Tag: sonny gray

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

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17128000751270

By Morris Phillips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It really is Springtime in Oakland for the Athletics in 2017

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

A's logo

OAKLAND–This is not just your usual end of spring training lets get ready for the regular season story. This year is really a new beginning for the Oakland Athletics and their fans for multiple, positive reasons.

Change of ownership and new upper management

John Fisher was always the majority owner of the Oakland Athletics for the past 11 years but no one really knew that fact. Mr. Fisher – who resides in San Francisco – preferred to stay in the background. Lew Wolff – a minority owner – was the managing partner.

During the Wolff era, the main emphasis was building a new stadium for the A’s that would allow them to better compete for the Bay Sports dollars with the Giants and their AT&T complex. There were several attempts and failures:

  • First came the plan to build a baseball park, shopping complex and residential area in Fremont on the west-side of I-880. That plan died a quiet death.
  • Then came the plan to move to San Jose. City officials were behind  the plan and had the land ready across from the SAP Arena. The Giants jumped in and said “over out dead bodies – San Jose is our territory!” In its typical avoid confrontation at any cost fashion, MLB asked the A’s to back off. The City of San Jose filed a law suit but lost in court.
  • The City of Oakland then tried to get Wolff excited about building a waterfront ballpark in the Howard Terminal area near Jack London Square. Wolff never seemed too excited about that location.
  • Finally, Wolff put together a plan to build a new ballpark, business center, shopping and residential complex on the current Coliseum site. That idea never caught traction as Oakland was still trying court the Raiders and Warriors to stay in the East Bay.

It became evident that Mr. Wolff was not going to get the job done. That combined with his age which he said was causing him to slow down made it apparent a change was coming. Many feared it meant a sale and move of the team to another market.

Mr. Fisher bought out Wolff’s stake in the team and them began to remake the front office. Michael Crowley – who had been president of the team for 20 years – moved into a consultants role. Dave Kaval – president of Fisher’s San Jose Earthquakes – assumed the team’s top spot in addition to his job with the soccer team.

kaval

Kaval has been through the stadium building process as he oversaw the construction of Avaya Stadium for the Earthquakes. The $100-million complex was completely privately funded.

avaya

Kaval has brought a new sense of enthusiasm to the organization. He is accessible to the fans, press and government officials. He has an openness to new ideas and what seems to be “can do” attitude. For the first in a long time, people are believing the Oakland Athletics are going to get a new place to play.

The A’s are now the only game in town (or soon will be)

Now that the NFL has told Oakland Raiders “to go pound sand” for the second time in 25 years by giving their OK to the team to move to Las Vegas, the A’s are or will soon be the lone occupants of the Coliseum.

coliseum-raiders_750xx640-359-0-11

As I sit in the press box and look out at “Mt. Davis” – the ugly monster third deck that was built to entice the Raiders back from Los Angeles – I want to vomit. That view out to center field used to be of the beautiful East Bay hills and BART trains zipping by every few minutes. The stadium felt open and spacious. Now, it feels closed in and crowded by too much concrete.

coliseum before

By the way, the Raiders do not use “Mt. Davis” because they cannot sell enough tickets to fill the seats. It is covered with large tarps baring Raiders logos. When the Raiders move to “Sin City”, the people of the City of Oakland will still be paying off the bonds for that ill-fated stadium alteration. Las Vegas – you might want to keep that in the back of your mind.

The Warriors are headed to San Francisco and a new home just south of the Giants’ AT&T Park.

Guess who that leaves in Oakland? “Holy Toledo!” (that’s for you Mr. King) its the A’s.

Now the A’s have two potential stadium sites. The Howard Terminal/Jack London Square site with the waterfront appeal is still available. The current Coliseum site with its great transportation infrastructure and unlimited development possibilities is now back in play.

Wow! The Oakland Athletics have choices for stadium sites. Who would have predicted that last Fall?

