Tag: Oakland A’s

Middle infield powers A’s past Orioles 13-2

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, April 09, 2019

Oakland’s middle infield was responsible for driving in nine of its runs on Tuesday, as the Athletics hammered Baltimore 13-2 at Camden Yards. It was the A’s first road win of the season and ended a four-game losing streak.

Second baseman Jurickson Profar was 4-for-5 with a home run and a career-high five runs batted in, and shortstop Marcus Semien contributed a three-run home run in the second inning, his second of the season. Semien also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Brett Anderson (3-0) picked up the win, working 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four, walked one and gave up two earned runs on seven hits.

Lou Trivino and Liam Hendriks threw the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

John Means (1-1), making his first career start for the Orioles, gave up five runs in three innings – one earned. After Evan Phillips threw three scoreless innings for Baltimore, O’s relievers Richard Bleier and Miguel Castro were each rung up for four earned runs each over the final three innings.

Baltimore has lost five of its last six games.

Notably absent from the Orioles lineup was slumping slugger Chris Davis, who sat out Tuesday’s game a day after establishing the MLB record for longest hitless streak by a position player – 0-for-49, going back to last season.

Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini singled in the first inning to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 11 games.

On Wednesday, the A’s will start right-hander Frankie Montas (1-1, 2.45), while Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has yet to name a starter. Right-hander Alex Cobb was supposed to start for Baltimore on Wednesday, but was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to April 6 (lumbar strain).

Baltimore crushes the A’s 12-4 in game one of their four-game series

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Bal 3
Graphic: NBCS

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Baltimore Orioles (5-5) are really an afterthought in the world of baseball in 2019. If you don’t think so, just ask every baseball expert in the world and they will tell you the Orioles are irrelevant. Many even call them a Triple-A team at best.

In fact, only 6585 people bothered to show up at Camden Yards to witness the O’s as they destroyed the Oakland Athletics 12-4 on Monday night. Baltimore put together 12 runs off 15 hits, while committing two errors. Their four pitchers held the A’s to just four runs on 11 hits and they committed two errors.

Baltimore jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Trey Mancini hit his fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the first inning off Marco Estrada. The Orioles scored three more runs in the home half of the second inning aided by a throwing error committed by Jurickson Profar. The A’s were in a 4-0 hole after just two innings.

A’s catcher Josh Phegley cut the O’s lead in half when he hit his second home run of the season — a two-run shot — off Andrew Cashner. It would be as close as the A’s would come to taking the lead in the game.

Baltimore would go on to score two in the fourth, one in the sixth and five runs in the eighth inning. The five runs were charged to Ryan Buchter (2) and Fernando Rodney (3).

The A’s (6-8) have now lost four consecutive games and are in sole possession of last place in the American League Western Division. This falls far short of the promise the opening homestand gave to the loyal #RootedinOakland fans.

At the Plate

The A’s

  • Mark Canha had a 1-for-3 night that included his second home run of the season. Canha scored two runs, had an RBI and walked.
  • Marcus Semien went 2-for-4 in the game and scored one of the A’s four runs.
  • Matt Chapman went 3-for-5 in the game, but did not have an RBI or score a run.
  • The A’s left eight men on base.
  • Oakland went 0-for-8 with Runners In Scoring Position.

The O’s

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Martin slides in at third Photo: @Orioles
  • Trey Mancini led the charge for the O’s with the bat. He had a 3-for-3 night that included a two-run home run, two runs scored, two RBI and two walks.
  • Jonathan Villar hit his third home run of the season off Estrada. Villar picked up four RBI in the game.
  • Richie Martin went 3-for-4 with the bat. Martin hit a triple off Estrada. He scored three runs against the A’s on Monday night.
  • Cedric Mullins — the number nine hitter for the O’s — had a huge night hitting two triples off Estrada. He finished with three RBI and two runs scored.

