Sacramento A’s pitcher Luis Morales will get the start against the St Louis Cardinals on Mon Sep 1, 2025 at Busch Stadium in St Louis (AP file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Mauricio Segura:
#1 The Texas Rangers Joc Pederson doubled with three RBIs. Ranger pitcher Jacob deGrom struckout six batters and pitched shutout ball for five innings in the Rangers 9-6 win over the Sacramento A’s. What did A’s starter JT Ginn need to do try and shut the Rangers hitting down?
#2 The loss was a sweep as the A’s lost all three game to the Rangers and just couldn’t really get past the Rangers throughout the series. How did you see the A’s hitting in the series?
#3 deGrom had been struggling he was 0-4 in his last five starts resulting in Ranger losses. deGrom’s last win was back on July 22 in deGrom first appearance since the All Star break. deGrom had skipped a start during that stretch due to shoulder fatigue. Despite deGrom’s earlier struggles he’s got experience and he gave the A’s line up fits?
#4 It’s getting rough for the A’s, they have now been swept nine times this year and this was the first time they were swept at home since May 19-22 by the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers swept Sacramento in Texas for the first time this year. How frustrating how it got to be for Sacramento to have been swept that amount of times.
#5 On Monday the A’s open a six game road trip starting in St Louis. Starting pitcher for the A’s Monday Luis Morales (2-0 ERA 1.19) and for the St Louis Cardinals former A’s pitcher Sonny Gray (12-7 ERA 4.19) first pitch 11:115AM PT. How do you see this match up and can the A’s get it moving again on this road trip?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Luis Morales was dealing in the shutout against the Detroit Tigers at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Wed Aug 27, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 The Sacramento Athletics got superb pitching from starter Luis Morales who pitched seven innings, allowed two hits, two walks, and seven strike outs to help shutout the Detroit Tigers 7-0 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento Wednesday night.
#2 The win is a sweep for the A’s in three games over the Tigers 8-3 on Monday, 7-6 on Tuesday and Wednesday night’s sweeper a 7-0 shutout.
#3 The A’s got key hitting in the first inning Tyler Soderstrom scored Nick Kurtz on a base hit to left for a 1-0 lead, in the second Zack Gelof hit a two run home run that put the A’s on top 3-0. Later in the second Brent Rooker hit a sac fly to center that scored Kurtz and it was 4-0 after 1.5 half.
#4 In the fourth the A’s added three more runs before it was over Brett Harris scored on an error as Gelof was safe on a throwing error by Tigers pitcher Casey Mize making it 5-0. In the top of the eighth Gelof doubled to center scoring Harris and JJ Bleday for all the damage and a 7-0 final.
#5 A’s have a day off Thursday before opening the next leg of their homestand against the Texas Rangers Friday. RHP Jack Lieter (8-7 ERA 3.81) will start for the Rangers and the A’s LHP Jefferey Springs (10-8 ERA 4.15). First pitch 7:05pm PT in West Sacramento.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
JP Sears seen here pitching against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Jul 4, 2025 is being sought by different clubs for his services from the Sacramento A’s. Will he be dealt before the July trade deadline? (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 Once again the Sacramento A’s get fine pitching but cannot get run support in their 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Wednesday. The Rangers starter Patrick Corbin with the support of three relievers kept the A’s hitters at bay.
#2 A’s starter JP Sears pitching five innings allowing three hits, allowing one earned run and seven strikeouts. Sears has been lights out this season didn’t get the decision and is 7-8.
#3 Sears is a trade block prospect. Sears has pitched consistently in spite of his eight loses and some team no doubt would like to pick him up before this month’s trade deadline someone who he could help in the post season.
#4 The A’s only run came when Nick Kurtz hit a double that scored Brent Rooker in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 1-1. The A’s badly need to wake up their bats they were also beat by scores of 7-2 and 6-2 Friday and Saturday respectively by the Rangers.
#5 A’s open up a four game series on Thursday night at Daikin Park with the Houston Astros. Starter for the A’s RHP Luis Severino (3-11 ERA 5.10) and for the Astros RHP Jason Alexander (1-0 ERA 8.40) first pitch in Houston 5:10pm PT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Texas Rangers centerfielder Michael Helman makes a leaping catch on a fly out by the Sacramento A’s Tyler Soderstrom in the top of the sixth inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Wed Jul 23, 2025 (AP News photo)
Kurtz Comes Through but A’s Can’t Close That Lonestar Gap
By Mauricio Segura
In a game that often felt like a pitcher’s duel wrapped in a chess match, the Sacramento Athletics were edged out 2-1 by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field. Despite flashes of promise and a gutsy rally in the sixth, the Green and Gold couldn’t quite crack the code against a sharp Rangers pitching staff.
