Tag: Oakland A’s

Oakland A’s preview: A’s open three game series against mighty Orioles at Coliseum Friday

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Oakland Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom (37) is congratulated by teammate Lawrence Butler (22) after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s had an off day on Thursday as they return to the Oakland Coliseum to start a six-game homestand. The A’s did not fare well as they were swept by the Washington Nationals and lost two out of three to the St. Louis Cardinals on the six-game road trip.

The A’s did salvage a win as they played one of their best games of the season. A’s starter Paul Blackburn gave the A’s seven innings of outstanding pitching. Reliever Austin Pruitt held the Cardinal scoreless in the last two innings of the game.

The A’s offense came through with 14 hits. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof had four hits, two of them were doubles, and the A’s defense did not commit an error. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had to be pleased with his team’s performance on Wednesday.

The A’s will be hosting the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. The Orioles are in first place in the tough American League East Division. Their record is 74-47, and they have a two-game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles, managed by Brandon Hyde, were picked by only a few of the pundits to have the best record in the American League. Hyde, who became skipper in 2019, inherited a team managed by Buck Showalter in 2018.

The Orioles record in 2018 was 47-115. A’s manager Mark Kotsay can relate to Hyde’s position as manager in 2019. The A’s are on track to have a similar record in 2023. The Orioles continued their losing ways in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The Orioles were 54-108 in 2019, 2020 was shortened due to Covid, but they still had a losing year; in 2021, Baltimore finished with a record of 52-110. They had over 100 losses in four years, from 2018 to 2021. What changed? In 2022, the Orioles brought up catcher Adley Rutschman from the minor leagues.

Rutschman was the first player picked in the 2019 Major League draft. Rutschman was a star at Oregon State University. He was the Pac-12’s player of the year. The Orioles added other players like Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander, and their fortunes began to change. In 2022, The Orioles finished fourth in the AL East with a record of 83-79.

Rutscman is the engine that drives the Orioles. Last season, Rutschman was named the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Player. This season, Rutschman made the AL All_Star team. He is hitting .267 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs. His OPS is .787.

The Orioles have a lot of other good players. Right fielder Anthony Santander leads the club with 21 homers and 65 RBIs. The Orioles use two players at first base that are also solid. Ryan O’Hearn is hitting. 300 with 10 Homers and 40 RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle is at .271, with 16 homers and 55 RBIs.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson, who s 22 years old, had added to the Orioles offense. Henderson plays shortstop and third base for the team. His numbers are .238, 19 home runs, and 56 runs batted in. Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins also contribute to the O’s offense.

Hays is hitting. 279 with 11 dingers and 46 knocked in. Mullins is at .254 with ten big flies and 50 RBIs. The Orioles will use Mountcastle or Santander as the DH. Just looking at the Oriole lineup shows how the players have contributed to the team’s overall success. There are no easy outs in this lineup.

The Orioles bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Jack Flaherty. Flaherty came to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. The other starters in the rotation include Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Kyle Gibson, and Grayson Rodriguez. Gibson will start against the A’s Friday night. Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Former A’s starter, lefty Cole Irvin, will face his old mates on Saturday. Irvin would love nothing better than sending the A’s down to defeat. The Orioles’ closer is Felix Bautista. Bautista is 7-2 with 32 saves. The setup man is Yennier Cano.

Cano is 1-2 with four saves. The only negative is Cano’s five-blown saves. Other pitchers in the bullpen include former A’s reliever Shintaro Fujinami, Michael Baumann, and Jacob Webb. The lefties in the ‘pen include Nick Vespi and Ciomel Perez.

The A’s are in the same situation as the Orioles were in 2019. 2023 will be the second season the A’s will lose over 100 games. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is trying to rebuild the team. There are bright spots on the A’s roster.

Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof looks like the real deal. Esteury Ruiz, acquired from Milwaukee in the deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, is leading the AL in steals and is second in all of baseball with 48. Ruiz is a clutch hitter, especially with men in scoring positions.

The A’s brought up Lawrence Butler to pay centerfield. Butler hit his first home run against the Cardinals Tuesday night. Let’s hope Butler can emulate Gelof’s performance. Jordan Diaz, 22 years old, found a home at third base. Diaz has played well and has some pop in his bat. Diaz and Gelof should help the A’s rebirth.

