A’s take care of business with 6-3 win over Rangers

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers met again for game two Friday. The A’s sealed their rodeo road game with a 6-3 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Oakland improved to 44-97, while Texas fell to 76-64. Devin Sweet (1-0, 4.50 ERA) took the win in his first game pitching for the A’s.

The A’s starting lineup featured Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Ryan Noda, Aledmys Díaz, Jordan Diaz, Kevin Smith, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn pitched three innings and gave up six hits, two earned runs, three walks, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first. Ryan Noda grounded out to Nathaniel Lowe and Jordan Montgomery. With two outs, Zack Gelof scored for an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The A’s lead was short-lived as the Rangers went ahead in the bottom of the first inning. Corey Seager homered on a fly ball to right-center field. Marcus Semien scored for a 2-1 lead.

The A’s quickly responded with a game-tying single in the top of the second inning. Esteury Ruiz singled on a line drive to Evan Carter. Nick Allen scored to tie the ballgame 2-2. With three outs, Ruiz was at second base on the throw from Carter to Jonah Heim to Corey Seager.

The Rangers regained their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a line drive to Brent Rooker. Marcus Semien, a former Oakland Athletic from 2015 to 2020, scored for a 3-2 lead.

The A’s immediately tied the ballgame 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning. Esteury Ruiz homered on a fly ball to left-center field.

The A’s took a two-run lead in the top of the sixth inning. This was a “welcome home” moment for Shea Langaliers. Langaliers, a Keller, Texas, native and a Keller High School and Baylor University alum, homered on a fly ball to center field. Kevin Smith scored for a 5-3 lead.

The A’s extended their lead just before the seventh-inning stretch. Ryan Noda doubled on a sharp fly ball to Leody Taveras. Brent Rooker scored for a 6-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Notes
On Friday, the A’s reinstated Lawrence Butler from the bereavement list and optioned Jonah Bride from Triple-A Las Vegas.

A’s left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas made his MLB debut Friday. Lucas pitched one inning and gave up two hits, one earned run, two walks, and one strikeout.

Tony Kemp was named the A’s nominee for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Vote for Kemp at mlbtogether.com/clemente21.

The A’s Filipino Heritage Night, hosted by P-Lo and Anthony Presents, is coming up. Get your tickets at athletics.com/filipino.

Up Next
The A’s and Rangers will meet again on Saturday for game three at 4:05 p.m. Pacific. The A’s starting pitcher is TBD, while the Rangers’ starter will be Nathan Eovaldi (11-4, 2.95 ERA).

A’s get blown out 6-1 by White Sox

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox concluded their four-game series on Sunday. The A’s got blown out by the White Sox 6-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field and split the series. Oakland fell to 38-93, while Chicago improved to 52-79.

White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger (6-6, 3.32 ERA) won after pitching seven innings and giving up one hit, one earned run, two walks, and ten strikeouts.

The A’s starting lineup featured Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, Tony Kemp, Aledmys Díaz, Carlos Pérez, Jordan Diaz, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (3-4, 4.15 ERA) took the loss after pitching six innings and giving up nine hits, four earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts.

The White Sox got on the board first. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson scored for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Eloy Jimenez was out on third base on the throw, Kemp to Jordan Diaz to Zack Gelof to Aledsmy Díaz. Vaughn went to second base with two outs.

The White Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Jordan Diaz, who committed a throwing error. Andrew Benintendi scored for a 2-0 lead. Gavin Sheets walked, and Vaughn made it 3-0. Yoan Moncada went to third base. Paul Blackburn threw a wild pitch and committed a missed catch error.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Zack Gelof was out on a sacrifice fly to Andrew Benintendi. Esteury Ruiz scored to cut the White Sox’s lead to 3-1 with two outs.

The White Sox added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Gavin Sheets singled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Yoan Moncada scored to make it 4-1.

The White Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yoan Moncada doubled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi scored to make it 6-1.

Notes
According to reports, a reported third victim was uninjured in Friday night’s game between the A’s and White Sox. The A’s blew out the White Sox 12-4 on Friday.

Up Next
The A’s will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday at 6:40 pm Pacific.

A’s get blown out 8-2 by the Nationals

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals started this weekend with a three-game series at Nationals Park. The A’s lost 8-2 to the Nationals in their series opener on Friday. Oakland fell to 33-83, while Washington improved to 51-66.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langaliers, Lawrence Butler, Nick Allen, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (2-3, 4.52 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up eight hits, four earned runs, four walks, and three strikeouts.

The A’s quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Stone Garett. JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Nationals cut the A’s lead in half and tied the score in the bottom of the second inning. Ildemaro Vargas singled on a ground ball to Lawrence Butler. Keibert Ruiz scored to cut the A’s lead to 2-1 as Dominic Smith went to third base. Stone Garrett singled on a ground ball to Butler. Smith scored to tie the game 2-2 as Vargas went to second base.

