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Athletics scratch out a 4-3 win over Mariners Saturday night in Seattle

Published on July 9, 2017July 9, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Oakland puts it together in the top of the ninth inning

ms healy double — Healy hits game winning RBI-double

In the top of the ninth inning on Saturday night, the game between the A’s and Mariners was tied 3-3. Seattle replaced Nick Vincent with Edwin Diaz on the mound.

Rajai Davis led the inning off by legging out an infield single on a ball hit to third baseman Kyle Seager. That brought a visit from the Mariners’ pitching coach but Diaz remained in the game.

Matt Joyce went down on strikes but Davis moved up by stealing second base on the strike three pitch. Marcus Semien then flied out to left field for the second out of the inning.

Seattle then decided they did not want to pitch to All-Star first baseman Yonder Alonso who had hit his 20th home run of the year earlier in the game so they intentionally walked him.

That brought A’s DH Ryon Healy to the plate. With a count of 0-2, Healy hit a line drive into right-center field that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Davis scored but Alonso — who would have scored easily — by rule had to hold at third.

Jed Lowrie grounded out to first to end the inning and the A’s took a 4-3 into the bottom of the ninth.

The Athletics called in Santiago Casilla from the bullpen

Casilla induced Kyle Seager to fly out to left field for the first out and then struck out former Athletic Danny Valencia for second out of the inning.

Just when it looked like it would be an easy close for Casilla, Mitch Haniger hit a double to center field and the M’s had the tying run just 180-feet away from home plate.

After a coaching visit, Casilla was able to get Jarrod Dyson to fly out to left field for the final out of the game.

For Casilla, it was save number 15 of the season.

Chris Smith made his first MLB start for the A’s (BTW he is 36-years old)

ms smith

The A’s pitching staff is literally the walking wounded. Pitchers have moved on and off the disabled list on a regular basis. On Saturday night, the A’s had to turn to a 36-year old pitcher who had made 63 appearances in the major leagues but had never started a game.

Chris Smith made the start and even though he did not figure into the decision, Smith did the job he was asked to do by the Athletics. He worked 6.0-innings giving up three runs (all earned) on three hits. Smith struck out four Mariners and walked just one. He did allow one home run while throwing 97 pitches (55 strikes).

The A’s bullpen gave Smith the support he needed. Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle and Santiago Casilla worked one-inning apiece and allowed no runs on one hit combined over those three innings. Doolittle picked up the win as he was pitcher of record in the top of the ninth when the A’s took the lead.

Top performers for the Athletics

Ryon Healy — had a 2-for-4 game including what proved to be the game-winning RBI-double in the top of the ninth inning. It was his 19th double of the year and his 52nd RBI. Healy also scored a run in the game.
Yonder Alonso — the All-Star first baseman hit his 20th home run of the season in the third inning off Seattle starter Andrew Moore. Alonso also lifted his RBI total to 43.
Marcus Semien — continued to show he is ready to be back on the field and be productive for the A’s. Semien hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning off Moore. He 3-for-13 in the series with three RBI.

The A’s can win the series on Sunday and move up in the Wild Card Standings

Oakland (39-49) has won two of the three games in series in Seattle with the victory on Saturday night. A win of Sunday would give a series victory to Oakland and give them their 40th win of the season. That would be a very nice way to into the All-Star Break.

The A’s are currently just 6.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League. In fact, no team in the AL in more than 6.5 games out of Wild Card contention. That should serve as motivation to this young A’s team.

Mariners stars at the plate

OF Jarrod Dyson — did everything he could to give his team a victory on Saturday night. He went 2-for-3 at the plate including a home run (5) in the fifth inning off Smith. Dyson also hit a double and upped his RBI total to 22.
Jean Segura — continued to be hot in the leadoff spot. He went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run scored. His batting average stands at .355 after the game on Saturday.

Seattle on the hill

Andrew Moore — struggled over his 6.0 innings on the mound. He gave up three runs (all earned) on six hits while walking two and striking out two. Moore also issued two home runs which really was his undoing.
James Pazos — made his 35th appearance of the season working one inning of perfect baseball from the mound striking out one Oakland hitter.
Nick Vincent — worked the eighth inning for the M’s giving up one hit, one walk and striking out two.
Edwin Diaz — worked the disastrous ninth for Seattle and was hung with the loss.