The A’s pitching staff, both starters and relievers, must improve. Paul Balckburn is a proven starter. Players like Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P.Sears, and Freddy Tarnok are learning on the job. If these four guys can improve as pitchers, the A’s, like the Orioles, can go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

The weekend series features the best team in the AL going against the worst team. The A’s would love to upset the O’s apple cart this weekend. Is it possible? Perhaps. No one knows what will happen on any given day in baseball.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Memories of Oakland (No.10 in Series) 1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball’s

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Former Oakland A’s manager Billy Martin and the book Billy Ball (Focus and Getty file photo)

Memories of Oakland (No. 10 in Series)

1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball

By Amaury Pi-González

In 1981 the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) voted unanimously to strike. The issue was free agent compensation, and it marked the first time a work stoppage since 1972 caused regular season games to be canceled. This strike lasted from June 12 to July 31, and some 50 games were missed. The season was split in half, and a considerable controversy when various teams missed out on postseason participation.

In the American League West, the Oakland A’s were the class of that division. The Kansas City Royals were a .500 team in the first half, but they went 30-23 in the second half to better the A’s by one game. This meant there were no playoffs for the Texas Rangers (57-48) or the Chicago White Sox (54-52); in the first round, the A’s swept the Royals.

My broadcast partner Julio González and yours truly indeed called the three-game series as the Athletics won the first two games at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, then two days later as the A’s beat the Royals again for the sweep. I wanted to visit the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, just a few miles from Royal’s Stadium, but I did not have the time.

I would have to put it off for a future visit to the “City of Fountains”. The radio station was KIQI La Grande 1010AM, San Francisco, which was acquired by Cuban-born René De La Rosa from Bay Area media radio and television entrepreneur James Gabbert.

During the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees swept the Oakland A’s in three games. We traveled to New York. At the old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees beat the Athletics in the first two games, then back to Oakland, where the Yankees completed the sweep.

This was also Billy Martin’s return to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the Yankees fired him in 1979. It was sort of a tense environment in New York, as it happens with all the passion for the NY Yankee fans.

I remember as the team bus with A’s media and executives parked in front of Yankee Stadium, some kids were throwing small rocks and pebbles at us as we came out of the bus and headed to the entrance of the famous park, the House that Ruth built. Welcome to New York!

The Oakland A’s outfield was one of the best in baseball, with Rickey Henderson in left, Dwayne Murphy in center, and Tony Armas in right. Rickey in the previous season (1980) stole 100 bases. Rickey was “warming up” and stole 56 during this 1981 abbreviated season in 108 regular season games.

After 25 years in the majors, Rickey played for many teams, including different stints with the A’s, and holds the major league record with 1,406 stolen bags. Dwayne Murphy was an excellent center fielder with great range, a good bat with power, and a great attitude.

When I needed an interview, Tony Armas was always available to speak in Spanish with me, a good guy with a cannon of an arm from the right field. During that shortened season Tony Armas led the league in home runs with 22 and games played with109, and the Sporting News named Armas the American League Player of the Year.

Other well-known Athletics player at the time were Mike Davis, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Wayne Gross, and Matt Keough. But I always got a kick from Rickey, Dwayne, and Tony since they were all hanging together handling the outfield for the team.

I once asked Billy Martin why he sympathized so much with Latino ballplayers, and he told me that they play with a lot of flair and passion, and I share that with these guys. Marketing guru Andy Dolich, an award-winning executive, spearheaded the Billy Ball campaign. It even included a song Billy Ball Baseball, Dolich understood the great asset that Billy Martin was for the team. As temperamental and controversial as Billy Martin was, in my opinion, he was an excellent baseball strategist. Hear the Billy Ball song: https://www.tiktok.com/@battingstanceguy/video/7183214326118108462

At the end of this historic 1981 shortened season, the two teams that played in the World Series were the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the A’s did not make it, I did get to send reports and interviews from Dodger Stadium, and I was lucky that after the Yankees won the first two games, I covered the last four, which took place in Los Angeles as the Dodgers won that World Series in six games.

Some of the interviews were with Dodger manager Tommy LaSorda, Fernando Valenzuela and with the Yankees, Lou Piniella and Aurelio Rodríguez. During the last four games (which they won) the LA Dodgers average over 50,000 in attendance for each game.