On the Mound

A’s

  • Starter Marco Estrada had a very rough night. His start lasted only 4.0 innings. Estrada gave up six runs (all earned) off nine hits. He walked just one and struck out three batters. Estrada gave up two home runs.
  • Oakland used four relievers in the game.
  • Fernando Rodney had the toughest outing in relief as he was charged with three runs (all earned) off three hits.
  • The loss was charged to Estrada who is now 0-1 on the season.

Baltimore

  • Andrew Cashner (2-1) was credited with the win over the A’s. He gave up four runs (three earned) off nine hits. Cashner walked one and struck out one in his 5.1-innings on the hill.
  • The O’s used three relievers who pitched 3.2 scoreless innings hold the lead for Cashner.

Up Next

The A’s and Orioles will play game two of their four-game series on Tuesday at 4:05 PM PDT. LHP Brett Anderson (2-0, 2.38) will start for the A’s and LHP John Means (1-0, 1.59) will take the ball for Baltimore.

A’s leave Houston frustrated after Astros’ comeback nets 9-8 win, series sweep

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By Morris Phillips

Bob Melvin was dismissive. Blake Treinen was close lipped. And the entirety of the A’s clubhouse was disappointed and frustrated.

Quite simply, winning ballgames at Houston’s Minute Maid Park occupies the highest priority for the ascendant A’s. And they didn’t do any of that this weekend. Instead, three consecutive  losses concluded with the team’s collective hands tied behind their backs as Aledmys Diaz crossed the plate with the winning run on Sunday.

The Astros simply played along, taking advantage of the A’s shortcomings in a 9-8 loss that ended on a bases-loaded walk to Jose Altuve.

Melvin didn’t say much other than the entirety of the afternoon at the ballpark was rough, virtually obscuring a patient comeback that saw the A’s overcome a three-run, first inning deficit only to establish an 8-6, eighth inning lead.

But then they blew that.

“I think the majority of the game, there was frustration. It is what it is,” manager Bob Melvin said.

Only the best pitchers get the opportunity to issue four walks in a ballgame. Relievers almost never get that opportunity, and closers don’t stick around long enough to have things go that wrong. But there was Blake Treinen–not only the A’s best pitcher, but arguably their best player–struggling in the ninth inning in a more heightened spot than normal.

Looking for a five-out save, Treinen walked Josh Reddick leading off. Then Diaz singled. His next pitch–a 97 mph sinker–was a brief reminder of what the Astros feared from Treinen. Robinson Chirinos bunted the explosive pitch with little command, allowing catcher Josh Phlegley to field it cleanly, and cut down the lead runner, Reddick, at third.

Backup designated hitter Tony Kemp hitting .211 provided Treinen an opportunity to record a critical, second out. But home plate umpire Marvin Hudson made controversial, ball calls on Treinen’s first two pitches, then again on his last to Kemp, which loaded the bases.

Afterwards, Treinen was careful to steer clear of opinions on Hudson’s calls. Little needed to be said: in 80 plus innings of work in 2018, the closer walked 21 batters.

“It’s not really acceptable to truly speak your mind on things sometimes,” Treinen said.

Treinen’s too much of cool customer to appear rattled. But with the plate-disciplined Altuve up, none of the closer’s pitches were strikes and the first two weren’t close.

With the sweep, the A’s failed to carry the momentum of a one-loss homestand, or close ground on the division-leading Mariners. Either way, the first three opportunities against the defending division champs were squandered.

“They’ve had some success and we want that success,” Phlegley said. “We really wanted to get them this series.”

The only, acceptable follow-up to such a rough series? Dominating a four-game set at Baltimore, as the Orioles lost 115 games in 2018 and are rebuilding.

On Monday, Marco Estrada will be opposed by Baltimore’s Andrew Cashner in a 4:05 pm start.

 

 

Astros use five pitchers to shutout the A’s 6-0 on Saturday night in Houston

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
stros 1
Graphic: @athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (6-6) lost their second consecutive game to the Houston Astros on Saturday as they were shutout by a combination of five Houston pitchers. The managed to pick up six hits off the Astros pitching, but only one of those hits was for extra bases.