Up next

The final game of the series and the final game before the All-Star Break will played on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PDT.

The A’s will send rookie Daniel Gossett to mound to face the Mariners. He has a record of 1-3 with a 6.23 ERA in his five starts this season. The home run has been a problem for Gossett who has given up seven round-trippers in 26 innings.

Seattle will counter by sending the willey veteran King Felix Hernandez out to make the 368th start of his career. The King is 3-3 this season with a 5.04 ERA in nine starts. He had a no-decision in his last start versus the Royals when gave up five earned runs in five innings.

Alonso gets All-Star nod, but A’s swept at home by the Braves

Published on July 3, 2017July 3, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17183748990354 — Atlanta Braves’ Ender Inciarte, left, is tagged out by Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Inciarte attempted to score on a hit by Braves’ Brandon Phillips. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–That ever significant group of former A’s players floating around major league baseball always bares watching. Some leave Oakland just as their careers are ready to ascend, others resurface with All-Star size chips on their shoulders like Josh Donaldson.

Whatever the circumstances, the current A’s need to be aware of the formers, even when they’re familiar opponents like Kurt Suzuki.

Suzuki smashed 59 home runs as an Athletic from 2007-2013, but in the ensuing seasons, the catcher had not returned the favor as a member of the Twins or the Nationals. His power numbers have decreased, as has his playing time, now as a backup for the Braves.

But Suzuki was back at the Coliseum on Sunday, in the lineup and making plays. And it wasn’t long before the 33-year old Suzuki looked like the 25-year old Suzuki of 2009 as an Athletic.

Suzuki clubbed a pair of home runs, the second breaking a 3-3 tie in the 12th inning, as the Braves went on to a 4-3 win and a sweep of the three-game series. The streaky A’s have now dropped seven in a row at home.

“I know the coaching staff over there. I’ve played for those guys,” Suzuki said. “It’s a good adrenalin feel coming around the bases.”

Suzuki didn’t reserve his impact on the game to just the two, lengthy home runs he hit. Behind the plate, Suzuki was critical, blocking a near wild pitch in the 11th that would have undoubtedly allowed the A’s to score the winning run from third base.

Also, Suzuki wasn’t bad calling and framing pitches, as starter Julio Teheran and seven relievers combined to strike out 17 A’s. Rajai Davis was punched out on a questionable pitch to end the 11th with the potential winning run at third base.

“Couldn’t happen to a better guy,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Suzuki’s various contributions. “It’s nice to see when good things happen to the good guys.”

The A’s couldn’t extend a streak of streakiness with a win. Oakland came into Sunday’s series finale having gone 8-8 in their previous 16 games, winning four, losing four, winning four then losing four again. But they dropped their fifth straight game despite coming up with game-tying runs in the seventh and 11th innings.

The Bottom Feeder: Davis, Cotton key A’s four-game sweep of the Yankees

Published on June 18, 2017June 19, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17169785386505 — Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2) is congratulated by Chad Pinder (18) after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning of a baseball game on Sunday, June 18, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND-On one of the hottest days on record at the Coliseum, it didn’t matter that Khris Davis had been swinging a cold bat.

The A’s home run leader took an 0 for 5 collar with four strikeouts on Saturday, dropping his batting average to .236 and boosting his strikeout total to an alarming 90 just 68 games into the season. Any big-league hitter knows that struggles to that degree can be mentally taxing.

But obviously not as taxing as facing an inexperienced pitcher who’s on the ropes is invigorating. With the Yankees’ early lead suddenly wiped out and starter Luis Cessa offering a 2-1 pitch with a runner aboard, Davis had his slump busting scenario in place.

Cessa’s mid-90’s fastball up in the zone made the Yankees’ rookie making only his second big-league appearance look as if he hadn’t consulted the scouting report on Davis. The mighty mite slugger who uses his quick hands as much as his lower-body base to drive baseballs out of the park jumped on Cessa’s offering and deposited it beyond the centerfield wall just like that.

