Tag: Oakland A’s

Strong pitching and timely hitting lead the A’s to a 4-2 win over the Angels

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Stephen Piscotty singles in the seventh inning Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND –The Oakland Athletics (2-3) recorded their second win of the 2019 season as they defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Saturday night. The keys to the win were the strong starting pitching of Brett Anderson and the timely hitting of the A’s batters.

Brett Anderson did not pitch perfect in his first three innings of work. He walked the Angels leadoff batter in the top of the first, but escaped without that man scoring. Anderson issued another walk and gave up a single in the second inning without it costing him a run. In the third inning, the lefty gave up a double to Mike Trout without it producing a run. Things were going Anderson’s way.

The A’s started slow
The Angels starter — Felix Pena — no-hit the A’s through the first 2.2-innings. It appeared that the A’s hitters were going to be in for a very long night.

In the bottom of the third inning with two out and the bases empty, A’s catcher Josh Phegley singled to left-center field. Robbie Grossman then singled through the hole between first and second moving Phegley up to second base. Pena then hit Matt Chapman with a pitch to load the bases.

Stephen Piscotty stepped into the batter’s box and hit a 3-1 pitch up the middle that brought Phegley and Grossman home to score. The A’s took a 2-0 lead into the top of the fourth inning.

There is power in the East Bay
It did not take the A’s long to pad their lead. The newest member of the team — Kendrys Morales — walked to leadoff the home half of the fourth inning. With two out and Morales still at first, Mark Canha hit a 2-1 pitch from Pena over the wall into the left field seats for a two-run home run which he punctuated with “controlled” bat flip to celebrate the big hit as he exited the batter’s box. It was his first home of the season and his RBI’s of the campaign.

The home run was the end of Felix Pena’s night as he was replaced by Noe Ramirez. It would not be the end of Pena’s pain as he would be tagged with the loss.

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Piscotty at first with Khris Davis at bat Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

The Angles mounted a rally
The A’s brought J.B. Wendelken in to relieve Anderson in the seventh inning. He continued pitching in the eighth, and things got tough quickly.

David Fletcher reached base for the Angels on a throwing error. Zack Cozart then doubled to left moving Fletcher up to third. Mike Trout then hit a fly ball to deep right field that was caught by Piscotty, but Fletcher was able to score from third while Cozart went from second to third.

Andrelton Simmons then singled through the hole on the left side of the infield that sent Cozart across the plate for the second Angels run of the inning. That would signal the end of the night for Wendelken. Blake Treinen was summoned from the bullpen.

A passed ball allowed Simmons to move up 90-feet to second base. Albert Pujols then singled to left sending Simmons to third base with just one out. A pinch runner was placed on first for Puljos. Treinen then struck out Justin Bour on a called third strike (Bour did not agree with the call) and Jonathon Lucroy ended the inning by popping out the second baseman.

As the game moved to the bottom of the eighth, the A’s still had a 4-2 lead, which would ultimately become the final score.

Key facts and figures
For Oakland, they scored four runs off seven hits and committed one error. The A’s left six men on base and went 1-for-3 with RISP.

The win goes to Brett Anderson (1-0) his first of the season. Blake Treinen gets credit for his first save of 2019.

The Angels (1-2) put up two runs off six hits and did not commit any errors. The Halos left seven runners on base and went 2-for-11 with Runners In Scoring Position (ouch).

Felix Pena (0-1) is the losing pitcher.

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Davis is thrown out at first base Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Post Game Notes
A’s

  • Brett Anderson made it three consecutive starting pitchers for Oakland to work six or more scoreless innings. That is the first time that has happened since August 24-26, 2005 when was done by Saarloos, Zito, and Blanton.
  • Brett Anderson now has a 34.1-inning scoreless streak at home in the Coliseum. That is the longest scoreless streak by an A’s pitcher since the team moved to Oakland in 1968.
  • After going 0-for-7 to start the season, Josh Phegley picked up his first hit of the season in this game.
  • Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to five games after hitting a single in the sixth inning.