Oakland went 0-for-5 with RISP and left a total of nine men on base. They struck out seven times and picked up four walks. It was a classic night where strong pitching dominated professional hitting.

Houston Hurlers

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Wade Miley on the mound Photo: @Astros

Wade Miley made the start for the Astros and worked 5.2-innings. Miley gave up no runs on four hits. He struck out four A’s batters and walked two hitters. Miley threw 95 pitches (56 strikes). He was credited with the win, which was his first for the season.

Will Harris, Josh James, Chris Devenski, and Framber Valdez combined to work 3.1-innings of scoreless relief for the Astros. The four relievers gave up just two hits and walked no Oakland hitters. The relief corps combined for three strikeouts.

Houston Offense (4-5)

Free-agent addition Michael Brantley led the Astros attack with the bat by going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. Brantley hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning which was his second HR of the season.

Yuli Gurriel had a 3-for-4 day with the bat. He added one RBI to his season total.

George Springer went 2-for-4 in the game versus A’s pitching. Springer hit his third home run of the young season off Aaron Brooks in the fifth inning. The round-tripper was a two-run shot.

The Astros scored six runs off 11 hits while leaving six runners on base.

A’s Pitching

Aaron Brooks really struggled in innings four, five and six. Brooks gave up five runs on nine hits. All five runs were earned. Brooks struck out two and walked out one. He also gave up two home runs.

The A’s used three relief pitchers–Yusmeiro Petit, Liam Hendricks, and Ryan Buchter, combined–to work the final three innings. They gave up no runs off just two hits. The relievers walked one and struck out two Astro hitters.

Brooks was charged with the loss – his first of the season. Brooks record is now 1-1 on the year.

Oakland hitting

Stephen Piscotty was the A’s leader with the bat. He went 2-for-3 at the plate and picked up the only Oakland extra-base hit. Piscotty also reached base via a walk.

Khris Davis, Chad Pinder, Kendrys Morales, and Mark Canha each picked up a base hit off Houston pitching.

Unfortunately for A’s fans, the Oakland hitters were unable to put those hits together to produce runs.

BoMel’s Thoughts

Manager Bob Melvin reaction after the game was that his team ran up against some great pitching and that is sometimes just too much to overcome. In other words, tomorrow is another day.

Up Next

The A’s and Astros will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday with a game that is scheduled to begin at 11:10 AM on Sunday morning. RHP Mike Fiers will make his fourth start of the season. His record is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

RHP Brad Peacock will make the start for the Astros. It will be his second start of the season. Peacock is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA.

McHugh Hold’s A’s to 3 Hits, Astros Beat Oakland 3-2

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @astros

By Matt Harrington

The Oakland A’s fell to the Houston Astros 3-2 on the road Friday in a pitcher’s duel between Frankie Montas and Collin McHugh. Carlos Correa hit his first longball of the season and Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve knocked in runs for the 2017 World Champions. Ramon Laureano knocked in a pair of runs to continue a torrid 2019.

Montas wasn’t particularly sharp, allowing seven hits over hit innings, but he stymied a potent Houston lineup to just the two earned runs. Alex Bregman singled a run home in the bottom of the third for a 1-0 lead, then Correa’s big fly gave Houston a 2-1 lead an inning later after Laureano’s run-scoring single in the top of the frame.

Laureano accounted for two of the three hits off Houston Starter Collin McHugh. McHugh went six, allowing the one run while working around three walks with four punchouts. His pen was particular stellar, going three innings with just the one run allowed by Roberto Osuna in the ninth inning.

The run, a second Laureano RBI single, would cut the gap for the A’s, but Houston took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh after Jose Altuve doubled off JB Wendelken to knock in George Springer.

The Astros send free-agent acquisition Wade Miley to the mound Saturday in his second starting in the year after losing his first appearance. Aaron Brooks makes his second start of the season for the Green and Gold after baffling the current world champ Red Sox to no runs on six innings and two hits.

