Tag: San Diego Padres

A’s continue to roll as they down Padres 4-2 for 2-game sweep

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The A’s continue to play great baseball as they prevailed over the San Diego Padres 4-2 on the Fourth of July, Both teams played well, but in the end, the A’s were just a wee bit better.

A’s starter Sean Manaea did not figure in the decision, but had another strong pitching performance. Manaea went seven innings and allowed two runs and four hits. The Padres’ starter Luis Perdomo also pitched well. His line was 5 2/3 innings of work and he, too, allowed two runs and four hits.

The A’s won the game in the bottom of the eighth when they, as they have done so many times this season, were able to score late in the game. The A’s won for the eighth time in the last nine game and have won 14 of the last 17 as they move to a season-high nine games above the .500 mark with a record of 48-39.

The Padres scored two in the top of the second inning. Manaea issued a free pass to Hunter Renfroe. Padres’ rookie third baseman Christian Villaneuva homered to left field to give the Padres an early 2-0 lead. The A’s plated one in their half of the inning. With one out, Luis Perdomo walked Matt Olson. Right fielder Stephen Piscotty lined a ball into the gap in left-center-field to drive in Olson.

The A’s tied the game in the third. Josh Phegley walked to get things going. Dustin Fowler singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Perdomo struck out Matt Joyce for the first out. Jed Lowrie walked to load the bases. A’s DH Khris Davis followed with a solid single to left field to drive in Phegley. Matt Olson hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The A’s scored twice in the bottom of the eighth. Jed Lowrie received a walk that started the rally. Khris Davis doubled to left. Lowrie stopped at third. The Padres issued an intentional walk to Matt Olson to load the bases. Piscotty made the Padres pay as he hit his third double of the game to drive in Lowrie and Davis.

The Padres escaped further damage when they retired Olson at home on a force out, and Villaneuva turned a line shot off Marcus Semien’s bat into a 5-4 double play to end the inning. The A’s lead 4-2 heading into the top of the ninth. A’s closer Blake Treinen gave up a couple of hits but was able to escape without any damage and recorded his twenty-second save of the season.

Game Notes: Stephen Piscotty had three doubles in the game to tie and Oakland A’s single-game record. Treinen’s has converted each of his last 19 save opportunities dating back to May 4th. Lou Trivino was the winning pitcher, and his record is now 7-1. Jose Castillo absorbed the loss. The line score for the A’s was four runs, six hits, and no errors. The Padres’ line was two runs, seven hits, and no errors.

Khris Davis extended his hit streak to seven games, the second highest such streak of the season…is 10-for-27 (.370) during this span. • Matt Joyce snapped a five-game hitting streak. Mark Canha went hitless to end his career high 11 game hitting streak.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman made the defensive play of the day in the sixth inning. He stabbed a Hunter Renfroe smash that looked like it was heading into the left-field corner. He dived for the ball and snared and in one motion righted himself to start a 5-4-3 double play.

Time of game was a crisp two hours and 33 minutes and 14,408 people watched as the A’s won again.

Up Next: The A’s are off on Thursday as they travel to Cleveland to face the Indians at Progressive Field starting Friday night. Paul Blackburn (2-2, ERA 6.46) will pitch for Oakland, and Cleveland will counter with righty Carlos Carrasco (8-5, ERA 4.24). The game will start at 4:10 pm PDT.

A’s erupt for five runs in the sixth to beat the Padres 6-2

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s, perhaps energized by a large and boisterous home crowd, scored five runs in the fifth and one in the seventh to notch their 13th win in their last 16 games by a score of 6-2.

A’s starter Chris Bassitt was not as sharp as he was last week when he received credit for his first win of the year. The Padres had a great opportunity in the third inning as they had the bases loaded with no outs, but failed to score. The A’s made two terrific plays on defense to snuff out runs and keep the game scoreless. The Padres’ veteran starter, Clayton Richard, mesmerized the A’s for the first five innings before this team, so confident that they can overcome any deficit, erupted for five runs and pinned the loss on Richard.

