Tag: Seattle Mariners

A’s Luzardo coughs up 2 homers and 5 earned runs in 9-5 loss to Astros

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Houston Astros baserunner Jose Altuve (27) reaches down to touch home plate behind Oakland A’s catcher Aramis Garcia (37) on a Michael Brantley double in the top of the fourth inning (AP News photo)

Houston. 9. 14. 0

Oakland. 5. 8. 1

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Ever since they traded Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to Washington for Blake Treinen, Sheldon Neuse and Jesús Luzardo July of 2017, the A’s have had high expectations for the Peruvian born, Venezuelan and state-side educated left hander Luzardo.

While he hasn’t yet fulfilled the team’s hopes, it hasn’t been for lack of talent or motivation but because of nagging problems with the shoulder of his pitching arm. Indeed, he underwent Tommy John surgery at 18, while still in high school. That was in 2016. He began last season in the bullpen and ended up starting in game 3 of the division series. In between he threw his first 100 pitch game. His record for the season was 3-2, 4.12.

Today, he left the game trailing 5-2 after five innings, in which he sent 92 balls to the plate, 56 of which were strikes. All five runs were earned, and Luzardo gave up eight hits, two of which were round trippers. He walked one and struck out eight Astros. Burch Smith relieved him to open the sixth. The A’s ended up losing their second straight game to the Astros 9-5 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Luzardo’s opposite number for the visitors was their promising right hander, Cristián Javier, who had finished third in last year´s rookie of the year balloting.

Houston drew first blood in the third, capitalizing on José Altuve’s short stature and the long ball prowess of Michael Brantey and Alex Bregman. The Astros’ second sacker opened the frame by taking a four pitch walk. Brantley followed with a double off the right-center field wall.

He looked out at second, and the A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus thought he was. Second base umpire Sean Barber did not. Alex Bregman then blasted a three and two 96 mph four seam fast ball over both the glove of a leaping Mark Canha and the left field wall, Luzardo settled down to retire the next three batters in order.

But the Astros added a couple of runs to their 3-0 lead in the very next inning. Yuli Gurriel led off with a homer to left. Two outs later, Altuve beat out a grounder to Chapman. He scored on Brantley’s resounding double to center.

Oakland finally got on the board in their half of the fourth. Canha led off with a single to third and scored on Laureano’s powerful triple. Olson was hit by a pitch, and, after Chapman fanned, Laureano came home on Mitch Moreland’s sacrifice fly to medium right field.

You can chalk that run up to Laureano’speed. After Lowrie lined a single to center, Astro manager Dusty Baker decided that Javier had pitched enough for the day and replaced him on the mound with Bryan Abreu, who closed out the inning by getting Andrus to hit into a force out at second.

Houston’s young starter left with no decision, having yielded two runs, both earned, on three hits over three and two-thirds innings. He gave up three hits and got four strike outs while hitting one batter. 46 of his 73 offerings were strikes.

With Smith on the mound for Oakland in the top of the seventh, Houston managed to tack on another to their lead when Altuve walked and advanced to third on single by Bregman. The speedy Altuve then managed to score on Kyle Tucker’s sacrifice pop up to Andrus in shallow right field.

The Athletics came roaring back in the bottom half of that inning, Chad Pinder, pinch hitting for Ka’ai Tom with Jed Lowrie, who had walked, on first, blasted a Brooks Raley 90 mph cut fast ball into the left center field seats to cut the Astros’ advantage to 6-4. They narrowed their deficit to a single tally on Olson’s two base hit, a productive ground out to second by Chapman, and a pinch hit ground out to short by a pinch hitting Stephen Piscotty off of Blake Taylor.

The deficit increased, however, in the Astros’ ninth. Jake Diekman made an inauspcious season debut by giving up a single to right by the pesky Altuve, who stopped at third on Brantley’s subsequent double to right. Diekman then loaded the bases with an intentional pass to Bregman.

Left handed hitter Kyle Tucker, with the shift on and the infield drawn in, slapped a hard bounder to Andrus, playing to the right of second base. The ball bounced off the shortstop’s glove and into center field for a two run single and an 8-4 Houston lead.

Althogh Diekman struck out the next two batters, the wheels continued to fall off Oakland’s wagon, JB Windelkin walked Gurriel, moving Bregman and Tucker up a base each. Myles Straw hit what looked like an inning ending grounder to Olson. But the Gold Glove winning first baseman bobbled the ball, and Straw beat his throw to Windelken at first. That was the final score, Houston winning 9-5.

