Tag: Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays’ Manuel Margot, center, is congratulated by teammates hitting an RBI walkoff single off Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino in the bottom of the tenth inning at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Tue Apr 12, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Tampa Bay Rays (4-1) downed the Oakland A’s (2-3) 9-8 in ten innings Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The game moved at the speed of a glacier as it took four hours and 13 minutes to play.

The game featured two pitchers making their Major League debuts. Neither pitcher fared well. Rays’ starter Tommy Romero went one and two-thirds innings. He allowed three runs, three hits, and walked five. The A’s starter, Adam Oller, lasted one and one-third innings. His line was five runs, five hits, three walks, and he gave up two home runs.

The A’s jumped off to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Romero walked the first two batters he faced. A’s DH, Jed Lowrie, blasted his first homer of the year to make it 3-0. The Rays’ leadoff hitter, Brandon Lowe, homered to make it 3-1.

Tampa put four on the board in the bottom of the second. Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino doubled to start the rally. Zunino went to third on Oller’s throwing error. Second baseman Taylor Wall singled to drive in Zunino.

Brandon Lowe walked to put two men on with no out. Oller retired Wander Franco for the first out. Rays’ first baseman Ji-Man Choi put Oller’s pitch into the seats in right field to put the Rays ahead 5-3. Oller’s night was over.

In the bottom of the third, with Jacob Lemoine on the mound for Oakland, Brett Phillips sent Lemoine’s pitch into the stands to make it 6-3.

The A’s offense woke up from its slumber to put a run on the board. With two out and Seth Brown at second, Stephen Piscotty reached on an infield single. Brown, running hard, appeared to be thrown out at the plate. Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino had trouble holding onto the ball.

Brown slid in safely. The A’s trail 6-4. The Rays regained the three-run advantage in their half of the sixth. Wander Franco led off with a triple. Ji-Man Choi reached on an infield single. Franco was held at third. Unfortunately for the A’s, second baseman Tony Kemp could not handle Randy Arozarena’s ground ball. Kemp’s error allowed Franco to score. The score after six was 7-4 Rays.

The A’s refused to quit. With two out in the top of the seventh, the A’s plated three runs to tie the score. The fifth Rays’ pitcher of the night, Ralph Garza, walked Lowrie and Sean Murphy. Seth Brown singled to drive in Lowrie. Chad Pinder’s fly ball to rightfield went over Manuel Margot’s head and bounced up against the wall for a double. Murphy and Brown scored and tied the game at 7-7.

Neither team could score in the eighth or ninth innings. The game went into extra innings. The A’s scored a run to take the lead 8-7. Chad Pinder was the ghost runner at second base to start the tenth. A’s first baseman, Billy McKinney, singled to drive in Pinder.

The Rays’ Brandon Lowe was the ghost runner in the bottom of the tenth. Lou Trivino was now pitching for Oakland. Trivino had to face a tough customer in the person of Wander Franco. The young superstar doubled to drive in Lowe and tie the game.

Trivino retired Randy Arozarena for the first out. The A’s put Josh Lowe on first to set up a possible inning-ending double play. The strategy was for naught as Manuel Margot ended the game with a single to drive in Franco. The Rays win 9-8.

Game Notes- The A’s are 2-3 for the year with the loss. The Rays improved to 4-1. The A’s used eight pitchers, the Rays six. The Rays’ pitchers handed out nine free passes plus a hit batter. The A’s pitchers issued eight.

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, eight hits, and three errors. Tampa’s line was nine runs, 13 hits, and one error.

The time of the game was 4:17. Attendance was a paltry 7588 people in the stands. Neither team draws well at home.

Game three of the four-game series will start at 3:40m pm on Wednesday. Going for Oakland right hander Frankie Montas 0-1 ERA 9.00 for Tampa Bay Shane McClanahan 0-0 ERA 0.00.

Oakland Athletics’ Elvis Andrus (17) is congratulated by Tony Kemp (5) after belting a three home run in the second inning off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Mazza at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Mon Apr 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

A’s belt four homers pummel Rays in laugher 13-2

By Jerry Feitelberg

On Monday night, the Oakland A’s began a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg. The Rays opened the season with three straight wins over the Baltimore Orioles. The A’s went 1-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies to start the season.