Note: Jeff Katz is the Mayor of Cooperstown and a NY author of baseball books, one of his best is “Split Season: 1981: Fernandomania, the Bronx Zoo, and the Strike that Saved Baseball.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s take on one of baseball’s best as Orioles come calling Friday night

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The Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz dives in to score past St Louis Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner to score a top of the fourth inning run at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The A’s beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The A’s snapped a five-game losing streak and a nine-game road losing streak.

#2 A’s starter Paul Blackburn had a great outing going seven innings giving up six hits striking out eight batters.

#3 Jerry talk about Zack Gelof’s game four hits, a run scored, and two RBIs and great outing. Gelof has eight home runs and is seeing the ball well having a great series against the St Louis Cardinals.

#4 There’s no stopping Esteury Ruiz who has a Major League leading 48 stolen bases got another one last night in St Louis. With the young talent the A’s have they could see a huge improvement in the win column in their future.

#5 The Baltimore Orioles who are having a great season first place in AL East will come calling on Friday night. The Orioles will start Kyle Gibson (11-7 ERA 4.89) the A’s have not determined a starter as of yet. First pitch 6:40pm PT.

#6 Nevada teachers to push Schools over Stadiums measure in supporting A’s fans in reverse boycott this Sat Aug 19th at Oakland Coliseum.

Catch Jerry for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s beat Cardinals 8-0 to snap five game losing streak; Oakland avoids getting swept on road trip

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Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn pitching in the bottom of the seventh inning kept the St Louis Cardinals off balance at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

What a difference a day makes. The A’s beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The A’s snapped a five-game losing streak and a nine-game road losing streak. The A’s offense came alive, and Oakland’s starter Paul Blackburn pitched extremely well.

Blackburn, one of the few A’s starters to go seven innings, allowed six hits in no runs, winning his third game of the year. Blackburn, an All-Star pitcher in 2022, showed the form that got him that honor.

A’s rookie shortstop, Zack Gelof, paced the offense with four hits, including two doubles. The young man from Delaware continues to impress. A’s fans can only imagine an infield consisting of Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Zack Gelof, and Matt Olson. The fans would be filling the Coliseum to see these guys play. 

The A’s pounced on the Cardinals’ starter Matthew Liberatore in the first inning. In Tuesday’s game, the Cardinals scored four runs in the first. The A’s turned the tables on St. Louis on Wednesday. With one out, Gelof doubled. Zack then stole third.

In his second game since coming off the IL, A’s DH Carlos Perez singled to give the A’s an earl 1-0 lead. Aledmys Diaz singled, sending Perez to third. Third baseman Jordan Diaz doubled to deep right-centerfield to drive in Perez and Aledmys Diaz. Jonah Bride walked, and Shea Langeliers followed with a single to drive in Jordan Diaz with the A’s fourth run.

The A’s added a run in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and a run in the sixth to go ahead 7-0. In the fourth, Nick Allen singled. Esteury Ruiz doubled, but Allen was thrown out at the plate trying to score. Not to worry, Zack Gelof singled to drive in Ruiz with the A’s fifth run.

Cardinal’s right fielder Jordan Walker misplayed Brent Rooker’s fly ball in the fifth. The ball bounced off Walker’s glove. Walker was charged with a three-base error. With one out, Seth Brown’s sacrifice fly brought in Rooker with Oakland’s sixth run of the night.

The A’s added another run in the sixth. Esteury Ruiz helped manufacture a run. Cardinals’ Casey Lawrence walked Ruiz. Ruiz, second in baseball in steals, did not wait long to steal the base. Gelof followed with his second double of the night to make it 7-0 A’s

Oakland added one more run in the ninth. Tyler Soderstrom entered the game as the DH, replacing Carlos Perez. Soderstrom thanked A’s manager Mark Ktsay for the honor. Soderstrom hit a monster shot that traveled 454 feet. For Soderstrom, it was his second big-league dinger. The A’s won the game 8-0.

 Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 34-87. The Cardinals are 54-67. 

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, 14 hits, and no errors. Paul Blackburn was the winning pitcher. Blackburn went seven innings allowing six hits and no runs. He struck out eight and walked one.

The line for St. Louis was no runs, nine hits, and one error. Matthew Liberatore was the losing pitcher. Liberatore’s line was four and 1/3rd innings, ten hits, and six runs, five of which were earned. 

The hitting star for Oakland was Zack Gelof. Gelof had two doubles, two singles, and two runs batted in. 