In the third inning, Bassitt walked leadoff hitter Freddy Galvis. Austin Hedges and Travis Jankowski followed with singles to load the bases with no out. Manuel Margot hit a slow roller back to Bassitt. Bassitt made a terrific play as he fell to his knees and was able to throw home to nail Galvis for the first out, The throw from Jonathan Lucroy was not in time to nail Margot to complete the double play. The bases remained loaded. Eric Hosmer then hit a ground ball that was fielded by first baseman Matt Olson, who threw a strike to Lucroy at home for the second out. Bassitt struck out Wil Myers to end the inning.

The Padres, after threatening to score in the first and third innings, plated two runs in the top of the fifth. With one out, right fielder Travis Jankowski singled. Padres’ center fielder Manuel Margot followed with a single to send Jankowski to third. The next hitter, Eric Hosmer, hit a dribbler ball that A’s first baseman Matt Olson fielded. Olson’s throw to Bassitt was dropped, and Jankowski scored on the play.

A’s manager Bob Melvin challenged the call saying that Hosmer interfered with Bassitt’s ability to catch and hold onto the ball. The call was overturned, and Hosmer was called out. Margot went to second and scored on a double off the bat of Will Myers. Richard retired the A’s in order in the bottom of the fifth. The Padres led 2-0 after five innings.

The A’s offense–held in check for five innings by Richard–woke up and scored five runs on four hits. Chad Pinder walked to start the rally. Marcus Semien followed with a single. Richard walked Stephen Piscotty to load the bases with no out, and Richard now had to face the A’s best hitter Jed Lowrie. Lowrie sent the crowd into a frenzy when he doubled to left field to clear the bases. For Lowrie, it was his 25th double of the year and increased his RBI total to 59. Khris Davis singled to drive in Lowrie with the fourth run of the frame. Matt Olson hit into a double play, but the A’s were not finished scoring. Mark Canha extended his 10-game hitting streak to 11 when he blasted his 11th home run of the year into the bleacher seats in left field. Everyone in the park knew the ball was going out of the park as soon as it left the bat. The A’s led 5-0 after six innings.

The A’s tacked on a run in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Chad Pinder blasted the first pitch he saw from reliever Adam Cimber into the seats about 15 rows back of the “Rooted in Oakland” sign in left field. The Padres trailed the A’s 6-2 at the end of seven.

The A’s bullpen did the job again as the Padres were held scoreless the rest of the way. A’s manager Bob Melvin used Emilio Pagan, Ryan Buchter, Lou Trivino, and Blake Treinen to finish the game. Bassitt did not receive credit for the win as he went just 4 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and two runs. Emilio Pagan was the winning pitcher.

Game Notes: Chris Bassitt tied a season-high with six strikeouts. Mark Canha hit safely in his career-high 11th straight game. Emilio Pagan has not allowed a run in 16 of his 17 appearances since being recalled from Triple-A on May 18th.

The A’s are 33-0 when leading after seven innings. They are the only team in the MLB to do so. The A’s grounded into five double plays Tuesday night. The last time they did that and won was on June 2, 1973, in Boston.

The A’s are now 47-39 and are eight games over the .500 mark. The Padres dropped to 37-50. Richard’s record is now 7-8 for the year, and Pagan is 2-0.

Sean Manaea (8-6) will hurl for the A’s on Wednesday. The Padres have not announced their starter.

Time of game was two hours and 39 minutes and 29,975 fans enjoyed the Green and Gold win.

Up Next: The A’s and Padres will conclude their series on a Fourth of July Wednesday at 1:05 pm PDT.

A quick look at the upcoming A’s vs. Padres 2-game set in Oakland

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will host the San Diego Padres for two games beginning Tuesday, July 3rd. The teams met in San Diego in mid-June, and the A’s won both games. They won the first game in dramatic fashion when with two out and two strikes, Stephen Piscotty homered to tie the game and then they won it on a Jed Lowrie blast.

