Tag: texas rangers

Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp rounds third past Texas Rangers’ Josh Jung on a solo home run during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Fri Apr 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

A’s Beat Texas Breaking Seven Game Losing Streak 5-4

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Oakland A’s (4-16) began a three game series in Arlington taking on the Texas Rangers (12-7). The A’s opened up this road trip and this series with a one run win 5-4 against the Rangers, snapping a seven game losing streak.

Among the plethora of problems Oakland has been facing, allowing home runs and walks has been a couple of glaring issues. Unfortunately the A’s demonstrated those in the first inning of this game. After walking Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim came to the plate and hit a three-run home run giving the Rangers an early 4-0 lead. It was a tough start for the A’s but it was early in the game.

In the fourth inning Oakland made a move to get back into the game. Aledmys Diaz grounded into a fielder’s choice and Brent Rooker scored the first run of the game for the A’s.

There was more action for Oakland in the fifth inning. Tony Kemp homered to right center and the score was now 4-2 in favor of the Rangers. The A’s would continue to add more runs in the fifth. Kevin Smith scored on a Jon Gray wild pitch and just like that, the A’s trailed by a single run.

In the sixth inning Oakland tied up this game 4-4 when Conner Capel scored. After a rough first inning A’s pitcher JP Sears settled down and had a terrific game. He pitched through six innings allowing five hits, four runs and had 11 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the eighth inning the Rangers got a rally going. With no outs Texas had runners on first and second base. Oakland relief pitchers Zach Jackson got the A’s out of the inning and it was on to the ninth inning where we would see the top of the order for Oakland, Esteury Ruiz, Jordan Diaz hitting for Ryan Noda and Jace Peterson. The decision to put Diaz in was a good one as he knocked one out fo the park giving the A’s their first lead of the game 5-4.

The A’s closer Jeurys Familia would try to close out this game. Oakland turned a double play and was one out away from their fourth win of the season against a very tough Texas squad. The A’s got that third out after fighting back; got the win after losing seven games in a row and breaking the Rangers five game winning streak. We had seen a great game from the A’s bullpen.

This series will continue tomorrow with Shintaro Fujinami (0-3 ERA 11.37) taking the mound for Oakland. Andrew Heaney (1-1 ERA 4.07) will get the nod for the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM.

Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien is congratulated after scoring against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City on Wed Apr 19, 2023. Semien a former Oakland A will host his old team beginning Fri Apr 21, 2023 at Globe Life Field in Arlington (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, owners of the worst record in baseball, 3-16, open a three-game series against the AL West Division leader, the Texas Rangers, Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

Former San Francisco skipper Bruce Bochy manages the Rangers. Bochy managed the San Francisco Giants to three World Series Championships and has his team at 12-6. They are 6-3 at home and 6-3 on the road. The Rangers beefed up their starting rotation by signing former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, and former Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi.

The Rangers are salivating to face the A’s starters this weekend. The A’s starting rotation has an abysmal 7.14 team ERA, the worst in all baseball. Nevertheless, A’s manager Mark Kotsay has named his starters for the series. Lefty JP Sears goes for Oakland Friday night. Sears is 0-1 and has an ERA of 4.60.

The Rangers will counter with Jon Gray (1-1, ERA 5.21). Saturday’s game will feature Oakland’s Shintaro Fujinami (0-3, ERA 11.37) facing off against Lefty Andrew Heaney (1-1. ERA 4.47). Fujinami’s first two starts were not good, but he did well in his last start. Lefty Kyle Muller (0-1, 7.23 ERA) will go for Oakland on Sunday. Muller pitched well in his first two starts but not well in his last outing. The Rangers have yet to announce their pitcher for Sunday’s game.

The A’s pitchers must be at the top of their game this weekend. The Rangers have players that can put runs on the board very quickly. The Rangers’ key players include three former A’s regulars. Catcher Jonah Heim has done a good job for the Rangers since coming over in the trade for Elvis Andrus.

Heim, a switch-hitter, loves to beat his old team. The Rangers’ second baseman is Marcus Semien. Semien left the A’s as a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. He starred for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 and set a record for home runs by a player in that position. He sent 46 big flies out of the park that year.