The Nationals took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jake Alu was out on a sacrifice fly to JJ Bleday. Ildemaro Vargas scored for a 3-2 lead with two outs.

The Nationals extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Keibert Ruiz homered on a fly ball to right center field for a 4-2 lead.

The Nationals expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ildemaro Vargas homered on a fly ball to left center field. Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz scored for a commanding 7-2 lead.

The Nationals added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jake Alu homered on a fly ball to right center field for an 8-2 lead.

Notes
The A’s recalled Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas, placing Tony Kemp on the paternity leave list on Friday.

On Thursday, Zack Gelof became the fastest to reach six home runs in A’s history.

Up Next
The A’s and Nationals will continue their series on Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.

A’s Hold on to Beat the Rockies 8-5

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics kicked off the weekend by visiting the Colorado Rockies Friday. The A’s held on to beat the Rockies 8-5 in their series opener at Coors Field. Oakland improved to 29-76, while Colorado fell to 40-63.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Jordan Diaz, Ramón Laureano, JJ Bleday, Aledmys Díaz, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) got the win after pitching five innings and giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano singled on a ground ball to Randal Grichuk. Brent Rooker scored for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Diaz went to second base.

The A’s scored thrice in the top of the second inning. Shea Langaliers tripled on a fly ball to Brenton Doyle. Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kemp hit a sacrifice bunt. Langaliers scored for a 3-0 lead. Nick Allen went to second base, while Kemp went to first base on a Kyle Freeland committed a throwing error. Jordan Diaz reached on a ground ball to Alex Trejo, a call that stood after an official scorer’s ruling. Nick Allen scored for a 4-0 lead. Kemp went to third base, while Brent Rooker went to second base.

The A’s scored once in the top of the third inning. Nick Allen tripled on a sharp line drive to Jurickson Profar. Shea Langaliers scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Randal Grichuk homered on a fly ball to left-center field to reduce the A’s lead to 5-1.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.

The Rockies scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado began the inning by challenging a play at first base, but their call was overturned after further review. Ryan McMahon grounded into a forceout, while Nick Allen went to Zack Gelof. Jurickson Profar, a former Oakland Athletic, scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-2. Ezequiel Tovar was out at second base, while McMahon went to first base.

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but they didn’t inch closer to the A’s to take the lead or at least tie the ballgame. Michael Toglia singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Elehuris Montero scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-3. Nolan Jones went to third base. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Bleday. Jones and Toglia scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-5.

The A’s expanded their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Ramón Laureano homered on a line drive to center field for a 8-5 lead.

Notes
The late A’s pitcher Vida Blue would’ve turned 74 today.

The A’s will honor the five members — Carney Lansford, Gene Tenace, Bob Johnson, Roy Steele, and Jason Giambi — of the 2023 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame during the annual Bay Bridge series on August 6, 2023.

Up Next
The A’s and the Rockies will continue their series on Saturday at 5:10 pm Pacific. Paul Blackburn (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will start for the A’s, while Chris Flexen (0-4, 7.71 ERA) will start for the Rockies.

A’s Lose 10-3 to Red Sox; Boston gets an early jump on A’s in early going

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox faced off in a middle game Saturday. The A’s looked to stop their three-game losing streak, but they didn’t because they lost 10-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Oakland fell to 25-66, while Boston improved to 47-43.

The A’s starting lineup featured Nick Allen, Jordan Diaz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Aledmys Díaz, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Manny Piña, Cody Thomas, and Austin Pruitt. Pruitt entered the game after Paul Blackburn was scratched due to an undisclosed illness but pitched just 1.2 innings and gave up four hits, four earned runs, and one home run. In addition, Pruitt (1-6) took the loss.

The Red Sox took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Turner singled on a line drive to Rooker. Duran scored for a 1-0 lead. Alex Verdugo homered on a fly ball to left field. Turner scored for a 3-0 lead. The umpire reviewed Verdugo’s play for a home run, but the call on the field was upheld.

The Red Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Duran homered on a fly ball to left center field. Connor Wong scored for a 5-0 lead.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the third inning. Manny Piña homered on a fly ball to left center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-1.

The Red Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Connor Wong was out on a sacrifice fly to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 6-1 lead with one out.

The Red Sox poured in the runs in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Rafael Devers doubled on a sharp line drive to Rooker. Masataka Yoshida scored for a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Red Sox added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Duran hit a ground-rule double on a line drive down the right-field line. Christian Arroyo scored for an 8-1 lead. Yoshida singled on a line drive to Bleday. Duran scored for a 9-1 lead.