The Padres are currently in last place in the NL West with a record of 37-49. The Padres are managed by Andy Green, and they have two former A’s stars on their coaching staff. The fans will welcome Mark McGwire and Matt Stairs back to the Coliseum. The Padres are in a rebuilding mode, and many of the players are not household names yet.

The Padres announced that lefty Clayton Richard will take the mound Tuesday night. Richard is 7-7 and has an ERA of 4.29. Richard has worked at least six innings in his last 10 outings. However, he lost his last start last week against the Texas Rangers. Chris Bassitt goes for Oakland. Bassitt is 1-3, and his ERA is 2.82. Bassitt beat the Detroit Tigers last Wednesday in Detroit. He went six innings and allowed no runs and just two hits. It was his best performance of the year. On Wednesday, Padres’ righty Eric Lauer will face off against the A’s ace Sean Manaea.

Padre players to keep an eye on will be first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Freddy Galvis, infielders Cory Spangenberg and Christian Villaneuva. Villaneuva is hitting .294 and has 16 home runs and 39 RBIs to his credit. Outfielder Will Myers is off the DL, and the A’s pitchers will have to be careful not to make any mistakes while pitching to him. Other players to keep an eye on are Jose Pirela, Hunter Renfroe, Manuel Margot, and Travis Jankowski.

The A’s beat the Indians two out of three over the weekend and are 10-3 in the last 13 games. The A’s would like to sweep the Padres as they start a 10-game road trip in Cleveland on Friday. They play four in Houston and return to the Bay Area to finish the trip with three games with the San Francisco Giants.

The A’s are in third place in the AL West with a record of 46-39. The team has been playing well, and third baseman Matt Chapman is expected back Tuesday night from the 10-day DL. The A’s have shown that they can overcome deficits in the late innings of any game. They are playing with a lot of confidence. The A’s bullpen has been very good. They are the only team in baseball that has not lost after holding the lead after the seventh inning.

Tuesday’s game will start at 6 pm PDT. There will be a fireworks show after the game. There is nothing better than baseball, apple pie, fireworks, and the Fourth of July.

Pence’s walk-off double lifts Giants past Padres 3-2 in extras

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — With their first day off since June 7 looming, the San Francisco Giants are happy to get a day off.

Hunter Pence hit a two-run double just out of the reach of Eric Hosmer at first base, as the Giants came back to defeat the San Diego Padres 3-2 before a crowd of 39,240 at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon.

“Just wanted to put a good swing on the ball,” said Pence. “Fortunately, I found the hole.”

Thru the first seven games of the 10-game home stand, the Giants are now 5-2 with a three-game series looming against the Colorado Rockies beginning on Tuesday night.

With the victory, this was the fourth straight home series win for the Giants.

Things were not looking good for the Giants, as they went to the bottom of the 11th inning against one of the best closers in baseball, in Brad Hand.

After Hand struck out Brandon Belt for the first out of the inning, Hand began to unravel, as he gave up a double to Andrew McCutchen, then after an intentional walk to Buster Posey that setup the possible double play, Hand hit Brandon Crawford on the elbow to load the bases.

“Cutch got the guys going with that double,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

On an 0-2 pitch from Hand, Pence hit a cue ball shot down the first base line just out of the reach of Hosmer at first that McCutchen with the tying run and Posey with the winning run.

“Ecstatic for him, been a tough road for him (Hunter),” said Bochy.

The walk-off double by Pence was his 11th career walk-off hit, and the first since May 23, 2016, also a double against the Padres.

This was the fifth walk-off of the season for the Giants, and first since June 6, when Crawford hit a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks that helped the Giants to a 5-4 win in 10 innings.

The Padres took the lead in the top of the 11th inning, as Manuel Margot singled to lead-off the inning, then Hosmer grounded out to Brandon Belt at first base, and Margot advanced to second. Margot then went to third on a Moronta wild pitch, and then scored what looked like the winning run on the Spangenberg single to right field, until Pence’s heroics in the bottom of the inning

Margot scored both runs for the Padres, as he hit a 3-2 offering from Dereck Rodriguez into the left field seats to give the Padres an early 1-0 lead. It was the fifth career lead-off home run for Margot.

