie three and lose none dating back to June 2018.

“We have to give it to them,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We didn’t expect that. Hopefully it just inspires us for the next series to start playing better because it didn’t feel good getting swept.”

Adding injury to insult, starting pitcher Brett Anderson was removed in the third inning after he sprained his ankle attempting to field Randall Grichuk’s ground ball. Afterwards Anderson offered insight that incorporated his health, the current state of the rotation and the ballclub in one brief statement.

“Do some treatment and see how it feels tomorrow. It’s day to day. It’s annoying, a series that wasn’t very conducive to the health and success of the starting pitchers,” Anderson said.

Simply, the A’s have posted results all over the spectrum in their first 24 ballgames (11-13). But one denominator has remained consistent: if the A’s starters have dealt, they’ve won. If not, they’ve lost. Oakland starters went 6-1 in the team’s 6-4 start. They’ve won four times in 14 games since, only once in the last seven.

The A’s have lost five of six, and nine of 14 as their rotation has become unsettled with the injuries to Anderson and Marco Estrada.

Ramon Laureano was worth the price of admission all by himself by jumping up to rob Teoscar Hernandez of a home run in the second inning. Of course, the defensive whiz who has established himself as one of the game’s most prolific outfield assist guys since his promotion from the minors last season didn’t stop there. Laureano immediately unleashed a throw in excess of 400 feet that flew past first base in a failed attempt to double up baserunner Justin Smoak retreating to first base.

That’s actually when the play took on a unique life of its own, courtesy of Smoak and catcher Brett Hundley. Smoak, who should have been shocked and left motionless by the length of Laureano’s throw, instead turned opportunistic and tried to take second base. But Hundley, running well over 100 feet into foul ground, fielded the throw and tossed out Smoak at second base.

And the obvious question after the zany play: how do you throw a baseball that far?

“I threw without thinking. That happens sometimes,” Laureano explained.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s looking at getting swept by Jays, having lost four of last five

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

On the A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 It was Oakland A’s Matt Chapman bobblehead day alright, and the A’s did just that on Saturday, bobbled the game away to the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1 in a no mercy rule game.

#2 The Jays’ first baseman Rowdy Tellez hit for his fourth homer and got a double as part of the Jays offense was hitting .191.

#3 The Jays’ Brandon Drury hitting .147 went 3-4 and hit for two RBIs and two runs scored.

#4 The A’s rough day continued after using six relievers they called on their first baseman Kendrys Morales as a closer in the ninth inning.

#5 The A’s and Jays conclude the series today at the Coliseum with the Jays Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.86 ERA) and the A’s Brett Anderson (3-0, 2.63 ERA).

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

Stroman Stymies A’s, Jays top Oakland 5-1

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sfgate.com photo: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman works against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning of a baseball game Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum 

By Matt Harrington

OAKLAND — The proof hadn’t quite been in the pudding for Marcus Stroman this season, but that changed after Friday night. The Blue Jays beat the hosting Oakland A’s 5-1, with Stroman picking up his first win of the season, despite entering play with a sub-2 ERA. Matt Chapman knocked in the only run for Oakland (11-11) while Brandon Drury homered for the Jays (9-12).

Stroman (1-3, 1.74 ERA) looked to go the distance, but was lifted in the ninth inning after allowing the leadoff batter of the inning Kendrys Morales to reach base. His line wound up being six hits, one earned run and six strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 1.76, but was 0-3 entering Friday’s game. Closer Ken Giles finished out the ninth.

The A’s pounced on Stroman early, with Marcus Semien singling with one out in the first then scoring from first on Matt Chapman’s RBI double for 1-0 lead. The wheels fell of for the Green and Gold in the top of the next inning though, with the Jays knocking four runs off starter Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.32 ERA).

The first three batters reached base before Brooks got Drury to pop out. Then Socrates Brito singled in a run, Danny Jansen knocked in two and former Athletic Eric Sogard knocked in one in three consecutive plate appearances. Brooks got the final two outs, but was tagged again in the top of the fourth for the solo shot by Drury. He finished with five innings in the books and five runs on six punchouts. Yusmeiro Petit, Fernando Rodney and Joakim Soria all game on for scoreless relief appearances.

Saturday’s contest will feature Matt Shoemaker squaring off against opening day starter Mike Fiers. Fiers has a 2-1 record, despite his 7.06 ERA.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Oakland A’s — Alameda County supervisors vote this Tuesday

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Photo credit: @OTBaseballPhoto

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — Alameda County Supervisors will vote this Tuesday to negotiate a deal that would sell the Oakland Coliseum to the city of Oakland. This is the first time that Alameda County said they want to sell its share.