Ryan Pressly closed out the game for the ‘stros with a scoreless ninth. Abreu got the win for his two and a third innings of one hit ball.

The A’s used five pitchers, Luzardo, Smith, Romo, Diekman, and Wendelken, in a losing cause.

The teams will go at it again tomorrow at 1:07. Lance McCullers, Jr. will take the mound for Houston. Col Irvin will make his debut for Oakland.

The A’s are now two games down with, let us hope, 160 to go.

Giant Veterans come through in 6-3 win

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San Francisco Giants hitter Buster Posey goes deep with a third inning home run against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Field on Fri Apr 2, 2021

By Jeremy Kahn

After a tough loss on Opening Night, the San Francisco Giants turned to their veteran right-hander in the second game of the season.

Johnny Cueto went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out seven; however, it was another veteran who came up big.

Evan Longoria went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, as the Giants defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-3 at T-Mobile Park.

It was the second big game in a row for the veteran, as Longoria went 2-for-4 with a home run and a run batted in and is now hitting .571 on the season.

Another Giants veteran continues to have a hot start, and this one is surprise to anyone who is a part of the Giants organization.

Buster Posey, who opted out of last season to help his wife Kristen raise the twins that they adopted during the pandemic is also off to a hot start.

Posey went 1-for-4 in the opener, and that one hit was Poseys third career Opening Day home run.

Once again, Posey went 1-for-4 and like in the opener, that one hit was a home run, his second on the season.

Following seeing his bullpen blow a lead and lose in extra innings, Gabe Kapler turned to them after he pulled Cueto with two outs in the sixth inning and throwing 105 pitches.

The trio of Wandy Peralta, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing one walk and striking out five on their way to evening their record on the season.

McGee, the new closer in 2021, pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to pick up his first save of the season.

Yusei Kikuchi went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out 10 in his season debut.

Kikuchi turned the ball to Drew Steckenrider, but the left-hander gave up three runs on two hits in just 0.2 innings of work and lost for the first time in the early season.

Donovan Solano went three-for-five with two runs scored and drove in two runs, and is hitting .500 in the first two games of the season.

NOTES: Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey each started their 10th Opener for the Giants on Thursday night, and tied Juan Marichal for the fifth-most Opening Day starts since the Giants moved to California in 1958.

The four home runs by the Giants in the Opener marked the fourth time that they hit four home runs, tying the second most in team history. Longoria, Posey, Austin Slater and Alex Dickerson. The Giants also hit four home runs on Opening Day in 1963, 1983 and 2016, just one shy of the team record of five, when they turned the trick in 1964, when Willie Mays (2), Orlando Cepeda, Jim Ray Hart and Tom Haller all hit home runs.

This is the 12th year in a row that the Giants have opened their season on the road that dates back to 2010, and is the third longest streak in the major leagues since 1961.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb will make his season debut, while the Mariners will send right-hander Chris Flexen to the mound.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: One game makes a season not; M’s come back on Giants in opener

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San Francisco Giants starter Kevin Gausman pitches into the sixth inning at T Mobile Field in Seattle against the Mariners on Thu Apr 1, 2021 (AP News photo)

#1 Michael you’ve said it dozens a times throughout the years one game doesn’t make a season but a comeback loss is a tough one to start the season?

#2 San Francisco Giant starter Kevin Gausman showed he had good stuff going six plus innings surrendering two hits, one earned run and striking out six hitters.

#3 Michael talk about Giant relievers Mike Wisler who gave up two hits and three runs and Jarlin Garcia pitched one third and gave up two earned runs and two walks for five more runs after relieving Gausman.

#4 Michael, talk about Buster Posey getting his first homer of 2021 and after taking all of last season off he looks like he’s ready.

#5 For tonight’s game at T Mobile Park for the Giants Johnny Cueto gets the call and for the Mariners Yusei Kikuchi makes his first start of the season. Cueto has had his battle with injuries since last season how ready does he look going into tonight’s game against Kikuchi?

Join Michael Duca for the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants fall to Mariners 8-7 in 10 innings on Opening Day

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By Ana Kieu

MLB Opening Day kicked off on Thursday night. The San Francisco Giants opened their season on the road against the Seattle Mariners at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.