Davis’ team-leading 18th home run traveled an estimated 445 feet, and came just two batters after Chad Pinder erased the Yankees’ two-run lead with a double into the gap. Pinder taxed Cessa by fouling off four, consecutive pitches before finding one to his liking. The A’s entered the third with no hits. They exited with four hits, and a 4-2 lead.

“The first two innings, (Cessa) was down in the zone,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He got some balls up and it led to some balls in the gap and the home run, and that was the difference.”

Jharel Cotton pitched into the seventh inning, and Sean Doolittle gained the save as the A’s held on for a 4-3 win, and a four-game sweep of the AL East-leading Yankees. The A’s entered the series off a disappointing road trip, but won three of the games against New York by one run. One key was their season-long bugaboo of committing costly errors disappeared. The A’s had just two errors in the series, the second coming in the ninth inning on Sunday.

“That’s a great team on the other side, they’ve got a lot of power guys, and we just battled and battled,” outfielder Matt Joyce said. “It showed how relentless we can be.”

The A’s entered the series buried in the American League basement, and even after the sweep, are still in possession of the AL’s worst record. But at 31-38, and still 15 games behind division-leading Houston, you get a sense the young-and-getting-younger A’s are building on something.

Manager Bob Melvin brushed off comparisons to the 2012 A’s, who also swept the Yankees on their way to earning a division title on the season’s final day. But he was quick to point out that for the team’s newest members–and likely their future core–this was an eye-opener and confidence builder.

“If you’re a Matt Chapman, a Chad Pinder, a Jaycob Brugman, guys that are just getting here, to know you can have a series like this gives you a lot of confidence, not only in yourself but as a team,” Melvin said.

NOTES: The first pitch temperature at the Coliseum was 90 degrees, the hottest such reading since 2008.

The A’s improved to 22-13 at home, giving them MLB’s biggest disparity between home and road results. The A’s are only 9-25 on the road with a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox starting Friday night as their next opportunity to improve their road numbers.

Reliever Santiago Casilla was hit by a batted ball in the shoulder during Saturday warmups, and despite declaring himself as unscathed and healthy, Melvin reiterated after the game that he had no plans to use Casilla in Sunday’s game.

Oops!: A’s defense sloppy again as the Yankees capitalize in a 9-5 win

Published on May 28, 2017May 29, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

For the A’s, home run pop comes with a price.

Khris Davis made A’s fans proud with his laser shot Sunday, into the left field seats at the Bronx Zoo, traveling at no point more than 40 feet above the playing surface. Davis’ two-run shot in the eighth made a game of it again, and pulled the A’s within two runs of the Yankees, trailing 7-5.

But a half inning earlier, there was Davis rolling around in left field after Gary Sanchez launched a ball toward the foul line and Davis appeared to catch it only to see it squirt out of his glove, and briefly out of his sight. Almost an out, Sanchez’ drive instead was an RBI double scoring Ronald Torreyes, and increasing the New York lead to 7-3. And highlight worthy, unfortunately due to Davis’ turn and crawl to retrieve the ball.

In the second inning, Matt Joyce inexplicably dropped a fly ball. That allowed the Yankees to load the bases, and then cash in on the scoring opportunity with Aaron Judge’s grand slam. Before that, Davis had a chance to throw out Starlin Castro, trying to advance from first to third on a single. But Davis’ throw was slow and inaccurate, allowing trail runner Didi Gregorius to advance to second.

With all the sloppy defense, the Yankees built a six-run total after four innings with only one extra-base hit. That put the normally-reliable Andrew Triggs on the hook for the loss despite allowing only one earned run. The other five were unearned and equipped the Yankees with plenty in a 9-5 win over the road-challenged A’s.

While the A’s have undeniable pop–their home run total of 70 in 49 games puts them in the AL’s top three as a team–their defense has been awful. The A’s 49 errors tops all major league clubs, while a trio of clubs (Cardinals, Cubs and Padres) that rank second worst have committed 12 fewer errors than the A’s.

That’s bad. Given the numerous errors, no degree of offensive ability can put the A’s in the win column consistently. A frustrated manager Bob Melvin sees a psychological disadvantage for his club as well with all the miscues.