Angels

  • Felix Pena does not like pitching in Oakland. In four career games, he is now 0-2 with an 8.97 ERA.
  • Mike Trout had a 1-for-3 game on Saturday night. He hit a double and a sacrifice fly. For his career, Trout is now batting .312 (149-for-477) with 30 home runs and 75 RBIs versus the A’s.
  • Albert Puljos recorded two hits in the game and now needs just five hits to tie Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd on the all-time hits list.

Up Next
The A’s and Angels wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 1:07 PM. Los Angeles will send LHP Tyler Skaggs to the hill to make his first start of the season. Making his first start of the year for Oakland, it will be RHP Frankie Montas.

A’s Pen Blows Lead, Halos Rally in Eighth to Beat Oakland 6-2

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

The strength of the 2018 Oakland A’s was a weakness Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum, with the A’s bullpen blowing a two-run lead after seven innings. Joakim Soria surrendered four runs in the eighth to pick up the loss in a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels. 

Marco Estrada pitched a gem, going six innings while scattering two hits and Khris Davis hit a two-run homer, but the rally punctuated by Andrelton Sinmons’ two-run single proved the difference. Mike Trout also doubled in two runs in the Angels’ first win of 2019.

Estrada and Halos starter Matt Harvey dueled to five scoreless innings each, but Davis tagged Harvey for a two-run jack in the sixth to give the A’s the lead. Enter the lockdown pen.

Lou Trivino picked up a hold after a clean 7th but offseason acquisition Soria entered in the eighth and found himself in hot water instantly. Former Athletic Jonathan Lucroy and Brian Goodwin singled back-to-back to open the inning, then Kole Calhoun doubled in Lucroy.

Soria  (0-2, 22.50 ERA) walked Trout to load the bases before departing the game for Ryan Buchter. Buchter walked Justin Bour to tie the game, giving way to Liam Hendriks. Hendriks coughed up Simmons’ two-run single before collecting all three outs of the inning.

Fernando Rodney but gave up three singles and got a double play in the first few batters he faced. Then Trout tagged him for a two-run double and a 6-2 Halos lead. Cody Allen finished the game off for the Halos pen after winning pitcher Hansel Robles (1-0, 0.00) and Ty Buttery pitched scoreless frames. 

Brett Anderson takes the hill for the A’s Sunday looking to pick up the second win of the season for the Green and Gold after also dropping two games in the Tokyo Dome to the Mariners earlier in the month. The Angels will send Felix Pena to the mound.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Baer will lose control of team when he comes back from suspension; New CEO Dean to take Baer’s spot

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Photo credit: @Deadspin

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony, the San Francisco Giants have decided to have acting CEO Rob Dean as their frontman. In a statement from the team on Tuesday, the Giants have said that upon returning from suspension on July 2nd, Baer will no longer have control of the team, although he will retain his title as CEO and president.

#2 The players have stated that regardless of the off-the-field issues regarding Baer, they are determined to stay focused, and outfielder Steven Duggar says playing between the lines has been a safe haven for the players.

#3 The Giants have been struggling in spring training are are now open their regular season today in San Diego. They do have one of the best defensive infield in the National League coming into the season.

#4 The Oakland A’s, who were left for dead after their starting rotation either went on the DL or underwent surgery, came back later in the season and made it to the Wild Card. You just can’t count a Billy Beane team out.

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

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Avenatti says that Nike paid college athletes; Kings may not make playoffs, but still not giving up games; plus more

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Photo credit: @nypost

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Michael Avenantti, former attorney for Stormy Daniels, has said this week that Nike had paid student-athletes at various colleges. Avenatti has been charged for extortion as he is accused of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

#2 After the feds have made charges against Avenatti for the extortion charge, Avenatti–some 24 hours later–made the claim that Nike was paying its Nike Elite Basketball Youth Program bribes in college basketball.

#3 This is a Sacramento Kings basketball team that never gives up. They lost a close five-point game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, but turned around on Tuesday night and beat the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas 125-121. They’ve got a little something in the tank.

#4. The Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty has questioned whether the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns should have won the Norris Trophy, saying Burns gets beat three times a game and that the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano should get the award. Burns leads the NHL defensemen with 77 points to Giordano, who’s in second with 72.