The Oakland A’s have shown interest in buying the Coliseum in order to build an entertainment center, business park or maybe building a new park for the A’s at that same location,where they have played since 1968.

For years now, I have been a proponent on the idea the A’s build their new park at the same location of the Coliseum. I know it is not downtown, but it makes sense.

The Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf and A’s president Dave Kaval said in early March that the city and the team are seeking to enter into exclusive negotiating agreements to explore both the Coliseum complex and the waterfront Howard Terminal as possible sites for a new baseball stadium. Years ago I remember I attended a meeting of supporters for a new A’s park in Fremont (next to Hwy 680). However, a bunch of Fremont residents resisted the idea, and the A’s plans for Fremont went Adios. Fremont today has the fourth largest population in the Bay Area (235,000) only San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland have larger population than Fremont in the nine-county Bay Area, and in a few years, BART would go all the way to San Jose. Obviously, building the new park at Howard Terminal is a little complicated, compared to the whole idea that if the Supervisors of Alameda County vote in favor of selling to Oakland, it will facilitate Oakland and the A’s to come to an agreement, which they already said they want, and the A’s would build their new home at the Coliseum site. In my opinion, this is the best plan. Although, I know very well the times I have spoken to Kaval that he is definitely focused on Howard Terminal as their #1 choice with the “safe” option that #2 is the same area as the Coliseum. At the end of this story it might prove to be the same location they play today, were the A’s will settle down.

For one, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transistor), who carries thousands of A’s fans to the Coliseum from all-over the Bay Area, would be happy to build right there. They have a station within walking distance from the Coliseum, about a 10-15 minute walk from behind left field right into the park. If the A’s and Oakland can reach a deal after Alameda County sells to the city of Oakland, BART will be very happy as they never been really enthusiastic with the Howard Terminal location. Let’s face it, BART is a big deal for the A’s, the traffic in the Bay Area is getting worse by the minute. We are not LA, but we are getting there, especially with the expansion of people working in Silicon Valley.

The path is now clear for the A’s. If it happens next week, the Alameda Board of Supervisors sell to Oakland.

The Warriors will be gone, the Raiders — only God knows where they will be, but the A’s — once and for all — might be able to control their own future as far as a new home is concerned.

Happy Easter!

Happy Passover!

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Clippers come up with any more surprises in Game 3?; Giants get 4 runs in 9th, but still lose; plus more

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Golden State Warriors tip off in Los Angeles Thursday night at Staples Center against the Clippers in a series that’s tied 1-1. The Warriors are coming off a loss in which the Clippers made a 31-point comeback. The Warriors are without an injured DeMarcus Cousins. Will the Warriors regroup, jell and win this one like going through butter or will the Clippers take advantage of the home floor and try to repeat a win like they did in Game 2?

#2 In Game 3 tonight, is there a possibility that the Clippers will take full advantage of the home floor and maybe have some inspiration from the Game 2 comeback? Also, it doesn’t seem like the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley is getting in the Warriors’ Kevin Durant’s head?

#3 The Giants lost a tough one on Wednesday night to the Washington Nationals 9-6 at Nationals Park on Wednesday night. The Giants got home run help from Steven Duggar and Geraldo Parra and tried to rally in ninth inning for four runs, but wound up short losing by three runs.

#4 For the first time in five games, the Oakland A’s finally got a win over the mighty Houston Astros. It was pitching that stopped the Astros’ lineup as A’s starter Frankie Montas went six and third, three hits on one earned run, and six strikeouts in the 2-1 win.

#5 The Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving scored 37 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Indiana Pacers 99-91. Irving could end up as a free agent after the NBA Championship. Could Irving end up in Los Angeles and join former teammate LeBron James?

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

Streak Snappers: Montas, Chapman lead A’s past Astros

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By Morris Phillips

Whatever the A’s had cooked up for Wednesday’s series finale against the Astros, they knew this, it had to be good.

It may have been better than that.

The A’s avoided a fifth, consecutive loss to baseball’s hottest team by being near perfect: stopping the Astros’ red hot offense dead in its tracks while coming up with a pair of key hits and making them stand up in a 2-1 win.

The challenge of stopping Houston’s 10-game win streak initially fell on starting pitcher Frankie Montas. He delivered.

“They’ve beaten us four times in a row and we have to have somebody go out there and put up some zeroes. That’s exactly what he did,” manager Bob Melvin said. “In a game like that you have to count on your starter to lead the way and he definitely did that.”