Unfortunately, San Francisco blew a eighth inning, 6-1 lead, tied the game 7-7 to forced extra innings, but ended up losing to Seattle 8-7 in 10 innings.

After a scoreless first inning, San Francisco got on the board with two runs in the top of the second inning. Evan Longoria homered on a fly ball to right field. Buster Posey also homered on a fly ball, but to left field. The Giants led 2-0 after two innings.

The Giants made it 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning. Wilmer Flores doubled on a sharp line drive to Jake Fraley. As a result, Donovan Solano scored, and Brandon Belt went to third base. The Giants led 4-0 after four innings.

The Giants added two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Austin Slater homered on a fly ball to right field. Brandon Belt singled on a ground ball to Mitch Haniger. As a result, Donovan Solano scored his second run of the game, and Evan Longoria went to third base. The Giants led 5-0 after five innings.

The Mariners finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning. Dylan Moore was out on a sacrifice fly to Mauricio Dubon, and Evan White scored. The Mariners cut the lead to 5-1.

A field error allowed the Giants to make it 6-1 in the top of the eighth inning. Brandon Crawford reached on a throwing error by J.P. Crawford. As a result, Wilmer Flores scored, and Buster Posey went to third base.

But the bottom of the eighth inning was a completely different story. The Mariners poured in the runs, and Mariners fans in attendance erupted in cheers. Ty France singled on a line drive to Mauricio Dubon. As a result, J.P. Crawford scored, and Mitch Haniger went to second base. The Mariners trailed 6-2. Taylor Trammell walked. As a result, Mitch Haniger scored, and Ty France went to third base, while Kyle Seager went to second base. The Mariners cut the lead in half, 6-3. Dylan Moore doubled on a live drive to Mike Yastrzemski. As a result, both Ty France and Kyle Seager scored, and Taylor Trammell went to third base. The Mariners made it a one-run game. Jose Marmolejos reached on a fielder’s choice that was fielded by Brandon Belt. As a result, both Taylor Trammell and Dylan Moore scored, and Jake Fraley went to third base. The throwing error was by Brandon Belt. The Mariners took a 7-6 lead to end the eighth inning.

The Giants responded by tying the game in the top of the ninth inning. Alex Dickerson homered on a line drive to center field. The score was even at 7-7 and stayed the same at the end of the ninth inning. The game went to extra innings, and Mariners fans got to watch free baseball. The Mariners had the last word as Jake Fraley walked and Evan White sealed the win with a game-winning run. The Mariners won 8-7 in 10 innings.

The Giants and Mariners meet again on Friday, April 2 at 7:10 pm PST.

MLB Opening Day: Giants face Mariners on Thursday night

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Photo credit: D. Ross Cameron/USA TODAY Sports

By: Ana Kieu

It’s no April Fool’s joke. MLB baseball is back on April 1st. NL West and AL West fans can rejoice after a tough, challenging year.

The San Francisco Giants face the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 1st at 7:10 pm PST. The Giants and Mariners will play a three-game series with game two on April 2nd at 7:10 pm PST and April 3rd at 6:10 pm PST.

VISA cardholders can use their cards to purchase limited 2021 Giants single April home game tickets before the general public starting on April 2nd at 10 am PST.

According to SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles, San Francisco will have about 8,000 fans at their home opener when they host the Colorado Rockies on April 9th at 1:35 pm PST. Hopefully, San Francisco will do it in the safest possible way.

The Giants honored fan and paramedic Bryan Stow. Ten years ago, Stow suffered a brutal attack that nearly took his life at a Giants at Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium. Stow never fully recovered, but he made it through a near-death experience and has since made it his mission to end bullying and fan violence.

As of March 27th, San Francisco assigned four players to their minor league camp, and a result, reduced their spring training roster from 31 to 27. Four non-roster invitees were reassigned: Trevor Gott, Dominic Leone, Zach Littell, and Nick Tropeano, all of whom are right-handed pitchers.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2021 Opening Day Hangover from Covid

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The Oakland A’s Matt Chapman running the bases in this spring training photo on Feb 22, 2021. Played only 37 out of 60 regular season games last year. Is looking to play the full season this year. (AP News photo)

2021 Opening Day: Hangover from Covid

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The hangover from covid could be coming to an end this next Thursday on April 1. Opening Day. Hangovers typically go away within 24 hours, but 24 hours can feel like an eternity. The last 12 plus months have been an eternity in our lives, but baseball is coming to the rescue, and this hangover is just about done. Baseball is like the proverbial bowl of Menudo, that many believe is the best “cure” for a hangover.