The Margot leadoff home run was the first by a Padres player this season.

Lauer was cruising, as he did not allow a hit until McCutchen singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Posey then followed up with a single of his own, but the rally ended, when Brandon Crawford grounded into a double play that ended the rally and the inning.

Through nearly 8,000 games into their team’s history, the Padres have not never thrown a no-hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie up the game. Posey doubled with two outs, and Crawford was robbed of a hit, as Freddy Galvis made a leaping catch that kept the game all tied at one.

Brandon Belt hit a double in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Kirby Yates, but the inning ended on a fantastic catch by Hunter Renfroe, who leaped into the stands to end the inning off of a ball hit by McCutchen.

Lauer went six innings, allowing just one runs on five hits, walking one and striking out four; however, he did not fare in the decision.

On the other side of things, Dereck Rodriguez went seven innings, allowing one runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six and like Lauer, he did not fare in the decision.

“Gave up a lead-off home run and seven super innings,” said Bochy.

This was the longest outing of Rodriguez’s career, and he tied his career high with six strikeouts. Rodriguez also struck out six against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 3, and on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins.

“Felt good, commanded my pitches,” said Rodriguez. “Today my curveball was my best pitch,” he added.

NOTES: After the day off on Monday, the Giants will begin a three-game series against the Rockies beginning on Tuesday night. Derek Holland will take the mound in the opener, while the Rockies will counter with Chad Bettis.

Johnny Cueto went 3.1 innings on Saturday night, as he allowed one hit and struck out four, while pitching in 99-degree heat at Raley Field in Sacramento. Cueto threw 48 pitches, 33 for strikes.

“I want to do just one more,” said Cueto.

The 17 days between days off ties for the teams longest stretch of the season, and they ended the stretch 9-8 against Washington, Miami, Los Angeles (NL), Miami (again) and San Diego.

They also went 17 days from May 4th, when they opened their series against the Atlanta Braves at Sun Trust Park in Atlanta and it ended on May 20, when they hosted the Rockies. During that stretch, the Giants went 8-9 against the Braves, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Colorado.

Robert Stock made his Major League debut for the Padres in the bottom of the ninth, and pitched one inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.

UP NEXT: The Giants will welcome the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Crawford goes 3-for-3 in Giants’ 5-3 win over Padres

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — After being mired in an 0-for-18 slump, Brandon Crawford broke off that slump in a big way.

Crawford hit a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Giants defeated the San Diego Padres 5-3 before a crowd of 40,348 at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon.

Alen Hanson got the rally started in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he dove headfirst into first base to beat out an infield single. Hanson then stole second with Andrew McCutchen at plate, and went to third base on a Brandon Belt single.

Both scored easily on Crawford’s double, his second extra base hit in as many at-bats, as he tripled in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie up the game and score McCutchen, who walked to lead off the inning.

Crawford ended up going three-for-three on the afternoon, as he picked up a double to lead-off the bottom of the eighth inning against Robbie Erlin.

“It was a matter of time, and today he found it,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

Austin Slater, who was recalled from Sacramento prior to the game was robbed of an extra base hit, as Renfroe made a terrific catch in the right field corner; however, Crawford was able to score easily from third base and Slater got an RBI on the sacrifice fly.

“Slater did a good job today,” said Bochy.

The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, as Hunter Renfroe hit his fourth home run that was just out of the reach of Hanson in left field.

Andrew Suarez pitched a strong 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on eight hits, walking one and striking out four.

Despite not getting the win, Suarez joined some very elusive company in the history of major league baseball. He became the first Giants pitcher ever to begin his career with 12 starts or fewer since 1913 and to allow two walks or fewer. The only other pitcher to have more two walks or fewer in consecutive starts is Trevor Williams, who started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates with 15, Williams did this from 2016-2017, this is according to STATS, LLC.

Suarez was helped out by his defense on the field, as the Giants turned double plays to end the second, third and fourth innings. The second double play to end the top of the third inning was started by Suarez, who made a leaping stab at the Wil Myers ball, he then threw to Crawford and then onto Brandon Belt to end the inning.