Texas signed Semien to a very lucrative contract last year. The third former A’s player on the Texas roster is outfielder Robbie Grossman. The Rangers’ first baseman Nathaniel Lowe had a monster 2022 season. Lowe won a Silver Slugger award, and his slash line for 2022 was .302/.358/.492. Rangers’ shortstop Corey Seager signed a free-agent contract before the start of the 2022 season.

Seager, a former All-Star, is on the 10-day IL with a grade two hamstring strain and will not play this weekend. Outfielders Adolis Garcia, Bubba Thompson, and Travis Jankowski all can do damage with their bats. The Rangers’ DH is Brad Miller.

The A’s offense produced just three runs in the series against the Chicago Cubs this week. The pitching gave up 27 runs. The A’s were swept by the Mets last weekend. Oakland has lost seven straight and 13 of the last 14 games. The A’s bullpen has yet to have the desired results the team hoped. The offense did well against the Baltimore Orioles last week. Although they lost three of the four games, the A’s scored eight runs in two games and seven in another.

The A’s are off to the worst start since the 1951 Philadelphia A’s squad. Oakland needs to turn things around soon. It is said that you cannot win the pennant in the first month of the season. However, a team can lose it by falling so far back it will not recover. A couple of wins will help Kotsay sleep better.

The Oakland A’s Stephen Vogt is excited over getting the go ahead hit in the top of the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Wed Sep 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Oakland A’s hitter Stephen Vogt caught a huge break with the score tied at 7-7 in the top of the ninth inning he hit a grounder towards Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Segar that glanced off his glove for an error that allowed the go ahead run to score for the eventual A’s win 8-7.

#2 Earlier in the ninth Sheldon Neuse got a pinch hit single that scored Vimeal Machin who doubled earlier. Neuse’s hit tied the game up 7-7. Everything is timing if your going to mount a comeback in the ninth inning.

#3 A’s manager Mark Kotsay had nothing but high praise for Vogt and was grateful for his efforts on Wednesday night, “For him to come through for us, I believe in Stephen Vogt.” said Kotsay.

#4 Vogt said in a post game interview after the game that he got the ball between Segar and Marcus Semien and tried to will the ball to left center but it didn’t matter how it got there he was happy to help get the run across on an error.

#5 The A’s open up a four game series starting tonight at Minute Maid Field in Houston. The Astros are going for the gold and the A’s just want to satisfy themselves hoping to split or take the series. The A’s will start James Kaprielian (3-9, 4.79) for the Astros Lance McCullers Jr (3-1, 2.20) a 4:20 pm PDT first pitch.

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s closer Domingo Acevedo shuts the door on the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the ninth for the win at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Wed Sep 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s faced the Texas Rangers for the final time in the 2022 season. Still smarting from the walk-off loss to Texas Tuesday night, the A’s turned the tables on the Rangers as Oakland returned from a 7-4 deficit to win 8-7.

For the second night in a row, each team had double-digit hits in the game. Each team homered three times. The only question was who would be the team that would come out on top. The A’s turned out to be the team that would be the winner.

For the second night in a row, the A’s scored first. In the top of the second, first baseman Dermis Garcia blasted his fourth home run. The ball traveled 395 feet over the wall in left field to give Oakland the lead 1-0.

The Rangers tallied four in their half of the second. Rangers’ third baseman, Mark Mathias, who homered twice Tuesday night, homered again leading off the second. It was Mathias’ sixth, and the ball went 415 feet into left-field stands.

With one out, Jonah Heim singled. Sears hit Nick Solak with a pitch to put two men on with one out. Sears stuck out Leody Taveras for the second out. The next hitter was former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien had three doubles Tuesday night.

As a former Oakland Athletic, Marcus loves to torment his former team. Every time he is at the plate, Marcus wants to show what the A’s lost when Oakland let him leave as a free agent after the 2020 season. Semien blasted his 23rd dinger over the fence in left-center field to put the Rangers ahead 4-1.

In the third, the Rangers put another run on the board. Nate Lowe, a very dangerous and hot hitter, doubled. Sears gave up a single to Mark Mathias, and Lowe scored on the play. The Rangers led 5-1.

The A’s rallied to plate three runs in the fifth. With one out, Sean Murphy worked Dane Dunning for a walk. A’s right-fielder Seth Brown homered for the 22nd time to make it a 5-3 game. Back-to-back doubles by Ramon Laureano and Vimael Machin put the A’s down by one 5-4.