A’s finish off the Red Sox to win the four-game series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s beat the Boston Red Sox for the third time in four tries, and they finished the homestand with a record of 6-2. The Red Sox, the defending World Champions, are having problems as they are 2-6 for the first eight games of 2019. The Sox finish the 11-game road trip with three games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix before returning home to Boston.

The A’s sent lefty Brett Anderson to the hill to face Red Sox. Anderson went 5 1/3 innings, and allowed three runs and eight hits. Anderson recorded his second win of the young season. Eduardo Rodriguez started for Boston, and his record dropped to 0-2.

Here’s how the A’s did it Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox put two runs on the board in the top of the first. Mookie Betts led off with a single. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi laid down a sacrifice bunt. A’s first baseman Mark Canha tried to nail Betts at second. Betts was ruled safe, and the A’s challenged the ruler. After a brief review, the call was upheld, and the Sox had men on at first and second with no out. Anderson struck out Steve Pearce for the first out. J.D.Martinez singled to load the bases. Anderson walked Xander Bogaerts to force in a run. Eduardo Nunez fouled out, and Anderson walked Brock Holt to force in another run. The Red Sox had an early 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox added a run in the third when J.D. Martinez hit a solo home run with one out. Anderson Walked Bogaerts for the second time, but he was able to get Eduardo Nunez to hit into an inning-ending double play. The A’s tied the game in their half of the third. A’s catcher Josh Phegley led off with a double. Rodriguez retired Robbie Grossman on a fly to right field. Phegley tagged up and motored to third. Marcus Semien walked, and that was followed by Stephen Piscotty’s second home run of the year.

The A’s sent Rodriguez to the showers in the bottom of the fourth when they plated three more runs to take a 6-3 lead. With one out, Ramon Laureano walked. Phegley followed with a single. Robbie Grossman doubled to drive in Laureano with the A’s fourth run. Rodriguez retired Marcus Semien for the second out of the inning. The next hitter, Stephen Piscotty, who had homered in his previous at-bat, hit a fly ball to deep right-center field. The ball appeared to be catchable, but it seemed as if it was drifting away from the clutches of Jackie Bradley, Jr. Piscotty’s ball landed between Bradley and Betts and then bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. Phegley and Grossman scored on the play. The A’s are in the driver’s seat as they led 6-3 after four.

In the bottom of the sixth, The A’s put another run on the board to take a 7-3 lead. With two out, consecutive singles by Semien, Piscotty, and Khris Davis produced the A’s seventh run of the game.

The A’s bullpen of Lou Trivino, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks kept Boston off the board and preserved the win for Oakland 7-3.

Game Notes: The A’s hitting star was Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty was 4-for-4 with two singles, a double, and a three-run homer. He drove in five runs and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

The A’s outfielders threw out two runners on the base paths Thursday. Robbie Grossman picked up an assist when he threw out Steve Pearce trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning. Ramon Laureano threw out Mookie Betts in the ninth when Betts tried to go from first to third on a single by Andrew Benintendi. For Laureano, it was the third time in the series that he nailed a runner trying to take an extra base.

The A’s have a record of 38-16 in the last 54 games played against the Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s line score was seven runs, thirteen hits, and no errors. Boston’s line was three runs, 10 hits, and no errors.

Time of game was three hours and 16 minutes. 15,095 fans were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s start a 10-game road trip Friday as they play the Houston Astros for three, Baltimore Orioles for four, and finish the trip with three against the Texas Rangers.

The A’s Frankie Montas will pitch Friday night, and he will be opposed by Houston’s Collin McHugh.

Red Sox snap their four-game losing skid with 6-3 win over the A’s

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Photo credit: @RedSox

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Boston Red Sox snapped two streaks as they beat the Oakland A’s 6-3 in game three of the four-game series. Previously, the Red Sox lost four in a row and had not scored a run in 22 straight innings.

A’s starter Marco Estrada went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, one of which was unearned, and two hits before exiting the game. A’s starters went six innings in the first six games of the homestand, and that streak was also snapped at the Oakland Coliseum Wednesday.