“Didn’t have my slider today,” said Suarez.

Reyes Moronta pitched an inning, allowing a walk and striking out one, as he won for the third time this season.

Padres starter Jordan Lyles never even made a pitch, as he was scratched from his start mere moments prior to the game. It was confirmed that Lyles was unable to pitch due to tightness in his right forearm.

“We did not know about Lyles,” said Bochy.

Matt Strahm replaced Lyles on the mound, and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and striking out five.

Former USF Dons pitcher Adam Cimber took the loss for the Padres, as he gave up two runs on three hits, as his record dropped to 3-4 on the season.

The Giants turned their fourth double play in the top of the eighth inning, as Renfroe grounded to Crawford, who threw to Hanson, who in turn threw to Belt to end the inning and stop the potential Padres rally.

The four double plays turned by the Giants are their most in a game since they turned four against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 15, 2016.

NOTES: Dereck Rodriguez looks for his third win of his career, as he takes the mound in the series finale on Sunday afternoon for the Giants. Left-hander Eric Lauer will take the mound for the Padres, as he looks to even his record at 4-4 on the season.

Slater was recalled from Sacramento, and Mac Williamson was optioned to the Rivercats to make room for Slater.

Johnny Cueto, who is out with a right elbow and missed the last 50 games will go for the Rivercats tonight against El Paso at Raley Field. Cueto is expected to throw around 45 pitches.

Jeff Samardzija is going to make his next rehab start on Tuesday night, as the Rivercats play the Albuquerque Isotopes at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque.

UP NEXT: The Giants conclude their series versus the Padres on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

Clayton Richard stifles Giants 6-2, Padres snap 5-game losing skid

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Chris Stratton tried to get the San Francisco Giants over the .500 mark on the season, but the San Diego Padres did not help out at all.

Cory Spangenberg scored the eventual game-winning run, when Nick Hundley attempted to throw out Freddy Galvis at second base, but the throw by Hundley went into centerfield and the Padres defeated the Giants 6-2 before a crowd of 40,546 at AT&T Park on Friday night.

The win by the Padres broke a five-game losing streak, their longest losing streak since September 24-29, 2017.

Hundley tried to stop the wild pitch thrown by Stratton, but it bounced and when Hundley picked it up, his throw was out of the reach of either Alen Hanson and Brandon Crawford that allowed Spangenberg to score easily from third base.

“Nick yanked the throw a little bit,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “From our angle (in the dugout) it is hard to tell.”

The key play in that inning was an amazing diving by Buster Posey, who dove to prevent the ball from going down the right field line on the ball hit by Spangenberg. Posey got up to throw to Stratton and first base umpire Pat Hoberg called the feet first sliding Spangenberg out at first, but Padres manager Andy Green challenged the call and after a 32-second review, the call was reversed.

“That was 100 percent on me,” said Stratton.

The Giants got off to a quick start against Padres starter Clayton Richard, as Gorkys Hernandez doubled off of Richard to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Posey then hit a long fly ball that sent Hernandez to third, and he then scored on a Richard wild pitch.

Manuel Margot tied up the game in the top of the second inning, as he doubled to score Spangenberg, who doubled to lead off the inning.

Richard retired 17 in a row before Hernandez doubled in the bottom of the sixth inning, but he was stranded at second, when Posey flew out to Wil Myers in left field.

The left-hander won for the seventh time this season, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on just three hits, walking no one and striking out three.

It was a tough loss for Stratton, who saw his record fall to 8-5 on the season, as he went six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits, not walking a batter and striking out three.

This was the first time that Stratton allowed nine hits in a game since May 14th, when he did it against the Cincinnati Reds.

Pablo Sandoval got the Giants within a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he singled off of Craig Stammen to score Andrew McCutchen, who singled to lead off the inning against Richard. McCutchen then stole second, and scored on the Sandoval single, it was the sixth stolen base of the season for McCutchen.