The Rangers answered with two runs in their half of the fifth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Collin Wiles to pitch. Adolis Garcia greeted Wiles by blasting a triple. Wiles retired Mathias and Josh Jung for the first two outs. Wiles had to face former A’s catcher Jonah Heim.

Heim went to Texas before the start of the 2021 season in the trade for Elvis Andrus. Heim, like Marcus Semien, loves to beat his former team. Heim hit his 14th big fly of the year to propel the Rangers into a 7-4 advantage. 

The A’s fought back. Oakland put two more runs on the board in the sixth. Nick Allen started the rally with a single. Tony Kemp, playing second base Wednesday night, homered to bring the A’s back to within one. Texas led 7-6. 

If the A’s had any hopes of winning the game, they knew the bullpen had to shut down the powerful Texas offense. Kotsay’s bullpen did the job. Kirby Snead, Tyler Cyr, and Sam Moll kept the Rangers off the board in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Then came the fateful ninth.

In the ninth, Sean Murphy singled to get the rally going. Murphy went to second on Seth Brown’s ground out. Kotsay inserted Sheldon Neuse as a pinch-runner for Murphy. Vimael Machin doubled for the second time to drive in Neuse with the tying run. Machin scored the winning run on Ranger’s shortstop Corey Seager’s fielding error. The A’s led 8-7, with Texas coming up in the bottom half of the inning.

Lefty reliever Sam Moll was on the hill to close out the game. Things did not go well for Oakland to start the ninth. Seager reached on Machin’s error. Nate Lowe reached on a fielder’s choice. Seager was out at second.

Rangers’ skipper Toney Beasley sent in the speedy Bubba Thompson to run for Lowe. Bubba was picked off trying to steal second. The play went 1-3-6. All the A’s need was one more out. Moll walked Adolis Garcia. Kotsay brought in righty Domingo Garcia to face Mark Mathias. Mathias, who had a homer and two RBIs, struck out to end the game. The A’s win 8-7

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 52-91. The Rangers fell to 62-81. The Rangers won the season series eleven games to eight.

The A’s line was eight runs, ten hits, and one error. The line for Texas was seven runs, ten hits, and one error.

J.P.Sears had a second consecutive tough outing. Sears went four innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. He walked one, stuck out three, and allowed two home runs. Sears threw 80 pitches. Collin Wils worked one and 1/3rd inning. Willes allowed three hits and two runs. One of the hits was a gopher ball. Snead, Cyr, Moll, and acevedo did not allow a hit or a run.

The A’s travel to Houston to start a four-game series with the Houston Astros starting Thursday night. James Kaprielian (3-9, 4.79) will go for Oakland. Houston will counter with Lance McCullers, Jr. (3-1, 2.20) first pitch 4:20 pm PDT.

The Texas Rangers Mark Mathias is greeted by teammates at the plate after swinging for a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the visiting Oakland A’s in the first of a two game series at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Tue Sep 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s and the Texas Rangers played a very entertaining game Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Both teams had no trouble solving the slants of two lefty starting pitchers. Rangers’ starter Cole Ragans went four-plus innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs.

The A’s Ken Waldichuk lasted five innings. Waldichuk allowed eight hits and five runs. Seven of the eight hits were for extra bases. The Rangers had six doubles, one home run, and a single. Texas tied the game in the seventh and won on a walk-off home run to win 8-7.

Oakland drew first blood in the top of the first. With two out, Chad Pinder singled. Pinder went to second on a wild pitch. Ragans then walked Shea Langeliers. The next hitter, A’s first baseman, Dermis Garcia, belted his third home run to give Oakland an early 3-0 lead.

The Rangers weren’t fazed. They put two on the board in their half of the first. Former A’s shortstop Marcus Semien led off with a double. Waldichuk retired the next two hitters. Adolis Garcia doubled to drive in Semien. Third baseman Josh Jung also doubled to drive in Garcia. The A’s led 3-2 

The A’s scored three times in the top of the fourth. With one out, Jonah Bride and Sheldon Neuse singled. Nick Allen’s double drove in two. Cristian Pache singled to give Oakland a 6-2 lead. 