April 1, 2021, will mark the first time since 1968 that all major league teams open their season (all 30) on the same day. Last year was a 60-game sprint this year should be the regular 162-game marathon, one thing that makes baseball unique among all major sports.

This is how I see the American League West this year (how they will finish):

1- Oakland Athletics: Although they lost some key pieces this off-season like Marcus Semien (Jays) Liam Hendricks (White Sox) Tommy LaStella (Giants) Robbie Grossman (Tigers) Joaquim Soria (Arizona) Khris Davis (Texas) and pitcher Mike Minor to Kansas City, they still hungry after elimination by the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series.

The A’s on their division without their star third-baseman Matt Chapman who played part time in 37 of the 60 game-season. Their pitching rotation still young, specially their starters, with real breakout potential, Jesús Luzardo, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montás, and A.J Puk, Puk’s gone through Tommy John and shoulder surgeries in the last four years, but had a terrific Spring Training.

Mike Fiers could give them more experience on the mound, but he will begin season on the Injured List with left hip inflammation. Towards the end of the off season they did picked-up veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus from Texas, together with catcher Aramis García (who played for the Giants in 2020) he is the #2 catcher behind regular Sean Murphy.

Revamped their bullpen early in the post season with left handed pitcher Nik Turley from the Pirates, veteran reliever Sergio Romo (Twins) and closer Trevor Rosenthal who pitched for the Padres last season, to a one year deal for $11 million, plus lefty Adam Kolarek from the Dodgers, while retaining Jake Diekman, Yusmeiro Petit and Lou Trivino.

To replace the vacant DH position for Khris Davis, the A’s acquired veteran first-baseman and DH Mitch Moreland. Jed Lowrie is back and he could be alternating at second base with Tony Kemp or ‘all around’ utility extraordinaire Chad Pinder. Ramón Laureano, Elvis Andrus, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, Mark Canha, young-talented catcher Sean Murphy, they should have enough offense.

A new name in town, will be 26 year-old outfielder Ka’ai Tom, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, who made the team during last week of Spring Training. Why the A’s did not keep their home-born favorite player Marcus Semien, who signed for 1-year in Toronto for $18 million, I still do not understand. Bob Melvin is one of the best managers in the game and in my opinion very underrated.

2- Los Angeles Angels: Finished ten games behind the Athletics and in fourth place. They have one of the best one-two punches of any line-up in baseball with Mike Trout (the best player in baseball) and Anthony Rendón. And a supporting cast of future Hall of Famers: Albert Pujols (his last year of his 10-year contract) Justin Upton, David Fletcher, plus two veterans acquired this winter slick-fielding shortstop José Iglesias and outfielder Dexter Fowler, who is an insurance policy for the club, while young Jo Adell will begin the season in their minor leagues.

After a breakout rookie year, young Jared Walsh is expected to be their first baseman, most of the time over veteran Albert Pujols. The pitching still a big question mark . They were mentioned as the favorite destination for right-hander Trevor Bauer, the NL Cy Young Award winner last season, but he decided to go a few miles up north on Hwy 5 and signed with the LA Dodgers.

The Angels rotation with Shohei Ohtani (who will also be a DH) Andrew Heaney, Dylan Bundy, Griffin Canning, Alex Cobb and new acquisition José Quintana. Any combination of those six should be their starting rotation. José Quintana was an interesting acquisition, he was starting pitcher for the Cubs but suffered a thumb injury on his left hand while washing dishes at his Miami home and only pitched in five games for the Cubs, starting only one game, he has good stuff and could be a key factor for the Halos.

Weakness is depth of starting pitching. Their offense should be formidable, led by Mike Trout. If anybody could surprise here and challenge the A’s, is this team, with their great manager Joe Maddon. They finished in fourth place a third place finish is a conservative pick.

However, if their pitching performs well, they could rival the Athletics for the division title. I think the Angels are the most interesting team in this division. Mike Trout has only made it to one playoff since 2014. For a while I pondered about where they will end the season. Pick’ em for second place.