Montas allowed three hits and a run in six plus innings of work. He picked up the win, and avenged his only loss a week ago in Houston. More impressive than his line was Montas’ methods including first pitch strikes to 17 of the 25 hitters he faced. The former reliever racked up 15 called strikes as hitters struggled to distinguish his splitter from his slider, and he established himself immediately.

Houston’s first three hitters: George Springer, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman saw just six pitches, four of those 96 mph plus. Springer struck out looking, Altuve popped out on the first pitch, and Bregman grounded to second base, but reached on Jurickson Profar’s poor throw. Montas wouldn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning, and he tossed strikes on 58 of his 88 pitches.

While Montas’ new and improved splitter drew questions in the postgame as observers noticed it confused the Houston hitters, all of his pitches were effective, the sign that the pitcher’s career is on a high trajectory.

“The slider was pretty good, too,” Melvin said. “A mix of pitches like that, throwing strikes and getting ahead, he’s a tough guy to hit when he’s ahead in the count and feeling pretty good.”

“He really didn’t concede much of anything,” Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch. “His power, his fastball was good, his breaking ball was good, he threw a split — his stuff was overpowering tonight.”

Profar rebounded from his throwing error with an RBI double scoring Mark Canha in the second. The former Ranger had two of the A’s four hits as Houston starter Wade Miley dealt as well.

But unlike Montas, Miley blinked in a big spot. Facing Matt Chapman in the sixth, a hitter Miley had retired in eight of his nine at-bats, he tried to get cute with off-speed offerings. But when Miley offered a cutter that caught the plate, Chapman jumped on it. The ball exited at 110 mph landing 441 feet away in the center field bleachers.

The A’s stayed on the defending AL West champs in the late innings with Lou Trivino downright filthy in the eighth, and Blake Treinen good as advertised in the ninth.

The A’s moved above. 500 with the win and get a day of rest before facing the Blue Jays over the weekend. Toronto has dropped six of their nine road contests, and will start winless Marcus Stroman on Friday night. Aaron Brooks starts for Oakland, a big spot for Brooks with starter Marco Estrada placed on the injured list before Wednesday’s game.

Oakland A’s Thursday day off report: A’s place RHP Estrada on IL, recall Bassitt from Vegas

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Marco Estrada (42) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list and the A’s have called up Chris Bassitt from Triple A Las Vegas Aviators.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 18, 2019

At the conclusion of Oakland’s two-game series with AL West rival Houston, the A’s announced the placement of right-handed pitcher Marco Estrada on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain.

To replace Estrada, the A’s recalled right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Estrada was on the A’s Opening Day roster and is 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA and a .242 opponents batting average in five starts. He did not have a decision over his first three starts while posting a 2.76 ERA, but he has taken the loss in each of his last two starts, allowing 13 runs on 14 hits in 7.1 innings.

Bassitt began the season on the IL with a right lower leg contusion and started a rehab assignment with Single-A Stockton on April 4. He made one start with the Ports and two more with Las Vegas on April 9 and 14 and was a combined 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA and .190 opponents batting average in three starts when he was reinstated from the IL on Tuesday and optioned to Las Vegas.

A’S vs. BLUE JAYS
The A’s start a three-game weekend series against Toronto at the Coliseum on Friday. In a matchup of right-handers, Aaron Brooks (2-1, 4.24) starts for Oakland, and faces the Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman (0-3, 1.99).

Oakland’s probables for Saturday and Sunday are Mike Fiers (2-1, 7.06 ERA) and Brett Anderson (3-0, 2.63 ERA).

Friday night is San Jose State University Night. Fans with a special ticket will receive an A’s/SJSU crew neck sweatshirt. Early arriving fans will receive a pet calendar, presented by AvoDerm Natural & Nylabone.

SENSORY ROOM
Earlier this week, the Athletics announced that as part of April’s National Autism Awareness Month, the Oakland A’s unveiled a new Sensory Room at the Oakland Coliseum.

The quiet space at East Plaza Level Suite 80 in centerfield will cater to fans of all ages with autism, Down syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, and similar conditions who can find comfort from a soothing atmosphere. The space will include “sensory bags,” filled with noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, and other tools as calming mechanisms. The Sensory Room is available for every game for all fans.

The space was created in partnership with Micah’s Voice, which helps provide community, hope, and financial resources for families affected by autism.The nonprofit is named after the son of its co-founders Sharhonda and Shawn Stockman, who is also a founding member of Boyz II Men. The Stockmans will attend the A’s game and help unveil the Sensory Room.

The A’s will host their annual Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 20, when they play host to the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.com/specialevents.