The Rays won 100 games last year. Their manager, Kevin Cash, was the AL Manager of the Year for the last two seasons. Under a new manager Mark Kotsay, the A’s were hoping to get a win to start the series.

Well, fans, the A’s did just that. They had their hitting shoes on as they put four runs on the board in the first and second innings and coasted to an easy 13-2 win over the Rays. The A’s hit four home runs in the game.

They had two three-run dingers, a solo blast, and a grand slam. Shortstop Elvis Andrus had a single, double, and a three-run homer. Andrus needed a triple to complete the cycle. Right-fielder Seth Brown also hit a three-run blast.

His big fly came in the first inning. Brown has seven RBIs in the first four games. Third baseman Sheldon Neuse (pronounced Noisy) hit his first home run of the year in the ninth. It was his first career grand slam.

The A’s put four runs on the board in the first inning. With one out, Elvis Andrus doubled. Rays’ pitcher Luis Patino retired Billy McKinney for the first out. Unfortunately for Patino, he hurt his leg on the pitch and had to leave the game.

He was replaced by Chris Mazza, a young man from Walnut Creek. Mazza hit Sean Murphy with a pitch to put two men on with two out. Seth Brown homered into the right-field seats to make it 3-0. Chad Pinder then homered to make it 4-0.

Things continued to go south for Chris Mazza. Neuse got things going with a single to start the rally. Rookie centerfielder, Cristian Pache, singled to put two men on with no out. Second baseman Tony Kemp’s grounder to Rays’ second baseman Taylor Walls was misplayed. Neuse scored to put the A’s ahead 5-0. Elvis Andrus homered to give the A’s a commanding 8-0 lead midway through the second inning.

Oakland put another run on the board in the fourth. Pache reached on a fielding error by Rays’ shortstop Wander France. Singles by Tony Kemp and Elvis Andrus loaded the bases for Oakland. Pache scored on Sean Murphy’s fielder’s choice.

The A’s starter, Paul Blackburn, held the Rays scoreless in his five innings of work. He allowed three hits and no runs. Blackburn walked one a struck out a career-high seven batters. He threw 71 pitches.

The Rays scored a run in the sixth and a run in the eighth to make it 9-2. The Rays used outfielder Brett Phillips to pitch in the eighth and ninth innings of the game. In the ninth, Phillips walked Billy McKinney to start the frame. He retires the next two hitters.

Chad Pinder doubles, sending McKinney to third. Phillips walked Stephen Vogt to load the bases. Phillips pitches were clocked at 49 miles an hour. Sheldon Neuse met the challenge and took a 49-mile-per-hour pitch on a journey into the left-field seats. The A’s won the game 13-2.

Game Notes: Paul Blackburn was the winning pitcher. Luis Patino took the loss for the Rays. The A’s evened their record at 2-2. The Rays are 3-1 for the season.

Sean Murphy hit the first triple of his career when Kevin Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glover, misplayed the ball.

The A’s used four pitchers. Blackburn went five, Zach Jackson pitched the sixth, A.J.Puk worked the seventh and eighth, and Jason Grimm pitched the ninth. The Rays used six pitchers.

Game two of the four-game series will start at 3:40 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday evening. The A’s will send rookie Adam Oller to the hill, and Ray’s rookie Tommy Romero will oppose him. It will be the first time in MLB history that two pitchers will be making their MLB debut in the same game.

The time of the game was three hours exactly. Nine thousand one hundred thirty-nine fans watched as the A’s pounded the Rays 13-2.

The Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Joey Wendle gets ready to put the tag on the high flying Oakland A’s runner Matt Olson (22) in the eighth inning of Sun May 9, 2021’s game at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Oakland A’s (21-15) had a 3-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Rays (19-17) the Rays scored the go ahead in the top of the sixth inning eventually winning 4-3.