3- Houston Astros: The Astros would had continued to be the Athletics biggest foe, until they lost Frember Valdéz to a Spring Training injury and subsequent surgery, he will miss most of this season. Pitching star and Número Uno starter Justin Verlander underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Sept. 30, 2020, and he is doubtful to pitch during the 2021 season.

Verlander is a two-time Cy Young winner and future member of the Hall of Fame. Everyday he is not pitching, it would represent a big advantage to the Athletics, not to mention the other teams in the West. The starting rotation; Zack Greinke (who was their best pitcher last season) and will open the season for the club, Lance McCullers Jr, José Urquidy, Cristian Javier, who finished third in the running for Rookie of the Year in 2020.

Their bullpen is not their best department, although they picked up veteran reliever Pedro Báez who was with the Dodgers since 2014. Their offense still excellent. Even without George Springer, who signed a 6 year $150 million contract with Toronto, the Astros still have one of the best lineups, with José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley, Yuli Guriel, Josh Reddick, Kyle Tucker and the return of their young slugger and Designated Hitter Jordan Alvarez (23) whose knee is healthy, he is the key in this powerful lineup, if he stays healthy, watch out.

The Astros escaped the wrath of the fans in 2020, with no fans allowed, after their sign-stealing scandal the previous season. Ironically, the covid pandemic helped the Astros in that regard. But, it is not like this happened 20 years ago, so it would be interesting to see the fans reaction during this season.

They are still a very good team, now with 38-year old Opening Night starter Zack Greinke, but the Astros will begin the season with a wounded rotation. Dusty Baker back at the helm trying to go deeper in the post season, as they were eliminated after they took the Atléticos in the Divisional Series.

Dusty with 1,892 wins is #15 in the old-time manager’s winning list and second among active managers to Tony LaRussa, back with the White Sox as manager, Tony is #3 all time manager with 2,728 wins.

The last team the A’s played last season, Houston, will be the first they play this year. Third place is the place for the kids from the “Space Center”. But do not bet on it.

4-Seattle Mariners: Center fielder Kyle Lewis won the AL Rookie of the Year getting all 30 votes. The Mariners could use a few more like Lewis in their lineup. Their veteran third baseman Kyle Seager led the club with 40 RBIs. Their No.5 prospect Taylor Trammell could open the season as their rookie left-fielder.

Just days before Spring Training veteran lefty James Paxton came back after pitching for the Yankees last year to join the team he had played who drafted him in 2010 and played for since 2013. Paxton is now part of their pitching rotation headed last season by lefty veteran Marco González with a 7-2 and 3.10 ERA in 11 games started, Yusei Jikuchi, Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn.

There is no Mariano Rivera in the Seattle bullpen, but there is nobody remotely close to a Mariano Rivera anyway. They are not better than the A’s, Astros or Angels, so they should probably dock their ship in fourth place. Any finish above sea level for these Mariners should be a big improvement.

Last year they finished in third place with 27-33, actually not that bad. Seattle is a great city, with great regional fans, they come from hundreds of miles north, south, east and west, even from another country, Canada, to one of the best baseball facilities in MLB, Safeco Field. They remain the only team in this division never to have made it to a World Series, since their first season in 1977. They are definitely not going to a World Series this year.

5-Texas Rangers: They built a new park last season, Globe Life Field, a $1.1 billion retractable Texas palace (that is the value of the Oakland A’s franchise today) The Rangers still have not played a regular season game at their new digs.

The 2020 World Series was played there last year, and their first home game is scheduled for April 5, against the Toronto Blue Jays. That will be the first time they will play at their palatial new ballpark. Nobody would envy the job of manager Chris Woodward with these Texas Rangers.

They lost two of their star regular players in Elvis Andrus (A’s) and Nomar Mazara (Tigers). Rougned Odor had a tough season, hit .167 in 38 games, still hit ten home runs and drove-in 28 runs. They still have Joey Gallo (who every year is mentioned as possible bait for a big trade) Still have Isah Kiner-Falefa, and newcomers, Khris Davis, Nate Lowe and David Dahl.

Starters in their rotation; Kyle Gibson, Mike Foltynewicz, Dane Dunning, and Kohei Arihara. Best they can hope is a fourth place finish same as last season when they ended with 22-38, 14 games behind the division champion Athletics. I think the Mariners will push for the cellar.