The A’s are off on Thursday. The A’s will play three games against the Baltimore Orioles starting Friday night. The O’s are first in the very powerful American League East Division. The A’s have yet to announce their starters for the Series. Kyle Gibson (11-7 ERA 4.89) will pitch on Friday for Baltimore, former A’s starter Cole Irvin will go on Saturday, and Kyle Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Cardinals beat A’s again 6-2 to extend A’s losing streak to five games

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Oakland Athletics’ Lawrence Butler celebrates as he arrives home after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the St Louis Cardinals on Tue Aug 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s continued their losing ways as they lost for the fifth consecutive game in St. Louis. The A’s gave the start to 30-year-old Spenser Watkins. Watkins was pitching for his third team this year. Watkins started the season with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles traded him to the Houston Astron on June twenty-third. Watkins’ stay with the Astros was short. The Astros designated him for assignment on August eighth, and the ‘s signed him a few days later. Watkins was filling in for Freddy Tarnok, who went on the IL a few days ago.

Unfortunately for Watkins, the Cardinals’ first three hitters put three runs on the board before Watkins retired a single Cardinal hitter. Watkins pitched better, but the A’s offense failed to support him. The Cardinals went on to beat the A’s 6-2.

The Cardinals’ leadoff hitter Lars Nootbar doubled to get things rolling for the Cardinals. The Redbirds’ big first baseman Paul Goldschmidt doubled to drive in Nootbar with the game’s first run. Third baseman Nolan Arenado sent a Watkins’ changeup into the left-field seats to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

It was Arenado’s 25th home run of the season and the 324th of his storied career. Watkins retired the next two hitters. Rookie sensation Jordan Walker, the hero of Tuesday night’s game, blasted his 11th big fly of the 2023 campaign over the fence in right field. The Cardinals led 4-0 after one inning.

The Cardinals tacked on another run in the fourth. Watkins walked Jordan Walker leading off the inning. The Cardinals’ catcher Andrew Knizner, filling in for the injured Willson Conteras, doubled to left field. Walker scored to give St. Louis a 5-0 advantage.

The A’s plated two runs in the top of the seventh. The Cardinals’ starter Dakota Hudson had allowed the A’s just three hits in the game’s first six innings. With one out in the seventh, A’s catcher Tyler Soderstrom singled. Rookie centerfielder Lawrence Butler blasted his first Major League home run to make it a bit closer as they trailed the Cardinals 5-2 midway through the seventh. 

The Cardinals scored the game’s final run in the bottom of the eighth. Cardinal shortstop Tommy Edman homered to put the CArdinals in the driver’s seat. The A’s failed to score in the ninth. St. Louis wins 6-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 33-87. The Cardinals improved to 54-66.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, six hits, and no errors. The line for St. Louis was six runs, 14 hits, and no errors.

Dakota Hudson was the winning pitcher. Spenser Watkins was the losing hurler.

The hitting stars for the Cardinals were Nolan Arenado, with a home run and three singles. Paul Goldschmidt had two doubles, and Andrew Knizner had a single and a double.

Lawrence Butler’s first Major League home run was the big hit for the A’s. 

The A’s end the six-game road trip Wednesday afternoon in St. Louis. The A’s Paul Blackburn (2-3 ERA 4.52) will be on the hill looking for his third win of the year. The Cardinals will send lefty Matthew Liberatore out to pitch. Liberatore is 2-4 and has an ERA of 5.72.

The game will start at 3:45 pm.

A’s beat themselves fall to Cardinals 7-5 Monday night at Busch

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Tyler O’Neill is safe at second for a stolen base as Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen handles the throw during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Mon Aug 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s lost for the fourth time in a row and the sixth time in the last seven games. Oakland blew a 7-2 lead on Sunday as the Washington Nationals scored six times in the ninth to beat the A’s. A’s manager Mark Kotsay told his team to turn the page.

Put the loss behind you and go out and figure out a way to get a win. It is good advice for a young team, but the A’s found a way to beat themselves as they lost to the host St.Louis Cardinals, 7-5 on Monday night.

The A’s sent left J.P. Sears to the hill Monday night. Sears has a record of two wins and nine losses. The A’s hoped to get five or more innings of work from the young lefty. Sears did not start well, as he walked three Cardinal hitters in the first inning.