#5 Baseball season opens on Thursday. The Oakland A’s already opened their season in Tokyo last week and are playing their first regular game stateside against the Los Angeles Angels. How much does this take out of a team with the jet lag playing two exhibitions and two regular games then playing in Oakland just one week later?

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

A’s start 2019 season on Thursday against the Angels

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, who surprised all of baseball in 2018 by winning 97 games and making the playoffs, have their home opener at the Oakland Coliseum against the Angels on Thursday.

The A’s, skippered by Bob Melvin, return most of the players that helped the club last season. They lost two key players, the second baseman Jed Lowrie, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lowrie went to the Mets, and Lucroy will be in Oakland Thursday as an Angel.

The A’s starting rotation was hard hit by injuries. Several pitchers had Tommy John surgery, and Sean Manaea was lost for the season with a shoulder issue. The A’s obtained Marco Estrada from Toronto to fill one of the holes in the rotation. The A’s did not sign Edwin Jackson, who performed very well in Oakland last year. He is still available and may sign with the A’s later in the year. The A’s starting rotation this year will feature Mike Fiers, Estrada, Brett Anderson, Frankie Montas, and Aaron Brooks. Brooks performed well in spring training and in his last outing, Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants threw 5 1/3 innings allowing five hits and one run.

The A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, suffered a hand injury in spring training and is out for six to eight weeks. Jurickson Profar will move over to first in his absence. Mark Canha can also place first. The rest of the infield is set with Matt Chapman at third base, Marcus Semien at shortstop, and either Franklin Barreto or Chad Pinder will play second. Canha and Pinder can also play in the outfield. The A’s plan to use Robbie Grossman in left field and as the leadoff hitter. Grossman, formerly with the Minnesota Twins, is a switch hitter. Ramon Laureano will be in center field, and Stephen Piscotty will be in right field.

The catching chores will be handled by Josh Phegley and former Giant Nick Hundley. The A’s have their eyes on catcher Sean Murphy, who will start the season with Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s bullpen will be strong again this season. Ryan Buchter is the sole left-handed pitcher in the pen. The A’s will have Yusmeiro Petit, Fernando Rodney, Joakim Soria, Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken, and closer Blake Treinen ready to shut down the opposition. The bullpen was a big reason for the A’s success in 2018.

The Angels’ longtime manager Mike Scioscia left the club after the 2018 season His replacement is Brad Ausmusm who had managed the Tigers for several seasons.

The Angels’ pitching staff also saw several pitchers have Tommy John surgery. They have revamped their starting rotation. Former A’s starter, Trevor Cahill, signed with the Angels in the off-season and will start Thursday against Oakland, Cahill pitched very well at the Coliseum but did not do well on the road. The Angels acquired Matt Harvey from the Reds. Harvey, who starred with the Mets before going to the Reds, had a record of 7-9 and a 4.94 ERA. He will be pitching on Friday and making his AL debut. Tyler Skaggs and Felix Pena will see action against the A’s this weekend. The Angels acquired Chris Stratton from the Giants, and he will make his Angel debut next week

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, was the AL Rookie of the Year, is on the injured list. Ohtani also had Tommy John surgery and will not pitch again until 2020. However, he will be able to hit and will rejoin the club in a couple of months. When he arrives, he will be the DH and Albert Pujols will play first base.

The Angels will use Justin Bour at first base when Pujols is the DH. Tommy LaStella will be at second base. La Stella played with the Cubs last year. Andrelton Simmons will be the shortstop. Zack Cozart, Caleb Cowart, and Taylor Ward will play third base or fill in at the other infield positions if needed.

The Angels with have Kole Calhoun play right field. Mike Trout will be in center field once again. Justin Upton will start the season on the injured list. His spot in left field will be taken by Peter Bourjos.

The A’s hope to bounce back from the two losses they suffered at the hands of the Mariners. They have 160 games left and the A’s know they can no longer be taken lightly. They expect to go to the playoffs again this season. The road to the playoffs begins now.

Giants close out Spring Training on a sour note

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Well, from here until September 29, the games will count; however, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s played one final exhibition game.