“If we make plays, it’s probably a different story, and that’s been an Achilles’ heel for us all year. When your defense is poor, sometimes it’s mentally tough to overcome that,” Melvin explained.

Sunday’s loss prevented the A’s from capturing a critical series in the ballpark of the AL East leaders. It also dropped them to 7-17 on the road, the worst road mark in the American League, and just a half-game ahead of Miami’s big-league worst 7-18 mark.

Thinking along with Melvin, with the Yankees announcing Michael Pineda as their starter, an A’s lineup loaded with power hitters made sense. Pineda came in having allowed 11 home runs in 53 innings this season, so Melvin likely figured a lineup with 9 of his top 11 home threats could take advantage of Pineda. But with Matt Joyce in right, Mark Canha in center and Davis in left, Melvin’s outfield defense was compromised, minus Rajai Davis in center.

Also, Melvin took a chance batting Canha leadoff for the first time in his career, and saw the decision backfire. Canha went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts dropping his average to .234. In the two slot, Stephen Vogt also went 0 for 4, giving the A’s no table setting ahead of their 3 through 6 hitters.

And Pineda escaped, keeping the A’s in the ballpark for six innings, allowing only a ground rule double to Yonder Alonso for Oakland’s sole extra-base hit prior to Davis’ homer in the eighth off reliever Chad White.

Meanwhile, defensively, the A’s two errors and other misplays were killers.

NOTES: Kendall Graveman has been placed on the disabled list, and Daniel Mengden will take his turn in the rotation on Monday in Cleveland. Mengden made 14 starts in 2016, and was 2-9 with a 6.50 ERA. Carlos Carrasco will oppose Mengden as the A’s visit Progressive Field for Memorial Day, the start of a big week of competition for the cities of Oakland and Cleveland with Game 1 of the NBA Finals on tap for Thursday.

Jed Lowrie, finally healthy, sees dividends at the plate

Published on May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

OAKLAND – Jed Lowrie is healthy again, and he’s batting .300.

Correlation is not causation, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that one has led to the other.

Last season, his first of his second stint with Oakland, Lowrie played in just 87 games and hit .263 with two home runs and 27 RBI, his lowest total since 2010. He served two stints on the disabled list and had two offseason surgeries: one to fix a damaged ligament in his left foot and the other to remove a bunion and a cyst. Rumors swirled last December that the A’s were gauging trade interest in the veteran infielder.

Good thing they wound up keeping him.

The A’s second baseman’s four-hit day in a 4-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday raised Lowrie’s average from .283 to .300, which would be a career-high. He went 4-for-4, smacking a pair of doubles and driving in two runs to fuel the A’s offense.

Over the last six games, Lowrie is batting .520 (13-for-25), breaking out of a 4-for-31 slump and leading the A’s in batting average at an exact .300. One factor, he said after the game, was getting healthy.

“I was able to get healthy this offseason and put in a full offseason’s worth of work,” Lowrie said. “It’s not that I wasn’t doing the work before. I just felt better this offseason.”

Staying in shape has allowed Lowrie to better focus and prepare on his game.

“I felt comfortable all year,” he said. “That’s just a matter of putting the work in. I’ve been able to maintain a good routine, work with [hitting coach Darren Bush] in the cage and have a good plan.”

And you know Lowrie is on top of his game when he has performances such as Wednesday’s. He sprayed the ball all over the field: his first hit was to right center, the second to left center, the third down the right field line and the fourth a ground ball through the right side.

Manager Bob Melvin agreed that being healthy has been a key for Lowrie.

“Really consistent the whole year,” Melvin said. “Worked hard this offseason after the surgeries. Physically he feels better than he ever has. Durability-wise, he’s been out there more. I consistently talk to him about DH — no, he wants to play. His defense is better. The surgeries he had were very impactful for him.”

Drafted as a second baseman by the Red Sox in 2005, Lowrie was told he’d be converted to a shortstop the day he was selected. With Dustin Pedroia manning second baseman duties for Boston, Lowrie spent a majority of his time at short with the Red Sox, the Astros and during his first stint with the A’s.

But now, at age 33, he’s at second, where he feels more comfortable and has to move around less.