Both teams came out swinging, or at least attempting to. The first inning was a quick snapshot of what would become a recurring theme: early contact, solid defense, and outs stacking up like dominoes. The Athletics’ top three, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, and Nick Kurtz, were retired in order, all on fly balls and liners that found gloves instead of grass.
The Rangers, on the other hand, managed a bit of noise thanks to a Corey Seager double, but he was ultimately stranded at third after Marcus Semien’s flyout and an Adolis García strikeout.
By the second inning, it was clear: if anyone wanted to score Wednesday night, they’d have to fight for it. The A’s struck out three times in a row, victims of Patrick Corbin’s sharp control. Corbin, making one of his strongest starts of the season, carved up the Sacramento lineup like a man with a plan.
The breakthrough didn’t come until the bottom of the third, when Corey Seager connected with a pitch and sent it flying over the center field wall. It was Seager’s 15th homer of the season, a solo shot that gave Texas the narrowest of leads. For a while, it looked like that might be all the Rangers needed.
But the sixth inning changed the tone.
Brent Rooker broke through with a two-out single, and Nick Kurtz followed with a line-drive double to right that brought Rooker home, tying the game at 1-1. It was Kurtz’s 15th double of the year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Shea Langeliers kept things moving with a soft infield single, putting runners on the corners and forcing Texas to pull Corbin in favor of Jon Gray. With a chance to take the lead, the A’s sent up Tyler Soderstrom as a pinch hitter, but his sharp fly ball landed in center fielder Michael Helman’s glove to end the threat.
The Rangers weren’t done. In the bottom of the seventh, a two-out rally sparked by Wyatt Langford’s walk and Jonah Heim’s fly-ball double gave Texas the lead once again. Heim’s shot to short left was just enough to score Langford and give the home team a 2-1 edge.
The Athletics had chances late but couldn’t capitalize. In the eighth, Rooker collected his third hit of the game, but Kurtz struck out to end the frame. And in the ninth, Langeliers gave the A’s a flicker of hope with a leadoff single, but a flyout and two strikeouts, the final one on Gio Urshela, snuffed out the comeback bid.
It was a game that could’ve gone either way, but in this latest chapter of a developing Sacramento season, the story ended with a familiar note: close, but not quite.
A’s open up a four game series on Thursday night at Denkin Park with the Houston Astros. Starter for the A’s RHP Luis Severino (3-11 ERA 5.10) and for the Astros RHP Jason Alexander (1-0 ERA 8.40) first pitch in Houston 5:10pm PT.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
The Sacramento A’s Lawrence Butler rounds the bases after hitting a first inning home run against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Tue Jul 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
Butler’s Blast Fizzles as A’s Fall to The Rangers 6-2
By Mauricio Segura
The Athletics wasted no time setting the tone in Arlington Tuesday night, but the early sparks quickly gave way to a slow burn as the Texas Rangers rode a powerful seventh inning to a 6-2 victory at Globe Life Field.
Lawrence Butler stepped into the box for the A’s and promptly crushed the very first pitch of the game deep to right field. His 14th home run of the season landed with a thud of authority and gave the Green and Gold an early 1-0 lead. It was a tone-setting blast, a moment of optimism. But as the game unfolded, Butler’s solo shot stood as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise frustrating night for the Sactown squad.
What followed in the top half of the first was less explosive. Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz both struck out swinging, and Brent Rooker grounded out to short. The A’s offense would struggle to find its rhythm for most of the night, plagued by missed opportunities and a barrage of strikeouts.
Sacramento starter J.T. Ginn held the Rangers scoreless through the first three innings with the help of sharp defense, including two double plays turned behind him. Jacob Wilson’s smooth hands at shortstop and Luis Urías’s steady presence at second were key in squashing Texas rallies before they got started.
But the Rangers began to claw back in the fourth, when Adolis García tied the game with a solo homer to center. It was a classic García swing—short, powerful, and gone in a heartbeat. Suddenly, Butler’s early blast felt distant, and the momentum had quietly shifted.
Still, there was hope. In the fifth, Tyler Soderstrom roped a double to right to lead off the inning, but the middle of the A’s order couldn’t cash in. Three straight strikeouts stranded Soderstrom, and a growing pattern of futility with runners on base emerged.