Pinch hitter Joe Panik led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a sharp single, but Padres reliever Kirby Yates regrouped and retired Hernandez, Posey and McCutchen in succession to get out of the jam. Yates did have a hiccup with McCutchen at the plate, as he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Panik to move up to second base; however, Yates got McCutchen to strikeout swinging to end the inning.

The Padres then broke the game wide-open in the top of the ninth inning, as they scored three runs off of Pierce Johnson and Will Smith. Johnson walked the first two batters before getting Matt Szczur out on a sacrifice bunt.

Following an intentional walk to Myers, Eric Hosmer then singled in both Manuel Margot and Raffy Lopez. Jose Pirela then singled in Myers, but Pirela was caught in a rundown to end the inning.

This was the first loss for Stratton at AT&T Park since losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 15-6 on April 28th. In that game, Stratton went only 1.1 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, walking four and striking out three.

Brandon Crawford is hitless over his last 18 at bats, the third longest streak of his big-league career. The only streaks are longer are 21 at bats from June 26-July 3, 2013 and then a 20 at-bat hitless streak from April 9-15, 2015.

NOTES: Andrew Suarez looks to get the Giants back into the win column on Saturday afternoon, as he takes the mound against the Padres Jordan Lyles.

Jeff Samardzija, who is currently on the disabled list with right shoulder tightness went four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and seven strikeouts in his second rehab start for the Sacramento Rivercats. Samardzija last pitched for the Giants on May 29th, a span of 21 games.

In his last four relief appearances, Ty Blach has not allowed a run, a span of 9.2 innings.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Padres meet again on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

MadBum, Giants shut down the Padres 3-0

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Photo credit: @sdutSanders

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – It appears that the dominant Madison Bumgarner has returned, and that the hand injury that wrecked the first half of his season is in the rearview mirror.

The big lefty got his first win of the year Thursday night, as he threw zeroes at the San Diego Padres for eight innings as the Giants ran away with a 3-0 win at AT&T Park. In the process, Bumgarner also broke out of a major drought against San Diego. Prior to Thursday night, he was 0-4 with a 4.73 ERA in his previous six starts against the Padres.

He surrendered only three hits to the Padres while throwing exactly 100 pitches and walked two and struck out eight. Thursday marked the first time a starting pitcher has gone at least eight innings this season.

“He never stops trying to get better,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s critical for your bullpen to have a guy or two who can get you deep into games. Those guys (in the bullpen) needed a break, especially the guys we’ve been using in the setup-closing role.” San Diego threatened to take the first lead, putting together a bit of a rally in the fifth inning, after Jose Pirela led off with a single and Manuel Margot followed that up with a double two at-bats later.

As Margot’s hit bounced off the right-field wall, Pirela got a little greedy, and the gamble did not pay off. Andrew McCutchen played the carom perfectly in right field and immediately hit his cut-off man, second baseman Joe Panik, as Pirela motored around third.

Panik then fired home, and catcher Buster Posey had plenty of time to tag out Pirela, who didn’t even bother to slide home. Bumgarner then retired the next batter, A.J Ellis, to kill the rally.

The Giants then led off their half of the inning with a single and a double to put runners in scoring position with nobody out. With one out, Bumgarner sent a fly ball deep enough into left field to allow Pablo Sandoval to tag up from third and give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

The Giants added another pair of runs in the eighth when Buster Posey singled in Alen Hanson, who led off the inning by legging out a triple. Four batters later, Posey motored home when Pirela could not haul in a soft fly ball by Sandoval in shallow right field, extending the Giants’ lead to three.

That lifted the pressure off the Giants, with the extra cushion allowing for the opportunity for Mark Melancon to pitch the ninth. The one-time closer has primarily worked the sixth and seventh innings this year while making his way back from a flexor strain in his right elbow, an injury that kept him out of the first 56 games.

Melancon hit a slight bump early on, allowing a single to Hunter Renfroe but retired the next three hitters in order to nail down his first save of the year.

“It’s good to get him out there and get him a save. I’m sure he felt good to be out there in a save situation, where he’s been so many times,” Bochy said. “We lost Hunter (Strickland), but to have three or four guys who are comfortable pitching the eighth and ninth innings is invaluable.”