Finally – there is the beginning of a new season and the hope it brings

The MLB season gets underway on Sunday with three games including the Giants at Arizona. (That just chaps my hide. Baseball is supposed to begin of Monday with one day game in Cincinnati – the first professional baseball team – then the rest of baseball begins play on Tuesday).

The Athletics open the regular season on Monday at home with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It will be a four-game series that concludes with a day game on Thursday.

RHP Kendall Graveman (10-11, 4.11 in 2016) gets the call for the A’s and RHP Ricky Nolasco (8-14, 4.42 in 2016) taking the hill for LAA.

The A’s still have some personnel decisions to make. They still have 36 players on the roster as of Saturday. Five of those players (Bassitt, Gray, Mengden, Smolinski and Wendle) are expected to start the season on the Disabled List. So, that means six players remain who have to be sent to the minors or released. These are never easy hours for front office personnel and coaches as they have to decide the fates of players.

Eight relievers in the “pen” to start the season

A’s manager Bob Melvin announced on Saturday the team will start the season with eight pitchers in the bullpen. Melvin said that will be the case until of the starting pitchers have made at least two starts. The “skipper” is anticipating shorter outings until his starters have a little more game experience under their belt.

Another reason for the expanded relief corps is the performance of RHP Frankie Montas. Montas came to the A’s from the Dodgers last season in the Reddick/Hill trade. He was on DL recovering from rib surgery last year. The 100-mph throwing pitcher is on a limited pitch count so the “pen” is a great spot for him right now.

When Sonny Gray returns, Montas is expected to go Nashville and return to working as a starting pitcher. A starting pitcher that throws 100-mph – whew.

Giants win the final Spring Training game 6-3 over the A’s in Oakland

The Giants used the long ball to beat the A’s on Saturday. Nick Hundley crushed a grand slam home run in the 4th inning off A’s starter Andrew Triggs. Hundley ended up with four RBIs in the game to improve his total to 12 for the spring.

Justin Ruggiano hit a two-run homer in the top of seventh inning with Raul Alcantara on the hill for the A’s. All of the San Francisco runs came via the long ball.

Giants RHP Tyler Beede (2-0, 2.03) started the game and picked up the win. He pitched 4.0-innings giving up two runs on five hits. Both runs were earned. He struck out five and walked none. Ironically, Beede did not make the Giants major league roster.

RHP Andrew Triggs (1-3, 8.10) took the loss for the Athletics. Triggs allowed four runs (all earned) on six hits including the Hundley grand slam. He struck four and walked one. Triggs will be on the A’s roster on Monday night when they open the season with the Angels.

 

November is coming and things will be heating up for the A’s

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

hot-stove

by Charlie O. Mallonee

With the World Series almost over, that means the “Hot Stove League” is warming up. Let’s see what might be cooking for the Oakland Athletics.

Arbitration-Eligible Players

k-davis
Khris Davis swings away
  • Danny Valencia IF/OF is ARB 3 and will get a projected $5.3-million in arbitration if the A’s go there. The question is do they need Valencia at this point? The answer is probably not. They have Healy at third base and Valencia is not a great outfielder. Look for Valencia to be a free agent.
  • Yonder Alonso IF/DH is also at the ARB 3 level and is projected get a contract worth $4.1-million. With Billy Butler gone, the A’s will be using a platoon system at the DH spot. Alonso can supply some power at the plate and plays a decent first base. Look for the A’s to pony up the bucks to keep him around.
  • Khris Davis OF/DH is eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career. Coming off a 42 home run – 102 RBI season Davis is looking forward to the process which will probably get him a $5-million contract.
  • Sonny Gray RHP is also eligible for arbitration for the first time. Unfortunately for Gray, he is coming off an injury-riddled season that will keep his numbers down. The projection is that he will receive a $3.7-million deal.
  • Stephen Vogt C will also experience the arbitration process for the first time in his career. Coming off back-to-back All-Star seasons cannot hurt his negotiations. Look for him to get around $3.7 million.
  • Liam Hendriks RHP – the Aussie reliever – made 53 appearances for the A’s the in 2016. The Athletics have to decide if that production is worth a $1-million contract which is what he’s projected to get in arbitration.