“I think second base at this point is my natural position and it’s less wear and tear on the legs at this point,” he said.

Less wear and tear means less injuries, which means better health. That, in turn, leads to good things, like going 4-for-4 and batting .300 a couple of months into the season. But none of it would be possible without putting in the effort.

“I always feel like the work allows you to go up there and feel comfortable,” Lowrie said. “If you’re not putting in the work, it’s hard to justify the feeling of being comfortable.”

Wasn’t this yesterday’s headline?: A’s blow lead late, lose to the Rangers

Published on May 14, 2017May 14, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Ryan Madson has seen it all. And it’s a good thing: after the A’s sobering loss on Sunday, with Madson centered in another Oakland late-inning, bullpen collapse, the wisdom provided by the veteran reliever may have been essential to getting his frustrated teammates on the plane to Seattle for the team’s next three games.

“It’s baseball,” Madson mused. “There are no guarantees until the last out is made. That’s true on both sides. It’s just the game.”

For the third straight day, the A’s led late only to see the Rangers rally and win, 6-4. For the second straight day, things unraveled in the seventh with the A’s leading 4-2. Fast forward to the bottom of the seventh on Sunday, when starter Kendall Graveman ran out of gas, and Madson couldn’t pick him up. Neither pitcher had anything to do with the two, previous collapses, and their contributions to Sunday’s loss could be summed in just two pitches. One pitch delivered by each, one after the other.

On Graveman’s final offering of the day, a 94 mph fastball, hitter Delino DeShields Jr. hit a sharply struck grounder to third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who fielded it in foul territory behind the bag. Plouffe’s throw to first was accurate, just not enough steam to catch a speedy DeShields. Carlos Gomez, the baserunner breaking from second base wasn’t interested in the outcome at first. Gomez kept running to the plate, narrowing the A’s lead to 4-3.

With DeShields aboard, and Elvis Andrus due to hit, Melvin summoned Madson, ending Graveman’s afternoon after 99 pitches. But Madson’s first pitch was tatooed by Andrus for a game-tying double.

Three pitches later, all three changeups thrown likely to take advantage of hitter Nomar Mazara’s agressiveness, the Rangers took the lead when Mazara very astutely knocked Madson’s below-the-belt offering into centerfield. All of a sudden–in the span of five pitches–Graveman was no longer in line for the win, and Madson was pinned with the loss.

“I wanted to be that guy to get us on a good run,” the 36-year old Madson said. “It didn’t happen. So the next game, whoever goes out there first, they’re going to try and start that wave in the right direction. That’s all you can do.”

Squandered in the loss were home runs hit by Plouffe, Matt Joyce and Adam Rosales. Joyce’s shot came in the fifth with Rajai Davis aboard, and gave the A’s their 4-2 lead. The swinging A’s have homered 16 times in the last eight games, but after Sunday’s loss, the impact of all those homers hasn’t amounted to much. The A’s have dropped three straight, landing them back in last place in the AL West, now 9 1/2 games off the pace of the streaking Astros, who have the big league’s best record at 26-12.

With the sweep at the hand of the Rangers, the A’s other issue is their desultory play on the road where they’ve dropped 13 of their first 18 contests away from Oakland.

Sean Manaea is expected to come off the disabled list and start at Seattle on Monday. Yovanni Gallardo will pitch for the Mariners. Robinson Cano has missed the last four games for Seattle with a quad injury.

A’s lead late only to lose again at Texas when their bullpen falters

Published on May 14, 2017May 14, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Through six innings on Saturday night, all the ominous signs, as well as the positive developments for the A’s didn’t seem to matter too much. Instead, the only things that seemed pertinent were the A’s maintained a two-run lead, and presumptive ace Sonny Gray pitched as he always does at Arlington, Texas, confidently and effectively, likely the precursor to a seventh consecutive win for the starting pitcher against the Rangers at their ballpark.

Then Gray departed, having thrown a season-high 106 pitches, and the bullpen entered, with disastrous results.

Nomar Mazara’s two-run double capped the Rangers’ four-run seventh inning, and they went on to defeat the A’s, 6-5, the second consecutive night the A’s saw their bullpen implode despite being handed a late-inning lead.