A’s hit 5 homers, rout Padres 12-4 for sweep of 2-game series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s hit five home runs at Petco Park on Wednesday afternoon in San Diego to rout the Padres 12-4. Franklin Barreto started the homer barrage with a three-run blast in the second inning to propel the A’s to the victory. Frankie Montas rebounded from a loss to the Houston Astros last week to win his fourth of the season.

The A’s sent Padres’ starter Joey Lucchesi to the showers in the top of the second inning. Lucchesi had control problems as he hit Matt Olson with a pitch. He then walked Stephen Piscotty to put men on at first and second with no out. Barreto, who entered the game with a batting average around .160, blasted a 424-foot homer to start the rout. The next hitter, Josh Phegley, also hit his first homer of the year and the A’s led 4-0. Padres’ manager Andy Green removed Lucchesi with two out in the inning and brought in another lefty, Robbie Erlin, to pitch.

In the top of the third, Mark Canha led off the frame with his ninth big fly to make it 5-0. Matt Olson followed with his 15th to make in 6-0. The A’s added another run after Barreto reached on a single but advanced to third when the Padres committed two errors on the play. Phegley hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Barreto with the A’s seventh run. The Padres put their first run of the afternoon on the board after Montas gave up a single to A.J.Ellis, a walk to Travis Jankowski, and a single to Cory Spangenberg.

The A’s scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth on the strength of Jed Lowrie’s blast off Phil Hughes to make it a 10-1 game. The Padres used a position player, Cory Spangenberg, to pitch the ninth. The A’s tallied two more to lead 12-1 in the middle of the ninth. The Padres plated three in their half of the ninth, but it was not enough as the A’s won the going away 12-4.

Notes: The A’s leading home run hitter, Khris Davis, was not in the lineup due to a stomach ailment. Davis was available for pinch-hitting duties, but there was no need for him at all.

Frankie Montas improved to 4-1. He went 6 2/3 inning and allowed one run and five hits. Montas threw 105 pitches. Joey Lucchesi took the loss, and his record is now 3-3.

The A’s have now homered in 21 consecutive road games with at least one or more home runs. The A’s have won four games in a row and are 38-36 for the year. The Padres are 34-42.

Up Next: The A’s begin a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox Thursday night in the Windy City. Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.45 ERA) will go for Oakland, and righty Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19 ERA) will pitch for Chicago. Game time will be at 5:05 pm PDT.

A’s stun the Padres 4-2 in 10 innings

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Photo credit: mlb.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The way the A’s won the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday night was made of the stuff that kids dream about doing when they become big league players.

The Padres led 2-1 and had their closer, Brad Hand, pitching in the ninth. Hand retired the first two hitters. All Hand had to do was retire Stephen Piscotty to end the game. Piscotty had two strikes on him. One more strike and the game was over. But that did not happen as Piscotty blasted a pitch into the second deck in left field to tie the game.

A’s reliever Lou Trivino retired the Padres in order, and the game went into extra innings. Jed Lowrie slammed a two-run blast to put the A’s ahead 4-2 in the 10th, and Blake Treinen earned his 16th save of the season to give the A’s the 4-2 win.

Paul Blackburn made his third start of the year. Blackburn recovered from a poor outing against the Houston Astros last week as he went five innings and allowed just four hits and two runs. Padres’ lefty Eric Lauer was just a smidge better as his line was six innings of work and he allowed three hits and one run.

The Padres took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With one out, Cory Spangenberg walked. Eric Hosmer singled sending Spangenberg to third. Jose Pirela hit into a fielder’s choice and Spangenberg scored on the play.

The A’s tied the game in the second. Khris Davis led off with a walk. Davis was safe at second on an error by Padres’ shortstop Freddy Galvis. Matt Olson was safe at first on the play. Mark Canha singled to load the bases. Piscotty hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Davis scored the A’s first run. The Padres regained the lead in their half on the second. Franmill Reyes, who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 275 pounds, doubled to left. Padres’ catcher Franny Lopez lined a double done the right field line to drive in Reyes with the Padres’ second run of the game.