He was lucky to get out of the inning unscathed. St.Louis plated a run in the second inning. With one out, CArdinal right-fielder Jordan Walker singled. Sears struck out Taylor Motter for the second out. The inning appeared to be over when Sears’ throw to first base got Walker in a rundown.

A’s first baseman, Tyler Soderstrom’s throw to second was slightly off the mark. Zack Gelof, standing behind the bag, applied the tag. The umpire called Walker out. The Cardinals challenged the call, and the replay showed Gelof failed to tag the runner. Walker was ruled safe. The next hitter, Tommy Edman, singled to drive in. Walker with the run. The Cards lead 1-0 after two.

The A’s took the lead in the top of the fifth. Cardinal starter Miles Mikolas hit Nick Allen with two out with a pitch. Esteury Ruiz, playing left field for the A’s, blasted his second home run of the year. The ball barely made it over the 375-foot marker in left field.

Mikolas, like Sears, is a leader in allowing gopher balls. For Mikolas, it was the 24th dinger allowed this season. The A’s led 2-1 midway through the fifth inning. The lead didn’t last long as the Cardinals put two on the board in their half of the fifth.

Edman singled, leading off the inning. The next hitter Paul Goldschmidt, a former National League MVP, hit a bomb that went 411 feet in the seats in left field. For Goldschmidt, it was his 19th of the year. For Sears, it was the 23rd homer allowed. Sears ranks third in home runs allowed. The Cards led 3-2 after five.

Oakland rallied to put three runs on the board in the seventh. With one out, rookie centerfield Lawrence Butler and shortstop Nick Allen singled. Ruiz lined out to the shortstop for the second out. Zack Gelof doubled down the left field line to drive in Butler with Oakland’s third run.

Gelof continues to impress. The young second baseman from Delaware has 18 extra-base hits in his first 26 games in the Major Leagues. Allen stopped at third. Set Brown singled to drive in Allen and Gelof. The A’s needed the bullpen to do its job and keep the Cardinals off the board.

The A’s brought Angel Felipe to pitch in the bottom of the seventh. It was not a night that Felipe would remember. He walked the leadoff hitter, Paul Goldschmidt. Felipe struck out Nolan Arenado for the first out. Felipe walked the next two hitters to load the bases.

Mark Kotsay had seen enough. Felipe was removed, and newly acquired lefty Francisco Perez was now pitching. Perez could not find the strike zone either. He walked Lard Nootbar to force in a run. The A’s still were leading, 5-4. Perez struck out Luken Baker for the second out.

The next hitter was the 21-year-old Jordan Walker. With three balls and two strikes, the three runners were running on the pitch. Walker boomed a line drive to right field. Seth Brown, attempting to make the catch, saw the ball bounce off his glove. The Cardinals scored three runs and took a 7-5 lead. They were able to plate four due to four walks and one hit. Baseball is a crazy game.

The A’s failed to score in the eighth or nine innings. Oakland’s bullpen failed to hold the lead for the second game in a row.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 33-86 for the year. The Cardinals are 52-66. The Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central Division. The Cardinals have had just one losing season since the year 2000.

The line score for Oakland was five runs, eight hits, and no errors.
The line for St. Louis was seven runs, eight hits, and two errors.

The winning pitcher was Jo Jo Romero. The losing pitcher was Angel Felipe.

The A’s have yet to announce a starter for Tuesday’s game. Freddy Tarnok was supposed to start but was placed on the IL on Monday. The Cardinals will send Dakota Hudson to the mound. Hudson is 3-0 and has a 4.31 ERA.

Nationals edge A’s for three game sweep 8-7 at Nationals Park; Six run comeback in ninth gets Nats win

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The Washington Nationals celebrate after Jeter Downs hit a walk-off single during the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland A’s at Nationals Park in DC on Sun Aug 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Oakland A’s (33-85) finished off their three game series with the Washington Nationals (53-66) getting swept in three games 8-7 at Nationals Park in DC. Washington won the first two games of this series and the A’s couldn’t avoid the sweep. In Saturday’s game, Oakland had the lead going into the eighth inning but an ninth inning home run gave Washington a walk off win 3-2.

Sunday game recap: The A’s got going in the first inning taking a 3-0 lead. Oakland’s Zach Gelof hit a solo home run followed by a two run homer from Seth Brown.