#2 A’s starter Cole Irvin pitched six innings giving up three runs and six hits. Irvin’s record 3-3 ERA 3.09

#3 The A’s need to protect their lead did manager Bob Melvin leave Irvin in too long as the game was tied up during his start

#4 The A’s won the season series against the Tampa Bay Rays despite losing on Sunday 4-3. The A’s remain on top in the American League West with a two game lead over the second place Houston Astros.

#5 The A’s open a three game series with the Boston Red Sox which opens up Tuesday night at Fenway Park starting for the A’s Chris Bassitt (2-2 ERA 3.70) for the Sox Nathan Eovaldi (4-2 ERA 4.62) first pitch 4:10 pm first pitch PDT

Join Barbara each Monday for the A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s were having a weekend to their liking, dominating all the high leverage moments against the Rays, and pocketing a pair of wins in the process.

Then the fifth inning arrived, and the similarities between these two, scrappy small-market teams became readily apparent.

Simply, the Rays became the A’s.

Down 3-0, and facing the possibility of a sweep at the hands of the A’s, Tampa Bay responded, first getting a three-run homer from Wily Adames to tie it, and then a tie-breaking solo shot from Mike Brousseau in the sixth to sneak past Oakland, 4-3 at the Coliseum.

While neither team will scare opponents with a dominant, offensive attack, the A’s and Rays will shock opponents with big hits in big moments, and in this case, the Rays took their turn with the game on the line on Sunday.

“Home runs can make a lot of questions go away,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The offense has been kind of grinding, battling through a little bit of a tough stretch here. But those home runs can really help alleviate questions after the game. So I know it’s one swing of the bat, but when you’ve got some guys on, it’s huge.”

The A’s settled Friday night’s opener with Seth Brown’s walk-off job in the ninth. Then on Saturday, Brown came up big again as his home run and RBI single gave the A’s a pair of two-run leads. But Sunday was the defending AL Champs response, and they made it stick to avoid the sweep.

“We felt pretty good at 3-0, but they’re a team that comes back,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “They’re scrappy like we are, and its probably gonna go down to the end, it did.”

The Oakland A’s Austin Allen rounds first base after hitting a home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow (20) at the Oakland Coliseum Sat May 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

Tampa Bay 3 – 10 – 1

Oakland 6 – 6 – 2

By Lewis Rubman

May 8, 2021

OAKLAND–The A’s announced this morning that Mike Fiers is back on the Injured List. He pitched gamely but vainly the day before yesterday in his last outing, during which he was battered for nine hits and five earned runs in 3-1/3 innings.

Burch Smith, who had been on the IL, also pitched on Thursday, giving up a run and two hits in an inning and a third of rehab relief for Las Vegas, took Fiers place on the roster. The diagnosis for Fiers was a sprained elbow in his right, pitching, arm. This his second visit to the IL this year and the third over his career. Smith had been sidelined with a strained right groin.

There also was a lot of movement in the Athletics’ starting line up. After a week of facing a diet of nothing but left handed opposing starting pitchers, the home team preseented an enhanced array of lefty batters to combat the offerings of Tampa Bay’s right hander Tyler Glasnow, who brought a 4-1, 2.06 mark to the mound.

Seth Brown, who drove in both Oakland runs in last night’s stirring victory with a pinch hit single and his heroic walk off homer, replaced Stephen Piscotty in right and batted second. Austin Allen, hitting in the eighth position, handled the catching duties.

The versatile and weak hitting Vimael Machín, batting ninth, took over at short for the weak hitting Elvis Andrus. And Tony Kemp was played second base, taking over for the switch hitting Jed Lowrie, whose hits better on the right side than on the left.

The decision to start Brown turned out to be a wise one. With Mark Canha on firsst and no one down, he blasted Glasnow´s first pitch to him 412 feet for a two run homer to center.

Meanwhile, Frankie Montás, who’s had a seesaw 2021, which shows in his 3-2,5.87 game time numbers, had pitched a scorelesss first inning, marred only by a walk to Yandy Díaz. He walked Kevin Kiermeir in the second, but his unsuccessful attempt to steal second ended the inning and his day´s work.