Then came the sixth. After Ginn handed things off to Sean Newcomb, Marcus Semien launched a go-ahead solo home run to left, making it 2-1 Rangers. The home crowd erupted, and the A’s found themselves trailing for the first time all night.
But the real damage came in the bottom of the seventh, a frame that turned a close game into a lopsided one. With two outs and two on, Sacramento reliever Hogan Harris served up a crusher to Corey Seager, who sent a three-run shot soaring into the Texas night. Just like that, it was 6-1, and the game slipped firmly out of reach.
Sacramento did show some life in the eighth. After an error and a walk, Shea Langeliers delivered a line-drive single to left, scoring Jacob Wilson and giving the A’s a flicker of hope. But a groundout from Soderstrom ended the rally with runners still aboard. It was the type of night where the green lights were few and far between.
Despite the late push, Texas bullpen arms Robert Garcia and Shawn Armstrong shut the door with authority. Armstrong struck out two in the ninth, and when Lawrence Butler, who began the game with a bang, went down swinging for the final out, the A’s were left to wonder what might have been.
In total, Sacramento struck out 14 times and left eight runners on base. They had their chances, especially in the seventh and eighth, but couldn’t deliver the big hit when it mattered most.
Series concludes Wednesday night at Globe Life at 5:05pm PT with the A’s starting RHP JP Sears (7-8 ERA 5.13) for the Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (6-7 ERA 3.91).
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s pitcher JT Ginn gives praise to the good Lord after getting out of the sixth inning against the New York Mets on Sat Apr 12, 2025 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. Gin will make the start against the Texas Rangers on Tue Jul 22, 2025 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. (AP News file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson:
#1 Jacob Lopez got the nod for Sacramento and looked sharp early, working around a walk and fanning two in the opening frame. But despite his best efforts, the Green and Gold bats were just as cold as the air-conditioned stadium they played in dropping the contest to the Texas Rangers 7-2.
#2 Despite a solo shot from rookie phenom Nick Kurtz and a few glimmers of offensive life, the A’s couldn’t overcome a middle-innings surge by the Texas Rangers, falling 7-2 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
#3 Through the first three innings, the Athletics managed just one baserunner, a walk by Kurtz, and didn’t register a hit until his double in the fourth.
#4 Despite some bullpen stability from the Rangers Elvis Alvarado and Sean Newcomb, who each pitched scoreless innings, Texas kept applying pressure. A sac bunt and a pair of timely singles in the seventh and eighth innings added two more runs for the Rangers, stretching their lead to 7-2 and putting the game out of reach.
#5 For Tuesday the A’s will start RHP JT Ginn (1-2 ERA 4.91) for the Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (9-2 ERA 2.32) first pitch 5:05pm PT
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz (16) scores against the Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka (right) on a single in the top of the fourth inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Mon Jul 21, 2025 (AP News photo)
Rangers Spoil Kurtz’s Blast as Green and Gold Falter in Arlington
By Mauricio Segura
It was a night that began with promise and power, but for the Sacramento Athletics, it ended with another frustrating loss deep in the heart of Texas, clap! Clap! Clap! Not! Despite a solo shot from rookie phenom Nick Kurtz and a few glimmers of offensive life, the A’s couldn’t overcome a middle-innings surge by the Texas Rangers, falling 7-2 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Jacob Lopez got the nod for Sacramento and looked sharp early, working around a walk and fanning two in the opening frame. But despite his best efforts, the Green and Gold bats were just as cold as the air-conditioned stadium they played in. Through the first three innings, the Athletics managed just one baserunner, a walk by Kurtz, and didn’t register a hit until his double in the fourth.
That double nearly turned the tide. Following a walk by Shea Langeliers and a two-out single from Tyler Soderstrom, Kurtz came around to score and evened things up at 1-1. It was a brief jolt of energy in what had been a sleepy offensive night. The Rangers had taken an early lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a solo homer from Josh Jung.
But that fourth inning RBI was the high-water mark for the A’s. The bottom of the fifth brought a collapse that Sacramento simply couldn’t recover from. After surrendering a leadoff single to Josh Smith, Lopez gave way to Elvis Alvarado, and the wheels came off. A walk, a double, and then a three-run homer from Michael Helman blew the game open and gave Texas a 5-1 lead.
Kurtz wasn’t finished. The 22-year-old continued to make his case for AL Rookie of the Year, launching his 19th home run of the season to lead off the sixth. No one else in the Sacramento lineup has hit more long balls, and Kurtz is now the MLB rookie leader in both homers and RBIs. With the swing of the bat, he trimmed the lead to 5-2 and injected a spark of hope.