Players file for arbitration in January and the teams then respond with contract offers or inform the player an offer will not be tendered. If a contract cannot be negotiated, an arbitration hearing will take place in early February.

Arbitration salary projections are from RosterResource.com that has a track record of being very accurate with their projections

Players for whom Arbitration is only a dream

dreamer

  • Marcus Semien SS arbitration eligible in 2018
  • Kendall Graveman RHP first arb year in 2018
  • Ryan Dull RHP the young reliever will not see arbitration until 2019
  • Sean Manaea LHP  will join Dull at the arbitration table in ’19
  • Ryon Healy IF/DH the young phenom will not see arbitration until 2020

Given the cost of MLB players in today’s market, you can see why the cost conscious Athletics like find talented young players that they can control through the pre-arbitration process and then trade during the arbitration years for … younger players.

Free Agent Moves

Lambo had his 2016 season cut short when it was discovered that he had testicular cancer. He had to undergo surgery but has recovered and is ready to get back to playing the game. Lambo batted .255 in 56 games a Triple-A Nashville.

Cubs in the World Series nets the A’s a pitcher

The A’s claimed LHP Giovanni Soto off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. He was designated for assignment to make room on the Cubs 40-man roster for Kyle Schwarber who went to the Arizona Fall League and is now on the Chicago World Series roster.

Soto made his Major League debut in September 2015 with the Cleveland Indians. Cleveland traded Soto to the Cubs in April 2016 for cash. He spent the season at Triple-A Iowa where he went 1-3 with 5.14 ERA in 33 relief appearances.

 

Sonny Gray pitches scoreless inning in A’s loss to Angels

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment
Sonny Gray returned to action in the A's loss to the Angels on Wednesday (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today Sports)
Sonny Gray returned to action in the A’s loss to the Angels on Wednesday (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today Sports)

By: Eric He

ANAHEIM — Sonny Gray made his return to the mound and threw a scoreless inning on Wednesday night, but the A’s fell 8-6 to the Angels at Angel Stadium.

An 8-run fourth inning by the Angels making the difference.

Ross Detwiler, who replaced Gray in the second inning, was charged with all 8 runs and a 2-0 A’s lead turned into a blowout for the home team rather quickly.

It started with Andrelton Simmons knocking in Jefry Marte with a single to right to cut the lead to 2-1. After a double by Jett Bandy to center field, Los Angeles evened the score when Danny Valencia couldn’t handle a ground ball hit to third, and Simmons crossed home plate to tie the game. And the next batter, Shane Robinson, ripped a double down the left field line to plate two more and give the Angels a 4-2 lead.

A’s manager Bob Melvin thought Detwiler looked good in his first couple of innings.

“Early on, it looked like he had good stuff,” he said. “Usually you can tell when he’s on. He had good movement, good mix right away and then got some balls up, got some funky counts.”

Melvin then went out to the mound to check in on Detwiler, but the lefty promptly allowed a 2-run home run to Kole Calhoun on the very next pitch. Chris Smith relieved Detwiler, but Smith walked in a run with the bases loaded and the Angels scored once more on an error by catcher Bruce Maxwell. In all, 8 runs crossed the plate in a disaster of an inning for Oakland.

“The Calhoun [home run] was the one that really hurt,” Melvin said. “Coming in and not being the starter … He’s relieved and started for us and shouldn’t have been an issue.”

The A’s did come back with four unanswered runs, as Khris Davis drilled his 41st home run of the season in the sixth and Marcus Semien hit a 2-run blast in the eighth to cut the deficit to 8-6.