He sprained his wrist sliding into Chapman, covering in the shift, and brought Manuel Margot into the game to take over in right field for the bottom of the frame, right fielder Brett Phillips moving over to center. The results of x-rays of Kiermeir’s wrist were negative.

Inserting Austin Allen into the line up also proved to be the right move for Bob Melvin to make. Allen padded Montás’s cushion by driving a 96 mph four seamer 373 to right with no one on in the second. Hot, dry afternoons can compensate for playing day games after night games at the Coliseum.

Although two Rays batters had walked, and another, ex-A JoeyWendle reached first on a fielding error by the usuallly sure handed Olson, Montás didn’t yield a hit until Yoshi Tsuzsugo got a clean single to left with one out in the fifth.

The first real threat from Tampa Bay came an inning later. Austin Meadows led off with a double to the base of the center field wall. Yandy Díaz flew out to deep right field to move him up to thid. Then Brandon Lowe unloaded on an 0-1 95 mph four seamer for 407 foot home run. Montás no longer was coasting, and Yusmeiro Petit was warming up quickliy in the bull pen. After Wendle singled in left center, Petit entered the fray.

Montás had gone 5-1/3 innings and allowed two runs, both earned, five hits, including one home run, and two walks. 59 of his 88 pitches were strikes.

Petit got Margot to pop out to Machín, but, with Zunino at the plate, Wendle stole second and kept on motoring to third when Allen’s errant throw went into the outfield. Zunino then went down swing on an 88 mph four seamer from Petit.

After Glasnow issued ball four to Chapman with two out and no one on base, southpaw Cody Reed entered the game. The next four men due up were left handed. He needed to. face only one to end the frame. Although Chapman took second on a wild pitch to Moreland, the A’s DH flew out to right, which retired the side.

In spite of his rocky start, Glasnow pitched well, throwing 101 pitches, 64 for strikes over 5-2/3 innings. All three of the runs he allowed were earned and came before the end of the second frame. The two home runs the A’s got off him accounted for 2/3 of their total hits at the time. He. walked four and struck out 11.

Petit continued his excellent relief work into the Tampa Bay seventh, strikingout Tsuzsugo and Margot before Randhy Arozarena got Texas League single to left. At that point, good old relilable Diekman came in to face his fellow left hander Austin Meadows. Diekman struck him out on four pitches, preserving the Athletics’ slender lead.

Kemp singled to left and advanced to second when Murphy, who was hitting for Allen now that a southpaw was on the mound, grounded out, 1-3. When Andrus was announced as hitting for Machín, Kevin Cash brought 83 in right handed ex-Giant Hunter Strickland to face him. Andrus grounded out to Tsuzsugo at first, allowing Kemp to take third. Canha, whose BA was.248 but knows how to finagle his way on base with the best of them, walked, belringing Brown to the plate.

He had struck out in both at bats following his first inning homer. He took a 3-2 83 mph slider to the opposite field, beating the shift and upping Oakland’s advantage to 4-2. The run was charged to Reed. Strickland got out of trouble after walking Laureano by inducing Olson to ground out to his opposite number at first.

But Diekman found himself pitching in trouble in the visitors’ eighth. A clean single to right center by Meadows and a bunt that died just fair at third put runners on first and second with no outs. Diekman struck out Wendle on a full count and reitred Margot on a liner to Brown in right but surrendered a hard single to left, and it was a one rungame when Lou Trivino made his first appearance since his debacle three days ago. Mike Brousseau, pinch hitting for Tsuzsugo, took a 76 mph curve for called strike three.

The run charged against Diekman run came on three hits. He threw 25 pitches in an inning’s work in which he struck out two. Petit had thrown 16 in 1-1/3 innings, allowing a hit but no runs while recording three strike outs

Kemp’s two out double to left center in the bottom of the eighth drove Strickland from the mound. Ryan Thompson, also a right handed hurler, got Murphy smack a bouncer to Brousseaiu now playing first. Brousseau’s wild throw past the covering Thompson brought in Kemp but did’t earn Murphy and RBI. Andrus’s double, also to left center, which brought in Murphy, did earn one for the short stop. Canha’s ground out to third put an end to the inning. Neither of the two insurance runs was earned.