The Nationals had one run in the first inning but the A’s continued to score runs. They scored four more runs, one in the third, one in the fifth and a couple in the seventh inning extending their lead to 7-2. Going into the ninth inning, the A’s had ten hits.

Zach Gelof had his second home run of the game in the fifth inning. He had three hits in the game and both Seth Brown and Aledmys Diaz had a couple of hits. The Oakland offense was clicking on all cylinders in this game.

The A’s had the bases loaded in the ninth inning with one out. They came away empty leaving three runners stranded. They were three outs away from the win in the bottom of the ninth.

A’s pitcher Trevor May would try to close out this game. He got into deep trouble loading the bases with one out. The Nationals scored twice in the inning. Washington brought two runners home with two outs and May was have a rough time finishing this game. He loaded the bases once again and he was finished.

Kirby Snead would relieve May and try to get that final out. With the bases loaded Snead walked Domenic Smith and Keibert Ruiz scored. The Nationals were within two runs of a tie 7-5. That tie came to be when Nick Allen couldn’t stop an Alex Call bullet and two runners scored.

This was a crazy turn of events for Oakland. In an unbelievable comeback the Nationals celebrated a six run ninth for a second walkoff in a row. The final out was the elusive out for Oakland, it never came. This was a disastrous loss for the Green and Gold.

The turning point in this game was of course the ninth inning. The A’s had the bases loaded in the ninth inning and came away empty and that was another huge factor in this loss. The failure on the mound was glaring and a lot of credit goes to the Washington offense as well.

Monday the A’s will travel to St. Louis for a three game series with the Cardinals. JP Sears will take the mound for Oakland with a 2-9 win/loss record and a 4.23 ERA. For St. Louis Miles Mikolas will get the nod with a 6-8 win/loss record and a 4.20 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 4:45 PM.

MLB The Show podcast with Charlie O: SRS’s Amaury speaks out on A’s ownership; Orioles announcer Brown back after suspension; plus more

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Oakland A’s broadcaster Amaury Pi Gonzalez said in a recent interview that if Oakland A’s owner John Fisher sold the team there would be a parade in Oakland the following week (photo provided by Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

On the MLB The Show Podcast with Charlie O:

#1 One of the biggest quotes coming out of the San Francisco Chronicle interview with Oakland A’s broadcaster Amaury Pi Gonzalez on Thursday saying, if A’s owner John Fisher sold the team there would be a parade in Oakland next week, also saying that Fisher was not professional for the way he relocated the A’s and that he didn’t want the A’s to leave Oakland he wants them to stay. The interview has gone viral in the baseball community on social media.

#2 Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown’s suspension ended on Saturday in time for him to broadcast the Orioles and Seattle Mariners game. Brown was suspended five games for negative comments regarding the Orioles loosing records in previous seasons. The Orioles are in first place this season. Brown also said that the Orioles have had a losing record against the Tampa Bay Rays. The fans during the suspension chanted “Free Kevin Brown” and owner John Angelos received lots and lot of emails regarding the Brown suspension that became a national story.

#3 San Francisco Giants pitcher Ross Stripling showed catcher Blake Sabol an article on his phone when they were in Anaheim to play the Angels last week showing that Sabol would be part of a package to get Angels two way player Shohei Ohtani. Stripling said to Sabol, ” Sabes, I love you but we would have to do this” Sabol said “Yeah I get it.” Ohtani would fetch up to $600-800 million after this season on the free agent market. The Dodgers and Angels are the front runners in the Ohtani sweepstakes.

#4 The Giants who nearly signed Carolos Correa for $350 million for 13 years as the Giants nearly introduced Correa to the media before finding out that he failed a physical. Then failing another physical with the Mets eventually signing $200 million with the Minnesota Twins. Correa in 109 games with the Twins has hit .230, 15 home runs, and has 54 RBIs. Has Correa underperformed the Twins expectations?

#5 The Los Angeles Dodgers long awaited ceremony for pitcher Fernando Valenzulea arrived on Friday night when the Dodgers retired his number. Fernando Fever arrived in the Southland in 1980 when Valenzuela arrived pitching for the Dodgers until 1990 and playing for Angels, Orioles, Padres, before retiring with the Cardinals in 1997. Fernando in case many of you don’t know is a class act, he acts like a regular guy and not this legendary figure, the honor the Dodgers gave him was well deserved.