Mark Canha drove in three runs, as he hit a double off of Jeff Samardzija in the top of the second inning and then added a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning, as the A’s completed a three-game sweep of the Bay Bridge Series with a 4-2 victory over the Giants in a game that was called after six innings due to rain, before a crowd of 24,992 at Oracle Park.

Canha drove in Jurickson Profar, who walked to leadoff the second inning, then Marcus Semien singled and then Canha doubled in Profar, and the scoring ended in that inning ended, when former Giants catcher Nick Hundley hit a sacrifice fly to Yangervis Solarte in left field.

Two innings later, Canha launched a Samardzija offering into the left-center field bleachers to give the visitors a 4-0 lead.

Samardzija ended up going 3.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, walking just one and striking out five.

“Always good to get it done,” said Samardzija, who added, “got thru came and get this going.”

The Giants cut into the A’s lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Gerardo Parra singled in Connor Joe and Alan Hanson; however, the rally and the game ended, when Pablo Sandoval struck out versus Jerry Blevins.

Mac Williamson, who suffered a devastating concussion on April 24, 2018 when he dove for a foul ball near the left field bullpen took a pitch off the right wrist, but stayed in the game.

“Results are negative,” according to Bruce Bochy.

NOTES: Chris Stratton was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for left-handed pitcher Williams Jerez.

Ty Blach was optioned prior to the game to Triple-A Sacramento, and Andrew Suarez was optioned to Sacramento on Monday.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner will take the mound on Thursday afternoon, as the Giants begin 137th season on the road against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Left-hander Eric Lauer will take the mound for the Padres, who will begin their 50th season in “America’s Finest City.”

Following Bumgarner will be Derek Holland on Friday, Dereck Rodriguez on Saturday and Samardzija on Sunday before heading 120 miles up Interstate 5 and begin a three-game series against two-time defending National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

A’s win 4-2 in a rain-shortened game, sweep the Bay Bridge Series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The A’s and Giants played the final game of Spring Training at Oracle Park Tuesday night. The weather conditions were much better than Monday night, but they deteriorated in the fifth. The rain came down in buckets in the sixth, and the umpires called the game. The A’s beat the Giants in all five games the teams played this preseason.

The teams are off on Wednesday, and the A’s have their home day opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels and their $430 Million Dollar Man, Mike Trout. The A’s are 0-2 in the regular season as they lost two games to the Mariners in Tokyo on March 20th and 21st. The Giants will open on the road against the San Diego Padres and their $300 Million Dollar Man, Manny Machado.

The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored two runs in the second and two runs in the fourth to send Giants’ starter Jeff Samardzija to an early exit. The A’s center fielder Mark Canha blasted Samardzija’s 89 MPH four-seam fastball into the seats to give the A’s a 4-0 lead. Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy decided he had seen enough and removed Samardzija from the game with two outs in the fourth.

The Giants put two on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Connor Joe started the rally with a single. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Brian Schlitter to relieve Brooks. Schlitter walked Alen Hanson and then hit Mac Williamson with a pitch to load the bases. Melvin removed Schlitter and Jerry Blevins, who tried to get a spot in the A’s bullpen, served a single to Gerardo Parra. Two runs were scored on the play. The Giants had runners on first and third with two out. Blevins struck out Pablo Sandoval for the final out (and of the game) as the rain came down and the umpires decided that conditions were too severe to continue. The A’s won 4-2 and swept the Bay Bridge Series.

Game Notes: A’s starter Aaron Brooks, who is out of options, pitched very well for the A’s. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and one run. The A’s have to make a decision on his status Wednesday as they have to be down to 25 players by Thursday.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Angels Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Mike Fiers will pitch for the A’s. Game time will be at 1:05 pm.

A’s beat the Giants to win Game 2 of the Bay Bridge Series 5-4

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The A’s and Giants met in Game Two of the three-game Bay Bridge Series. Both teams will be making decisions as they have to get down to 25 players by Thursday. The A’s will have to make decisions on 12 players, and the Giants have to cut nine. The teams will have one more game left after Monday’s game to evaluate their talent.