Both bullpens came through as neither team could do anything until the fateful ninth inning. The Red Sox scored three times after two were out in the ninth to earn their second win of the year.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Singles by Kendrys Morales and Jurickson Profar put men on at first and second with no out. Eovaldi walked Marcus Semien to load the bases. Eovaldi struck out Ramon Laureano for the first out. Nick Hundley singled off the glove of Rafael Devers to drive in the A’s first run. It was Hundley’s first RBI of the year. Eovaldi retired Robbie Grossman and Matt Chapman to end the inning. The A’s lead 1-0.

The A’s increased the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Marcus Semien walked to lead off the inning. Ramon Laureano, who is having quite a series against Boston, sent Eovaldi’s 83 MPH curveball over the 400-foot marker in center field for his second home run of the year and his second in the series with the Red Sox.

Boston’s Blake Swihart snapped Boston’s 22 innings of scoreless ball against the A’s when he homered over the wall just to the left of the 388-foot marker in right-center field. The Red Sox trail 3-1 midway through the fifth.

The Red Sox plated two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. Mookie Betts worked Marco Estrada for a leadoff walk. Estrada struck out Andrew Benintendi for the first out of the inning. The next hitter, Rafael Devers, hit a ground ball to second baseman Jurickson Profar who airmailed the ball over Marcus Semien’s head into left field. Betts went to third on the play. Estrade then walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Estrada and brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Mitch Moreland. Moreland, who loves to hit against the A’s in Oakland, doubled down the right field line to drive in two, Melvin changed pitchers again and his reliever, J.B. Wendelken, retired the last two hitters to end the inning. The score is 3-3 in the middle of the sixth.

The Red Sox dodged a bullet in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, Marcus Semien singled. With Laureano at-bat, Semien stole second and advanced to third when Blake Swihart’s throw to second went into center field. Laureano hit a ball that Sox shortstop Brock Holt, going to his right, fielded the ball and threw to first. Laureano was ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a 50-second review. The score was still 3-3 after eight.

The Sox scored three runs on four hits. Eduardo Nunez led off the frame with a single. Nunez was caught stealing and A’s reliever Fernando Rodney struck out Brock Holt for the second out. Blake Swihart kept the inning going with a single. Jackie Bradley, Jr. followed with a single sending Swihart to second. Rodney uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to third and second. The AL MVP Mookie Betts worked the count to 3-2. Melvin had Rodney pitch to Betts. Mookie hit a ground ball that hit third base and bounded away from Matt Chapman. Swihart and Bradley scored, Andrew Benintendi followed with a triple to drive in Betts, and the Red Sox had their first lead of the series 6-3.

Game Notes: Neither pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi nor Marco Estrada, figured in the decision. Eovaldi, who struggled a bit with his control, went five innings and allowed three runs and four hits. Eovaldi hit A’s third baseman Matt Chapman with a pitch in the first inning. The 90 MPH fastball hit Chapman on his left wrist. Chapman shook it off and stayed in the game.

Ramon Laureano hit his second home run of the year with a man aboard in the fourth to give Oakland a 3-0 lead. Boston’s bullpen held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way. Matt Barnes received credit for the win, and the A’s Fernando Rodney took the loss. Ryan Braiser picked up his first save.

The Red Sox line score was six runs, nine hits, and one error. Blake Swihart was the hitting star for Boston with a home run and two singles. The A’s line was three runs, five hits, and one error. Ramon Laureano hit a two-run dinger in the fourth.

The A’s are now 5-4 for the year, and Boston improved to 2-5.

Time of game was three hours and 21 minutes. The attendance was 14,207.

Up Next: Game four will be played Thursday afternoon at the Coliseum. It will be a battle between two left-handed pitchers as Brett Anderson (1-0) will go for Oakland and Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1) will pitch for Boston.

A’s shut out the Red Sox again

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s were led by Mike Fiers’ six scoreless innings, limiting the Red Sox to five hits. Fiers earned his second win of the season. The As’s bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the win and the A’s won by a score of 1-0. Sox ace, Chris Sale, who was roughed up by the Seattle Mariners in his first start last week, made just one mistake. He gave up a solo home run to Matt Chapman, and that was the run the A’s needed to shut down the potent Red Sox offense for the second night in a row. The last time the A’s shutout the Red Sox in back-to-back games was on August 30th and 31st in 1996.