Trivino, now guarding a 6-3 lead, continued pitching into the ninth. He immediatel found himself in hot water dagain. Phillips singled to center. Next, Arozarena got plunked by a 95 mph Trivino fast ball, bringing the potential tying run to the plate with nobody out.

It took Trivino only four pitches to load the bases with a walk to Meadows. There now was double barrelled action in the Oakland bullpen with the three, four, and five batters due up. Díaz flew out to right. Lowe struck out swinging. Wendle swung on the first pitch and grounded out to Andrus.

The win went to Montás, leaving him 4-2, 5.50. Trivino earned his sixth save, an exciting one at that. His ERA is down to 3.86, but he remains a question mark as Oakland goes deeper into the season, even though Bob Melvin voiced confidence in his his closer during his post game remarks to the media. Glasnow got the tough loss. His record now is 4-2, 2.37.

The A’s will go for a series sweep tomorrow at 1:07. The anticipated match up is between two lefties, ShaneMcClanahan(0-0,2.25) and Cole Irvin (3-3,3.09).

In the first inning no one had any idea that Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea seen here throwing to the Tampa Bay Rays line up would throw a near no hitter into the eighth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri May 7, 2021 (AP News photo)

Tampa Bay 1 – 3 – 1

Oakland 2 – 7 – 0

By Lewis Rubman

May 7, 2021

OAKLAND–The A’s have been facing some veteran hurlers recently, but none as veteran as 41 year old Rich Hill, their antagonist for tonight. Of all the players in the major leagues, only Alberto Pujols is older than he is, and yesterday Pujols was designated for assignment.

Hill’s pitching for Tampa Bay, i.e., St. Petersburg, reminds me that Ring Lardner, who wrote You Know Me, Al, which Virginia Woolf said contained “the best prose that has come our way,” and “a story about baseball, a game which is not played in England, a story written often in a language which is not English,” as well as “Golden Honeymoon,” a story that depicts St. Petersburg as a place where, like triples in Ramón Laureano’s glove, retired people go to die. (I’m 80 years old, so I can get away with this sort of morbid ageism).

Among his baseball travels during his 16 year major league career, was a sojourn with Oakland, for whom he started 14 games in 2016. Frankie Montás was one of the players the A’s got in exchange for sending Hill, along with Josh Reddick, to the Dodgers. Going into tonight’s fray at 1-1, 6.39, Rich hoped to show that despite his age, he’s on the hill, not over it. He, not incidentally, also hoped to extend the Rays’ five game winning streak, which has vaulted them into second place in the AL East, a game and a half behind Boston.

Sean Manaea, going for Oakland, is, at 29, not quite young enough to be Hill’s son, but easily could be his nephew. Like the rest of the A’s, he’s had a mixed season, taking the mound tonight was a record of 3-1, 3.48 over six starts. In his last three, he went 2-0,2.65. He received no decision in his most recent outing, giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings against Baltmore five days ago. Before that, he faced the Rays in St. Pete, going five innings and giving up four hits without a decision.

Manaea had a score to settle with Rays; he was the losing pitcher in the 2019 wild card game against them. Like Mike Fiers, who was ineffective against Toronto yesterday afternoon, he has a no-hitter to his credit. He accomplished that feat in April 2018, against Boston in the Coliseum. By the way, on this day two years ago, Fiers, after a pre-game delay of about an hour and forty minutes due to the misfunctioning of the left field light banks, threw his second no-no, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0.

The A’s mound corps, starters and relievers alike, has been bouncing around between being a concern and a cause for pride and back again to being a concern. For the first 19 games of the season, even including the horrendous 0-6 stretch that marred the opening week of the season, Oakland’s team ERA was 2.73.

Now it’s 4.33. Only three American League teams have a higher one. Opposing hitters are doing so at a .257. In this they lead the league. (Remember that this has not been a hitters’ year). The Janus like nature of the home team’s pitching staff can be seen in its league leading status in both shut outs and wild pitches. (All of these figures are as of around 2:00 0’clock this afternoon).