The Rangers’ rally netted them a fifth consecutive win, while the A’s fell back into the AL West cellar, nine games off the pace of the division-leading Astros. While the A’s weren’t derailed by poor defense, or a lack of clutch hitting, their frequent issues thus far this season, they saw their injury-ravished bullpen undo a third, consecutive encouraging outing by Gray, who departed leading 4-2.

“That’s what we expect out of him,” manager Bob Melvin said of Gray. “That’s what he expects out of himself. He left in a tight game, a low-scoring game, and we had a lead.”

Ryan Dull came out of the bullpen, and allowed three of the four batters he faced to reach base, two via walk. Liam Hendriks inherited Dull’s bases-loaded jam, and allowed a sharp single to Elvis Andrus through the left side of the infield. Hendriks had retired Andrus in all 12 previous encounters between the two.

Mazara’s ringing double, hit just beyond the glove of retreating left fielder Khris Davis, came next, plating two more, and giving the Rangers a lead they would not relinquish.

Until that point, stranding runners on base was a Rangers’ problem, thanks to Gray, not one for the A’s. Gray kept Texas batters frustrated by retiring nine of ten batters with runners in scoring position, only allowing an RBI single to Andrus, giving Texas a 1-0 in the third. Conversely, the A’s were 3 of 7 in those situations, and scored five runs, nice turnarounds for a club that ranks last in scoring in the American League, and last with runners in scoring position.

The A’s also got a 12th home run from club leader Yonder Alonso to narrow the Texas lead to 6-5 in the eighth. But in the ninth, Matt Bush earned his third save, striking out Trevor Plouffe and Bruce Maxwell, before retiring pinch hitter Stephen Vogt to end the game.

Kendall Graveman gets the ball on Sunday, entrusted with helping the A’s avoid a sweep. Former Athletic A.J Griffin goes for Texas, looking for a career-best, fifth consecutive win. Griffin shut out the Padres in his most recent outing.

A’s, Healy walk off again, capture series over the Tigers

Published on May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Plan A for the Oakland A’s while well conceived, fell by the wayside on Sunday, when spent, snakebitten starter Sonny Gray departed in the fifth inning.

Plan B had promise, but faltered when Ryan Dull couldn’t hold a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning and act as a bridge to the sweet side of the Oakland bullpen.

Plan C, while impropable and lacking originality, had the backing of 25 strong-willed players, and unlike Plan A and B, panned out, producing a wildly-satisfying result for the resurgent A’s.

Ryon Healy’s two-run homer capped a three-run ninth, and the A’s shocked closer Frankie Rodriguez and Tigers for the second, consecutive day, winning 8-6. While Healy’s blast won it, the final strike was built on a combination of individual efforts, including the two, aforementioned failures that ultimately led to the dramatic, bottom of the ninth.

“It just seemed like it was a total team effort. We can’t rely on one or two guys,” manager Bob Melvin said. “You have to get contributions on all ends of it from us, and we did.”

Healy’s shot set off the A’s customary, celebratory hijinks replete with whipped cream, Gatorade and a bubble gum kicker. More succinctly, the win gave the streaky A’s consecutive wins for the first time since April 22. The wins allowed the A’s to escape the AL West cellar, now occupied by the slumping Rangers. In fact, the entire American League has a topsy turvy look to it with the Rangers, Blue Jays and Royals all in last place, while the Yankees–thought to be rebuilding–possess the circuit’s best record at 20-9.

Gray made his second start of the season after rehabilitating his shoulder, and he looked fine structurally, firing mid 90’s fastballs, and displaying command of all his pitches. But bad luck factored in Gray’s departure; Dixon Machado’s infield single, and first baseman Yonder Alonso’s fielding error on a chopper hit by Andrew Romine sparked the Tiger’s three-run rally that forced Gray from the game in the fifth.

Earlier, Nick Castellanos’ check swing resulted in an RBI double scoring Machado with the game’s first run. But the A’s presumptive ace but up a zero in the fourth, and the A’s rallied to take a 4-1 lead. Overall, not a bad outing for Gray, who’s looking to rebound from a subpar 2016. Gray allowed seven hits, four runs but only one of the four was earned.