“That’s a big blow for us right there where we feel like we’re back in the ball game,” Melvin said. “[Angels closer Andrew Bailey] wasn’t available today and we thought going into the ninth, we had a chance.”

But they could not duplicate that success in the ninth, as the A’s went down 1-2-3 to end the game.

The A’s jumped on Angels’ starter Alex Meyer right off the bat, taking a 1-0 lead three batters into the game on back-to-back doubles by Stephen Vogt and Ryon Healy, who just missed a home run in center field. Later in the inning, Yonder Alonso singled to right to bring Healy home after Calhoun bobbled the ball in the outfield.

As for Gray, he was satisfied with his performance. He pitched around a leadoff single in the first inning before being taken out with 18 pitches thrown. Detwiler replaced him to start the second.

“It was an inning but honestly I felt like I could’ve went longer,” Gray said. “I hadn’t thrown an inning in more than two months. I was little nervous before the game.”

Gray has been bottled up by injury and has struggled this season, coming into the game with a 5-11 record and a 5.74 ERA in 21 starts. He went on the disabled list on Aug. 7th with inflammation in his right elbow and forearm.

“That’s our guy,” Melvin said. “Just for us to know as a team, he went out there and was healthy, looked like the old Sonny — psychologically, it was good for our ballclub.”

The A’s head to Seattle tomorrow to face the Mariners their final series of the season.

Call the MASH Unit: Sonny Gray to the Disabled List

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
MLB: Chicago Cubs at Oakland Athletics
Sonny Gray pitching against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Photo Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY

by Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND–As if the Oakland Athletics did not have enough problems to deal with already, their number one pitcher – Sonny Gray – is headed back to the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season. Gray strained his right forearm in the game versus the Cubs on Saturday in Oakland.

Gray is 5-11 with a 5.74 ERA on the season. Opposing batters are hitting .286 against Gray in his 21 starts. Gray has the highest ERA in the majors and is tied for third in the American League in losses.

The A’s turn to the Nashville connection once again to fill Gray’s spot on the roster. Right-handed pitcher Chris Smith has been promoted from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Smith, catcher Josh Phegley was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Smith has spent the entire season at Nashville. He has a 6-8 record with a 3.93 ERA and .239 batting average against in 22 starts. Smith is 35-years old and will be returning to the majors for the first time since 2010 when he made three relief appearances for Milwaukee. He was a non-roster invitee to spring training this year and accepted an assignment to Triple-A.

A’s look good, but play poorly in 4-0 shutout loss to the Cubs

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Jake Arrieta, right at the top of the list of major league pitching performers since the beginning of the 2015 season, is almost back to form after a more than a month without a victory, and the hapless A’s got a firsthand look on Saturday at the transformation.

Arrieta went eight innings, allowing just three hits, in the Cubs 4-0 shutout of the A’s that has the two clubs headed in opposite directions. The A’s have lost seven of eight to fall a season-worst 14 games below .500, while the Cubs have won 16 of 22 to move a season-best 27 games above .500 for second time.

The most obvious sign of Arrieta’s reemergence is the seamless combination of his slider and his sinker, which A’s manager Bob Melvin lauded after the game. Given the control of those two pitches, Arrieta has become calculating in eschewing strikeouts for easier outs after a couple of pitches.

“Not worrying about strikeouts,” Arrieta said. “Those will come in big situations. Maybe a guy on third, a guy on second base, no outs, less than two, punchouts are more important. I’m trying to get through the middle innings.”

In his month long slump—after he won 28 of his 31 decisions spanning this season and last—Arrieta struggled to get through the middle of games, going 0-3 in five starts. Now according to the pitcher, he’s almost back to form, so dominant that he can decide how he retires the hitters he faces.

For the A’s, who have dropped the first two games of this series, and are only hitting .241 as a team at home this season, Arrieta’s return to form meant a very quiet afternoon for the Oakland offense. Yonder Alonso’s two-out double in the second inning rated as the high point on Saturday, and that preceded a strikeout of Marcus Semien that ended the inning.

