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The Oakland A’s Tyler Wade contributed big with the bat and glove at the Oakland Coliseum against the New York Yankees on Tue Jun 27, 2023 (@Athletics image)

New York (AL) (43-36). 000 010 000 000 – 1. 7. 0

Oakland (21-60). 001 100 000 000 – 2. 5 0

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 13,050

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKALND–If you race to the bottom of this dispatch, you’ll find an attachment titled “Race to the Bottom.” That’s where you can keep up to date with the A’s dreary race to have the worst winning percentage in the history of major league baseball. Spoiler alert: it isn’t even close.

The Yankees historically have been a big draw here on the banks of the River Nimitz. It often was cheaper for New Yorkers to hop a flight to OAK, buy some pretty decent seats, get good, cheap food, and return to Gotham for less than it cost to spend an afternoon or evening in The House That Ruth Built.

Tonight’s game drew all of 13,050. people to the Coliseum, who watched the A’s defeat the Yanks, 2-1, in a nail biter. Most of the cheers before the ninth inning seemed to be for the Yankees.

The moribund Athletics sent hard luck hurler Paul Blackburn to the mound with an 0-0, 4.21 record. He pitched well tonight, lasting 5-1/3 innings and leaving with a runner on first. He allowed a single run, which was earned and came on a home run.

He surrendered three other hits and a walk, striking out five Bronx Bombers, 55 of his 90 offerings counted as strikes. Blackburn’s efforts earned him his first win of the year and brought his ERA down to 3.77.

The Bronx Bombers entrusted their pitching to rookie right hander Jhonny Brito, who came to work this evening with a record of 4-3, 4.89. Brito’s last appearance had been on June 21 at The Stadium, where held the Mariners scoreless on two hits over 5-2/3 innings, He earned the win for that performance.

He went 5-2/3 innings again tonight but yielded two runs, both of them earned. He surrendered four hits, one for four bases and struck out an equal number of opponents, two. He threw 81 pitches, 52 for strikes. He took the tough loss and now has a record of 4-4, 4.70.

The starters traded goose eggs until Tyler Wade sent a one out triple into the right flied corner and scored on Esteury Ruíz’s ensuing single to left put the A’s ahead, 1-0. Seth Brown’s towering fly over the right field auxiliary scoreboard in the fourth extended the lead to 2-0.

Old Oakland fan favorite Josh Donaldson cut the advantage in half with a lead off blast that travelled 423 feet into left field for his seventh home run of what has been a disappointing year at the plate for the Yankee’s third baseman. His four bagger came off a 91 mph four seam fast ball.

Lucas Erceg relieved Blackburn after the starter had issued a one out walk to Anthony Rizzo in the sixth. A force out and a strike out later the one run lead still stood.

Southpaw Nick Ramírez took over for Brito with one on and two down in the bottom of the sixth, walked Brown and retired Brett Rooker to close out the frame. Right handed Tommy Kahn replaced him for the home seventh and put the A’s away, 1-2-3.

It was Trevor May who was pitching for Oakland in the top of the eighth after Langeliers had thrown out Volpe trying to steal second. The Yanks challenged the call, but after review, it stood. May walked a couple of Yanks and almost walked the bases full but still escaped without any damage.

After Ruíz opened the home eighth with a Texas League single to right center, Wandy Peralta took Kahn’s place on the pitching rubber and shut the A’s down.

Sam Moll earned the save in the top of the ninth. Gleyber Torres led off with a pinch hit single to left. Moll bore down and got Donaldson on a called third strike.

Billy McKinney lined out to right. Two down. Volpe beat out a slow grounder too short. Oakland challenged the call. It stood. Kyle Higshioka, who had replaced IsiahKiner-Falefa, who had pinch run in the top of the inning, to 1-2, and … went down swinging.

The three game series resumes tomorrow at 6:40. Recovering New Yorkers like me can recall the Ballantine Blasts and White Owl Wallops of yesteryear while Domingo Germán (4-5, 5.10) of the pinstripers duels the A’s JP Sears (1-5, 4.10)

Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn gets the start against the New York Yankees on Tue Jun 27, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (San Francisco Chronicle photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (20-60) finished the six-game road trip to Cleveland and Toronto with a record of one win and five losses. After a seven-game winning streak, the A’s have lost ten of the last 11 games. Many of the games were competitive.