Alonso homered in the fourth with a man aboard, his fifth home run in the last six games, adding to his home run total, already at a career-best nine despite the season only being 30 games old.

Khris Davis, Healy and Trevor Plouffe enjoyed two-hit games, with the slumping Plouffe lifting his average above .200 with the effort. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth and picked up the win.

Rodriguez, the iconic closer who ranks fourth all-time with 437 saves, appeared despondent after the game, in complete disregard of his accomplishments over a 16-year, big league career, and preoccupied with a really, tough weekend for himself and the Tigers.

“I just hope they don’t give up because I don’t want to be judged for the last 10 outings of my career for what I’ve done for 15 years,” K-Rod said. “I’m confident that I’m going to bounce back.”

Kendall Graveman will get the start for the A’s on Monday night at the Coliseum, in the series opener against the Angels. Graveman is trying to regain his season-beginning momentum that dissipated when he was shelved on April 15 with shoulder issues. Frequent flyer, opposing pitcher Ricky Nolasco will make his 10th career start against the A’s for Anaheim.

Athletics end three losing streaks with 2-1 win over Astros on Saturday night

Published on April 30, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Astros alternative logo

The Oakland Athletics ended a five-game losing streak on Saturday night in Houston with a 2-1 win over the Astros. The victory also ended a 10-game winning streak by the Astros over the A’s that carried over from the 2016 season. Houston was 3-0 this season versus Oakland until Saturday night.

It’s not often that a team can end three losing streaks with one win.

This game was all about the pitching

Athletics

RHP Andrew Triggs returned to his winning ways as he posted his fourth victory of the season by scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings. Triggs walked none while he struck out nine Houston batters. Triggs’ ERA dropped to 1.84. His record is now 4-1 for the season. He is tied with Dallas Keuchel and Ervin Santana for the most wins in the American League.
Ryan Dull (0.1-innings) and Sean Doolittle (0.2-innings) combined to handle the eighth inning. Doolittle allowed the Astros to score their only run of the game when Jose Altuve hit a solo home run (3) over the left center field wall with two out and no runners on base.
Santiago Casilla recorded his fourth save of the year by closing out the game. He gave up an infield single to Carlos Beltran who led off the ninth inning but was able keep the Astros from scoring and closed the game preserving the win for Oakland.

Astros

Joe Musgrove (1-2) took the loss for Houston. Musgrove spread five hits over 6.1-innings while he struck out six batters and walked just one. His one major error came in the fourth inning with one out when Jed Lowrie hit his second home run of the season to right center field with no one on base.
Tony Sipp and Michael Feliz came in to close out the seventh inning for the Astros.
Will Harris came out of the bullpen for Houston in the eighth frame. Harris retired the first two Oakland hitters but then he had to pitch to Khris Davis. Davis took a Harris pitch deep to right center field for his 10th home run of year. That would turn out to be the game winning hit and run.
Brad Peacock worked the top of the ninth for the Astros. He had to face five A’s hitters to retire the side but he did so without allowing another run.

All the scoring came via the long ball

Oakland

astros davis hr 2 — Davis is tied for the lead in home runs in the American League

Khris Davis hit his 10th home run of the season which scored the A’s second and winning run. With 10 home runs, Davis is tied with the Yankees Aaron Judge for the lead in that category in the American League. It was his 17th RBI which ties his him for ninth in that stat. It’s also the second time this season he has gone yard in back-to-back games. The other time was against the Astros in Oakland on April 14 and 15.
Jed Lowrie hit his second home run of the season and upped his RBI total to five. He was the only Athletic to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-4.
The A’s collected a total of eight hits. Others in the hit parade were: Healy, Alonso, Vogt, Phegley and Pinder.
The A’s were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They left eight men on base.

Houston

astros altuve hr

Jose Altuve put up his third home run of the year in the game and it gave him his eighth RBI of the season. He was the only Astro with a multi-hit game going 2-for-3.
Others posting hits were: Reddick, Beltran, Gurriel, Gattis and Bregman for a total of seven.
Houston was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

Key stat for the A’s

The Athletics committed no errors in the game. This is a very important stat to a team that is dead last in fielding percentage in the American League.