But that hope, like the game, fizzled fast.
Despite some bullpen stability from Alvarado and Sean Newcomb, who each pitched scoreless innings, Texas kept applying pressure. A sac bunt and a pair of timely singles in the seventh and eighth innings added two more runs for the Rangers, stretching their lead to 7-2 and putting the game out of reach.
The Athletics threatened again in the top of the seventh when Gio Urshela led off with a double and Urías followed with a walk. But a failed bunt attempt from Lawrence Butler, a flyout from Jacob Wilson, and a groundout from Kurtz stranded both runners and killed the rally. The A’s never threatened again.
The A’s have now dropped three of their last four games and remain in last place in the AL West. Tuesday’s probable starter still to be announced. They’ll face off against Jacob deGrom, who enters with a 9-2 record and a sparkling 2.32 ERA.
For Tuesday the A’s will start RHP JT Ginn (1-2 ERA 4.91) for the Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (9-2 ERA 2.32) first pitch 5:05pm PT
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Cleveland Guardians David Fry (left) claps his hands after hitting a three RBI double in the fourth inning as the Sacramento A’s infielder Max Schuemann (12) looks away at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Sun Jul 20, 2025 (AP News photo)
Guardians Tame the Green and Gold 8-2 in Cleveland Clunker
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics arrived at Progressive Field looking to build momentum, but they left shaking their heads after a frustrating 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians Sunday. A red-hot David Fry and the bat of Angel Martínez proved too much to handle, while the A’s offense sputtered early and never found enough rhythm to mount a comeback.
Gavin Williams set the tone for Cleveland from the first pitch, silencing the top of the A’s order with two strikeouts in the first frame. The Guardians wasted no time grabbing the lead in the bottom half, as Angel Martínez lined a double into left, then came home on a sharp RBI single from Fry. It was the beginning of a very long day for the Green and Gold.
Lawrence Butler, Nick Kurtz, and Brent Rooker, a trio the A’s have leaned on this season for run production, couldn’t solve Williams. Each struck out multiple times as Williams racked up nine K’s through seven innings. The A’s struck out 15 times overall, and through the first four innings, they looked overmatched.
Meanwhile, the Guardians were putting on a clinic in timely hitting. After adding a second run in the second on Austin Hedges’ RBI single, the game quickly slipped away in the fourth. Sacramento starter Jeffrey Springs was trying to grind through his outing when Cleveland strung together three hits and a critical fielder’s choice to load the bases. David Fry stepped up and delivered again, clearing the bags with a bases-clearing double that made it 5-0.
While the A’s showed small signs of life in the middle innings, including a pair of hits in the fifth and a run scored by Tyler Soderstrom on a wild pitch, they never seriously threatened the Guardians’ control of the game. Soderstrom and Schuemann each tallied two hits, but the damage was minimal and sporadic.
The lone bright spot in the lineup was Nick Kurtz. The rookie first baseman doubled twice and drove in a run in the eighth, providing a small glimmer of fight. Denzel Clarke also contributed a double and a run scored, but the team’s inability to string together consecutive productive at-bats kept them chasing shadows all afternoon.
On the pitching side, Sacramento’s bullpen fared no better than its starter. After Springs departed following four innings, Michael Kelly and Osvaldo Bido were tasked with holding the line. They gave up three additional runs, including a solo shot from Angel Martínez in the seventh and an RBI single from the same bat in the eighth. Martínez finished a triple shy of the cycle and was a headache from the leadoff spot all game long.
Defensively, the A’s were steady but not spectacular. There were no errors, but Cleveland’s sharp contact exposed the gaps. Tyler Soderstrom, despite a multi-hit game, was targeted in left field where several crucial hits landed. Denzel Clarke and Lawrence Butler made routine plays in the outfield but weren’t tested with anything exceptional.
By the time Shea Langeliers ripped a double in the ninth, the game was all but over. Jakob Junis closed the door on Sacramento without incident. The Athletics never quite looked synced up, and the lack of offensive urgency gave the feeling of inevitability.
The Guardians, on the other hand, played like a team ready for October baseball. Their pitching was dominant, their bats timely, and their approach disciplined. For the A’s, the loss drops them further into the abyss of a development-heavy season, where flashes of talent continue to be overshadowed by inconsistency.
The good news for Sacramento? There are still games left to iron out the kinks and give younger players experience. The bad news? Games like today make it clear just how wide the gap still is between the A’s and the league’s top-tier clubs.