Only one other A’s baserunner—Semien in the fifth—even reached second base against Arrieta and Travis Wood, who pitched the ninth for the Cubs.

The A’s had hoped that a return to the Coliseum after a rough road trip would signal a return to playing competitive baseball, but the A’s have been quiet in dropping the first two games of a 10-game home stand. In addition, the A’s were blindsided by the bizarre story of staffer Mike Henriques installing a hidden camera in the team’s weight room, likely to monitor injured Athletics work out habits. Henriques was suspended on Thursday when the camera was discovered.

At least the A’s looked resplendent in their 1981 throwback uniforms, which coincided with a celebration of the division-winning club under manager Billy Martin that year. The Cubs stepped up their uniform game as well on Saturday, sporting baby blue pinstripe uniforms from the same year.

On Sunday, the A’s look to avoid the sweep with Sean Manaea on the mound in a matchup with Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks.

NOTES: A’s starter Sonny Gray departed early on Saturday after experiencing discomfort in his upper forearm. Gray lobbied to remain in the game, but Melvin pulled his pitcher just to be cautious. Gray will be re-examined on Sunday in an attempt to determine if he will be available for his next start.

 

It was a gray day for Sonny in Cleveland as the Indians win 8-0

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
MLB: Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians
Tough day for Sonny Gray in Cleveland. Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Cleveland Indians completed a three-game sweep of Oakland on Sunday by shutting out the Athletics 8-0. The Indians rode the strong starting pitching of Corey Kluber and the well timed hitting of the bottom third of the order to close out the A’s trip to Cleveland out on a down note.

The victory was the Indians 60th of season against 42 losses. The “Tribe” has now won three games in-a-row and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The win gives them a 4.5 game lead over second-place Detroit in the AL Central.

The loss drops the A’s record to 47-58 – 11 games under the key goal of getting to the .500 mark. The A’s have lost three straight games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Oakland has dropped into last place in the AL West – 14.0 games back of Texas and 0.5 games back of the Angels in fourth place.

On the Bump

Sonny Gray looked strong in the first two innings of the game. He sat the side down in order in each inning and it appeared Gray was on track for a strong outing. Then came the third inning and the wheels came off for Gray.

Gray loaded the bases and then with one out, gave up single to right field to Jason Kipnis that was good for two RBI. Francisco Lindor then hit a sacrifice fly to center field that drove in Roberto Perez. Designated Hitter Mike Napoli then hit a two-run home run over the left center field wall to make it a 5-0 game in favor of the Indians.

The A’s were unable to find any runs in the top of the fourth to help Gray as he headed back to the mound to face the Cleveland batters.

Gray gave up another run on two singles and walk and his day on the hill was over. Daniel Coulombe came on in relief and gave up a sacrifice fly (run charged to Gray) before getting the final out. The Indians led 7-0 after four complete innings.

The Indians would score once more in the bottom of the fifth-inning.

Sonny Gray’s record fell to 5-10 for the year. Even more alarming his ERA rose to 5.84. On Sunday, Gray worked just 3.1 innings giving up seven runs (all earned) on eight hits. He struck out three and walked two. Gray threw 64 pitches (43 strikes).

Daniel Coulombe threw 1.2 innings in relief giving up one run (earned) on one hit while striking out two and walking two hitters. J.B. Wendelken worked three scoreless innings of long relief giving up just one hit, striking out three and issuing one walk.

It really was Corey Kluber’s day on the bump. The 2014 Cy Young winner was in great form as he threw 7.0 scorless innings distributing just five hits, walking just two A’s while striking out seven hitters. Kluber threw 103 pitches (67 strikes). It was the kind of performance that one would expect out of the number one man in the rotation of a first-place team.

The Indians used three pitchers to cover the eighth and ninth innings to close out the game.