It was a cold, rainy miserable night at Oracle Park. The game was delayed for one hour and 25 minutes. The game started at 8:10 pm. The A’s scored the first run of the game in the first inning. The Giants’ pitching did not allow a hit until the seventh inning. All the Giant could show for the first six innings was two hits. In the top of the seventh, with more seagulls in the outfield seats than fans, the A’s erupted to score four times on five hits. Ty Blach gave up three doubles and two singles, and the Giants didn’t help their cause as the committed two errors in the inning. The A’s led 5-0 midway through the seventh. The Giants have not scored in 15 innings so far against the A’s in the series.

The A’s lefty reliever, Ryan Buchter, had a bad outing in the seventh inning. He faced five Giants’ hitters and failed to record an out. The Giants had two hits and three walks when A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Buchter from the game. The Giants scored twice and had the bases loaded for new A’s pitcher J.B. Wendelken. The Giants’ new acquired catcher Erik Kratz greeted Wendelken with a single to drive in two more runs. The Giants trail 5-4 with no out in the seventh. Wendelken retired the side with no further damage. Wendelken allowed a hit in the eighth and Ryan Dull sent the Giants down 1-2-3 in the ninth. The A’s won 5-4.

Notes- The game was played in 3 hours and 10 minutes and the attendance was announced as 25,102.

Up Next: Game Three of the Series will be played at Oracle Park Tuesday night at 6:45 pm. It will be the last Spring Training game of the year.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Panda’s days as a Giant could be numbered; Around the horn with the infield; plus more

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Photo credit: @honkbalopzolder

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

#1  The San Francisco Giants have the most potent infield in baseball. Let’s start with Brandon Belt, who last year hit .253 last season and is one of the most established gloves at first base.

#2 Giants second baseman Joe Panik has been brilliant with his fielding at second and hit .254 last season.

#3 Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is no stranger to All-Star selections and had an incredible offensive season last year hitting .254.

#4 At third base is Evan Longoria, Longoria was a key hitter in the Tampa Bay Rays lineup once upon a time and last year hit .244 for the Giants last season.

#5 San Francisco Giant third baseman Pablo Sandoval is on the bubble and could very well be cut from the team by the end of the current Bay Bridge Series. If so, he would play his last game as a Giant on Tuesday night against the Oakland A’s. The other scenario is the Giants could hold onto him instead of infielder Alen Hansen, who is out of minor league options. Could Panda be gone at the end of spring training?

A’s look capable and confident in their return to the Bay, down Giants 5-0

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Apparently the A’s starting rotation isn’t the season-opening mess it appeared to be in Japan.

Projected No. 3 starter Brett Anderson breezed through six innings of work, allowing just three hits, as the A’s opened the Bay Bridge exhibition series with a 5-0 win. Frankie Montas, also slated for the starting rotation, looked good as well, pitching the final three innings and chalking up three strikeouts.

After staff ace Mike Fiers and No. 2 Marco Estrada had subpar outings against the Mariners in Tokyo, manager Bob Melvin was pleased to see the 31-year old Anderson carry over his sharpness that he developed in Arizona.

“He’s really pitched well. You really don’t go on spring training results for guys like him but it’s nice to see him in the fashion that he is,” Melvin said.

The A’s may have carried greater urgency than a normal exhibition given they’re already saddled with an unsightly 0-2 regular season record, but it wasn’t readily apparent. Melvin noticed a lack of energy in batting practice he attributed to jet lag.

“It seemed like we were kind of sleepwalking through. But you put a couple of good swings on them and the next thing you know you’ve got five runs on the board,” Melvin noted.

The lack of energy dissipated once the game started as the A’s got home runs from Stephen Piscotty, Jurickson Profar and Ramon Laureano to account for all the game’s scoring. That was plenty given the sharp efforts of Anderson and Montas. Piscotty connected in the first with Matt Chapman aboard, Profar added a solo shot in the fourth (in his A’s debut at the Coliseum), and Laureano capped the scoring with a two-run shot in the seventh.

Dereck Rodriguez took the loss for the Giants, allowing two of the three homers in his four innings of work.

The A’s open the regular season on Thursday at the Coliseum against the Angels, the first of a four-game set. Game time at 1:07 pm.