Sale, as Fiers, went six innings he allowed one run and three hits. Sale did not display his blazing fastball. He kept the hitters off-balance with a variety of speeds that ranged from 75 to 92 MPH. Sale, known as a strikeout artist, managed to strike out only one A’s hitter.

The A’s third baseman, with one out, hit his third home run of the year. With the count 3-2, Chapman sent Sale’s 88 MPH fastball over the wall in left field to give Oakland an early 1-0 lead after one inning of action.

That was the whole ballgame. The Sox had chances, but failed to get the clutch hit that would have tied the game. They had a threat going in the fourth when they were able to have men on at first and third with two out. Fiers retired Brock Holt on a ground ball to first baseman Kendrys Morales to end the inning. In the sixth, Boston managed to get a man as far as third, but Fiers again rose to the occasion as he struck out Xander Bogaerts for the third out. In the top of the ninth, with closer Blake Treinen on the hill, Xander Bogaerts lined a shot to right center. The ball hit the 388-foot marker and remained in play. Had the ball been a couple of inches to the left, it would have been a home run. The ball stayed in play. Ramon Laureano, who made two tremendous defensive plays Monday night, performed his magic as he played the ball off the wall and threw a strike that nailed Bogaerts at third for the second out of the inning. Mitch Moreland walked. Treinen regrouped and struck out Brock Holt to record the save.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 5-3 for 2019. Mike Fiers, who had six innings of work, was the sixth game in a row that an A’s starter has gone at least six innings. Mike Fiers is now 2-1, and Chris Sale is 0-2. Treinen recorded his third save. Chapman’s homer was his third of the year. The Red Sox are 1-5.

Up Next: The teams play game three of the four-game series Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm. Marco Estrada (0-1) will go for Oakland, and Nathan Eovaldi (0-0) will pitch for Boston.

Homer-happy A’s pound the Red Sox 7-0

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Photo credit:

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The A’s Aaron Brooks earned his first win of the year as he pitched six innings and allowed the struggling Boston Red Sox just two hits. The A’s bullpen pitched with three scoreless innings and limited the Sox to two hits.

In the last five games, the A’s starters have all pitched six innings, and the A’s have won four out of five. The defending World Champion Red Sox have not had a good start to the season. They have lost four of the five games played and their starting pitching, to be blunt, has not been good. The fans in New England have to wonder what happened to the team that won 119 games last year. They hit well in Seattle, but could not manage four hits in Oakland Monday night. The A’s play the Red Sox exceptionally well at the Oakland Coliseum and Monday’s game was no exception. The A’s took the season series 4-2 last year, including Sean Manaea’s no-hitter last April 19th.

The A’s hitters hit four home runs Monday night. They victimized David Price three times, and Heath Hembree gave up a solo blast to Matt Chapman in the eighth.

The game summary follows below:

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Khris Davis blasted David Price’s 82 MPH change up over the left center field wall for his fifth home run of the season. Price then struck out the next three A’s hitters to end the inning.

In the third, Ramon Laureano, who had made two outstanding defensive plays in the second, sent David Price’s 91 MPH four-seam fastball out of the park to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Price retired the first two batters he faced. Price walked Mark Canha, and Chad Pinder sent Price’s first pitch change up out of the park to put the A’s ahead by four runs. The A’s broke it open in the bottom of the eighth. Matt Chapman greeted Red Sox reliever Heath Hembree with his second home run of the season. Stephen Piscotty singled and went to second when Khris Davis reached on a throwing error by Edwin Nunez. Kendrys Morales singled to drive in Piscotty and Davis scored on Pinder’s single to make it 7-0. Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning to end the game.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s improve to 4-3. The Red Sox drop to 1-4. Aaron Brooks was the winning pitcher, and David Price absorbed his first loss of the season.