In the Batter’s Box

Yonder Alonso had the only multi-hit game for the A’s. He had a double and a single in the game to raise his average to .250. Stephen Vogt, Jake Smolinski and Marcus Semien all hit doubles in the contest.

The A’s left eight runners on base and were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

DH Mike Napoli was the man at the plate for Cleveland on Sunday. He went 1-for-3 with a 2-run home run, scored two runs, had two RBI and added a walk.

The number seven, eight and nine hitters in the order collected five of Cleveland’s 10 hits and scored five of their eight runs. That is a pretty productive bottom third of the order.

The Indians left six runners on base and were 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

On Defense

In the bottom of the fourth, Lonnie Chisenhall was at first when Tyler Naquin singled to right field. Josh Reddick fielded the ball and then threw a bullet to third base to try to cut down Chisenhall who decided to challenge Reddick’s arm. Rookie Ryon Healy took the throw, put down the tag and Chisenhall became the first out of the inning.

Who goes – who stays

The clock is ticking and the phones are ringing as teams are desperately trying to make deals before the non-wavier trade deadline hits at 1:00 PM PDT on Monday. There are several A’s players that the “experts” think could be on the move.

The two most prominent names are still pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick. The new wrinkle involving these two players is that several teams are trying to pick them up as a package. Peter Gammons of MLB Network says the Dodgers have asked about the two as a package deal. Ken Rosenthal of Fox is reporting that the Blue Jays are also pursuing the pair as a package.

With Hill on the DL due the blister on pitching hand, some teams have asked about a conditional trade that would reduce the compensation to the A’s if Hill is unable to become competitive for the rest of the season. The word is the A’s have said no to those proposals. Hill is a “as is” with “no warranty” trade. You buy it – you own it.

The name of Danny Valencia has dropped off the radar in the last 72 hours but do not be surprised to hear Valencia has packed his bags and is on his way to a contender tomorrow afternoon. His productive bat is too good to be ignored.

Up Next

The A’s traveled to Southern California after the game on Sunday and will have a day off before beginning a three-game series with the Angels on Tuesday.

Tue 8/2 @LAA LHP Sean Manaea (3-5,4.57) vs. RHP Matt Shoemaker (5-11,4.17) 7:05 PM PDT

Wed 8/3 @LAA RHP Kendall Graveman (7-7,4.15) vs. RHP Jared Weaver (8-8,5.14) 7:05 PM PDT

Thu 8/4 @LAA  To Be Announced for Oakland       vs. RHP Tim Lincecum (2-5,8.49) 4:05 PM PDT

The Indians will stay in Cleveland and will begin a four-game series with the Twins on Monday night.

 

Oakland A’s Tuesday game wrap:The A’s Sonny Gray gets some support, the A’s down the Rangers

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien (10) puts the tag on the Texas Rangers Rougned Odor (12) after attempting to stretch a hit into a double at Arlington on Tuesday night

The A’s evened the series with the Texas Rangers at one apiece when they beat them 6-3 Tuesday at the Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The A’s ace, Sonny Gray, pitched well for the first four innings of the game. He unraveled a bit in the fifth as the Rangers had five straight hits and scored three times. Josh Reddick had the defensive play of the night when he threw out Rougned Odor at second when he tried to stretch a single into a double. Gray righted the ship and pitched a clean sixth inning, and the A’s bullpen did not allow Texas to score in either the seventh, eighth, or ninth innings to preserve the win.

The A’s scored three times in the fourth inning. The veteran center fielder, Coco Crisp, hit a solo homer with no on and no out for the A’s first run. It was the eighth of the year for Coco. Josh Reddick hit his seventh of the year with a man aboard to put the A’s ahead 3-0.