One of my old friends favorite saying was “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, they finished last in 2020 and should do same this year. Biggest positive for their fans in 2021, their new ballpark was to be inaugurated in 2020, but covid-19 derailed that possibility, but not this year.

Texas was first State in the country lo lift their lock-down restrictions and this team was first in MLB to announce they will sell all 40,000 seat plus for their first game of the season at home. Good Luck to the Rangers, they are going to need it.

Notes: The Oakland Athletics will open their 53rd season at Oakland this Thursday during a 7-game home stand, when they host the Houston Astros in the first of four games to be followed with three games against the World Champions Los Angeles Dodgers.

Opening Night: Bob Melvin will send Chris Bassitt to the mound, while Dusty Baker inked his veteran Zack Greinke to open the season. In case you are counting. It has been 32 years since the last time the Athletics won a World Series, when they swept the San Francisco Giants in the famous “Earthquake World Series” in 1989.

First pitch 7:07 960AM-A’s Cast—(Spanish) KIQI 1010/KATD 990AM Bay Area and Sacramento/Stockton — TV- NBCSCA

Did You Know? Charlie O Finley owner of the Oakland Athletics said he chose ‘green and gold’ for the uniforms in honor of his favorite college football team Notre Dame.

Stay well and stay tuned.

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

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Orange smokey skies for Bay Area baseball; Fans fear Covid spread NFL ticket sales down; plus more

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View of Oakland Coliseum during Houston Astros and Oakland A’s Wednesday night during batting practice as a smokey orange sky from the California fires hangs over the park (photo from @MLByahoosports)

Headline Sports podcast with Tony R

#1 Washington, Oregon and California fires have made California the worst air quality in the nation. With California’s huge sports teams college and pro and with a the nation’s largest pandemic combined how long will it be safe to continue sports in California?

#2 Both Bay Area teams played Wednesday under orange smokey skies the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in the fourth of their five game series and the Seattle Mariners at San Francisco Giants for a Wednesday night game.

#3 The Super Bowl Champion Kansas Chiefs have said that their ticket sales for their opener have been down due to fears of the pandemic and too many fans gathering in one place will tickets sales also be down in other NFL cities?

#4 This is opening week for the San Francisco 49ers who are hosting the Arizona Cardinals at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara. During camp 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopplo and the offense were missing some plays and a number of ball were intercepted in practice. That said how do you see the 49ers heading into this first game with Arizona?

#5 The Las Vegas Raiders are in Carolina to face the Panthers in the Raiders very first game representing Las Vegas. The Panthers have only two injuries guard Dennis Daley will be out of Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and Eli Apple with a hamstring.

#6 Also Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota is out with pectoral strain, Raider head coach Jon Gruden said that Mariota was not damaged goods when the Raiders signed him.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The losing streak is over as the A’s beat the M’s 3-2 in extra innings

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

With one out in the top of the 10th inning and Tony Kemp at second base as the new extra-innings rules require, pinch hitter Robbie Grossman stepped into the batters’ box to face Seattle reliever, Dan Altavilla.

Grossman hit a 2-1 slider into right-center field that drove Kemp home to score the go-ahead run for the Athletics. Grossman motored all the way to third base when center fielder Kyle Lewis threw up his hands that the ball was stuck under the wall. After an umpire review of the ground rules, Grossman was sent back to second base and his hit was scored as an RBI-double.

The bottom of the 10th would be a test

The A’s sent Liam Hendricks to the mound to close out the game and get the win for Oakland. The Mariners Shed Long started the inning at second base. Hendricks set the side down in order to finish the game by striking out J.P. Crawford.

Hendricks picked up his second save of the season and has an ERA of 2.70.

Oakland pitching was strong

Mike Fiers (0-0, 5.40) made his second start of the season. Fiers worked 6.0 innings giving up two runs (both earned) off four hits. He struck out three and walked just one batter. Fiers threw 79 pitches (48 strikes). It was exactly the kind of starting effort the A’s needed.

The Oakland relievers were outstanding on Saturday night. Jake Diekman and Yusmeiro Petit both worked a perfect inning of relief each.

Joakim Soria worked himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning and wound up picking up his first win of the season.

The A’s found some hits in their bats

The key hit was Grossman’s pinch-hit RBI double that drove home the winning run for the A’s. The Mariners defense had to play Grossman straight away because of his power which gave him some open alleys to place the ball. It was Grossman’s second double of the season. He is now 7-for-20 at the plate.