The A’s added one home run in the top of the sixth inning. Rooker homered on a fly ball to left-center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 9-2.

The Red Sox reached a double-digit lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Christian Arroyo doubled on a line drive to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 10-2 lead.

The A’s added one single in the top of the eighth inning. Bleday singled on a ground ball to Casas. Ryan Noda scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 10-3 as Aledmys Díaz went to second base.

Notes
A’s left-handed pitcher Sammy Long turned 28 on Saturday.

A’s prospect outfielder Lawrence Butler will bat fifth and start in left field in the 2023 All-Stars Futures Game at 4:00 pm Pacific at T-Mobile Park on Saturday. Meanwhile, A’s prospect catcher Tyler Sodestrom will bat seventh and start at first base.

Up Next
The A’s and Red Sox will wrap up their series on Sunday at 10:35 am Pacific. Starting for Oakland JP Sears (1-6 ERA 4.09) Boston starter TBA.

A’s release Andrus; Elvis had the fifth longest shortstop streak in baseball

Oakland A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus rounds the bases after hitting a two run homer in the top of the seventh at Globe Life Field in Arlington against the Texas Rangers on Tue Aug 16, 2022 was released Wed Aug 17, 2022 by the A’s (AP News photo)

A’s release shortstop Elvis Andrus

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez and Lewis Rubman

Elvis Andrus, born in Venezuela, has played 1,872 career games in the field, all at shortstop, which is the fifth-longest career-opening streak of appearing only at shortstop in Major League history behind Derek Jeter (2674), Luis Aparicio (2583), Ozzie Smith (2511) and Alan Trammell (1910).

He is a .270 career hitter with 87 home runs and 703 RBI in 1,904 games in 14 seasons in the majors. Andrus is the active leader in stolen bases (324), is tied for fourth in triples (50), ranks sixth in hits (1948) and games (1904), and ninth in runs (994).

Jed Lowrie and Stephen Piscotty were also released by the A’s recently. Vogt could be next, they are “cleaning up” more payroll, and all the veterans are methodically being released. Paul Blackburn is out for the rest of the season due to discomfort in his pitching hand. The A’s are currently on the road in Texas against the Rangers.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer on Spanish radio for the Oakland A’s and Lewis Rubman is an Oakland A’s beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Bruce MacGowan: A’s after a fire sale could even dive further into obscurity; A look at Giants All Stars Pederson and Rodon and A’s Blackburn; plus much more

Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn says he looking forward to meeting his American League teammates and Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the All Star Game on Tue Jul 19, 2022 (AP News file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Bruce MacGowan:

Bruce touches upon the subject that the Oakland A’s are deliberately going into the tank to turn off fans to show the City of Oakland, fans, media and fans why they it won’t work at the Oakland Coliseum and are an organization that won’t go anywhere as long as they have to play in a undesirable location.

Bruce takes a look at the San Francisco Giants All Star players pitcher Carlos Rodon 8-5 ERA 2.66 and Joc Pederson .252 with 35 runs, 17 home runs, and 42 RBIs both who will represent the Giants at the All Star Game.

Also a look at the lone Oakland A’s selection Paul Blackburn who started out the season at 6-2 but absorbed some tough loses due to a lack of run support and finished the first half at 6-5 ERA 3.62.

Bruce MacGowan was a former talk show host on San Francisco radio stations KNBR 680, KGO 810 and KCBS 740 and appears as a guest on Headline Sports podcasts.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s Blackburn says he’s a loss for words on All Star selection; Met’s Alonso says he’s the best hitter on the planet for home run derby; plus more

Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn is jubilant in this Apr 27, 2022 game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Blackburn who started in this 1-0 shutout had five relievers follow him to keep the shutout going. Blackburn will be the A’s lone representative for the mid summer classic this year at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Tue Jul 19, 2022. (mercurynews.com file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s lone representative pitcher Paul Blackburn is honored to be representing the A’s for the 2022 All Star Game in Los Angeles on July 19th. Blackburn said that he was a loss for words upon learning last Sunday he would get the honor.

#2 Blackburn 28 was 6-2 and currently is 6-4 has pitched in a number of games where he’s gone seven innings or more but in some of his loses he didn’t get much run support and got the loss.

#3 Amaury, Blackburn mentioned that he’s really looking forward to seeing and talking with Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani and other American League players. For Blackburn it’s an experience he soon won’t forget.

#4 The home run derby is one of the most anticipated events at the All Star Game and all attention most likely will be on the New York Mets Pete Alonso who won two home run derbies and winning the $1 million prize each time.