The A’s scored two more in the fifth. Marcus Semien hit his twenty-first of the year to center with nobody aboard. Reddick drove in his third run of the game later in the inning. The Rangers scored three runs in their half of the fifth. The Rangers’ Joey Gallo hit a solo homer to put Texas on the board. It was the first dinger of the yer for Gallo. Later in the inning, big Mitch Moreland hit a two-run blast to reduce the deficit to two.

There was no more scoring in the game until the ninth inning. The A’s put an insurance run on the board, nd they won by a final of 6-3.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s improve to 8-4 since the All-Star break and 46-55 for the season. The Rangers drop to 58-43 and are still in first place in the AL West.The Astros lost to the Yankees and they trail the Rangers by 3.5 games. The A’s are in fourth place twelve games behind Texas in the division.

The rubber game will be played Wednesday night at 5:05 pm in Texas. Lefty Sean Manaea will go for Oakland. Manaea had his best game of the year against Tampa Bay last week and the A’s are hoping he can continue to pitch well. Yu Darvish, on the comeback trail, will pitch for the Rangers.

The Tampa Bay Rays down the A’s; Gray shelled for nine hits and seven runs

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray got lit up by the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum here Gray delivers a pitch in the first inning

OAKLAND–The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the A’s  7-3 Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum behind the strong pitching of lefty Matt Moore. The A’s Sonny Gray had another tough outing, and he absorbed his ninth loss of the season. A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Gray was tinkering with some of his pitches to regain his command.  Melvin remarked that he feels Gray still has great “stuff” and that he is confident that he will regain the form that he had the last three years.

The Rays grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first. Logan Forsythe singled to right leading off the game. He advanced to third on two successive ground outs. DH Corey Dickerson singled to drive in Forsythe. With two out in the second, the Rays first baseman Tim Beckham, hitting just .213, sent  a Sonny Gray pitch into the seats in left field a for his fourth home run of the year. Rays lead 2-0 in the middle of the second. The A’s stormed back in their half of the inning. With two out and men on at first and second, Jake Smolinski hit his fifth dinger of the year to put Oakland in the lead 3-2. The ball hit the top of the fence and then bounced over. Had it bounced back to the field of ply, the umps may have ruled it a double.

Corey Dickerson tied the game at three with a leadoff opposite field solo home run. It was Dickerson’s fourteenth of the year.  The Rays scored four runs on five hits in the top of the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. Five straight hits and a sac fly made life miserable for Gray in the fifth. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the fifth and Sonny is done for the night. Sonny’s line for the night is five innings pitched, nine hits allowed, seven runs all earned.

Game Notes- The A’s are 4-3 since the All-Star break and fell to 7-10 in July. The A’s are now 42-54 for the season. The Rays improved to 38-57. Both teams are in last place in their respective divisions.

Sonny Gray is 4-9 for the year and 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA since coming off the DL on June 5th. Gray has won just one game since April 22nd. Jake Smolinski had the big knock of the night for Oakland when he hit a three-run dinger in the second inning.

The Rays have won three consecutive games for the first time since June 12-15. Matt Moore is 4-3 with a 2.68 ERA over his last eight starts.

Game two of the four-game series will be played Friday night in Oakland. Game time will be 7:05 PM. Lefty Sean Manaea will be on the hill for Oakland, and righty Jake Odorizzi will handle the pitching chores for Tampa Bay.

Time of game was two hours and forty-six minutes, and 14,412 fans watched the A’s go down to defeat.

Rookie homers in his second big-league game to lead the A’s over the Jays

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

Healy homers

 

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–It’s buy or sell time for the Oakland A’s, an annual check of the temperature for an organization of constantly moving parts. So that brings us to Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Blue Jays, engineered by a guy who just got here, another who’s probably not going anywhere, and a third whose arrival was certainly unexpected, given that he figured to stay where he was at.

Khris Davis, the guy who was traded to Oakland after putting up decent numbers that would suggest he would remain with the Brewers, homered twice in the win. Ryon Healy, who made his major league debut on Friday night, hit a three-run homer off R.A. Dickey for his first big league hit. And Sonny Gray ended a streak of 12 consecutive appearances without a win by hanging around long enough to benefit from all three long balls hit by Davis and Healy.