Up next

The A’s and Astros will close out their three-game series on Sunday morning 11:10 am PDT from Houston. RHP Jesse Hahn (1-1, 2.08) will take the hill for the Athletics. The Astros will send the undefeated Dallas Keuchel (4-0, 1.22) to the mound to the face the A’s in the “rubber game” of the series.

Athletics win fifth game in a row downing the Mariners 4-3

Published on April 22, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics — A’s starter Jharel Cotton labored but picked up the win on Saturday Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics now have the longest winning streak in the American League with five consecutive wins. They have also taken the first three games of the four-game series with the Seattle Mariners by recording 4-3 win on Saturday in Oakland.

The A’s fell behind quickly in the game when Robinson Cano hit his third home run of the season off of A’s starter Jharel Cotton with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the first inning. It looked like Seattle was ready to put up a fight in game three of the series.

The Athletics did not allow the M’s to hold the lead for long as Adam Rosales did his best Ricky Henderson imitation by hitting a leadoff home run over the center field wall to tie the game at 1-1 off Seattle starter Ariel Miranda.

The A’s were not done scoring in the bottom of the first. After Jed Lowrie singled, Ryan Healy took Miranda deep for two-run homer (3) over the left field wall. Oakland staked their starter Cotton to a 3-1 lead after the first inning.

Both teams scored again in the third inning of the contest. The Mariners added a run when Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Mitch Haniger to score. The A’s posted a run when Ryan Healy doubled to left driving Jed Lowrie home from third base. After four innings, Oakland held a 4-2 lead.

The Mariners gave the A’s a scare in the top of the eighth inning. Cano led off with a single. After a pitching change, Nelson Cruz drew a walk off of Oakland reliever Liam Hendriks. Taylor Motter grounded into a double play but Cano moved up to third on the play. Kyle Seager was brought in as a pinch-hitter and hit a towering fly ball to center field that grazed the wall and fell in for a triple. Cano came home from third to score the third and final run for the M’s.

The Athletics tapped Ryan Madson to come out of the bullpen to closeout the eighth inning which he did by getting Guillermo Heredia to ground out four to three.

Madson returned in the top of the ninth to close the came game out for Oakland and preserve the 4-3 win.

On the hill

Athletics

Starter Jharel Cotton (2-2, 4.76) picked up the win going 6.0-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits. Cotton struck out two and walked two. He still had a tough day. After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Cotton was not able to get into his regular rhythm. Melvin said it was a growth opportunity for Cotton who pushed through the difficulties.
Ryan Madson earned his first save of the season going 1.1-innings allowing just no runs on one hit. He struck out three and walked none.
Daniel Coulombe and Liam Hendriks also appeared in relief for Oakland.

Seattle

Ariel Miranda started the game for M’s and took the loss. His record is now 1-2 on the season. Miranda went just 3.0-innings giving up four runs (all earned) on seven hits. He struck out three and walked none, but Miranda gave up two home runs.
Chase De Jong worked four innings of relief allowing no runs on just one hit. He struck out two and walked two.
Edwin Diaz closed out the game for the M’s tossing one inning of scoreless baseball

In the Batter’s Box

A’s

Ryan Healy was the man with the bat for the Athletics on Saturday. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Healy hit his third home run, his fifth double and upped his RBI total to nine.
Jed Lowrie also had a big day for the A’s. He went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs on Saturday.
Adam Rosales hit his second home run of the young season.

M’s

Robinson Cano led the offense for Seattle with a 3-for-4 day at the plate scoring two of the M’s three runs.
Jarrod Dyson had a two for five day in the batter’s box. Dyson had one stolen base and one caught stealing.

Looking ahead to Sunday

Seattle (7-12) and Oakland (10-8) will meet in the fourth and final game of the four-game series on Sunday at 1:05 PM. RHP Yovani Gallardo (0-2, 6.19) will take the hill for the Mariners. The man who has become the “Ace of the Staff” – Andrew Triggs – will start for the Athletics. Triggs is 3-0 with an 0.00 ERA in 17.2 innings for the A’s this year.