Stephen Piscotty went 2-for-4 in the game and raised his batting average to .190. The A’s really need Piscotty to get going as he usually provides some much-needed punch for the Oakland offense.

Mark Canha hit a double in the contest and raised his average to .273. The A’s need Canha’s clutch hitting to put them back into the playoff race.

Tied for first place

The victory on Saturday night raised the A’s record to 4-4. That puts them into a tie for first place in AL West with the Houston Astros. The 60-game streak is certainly going to interesting.

Up next

The A’s and Mariners play game three of this four-game wrap-around series on Sunday afternoon.

The A’s will send RHP Chris Bassitt to the hill to start the game. This will be his second start of the season. Bassitt earned a no-decision in his first start of the year.

The Mariners will counter with RHP Kendall Graveman who is 0-1 so far this season. Graveman lasted just four innings in his last start and currently has a 13.50 ERA.

 

No power, no pitching, no win for the A’s in Seattle

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics (3-4) suffered their third consecutive loss on Friday night in Seattle as the Mariners won the opening game of the four-game wrap-around series 5-3. For the Mariners (4-4), it was their third consecutive victory.

Manaea was no mystery

Sean Manaea (0-2, 7.00) made his second start of the accelerated season and the results were less than spectacular. Manaea lasted just 4.1 innings allowing five runs (3 earned) on six hits while striking out four hitters.

Manaea’s ERA currently sits at 7.00 which is the kind of number that gets you sent to Triple-A or released in the normal baseball universe. In 2020, you might expect that two poor starting performances could mean a trip to San Jose to workout with the “taxi squad”, but that is not going to happen. With A.J. Puk on the Injured List, no front line starter is going to be sent anywhere.

Manaea is known as being a tenacious worker who will do everything he can do to get his “mojo” back on the mound. The fear in a situation like this is that it could be something physically wrong and not just something wrong with his pitching motion. The A’s have not given any indication that they think Manaea has any type of potential injury problem.

The bottom line is the A’s need Manaea to find a way to win games and win them right now. Each loss in this shortened season equals 2.7 losses. That means his two losses are the equivalent of 5.4 losses in a 162-game season. That many consecutive losses would cause major panic in the front office of any major league club.

The A’s need Manaea to find a way to get a win in his next start if they are to stay competitive for a playoff spot.

Three hits will not get it done

The A’s managed to collect only three hits in the game on Friday night in Seattle. Marcus Semien hit his first triple of the season in the top the eighth inning that drove in two runs for Oakland. Semien now has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .280 in those games.

Ramon Laureano hit his second double of the year in the game and Stephen Piscotty hit a single that eventually allowed him to score on Semien’s triple.

Laureano did hit a Sacrifice Fly that produced the A’s third and final run of the contest.

Oakland left four men on base. They went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left two runners in scoring position with two out.

For a team that is supposed to be known for its power, the A’s are experiencing a real power drought.

Walker was the Mariners star of the game

Taijuan Walker (1-1, 4.35) made his second start of the season for Seattle on Friday night and he was spectacular. Walker worked seven scoreless innings allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out eight Oakland hitters. He struck out the side in the fifth inning.

Taylor Walker picked up his second save of the young season in the game.

Seattle had a good night at the plate

J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 and two runs on Friday night. He now has a five-game hitting streak with multiple hits in his last three games.

Kyle Lewis extended his hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run in the win over the A’s.

Kyle Seager hit his fourth double of the season in the fourth inning which drove in two runs. It was his fifth extra-base hit of the season.

Up next

The first pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 6:10 PM on Saturday night. The A’s will send RHP Mike Fiers (0-0, 9.00) to the mound to face off against the Mariners LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 13.50).

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: For 2020 Predictions Los Atleticos My predictions for this upcoming 2020 season

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file photo from sfchronicle.com: Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien fields a grounder by San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey, who was out at first during a baseball game in San Francisco. Semien will look to build momentum from a career season that included being top three in the AL MVP voting. He was rewarded with a new $13 million, one-year contract to avoid arbitration, a raise of $7.1 million

2020 Predictions: Los Atléticos

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

My predictions for this upcoming 2020 season.