“I don’t think it’s any secret things haven’t been as you would hope for the majority of the year” Gray said. “And then today was a little bit more of physical and mental together after the second inning. Like I said, ‘Mentally, just stop fighting yourself. Don’t try to be too perfect.’”

Gray hadn’t picked up a win since April 22 before Saturday, the longest drought of any starter in baseball. Along with the hold-your-breath back issues that cost Gray two weeks last month, it hasn’t been the Oakland ace’s best season, just one year after he finished third in the AL Cy Young race. Manager Bob Melvin has termed Gray’s struggles as just an off year. Consequently, it’s less likely that Gray’s traded before the August 1 deadline. Gray’s trade value has lessened to a degree, not the ideal circumstances for a Billy Beane trade executed for the purpose of bringing back a bushel of prospects.

The biggest reason—and there are several—the A’s are where they are lies with their tepid, inconsistent offense, especially at the Coliseum. Coming into Saturday’s tilt with Toronto, the A’s had lost 10 of their last 14 at home, and are hitting just .244 as a team in their own building, the third worst showing by an AL team at home. But that changed a bit with the three home runs, especially the bomb hit by Davis in the sixth that put the A’s up 5-3.

Davis’ blast to right center traveled 431 feet, power that Melvin termed a gift that only a handful of major leaguers possess. He also homered on Friday, and he leads the A’s with 22 on the season. While Coco Crisp and Danny Valencia will see their playing time reduced to make room for younger players to audition at the big league level, and Josh Reddick is likely to be traded, Davis is on track to stay, play and but up the biggest numbers of his four major-league seasons, hopefully somewhere north of 35 homers and 95 RBI.

After hitting 27 home runs in 121 games for the Brewers, Davis was thought to be establishing himself in Milwaukee. But the Brewers wanted to make room for a pair of younger outfielders, Domingo Santana and Rymer Liriano, and didn’t like the look of their outfield defense with Ryan Braun and the weak-armed Davis in the corners. So the 28-year old was shipped to Oakland in February after almost all the off-season deals had been consummated.

Davis hasn’t been a complete knockout, walking just 11 times while striking out 87, but he’s outdone Braun (13 home runs), Santana (4), Liriano (1) in the power department by quite a bit.

After allowing three home runs on Saturday, Dickey’s allowed 22 on the season, and he admitted the chemistry of his trademark knuckler was off on Saturday. The veteran pitcher has said in the past that the quality of the pitch varies with temperature, wind and velocity, and it was obvious that those factors weren’t meshing in the second inning when Healy and Davis both went deep.

“If you got the ball up in the air today, it was going to go,” Dickey said. “Unfortunately, I left one up, but that’s the first slow knuckleball I’ve thrown in four years that has gotten hit out, so I thought it was a safe pitch.”

Healy’s moon shot ended up just inside the left field foul pole, and elicited various reactions. His mom, Laurie, among a group of 10 family members and friends in the stands, shed a tear. The rookie was greeted enthusiastically at home plate by Stephen Vogt and Marcus Semien who scored ahead of him. And the A’s dugout ignored Healy just long enough to make it a lovable act.

Healy’s home run was the first of the 22 Dickey has allowed with as many as two baserunners aboard. It put the A’s up 4-2, and set the Steve Vucinich Ball Retrieval Machine in motion. The A’s equipment manager was successful in finding the rookie’s initial hit and home run ball, exchanging it for another ball and a signed bat.

“Much appreciation for him,” Healy said of fan David Thompson, who caught the ball and took the deal.

The A’s look for the sweep on Sunday with Rich Hill getting the start. He’ll face Toronto’s J.A. Happ, who has an exemplary 12-3 record, which includes an impressive shutout of the Giants at AT&T Park in May.