The A’s lost four one-run games in a row. The team showed signs of improvement. However, in the last two losses to the Toronto Blue Jays, the A’s showed much work still to be done. The A’s lost 7-3 on Saturday and were routed 12-1 on Sunday.

The A’s are off on Monday as they prepare to start a six-game homestand against the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees entered the 2023 season with high hopes. The Yankees last won a World Series in 2009.

The Bronx Bombers have been in the playoffs several times since then but have yet to be able to get to the big prize, the World Series. The Yankees’ biggest star, Aaron Judge, the current AL Most Valuable Player, is on the injured list with a torn ligament in his toe.

Judge, a Northern California native, is out of action until August 1. The injury jinx has wreaked havoc on the Yankees’ pitching staff. The Yankees signed form San Francisco Giant starter Carlos Rodon as a free agent. Rodon had a terrific season in San Francisco last year.

This year, Rodon has yet to throw a pitch for the pinstripes. Lefty Nestor Cortes, who pitched well in 2022, is also on the IL. Frankie Montas, acquired by the Yanks from the A’s at the trading deadline, is out until September first. Reliever Lou Trivino, another former Athletic, is out for the season.

The Yankees are currently in third place in the AL East Division. The Yankees are 43-35 and are nine and 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Toronto Blue Jays are ready to catapult into third place as they trail the Yankees by just 1/2 game.

Several key players on the Yankees’ roster are having a down year. Third baseman Josh Donaldson was benched for the last three games against the Texas Rangers. Donaldson, a former Athletic and 2015 MVP with the Toronto Blue Jays, is hitting a minuscule .125 with six home runs and eight RBIs.

Donaldson has hinted that 2023 may be his last season in baseball. Another player having a down year is DJ LeMahieu. LeMAhieu is a career .294 hitter. This year, he is hitting .230 with seven homers and 25 RBIs. The Yankees hope he can find his stroke against the A’s pitching staff.

Another player with disappointing numbers is big Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, in his career, has hit 384 home runs. H’s career batting average is .263. This year, Stanton’s numbers show that his batting average is below the Mendoza line at .194. Stanton has six home runs and 14 RBIs. These numbers are different from what the Yankees need to win.

The players to watch in the series will be first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Second baseman Glyber Torres, Shortstop Anthony Volpe, and centerfielder Harrison Bader. Rizzo’as average is at .270, and he has hit 11 dingers and driven in 37. Rizzo, a left-handed hitter, has been helped by baseball’s ban on the shift.

Glyber Torres is at .246 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs. Volpe, in his rookie season, is also under the Mendoza line. His average is just .196. He does have some pop in his bat, as he has slugged ten home runs and knocked in 28.

Yankees’ skipper Aron Boone has several players to play in left or right field. Jake Bauers can play in either position. Billy McKinney or Isiah Kiner-Falefa may see action this week.

The starting pitchers for Tuesday night’s game are the Yanks Jhonny Brito(4-3, ERA 4.89) going against the A’s Paul Blackburn (0-0, ERA 4.21 ). Domingo German (4-5, ERA 5.10) will go for New York on Wednesday. Former Yankee JP Sears(1-5, ERA 4.10) will pitch for Oakland. Clarke Schmidt (2-6, ERA 4.32) will be the Yankees’ starter on Thursday. The A’s have yet to announce their starter.

The Yankees’ bullpen will feature Clay Holmes as their closer. Ron Marinaccio and Michael King have also recorded several saves. Other pitchers that will see action in the series are Jimmy Cordero, Albert Abreu, and Nick Ramirez.

The A’s and the Yankees have been playing each other since 1901. The Yankees, in the early days, were known as the Highlanders. The Yankees have had a long tradition of winning. They have won forty American League Championships and 27 World Series. The A’s are tied with the Boston Red Sox with nine World Series rings in their storied existence. The A’s have won 13 AL Pennants.

This year has been an exceptionally down season for the A’s. The team has a record of 20 wins and sixty losses. The team’s pitching could have been better. The starters own an ERA of over seven. The bullpen should be known as the arson squad. The A’s have a run differential of -224. The second-worst run differential in baseball is the Colorado Rockies’ -123.

Yet, the A’s would love to upset the Yankees’ apple cart. Yankee fans will be at the Oakland Coliseum to cheer their team to victory. As fans of the 29 other baseball teams know, Yankee fans can be loud, rude, and obnoxious. Hopefully, A’s fans will visit the park to see the games.