Sacramento A’s open up a series with the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington Monday night the A’s will start LHP Jacob Lopez (3-5 ERA 4.20) the Rangers have not determined a starter yet.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
New York Mets slugger Juan Soto after hitting an eighth inning solo shot against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thu May 1, 2025 at Citi Field in New York. Soto and the Mets gear up to face off with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium Fri May 16, 2025 (AP News photo)
MLB podcast Michael Duca Fri May 16, 2025:
#1 Their talking rivalries in baseball and the ones that are brought up are the New York Mets and New York Yankees and how former Yankee and current Met outfielder Juan Soto will hear will jeers from the Yankees fans in the right field bleachers. Also another rivalry that has some bad blood the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros as they are in the middle of a four game series in Arlington. Do you see some possibilities that there could be some animosities amongst these teams this weekend?
#2 It was a collision for the ages in a game at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa collided chasing down a pop fly in the shallow part of the outfield. Buxton got the ball but Buxton and Correa both banged heads. Correa had to leave the game and Buxton was able to stay until the end of the inning but left afterwards. Both players have been put on concussion protocols.
#3 Former Oakland A’s second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp announced Thursday that he is retiring from Major League Baseball after playing in the show for nine years. Kemp 33 played for the Astros (2016-19), Cubs (2019), Athletics (2020-23) and Orioles (2024). Kemp had wrote on Instagram that he was thankful to God for allowing him to be a Major League player and that after 12 years in pro baseball and nine of them in the majors he’s decided to hang up his spikes.
#4 The Colorado Rockies have taken the spotlight away from the 2024 Chicago White Sox as baseball’s first team in the modern era to lose 36 of it’s first 43 games. The Rockies had Thursday off and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said the plan was to take the day off and reset. The loss on Wednesday night to the Texas Rangers was the Rockies 11th out of their last 12 games.
#5 Michael, the baseball executive committee meets in December 2027 do you see that committee taking into consideration Pete Rose for a shot at getting elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot or will his betting on baseball while a manager overshadow his chances?
Sacramento A’s pitcher Jefferey Springs was dealing all game long shutting out the Texas Rangers through six innings. Springs was lifted after the sixth inning at Globe Field in Arlington on Thu May 1, 2028 (AP News photo)
A’s Depart Arlington On Sweet Victory Airlines
By Mauricio Segura
Jeffrey Springs may have had a rocky April, but May started off with a gem. The left-hander turned in a sharp six-inning outing, and the A’s bullpen slammed the door behind him as the green and gold shut out the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field. With the win, the Athletics clinched their second consecutive series victory and moved one game above .500 for the third time this season, now standing at 17 and 15.
Springs entered the game having allowed 13 runs over his previous two starts. But against his former club, the Rangers, he was locked in. He scattered four hits across six innings, walked two, and struck out three. Most importantly, he kept the Rangers off the board. It was a much-needed rebound performance from a pitcher who had been shelled for seven runs just five days prior.
Backing him up was a bullpen that has grown into one of the team’s biggest strengths. Mitch Spence, T.J. McFarland, Justin Sterner, and fireballer Mason Miller combined for three scoreless innings to seal the victory. Miller, touching triple digits on the radar gun once again, notched his ninth save in as many tries and struck out Marcus Semien to end it.
Offensively, the A’s didn’t need a home run to do their damage, a rarity for a team that ranks fifth in the majors in long balls. Instead, they pieced together a series of timely hits. Miguel Andujar, continuing his torrid stretch at the plate, drove in the game’s first run with a single in the opening frame. Jacob Wilson, the club’s hottest rookie, added an RBI single in the seventh to make it two to nothing. A sacrifice fly by Luis Urías in the eighth brought Brent Rooker home and capped the scoring.
Wilson finished with two hits, pushing his average to .325, good for eighth in the league. Andujar is now batting .338 over his last 18 games and looks every bit the consistent presence the A’s were hoping for when they picked him up.
Though the A’s managed only three runs, they made them count. They left just five runners on base and executed a rare outfield-assisted double play to end the second inning, erasing a walk by Semien and halting any early Texas momentum.
Rangers starter Tyler Mahle, who entered with a sparkling 1.14 ERA, saw that number creep upward after allowing two runs on seven hits over six and a third innings. He took the loss, dropping to 3-1.
This win marks six victories in the last nine games for the A’s, who now hit the road to face Miami. For a team that started the season 6-10, their recent surge has them tied for third in the AL West and just two and a half games back of division-leading Seattle.
If Springs’ bounce-back and the bullpen’s dominance are signs of things to come, the A’s may finally be rounding into form.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
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