The A’s used four relievers to keep the Padres scoreless. Emilio Pagan, Santiago Casilla, and Lou Trivino did the job. Blake Treinen pitched the 10th and earned the save. The Padres’ Jose Castillo, Craig Stammen, and Kirby Yates also kept the A’s off the board until the ninth inning. Padres’manager Andy Green brought in lefty Brad Hand to pitch the ninth. Hand, who leads the National League with 21 saves, almost did the job. With two strikes on Piscotty, Hand tried to get a fastball by him. Piscotty did not miss, and the ball left the park in a hurry.

The Padres brought in righty Adam Cimber to pitch. Cimber uses a submarine-style delivery to confuse the hitters. He reminds people of Brad Ziegler, who used to pitch for the A’s. He did not fool Marcus Semien who lined a single to center. With two out in the inning, Marcus stole second and went to third when the throw from Lopez went into centerfield. Cimber now had to face Lowrie. Lowrie had not homered since May 11th when the A’s were in New York. Lowrie hit his 10th of the season over the fence in right field. Blake Treinen retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the 10th. He gave up a single, but then struck out Eric Hosmer to end the game.

The A’s are now 37-36 for the year, and San Diego falls to 34-41.

Up Next: The A’s will meet the Padres again on Wednesday afternoon at 12:40 pm PDT at Petco Park.

Preview: A’s at Padres two-game inter-league series

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Photo credit: goldstar.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s start a 10-game, three-city road trip Tuesday with a two-game inter-league series with the San Diego Padres. The A’s then go to Chicago for four games against the White Sox and on to Detroit for another four-game series against the Tigers.

The Padres, under third-year manager Andy Green, find themselves in last place in the National League West with a record of 34-40 but are just 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller has built the roster in a manner very similar to the A’s. Preller’s first year with the club was very controversial as he spent a lot of money acquiring expensive free agents in the hopes of making the Padres a contender. The experiment failed, and Preller is trying to follow the Houston Astros model of using young talent and having a couple of veterans in the lineup. Preller’s one big move over the winter was the signing of former Kansas City Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer to a big contract.

Most A’s fans probably are not familiar with the Padres. The Padres’ lineup will feature Freddy Galvis at shortstop, Jose Pirela at second base, Eric Hosmer at first, and Corey Spangenberg and Christian Villanueva have shared time at third. Travis Jankowski, Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe are the outfielders. Matt Szczur and Franmill Reyes have are the backups. A.J. Ellis and Raffy Lopez are the catchers.

Since the game is being played in an NL city, there will be no DH.

The A’s are back at the .500 mark for the 13th time this season with a record of 36-36. They will be without the services of Matt Chapman. Chapman was placed on the 10-day DL with a right thumb contusion. Matt Joyce is also on the 10-day DL. Franklin Barreto or Jed Lowrie will be at second. Chad Pinder or Lowrie will play third.

The pitching matchup for Tuesday night’s game will feature Lefty Eric Lauer (3-4, 6.20 ERA) going for the Padres and righty Paul Blackburn on the mound for Oakland. In his last start, Lauer went 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs and allowed eight hits. Blackburn, after an impressive start after coming off the DL, was shelled by the Astros last week as he gave up eight runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work.

On Wednesday, Tyson Ross (former A’s starter) will take the mound and will be seeking to send his former team down to defeat. Ross had a quality start against the Atlanta Braves last week, but his effort was not good enough as he took the loss. Ross is 5-4 and has an ERA of 5.41. Frankie Montas (3-1, 2.67 ERA) will go for Oakland. Montas lost to Houston last week and is hoping to get back on the winning track.

The A’s will see a couple of their former star players on the Padres’ coaching staff. Mark McGwire is in his second season as the bench coach for the Padres. The former slugger was a hitting coach with the St.Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres hitting coach is Matt Stairs.

The A’s would like to sweep the Padres before heading to Chicago. The A’s are not familiar with the Padres but as someone once said this about baseball, “You never know.”