Join Charlie O for the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Give Up Lead In the Ninth-Fall to the Nationals 3-2; Fourth loss in five games for Oakland

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Oakland Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (22) warms up before the game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in DC (AP News photo)

A’s Give Up Lead In the Ninth-Fall to the Nationals 3-2

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (33-84) couldn’t hold onto a ninth inning lead and once again fell to the Washington Nationals (52-66) 3-2 at Nationals Park in DC on Saturday.

The Nationals got the first run of the game in the second inning, a fielders choice to third allowing Ildemaro Vargas to score giving Washington the early 1-0 lead.

Oakland took the lead with a home run in the third and sixth innings. JJ Bleday homered to center a 432 feet shot for the 1-1 tie. In the sixth inning Brent Rooker gave Oakland the lead 2-1 hitting s home run to right center field. The A’s had an opportunity to extend their lead in the seventh inning with two runners on base but left them both stranded.

A’s starting pitcher Luis Medina went 4.0 innings allowing four hits but limiting the damage to one run.

Oakland held onto the lead into the eighth when it began to unravel. With no outs the Nationals loaded the bases. The A’s relief pitcher Angel Felipe walked two runners and Jake All bunted. Washington tied up the game 2-2 when Lane Thomas singled and Stone Garrett scored. Washington left two runners stranded to end the eighth inning.

It was a three up three out ninth inning for the A’s and the Nationals were looking for the walkoff. It was a very brief ninth inning. Keibert Ruiz knocked the ball out of the park, a 391 feet shot to right giving the Nationals the come from behind win.

It was a tough loss for Oakland who came so close but could not hang onto the lead. It all came apart in the eighth inning and the A’s weren’t able to produce badly needed defense in the eighth inning.

A’s post game notes: Friday night the Oakland A’s began a three -game series with the Washington Nationals. The game started out well for Oakland leading 2-0 going into the second inning. It all fell apart for the remainder of the game for the A’s. The Nationals tied up the game 2-2 in the second inning. They went on to score in four of the next six innings winning the game 8-2.

Sunday the A’s will be looking to avoid a sweep in game three. Ken Waldichuk will take the mound for Oakland with a 2-7 win/loss record, ERA 6.30. Trevor Williams (5-7 ERA 5.00) will get the nod for Washington. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Did A’s truly censor A’s fans protest last Sunday at Coliseum?

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Oakland A’s fans with Sell shirts at a Apr 28, 2023 game vs. the Cincinnati Reds in the Oakland Coliseum bleachers. The chant “Sell the team” has also caught on in other MLB parks as the A’s relocation to Las Vegas is proving to be not popular with the fans (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel last Sunday in the suite bleacher area of the Oakland Coliseum fans were escorted out of a suite by order of a female employee who was wearing A’s employee credentials and ushered the group of fans wearing “Sell” shirts to the elevator and out of the area.

#2 A fan told Sam Warren of the San Francisco Chronicle that the “Sell” shirts were not permitted on the suite level and those fans wearing them had to leave. The A’s stated on Wednesday before the game with the Rangers that “We have no policy against prohibiting ‘SELL’ t-shirts in any area in the ballpark.” said an A’s spokesperson.

#3 The A’s fans had organized a second “reverse boycott” in a game against the San Francisco Giants last Sunday. The A’s and Giants fans were wearing “Sell” shirts in protest of the A’s moving to Las Vegas and wanting A’s owner John Fisher to sell the team to someone who will keep the team in Oakland. Does it strike you that it’s a little suspicious that on Sunday fans are not allowed to wear the “Sell” shirts in the bleacher suites but on Wednesday the fans were welcomed to wear them in the bleacher suites. Do you think all the publicity about this probably changed the narrative?

#4 When the A’s rebroadcasted their Sunday game against the Giants for television it was also reported that the top of the fifth inning where the fans started to chant “Sell the team” was cut off. The broadcast had indicated that there was technical difficulties and the A’s spokesperson said, “We encourage fans to express their fandom.”

#5 Taking these circumstances into account and the A’s say they deny they are not banning any fans with “Sell” shirts on to be prohibited from the bleacher suite level or anywhere else in the park fans have questioned why these fans were escorted out of the suite for the shirts now the A’s say the fans wearing the Sell shirts are welcome to go anywhere in the park with the Sell shirts.

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com