#5 Alonso didn’t hold back after winning in the 2021 All Star Game’s home run derby in Denver last season saying that he’s the best power hitter on the planet.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead Spanish play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s on flagship station Le Grande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: All Star honor Griner with #42 jerseys; A’s Blackburn looking forward to meeting All Star teammates; plus more

Team Wilson’s Brionna Jones, right, tries to get at the loose ball as Team Stewart’s Alyssa Thomas, left, and Emma Meesseman get after the loose basketball in the second half at the WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Sun Jul 10, 2022. The players changed jerseys to #42 for the second half to honor Brittney Griner (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony R:

#1 At the WNBA All Star Game in Chicago on Sunday there was a void with Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner missing. The players dedicated the second half wearing #42 jerseys in honor of Griner who has detained in Russia for the last 145 days. Tony the second half dedication meant a lot to the players remembering Griner.

#2 The Oakland A’s named their lone player representative for the 2022 MLB All Star Game for July 19th at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles pitcher Paul Blackburn who started out with a flurry at 6-2 and currently is 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA. Blackburn said he’s looking forward to meeting with his American League teammates and also being able to talk with the Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani.

#3 The San Francisco Giants who are coming off a 2-2 split against the San Diego Padres and opened a three game series last night with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 4-3 loss. The Giants were 6-14 in their last 20 games and after winning 107 games last season are a different team without the presence of former catcher Buster Posey.

#4 Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman was working on his game in the NBA Summer Leagues in Las Vegas. Wiseman who played only 39 games in the last 15 months. When Wiseman first came on the scene for the Warriors he was expected to be an anchor at the center position for him but he had troubles adjusting to the NBA and also his recovery from knee surgery was slow but is looking forward to working hard to get back with the club for the 2022-23 season.

#5 The Pittsburgh Steelers have renamed their Stadium from Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium. Acrisure is a top ten global insurance broker with revenue exceeding $3.8 billion. Heinz Kraft Company said in a statement that after concluding a 20 year $57 million naming rights agreement that ran from 2001-2021. Acrisure out bided Heinz for the naming rights. Art Rooney the Steelers owner was hoping that Heinz would stay on as the naming rights holder.

Join Tony for Headline Sports Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kemp, Blackburn, Chapman key group effort in A’s critical, 3-1 win over the Yankees in series finale

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s hope Sunday’s rousing finish signals the beginning of a fourth chapter of what has been a very, complicated story to their season.

If so, the dramatic elements were present, and the timing couldn’t be any be better for an Oakland bunch that simply has been hard to figure out.

The A’s got a two-run homer from Tony Kemp in the eighth inning to break up a 1-1 tie and propel them to a series split with the Wild Card-leading Yankees with a 3-1 win. The A’s avoided a 2-7 finish to their homestand, which would have been their worst showing since 2001. Instead, they gained ground on the Yankees, Red Sox in the wild card hunt and moved to within 5 1/2 games of the Astros in the race for the AL West.

In a game dominated by pitching and defense–both scintillating and head-scratchingly poor–Kemp’s home run was only the second extra-base hit of the evening, and came one pitch after the first, a scalding double by Mark Canha that set the stage for Kemp’s heroics.

“The last thing I was trying to do was hit a home run right there,” Kemp said. “I saw a good pitch and put my best swing on it, and I think I was as surprised as everybody else was in the stands.”

After opening the season 0-6, the A’s soared to a stretch of 44 wins in 65 games, including a 13-game win streak. Since then they’re 28-32 and were a season-worst 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot entering Sunday’s contest. To put it mildly, Sunday’s stand against the Yankees, just off their own 13-game win streak, was put up or shut up.

Both starting pitchers were outstanding. New York’s Jordan Montgomery went six innings, allowing six hits and a run on Matt Chapman’s RBI fielder’s choice ground out. Paul Blackburn put up five, scoreless innings allowing five hits and a walk while departing with a 1-0 lead.

The A’s bullpen appeared equal to the task of backing up Blackburn, but were burned by consecutive errors in the seventh. Catcher Yan Gomes dropped a foul pop between third and home that extended Anthony Rizzo’s at-bat, and allowed him to deliver a ground ball that Chapman misplayed between his legs for an error that allowed Gary Sanchez to score from second and tie the game.

The back-to-back errors came during a streak in which the A’s committed just three miscues in their last 14 games.

In the eighth, the A’s took advantage of Chad Green, the third New York reliever who gave up Canha’s double and Kemp’s home run. Reliever Deolis Guerra pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win for the A’s.

The A’s back-to-back wins follow a stretch of six, consecutive losses and losses in 10 of 12 games. On a positive note, the stretch precedes a three-game series in Detroit that starts Tuesday, followed by a trip to Toronto and home games against the White Sox. The A’s have had success this season against AL Central opponents, which they hope continues against the Tigers and Sox.

On Tuesday, Cole Irvin is scheduled to get the start for Oakland in a matchup with Hayward-native Tarik Skubal, who has a 8-11 record on the season.