Before Wednesday,the A’s relievers hadn’t blown a save or been charged a loss. By today, they had done both. Yesterday and the day before, the bull pen surrendered 12 runs; in the dozen contests that preceded that two day melt down, they’d given up a mere 10.

A bright spot had been Yusmeiro Petit’s 12 inning scoreless streak, which he extended tonight in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve a 1-1 tie and Jake Diekman to get the win by striking out both batters he faced in the top of the ninth before Seth Brown’s walk off home run gave Oakland the victory.

Oakland almost jumped out to an early lead in the second when, on an 0-1 count, Stephen Piscotty pulled a 72 mph curve into the left field stands, just a few outside the foul pole. But Hill shut down Elvis Andrus and Tony Kemp to keep the scoreless tie intact for the nonce.

Hill benefited from some excellent defense behind him in he bottom the sixth. Yandy Díaz made a nifty scoop of a grounder Olson hit behind him and first and beat his fellow first sacker to the bag. Then Manuel Margot made a diving catch of Sean Murphy’s dying quail to left to end the inning.

It seemed as though Manaea were paying hommage Dallas Braden’s Mothers’ Day perfect game as he set down the first 18 batters he faced. Then he walked Randy Arozamena to open the seventh. He struck out Margot, and then allowed a mighty blast to right center by Margot. Piscotty caught it with a little dump at the wall, and Yandy Díaz grounded into a 6-4 force out to end that frame.

Hill didn’t come out for the Oakland seventh. He had pitched a beautiful game, one in which he reminded me of Ed Lopat, throwing fast balls in the 80s and lots of breaking pitches, with excelllent control. He allowed only two hits, two walks, and a hit batter on 79 pitches, of which 56 were strikes.

His succesor, Andrew Kittredge, wasn’t as successful. After Chapman fouled out to first, Jed Lowrie got his third hit of the night, a double to right center. Seth Brown, pinch hitting for the right handed Piscottiy against the righty Kittredge, hit a single through the shift to brng in Lowrie with the game’s first run.

The elation of that one run lead was deflated when Mike Brosseau opened the eighth with a double to right center and Mike Zunino brought him home with the tying run on a single to center. The no-hitter and the lead were gone, and, after he struck out Keven Kiermaier looking, so was Manaea. He had pitched magnificently and left the game with a line of one run on two hits and one walk. He struck out 10 Rays on 90 pitches. 63 of them were strikes. Yusmeiro Petit was called on to replace him.

In spite of a blown call on what should have been a 3-6-1 double play, a called that was left standing on review, Petit managed to wiggle out of the inning after a single by Willy Adames had put men on the corners. He also pitched to one batter in the ninth, Margot, who lay down a bunt to third and was thrown out by the slick fielding Chapman. Petit then gave way to Jake Diekman, struck out his two batters.

Kittridge gave way to Pete Fairbanks, who kept the A’s off the board the in eight and who yielded to Jeffrey Springs, who couldn’t in the ninth. Seth Brown, who had driven in the game’s first run in the seventh took Springs 392 feet to right to give Oakland a hard fought and well earned win.

Diekman’s win was his second and brought his ERA down to 1.93, exactly one run higher than Petit’s phenominal 0.93. The loss charged to Springs put his record at 2-1,2.45.

Today’s game is going to be a tough act to follow. Tomorrow’s is slated to start at 1:07, with Frankie Montás (3-2,5.87) going mano a mano against Tyler Glasnow (4-1,2.06)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s finished the seven-game road trip with a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2. The A’s played the Rays four times at Tropicana Field. All four games featured excellent pitching, good defense, and timely hitting. In the four games, the Rays scored nine runs, the A’s eight. Each team showed why they are contenders to win their respective division in the American League. With the win, the A’s finished the road trip with a record of four wins and three losses.

The Rays’ starter, lefty Shane McClanahan, made his first start in the Major Leagues Thursday afternoon. McClanahan made his debut last year in the playoffs. The 24-year-old flame thrower made pitches that registered 101 miles-per-hour on the speed gun. The A’s Chris Bassitt pitched well for Oakland. Bassitt went six innings and allowed two runs and four hits. He struck out nine.