(American League West)

1-Oakland Athletics 2-Houston Astros 3-Los Angeles Angels 4-Texas Rangers 5-Seattle Mariners

Oakland A’s  (Offense) This is the year everything will come together for the Athletics. For the second year in a row finished with an excellent 97-65 record and behind the Houston Astros. They will catch and pass the scandal-riddled Houston Astros.

A’s are a powerful offensive force with numbers that do the talking. Among all 30 teams,the A’s finished fifth in home runs with 257,number eight in runs scored 845 and number ninth in runs driven-in with 800.

The team of the greatest base stealer ever, and in my opinion the best all-around player in the history of the Oakland A’s,Rickey Henderson who stole 1,406 bases during a stellar Hall of Fame career,only stole 49 bases last season,which put them close to the bottom,only three teams in baseball stole less bases.

But nobody is perfect,that is not their game, only the Giants, Twins and Cubs stole less bases than the A’s. Unfortunately (if you are old school) at this time in history where 30 homers for a player is “normal” and many say boring,the stolen base is like the bunt,”Breaking News”when it happens.

(Pitching) Bob Melvin A’s had the sixth best earned run average for a pitching staff in baseball with 3.97. Only Astros, Dodgers, Rays, Indians and Cardinals showed a better ERA. Their 2020 staff is one of the youngest and most talented in the game. Sean Manaea, Jesús Luzardo, Frankie Montás, A,J Puk, Mike Fiers starting and leading the way.

(Bullpen) Liam Hendriks (25 saves and 1.80 ERA),who took over Blake Treinen as closer was robbed of the Reliever of the Year Award by New York Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman,but was one of the reasons the A’s got to the AL Wild Card game.

The only reason Hendriks did not win the award is because he pitches for the A’s and Chapman for the Yankees. The market was the deciding factor. However,the Astros had the top bullpen in the AL West and third best in baseball last year with ERA (3.75) and batting average against (.226). Roberto Osuna led the Astros with 38 saves,second in baseball only to San Diego’s Kirby Yates with 41.

(Defense) Los Atléticos finished tied with the Atlanta Braves as the fourth best defensive team in baseball,with a .987 fielding percentage. and committed total of 80 errors,only Cardinals,Royals, Houston and Braves committed less. It all starts with the Golden Corners; Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, both Gold Glove winners,plus a mostly improved Marcus Semien at shortstop,and very a talented outfield with Ramón Laureano in center field. Ramón’s arm is one of the best – nobody runs on him.

2020 A’s are very similar to 2019.The second base position still wide open, they acquired veteran Tony Kemp but also have A’s minor league star Jorge Mateo as well as Franklin Barreto who already have some major league experience with the club, as well as Sheldon Neuse and then there is Rule 5 pick Vimael Machín.They are all candidates at the second-base position that Jurickson Profar left vacant after he signed with the San Diego Padres.

Conclusion: It will be a battle for the division between the A’s and the Astros. Now under Dusty Baker,the Houston team still one of the best group of players in baseball,it should not be easy for the A’s, but they are ready for battle. It is of great importance that the A’s win the division,because they are starting to get the label that they cannot win a Wild Card game.

The LA Angels with the addition of one of the finest hitters and all around players in third-baseman Anthony Rendon, who will now be in a lineup with MikeTrout, Justin Upton,Shohei Othani and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols hitting sixth or seventh,they will score tons of runs, but they are still short of pitching.Good luck to a great baseball guy,Joe Maddon, now back in Anaheim as manager.

Texas will be Texas,Joey Gallo might hit 50 home runs,so what? and the Seattle Mariners will continue to look up to the others in the division. Seattle a great city that once had stars such as Ken Griffey Jr. Edgar Martínez, Randy Johnson, Ichiro Susuki, Féliz Hernández, Jaime Moyer, Raúl Ibañez and others, but for this season they will be a sad again. Mariners remain the only team in the division never to win the pennant.

Atléticos First Homestand features two Divisional champions. A’s Open 2020 this Thursday March 26th at 1:07PM with the first of a four games against the Central Division champion Minnesota Twins followed by the Western Division champion Houston Astros for a three game series starting Monday. The Twins loaded with power set a new MLB record last season with 307 home runs and the Astros lead the regular season with 107 wins.

Coronavirus Note: WHO(World Health Organization)tips about this virus. 1-Wash hands frequently 2-Maintain social distances 3-Avoid touching,eyes, nose and mouth 4-If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio broadcasts and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com