The A’s homers were hit by Khris Davis (5), Ramon Laureano (1), Chad Pinder (1), and Matt Chapman (2). Davis has five homers in the first seven games of the season. He joins Mark McGwire and Reggie Jackson as the only A’s with at least five home runs in the first five games of the season.

The A’s improved to 36-15 in their last 51 games against the Red Sox in Oakland.

A’s starting pitchers have thrown six innings in each of the last five games and have a 0.30 ERA and have a .115 OBA in that span.

Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning. For Rodney, it marked his 900th appearance in a MLB game. Rodney tied Arthur Rhodes for 25th on the all-time list.

The A’s line for the game was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. For Boston, it was no runs, four hits, and one error.

Up Next: The A’s and Red Sox will play game two of the four-game series Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time is at 7:05 PM. Mike Fiers (1-1) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Boston’s lefty Chris Sale (0-1)

Time of game was two hours and 42 minutes. 12,417 fans were on hand to watch the game.

Frankie Flamethrower: Montas, Davis lead the A’s past the Angels, 2-1

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — If anything, some revision is needed: the A’s starting rotation isn’t a question mark, it’s a work in progress.

The progress part was in grand display over the weekend, as the A’s took three of four from the Angels, getting outstanding starts in each game, capped by Frankie Montas’ outing that highlighted a 2-1 victory on Sunday.

Montas hit 96 mph and above on his first eight pitches thrown, and allowed just one run in the sixth inning, as the A’s dominated a close game with power pitching, capped off with three innings of flawless relief. Incredibly, Montas was the only A’s starter to allow a run in the first six innings of a game in the series, a stat that wipes out any notion that the Oakland rotation is struggling. In fact, the rotation–at least at this early date in the season–appears just fine, and could be headlined by a career-defining season for No. 4 starter Montas.

“I don’t think you ever envision, this early in the season, four guys going out and giving you results like that,” manager Bob Melvin said, emphasizing the fact that the A’s spring training was truncated, and disjointed, limiting the rhythm and progress of Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, Brett Anderson, Montas and Aaron Brooks, who makes his initial start Monday night.

Fiers and Estrada didn’t last long in their starts in Japan, as the team lost both games. But both rebounded: Fiers allowed one hit in six innings on Thursday, and Estrada two hits in six innings on Friday. Anderson was only slightly less impressive Saturday, allowing a double to Mike Trout, two singles and two walks.

But Montas–with his superior velocity and expanded repertoire–carries the buzz. The reliever turned starter posted the lowest ERA (0.56) in Major League Baseball during spring training, striking out 16 in 16 innings of work over five appearances. On Sunday, 32 of his 77 total pitches were between 96 and 98 mph. Montas has always brought the heat, but now he has the pitch command and a third weapon–a splitter–to complete the mix.

“The splitter has made a big difference,” Montas explained. “Now I have three plus-pitches and hitters can’t just worry about the fastball and slider. They have to worry about another pitch.”

Montas isn’t beyond missing a pitch, but those occassions are fewer and further between, as Kole Calhoun became the first hitter to take Montas deep in 2019 with his ridiculously-launched, 440-foot shot in the sixth. Previously, those missed pitches would bunch up, keeping the hard throwing, right-hander from establishing himself. But a new pattern has emerged: Montas is retiring hitters with regularity.

Khris Davis hit his fourth home run in six games to give the A’s a 1-0 lead in the fourth. With two outs in the fifth, Marcus Semien doubled and Matt Chapman singled to put the A’s up 2-0.

Lou Trivino retired three, consecutive hitters in the seventh to pick up Montas, who allowed a leadoff double to Justin Bour. Joakim Soria needed just 11 pitches to get through the eighth, and Blake Treinen closed the door in the ninth.

“We didn’t have a great offensive day but it felt like we had a great team day,” Semien said. “Frankie was throwing really hard and our bullpen did what they do.”

The A’s host a second, consecutive four-game set against the World Champion Red Sox starting Monday night. Familiar face and arm, David Price will be on the mound for Boston.