Neither team hit well in the four-game series. Runs were at a premium. Thursday’s game was no exception.
The Rays jumped off to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Chris Bassitt hit Rays’ second baseman, Brandon Lowe, with a pitch. Lowe scored on the double to right field by Austin Meadows.

The A’s tied the game in the top of the third. With one out, Tony Kemp singled to center. Kemp went to second on a wild pitch. Mark Canha singled to right. Kemp was thrown out at the plate. Fortunately for the A’s, Ramon Laureano came through doubled to deep left field to drive in Canha with the tying run.

The A’s took the lead in the top half of the fourth when Matt Chapman hit his four home run of the year. The A’s led 2-1 after four complete.
The Rays tied the game in the fifth. Brandon Lowe homered, leading off the bottom of the fifth. It was Lowe’s fourth of the year. Bassitt settled down and retired the next three hitters. Bassitt exited the game after the sixth inning. A’s manager Bob Melvin called on his bullpen to shut down the Rays. They did just that. Yusmeiro Petit and
Jake Diekman retired the Rays in order in the seventh and eighth innings. The A’s could do nothing against the Rays’ relievers until the ninth inning. Rays’ manager Kevin Cash brought in closer Diego Castillo to pitch the ninth. Castillo earned saves in the games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It would be a different story Thursday afternoon.
With one out, Castillo walked A’s DH, Jed Lowrie. Castillo retired Sen Murphy for the second out. The next hitter, Matt Chapman, came through with a triple to right field. The ball went over the head of Brett Phillips. Lowrie scored from first to give the A’s the lead 3-2. A’s manager Bob Melvin summoned righty Lou Trivino to close out the game. Trivino retired the first two hitters. Brett Phillips singled to keep the Rays alive. Trivino had to retire Kevin Kiermaier for the final out. It wasn’t easy. Phillips advanced to second on a wild pitch. If Kiermaier were to get a hit, the Rays would have tied the game. Trivino won the battle as he struck out Kiermaier looking to preserve the win for Oakland. The A’s win 3-2.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the A’s are 16-10 for the season. The Rays are 13-13. Lou Trivino earned his fourth save of the year. Castillo took the loss.

A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, was injured during batting practice on Thursday. He was struck in his left eye by a ball that somehow bounced back to cause the injury. His eye was swollen, and the injury’s extent is unknown.

The A’s return home to face the Baltimore Orioles for three games starting Friday night. The veteran righty, Mike Fiers, will be making his first start of the year. Baltimore will counter with lefty John Means. Means is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.50. Means beat the A’s last Sunday in Baltimore by a score of 8-1. The game will start at 7:05 pm.

Tampa Bay Rays third base coach Rodney Linares (27) passes off his congratulations to Mike Zunino who belted a solo shot against Oakland A’s starter Cole Irvin at Tropicana Field on Wed Apr 29, 2021 (AP News photo)

#1 Jerry we’ve seen the Oakland A’s (15-10) do this during their 13 game win streak a starter and the bullpen throws a shutout against their opponent but the tables were turned on the A’s on Wednesday night as the Tampa Bay Rays (13-12) starter Tyler Glasnow went seven innings five hits and no runs. Glasnow had his pitches working for him.

#2 Jerry, I know we do these podcasts remotely you don’t have the privilege to be there a Tropicana Field in person but just watching Glasnow throw he simply looked like he kept the A’s big boppers off balance during his outing.

#3 Do the A’s look like they’ve come down from that high of going 13 straight games or are the Rays who give the A’s fits whether it’s regular season or post season just that much of a team that’s in control.

#4 After losing in Baltimore last Sunday and losing the last two games to the Rays the A’s have been struggling offensively at the plate and are in sure dire need to see Matt Chapman get his swing back he was hitting .152 but got two hits on Wednesday night.

#5 Jerry, the A’s will try and even up the series as they play game four of the series with the Rays at 10:10 AM PDT. The A’s will start Chris Bassitt (2-2 ERA 4.13) and he’ll match up against the Rays Shane McClanahan (0-0)

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