The A’s made it 7-2 in the top of the fifth. Chad Pinder led off the inning with a double. Rangers’ manager Tony Beasley brought in lefty Taylor Hearn to pitch. Hearn Retired Langeliers for the first out. Garcia doubled to drive in Pinder. 

The Rangers plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Waldichuk was tagged for back-to-back doubles by Marcus Semien and Mark Mathias. Waldichuk retired Nate Lowe for the first out. Adolis Garcia blasted his 25th homer to make it 7-5 after five. Waldichuk was done for the night. He allowed six doubles, one home run, and one single in his five innings. He threw 82 pitches.

The Rangers tied the game in the seventh. Austin Pruitt was on the hill for Oakland. Marcus Semien led off the inning with his third double of the night. It was the first time in Semien’s career that he had three doubles in a game. The next hitter, Mark Mathias, homered to make it 7-7.

The Rangers’ relievers, lefties Taylor Hearn and Brook Burke, allowed the A’s just one hit in the last four innings of the game. The A’s A.J.Puk pitched well in the seventh and eighth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in Joel Payamps to pitch the ninth.

Payamps retired Semien for the first out. The next hitter, Mark Mathias, sent the Rangers’ fans home with smiles as he hit his second home run of the night to win it for Texas 8-7.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 51-91. Texas improved to 62-80. 

The line score for Oakland was seven runs, ten hits, and no errors. Texas’ line was eight runs, eleven hits, and no errors. The Rangers hit seven doubles, three home runs, and just one lonely single. It was quite an impressive display of power. 

Dermis Garcia doubled and homered to drive in four runs. Chad Pinder had three hits for Oakland. The hitting stars for Texas were Marcus Semien, with three doubles, and Mark Mathias, with a double and two home runs.

The A’s and Texas have played 18 times this year. Texas leads 11-7. 

Lefty J.P.Sears (5-2, 3.33) goes for Oakland on Wednesday. Dane Dunning (3-8, 4.39) will pitch for Texas.

The time of the game was 2:41. 14,916 people watched a very entertaining game.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s, suffering from their worst season since 1979, have 21 games left on the schedule. They are on the road for two with the Texas Rangers and four with the Astros in Houston. They return home for three with the playoff-bound Seattle Mariners and three with the National League first-place New York Mets. Oakland travels to LA for three with the Angels and three more with the Mariners. The A’s finish the season hosting the Angels for the final three games of the year. The A’s are 51-90 so far this season. They must win twelve of the last 21 games to avoid 100 losses. It will not be easy as they play three teams heading for the playoffs; the Astros, the Mariners, and the Mets.

The schedule has them playing two against the Rangers for the final time this season. The guys that hang out at Globe Life Field are tied with the Angels for third place in the AL West. Both teams own a 61-69 record. Neither team has lived up to expectations this year. Both teams have fired their manager midway through the year. The Angels dismissed Joe Maddon and replaced him with Phil Nevins. The Rangers fired Chris Woodward and named Tony Beasly as the interim manager. Both the Angels and Rangers spent heavily to improve the team. Money did not do the trick.
On the other hand, Oakland traded away several of its top players to reduce payroll. Gone are Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Jake Diekman, Sergio Romo, Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison. The A’s released three veterans midway through the season. Gone are Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, and Elvis Andrus. The A’s have used 60 players, including 28 rookies and 19 rookie pitchers. They have the worst record in baseball. Their team batting average is .217. The A’s are trying out players that they think will be on the roster in 2023. They have two veterans that may be shopped over the winter. They are catcher Sean Murphy and outfielder Ramon Laureano.

So, this brings us to Tuesday night’s game with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers gave huge contracts to Marcus Semien and Corey Seager before the start of the 2022 season. The Rangers were hoping to challenge the Astros for the AL West crown. The Rangers forgot to get pitching. They have guys who can hit the ball out of the park but need pitching. To contend, Texas, like all the teams in the playoffs race, needs three basic things: good hitting, good pitching, and good defense. It’s called strength up the middle. The Rangers have several core players to build around. They include Nate Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim. These guys can play. Rookie Bubba Thompson is hitting .296 and could be a player for Texas.

The A’s will be looking to see if players like Nick Allen, Cristian Pache, Jonah Bride, Dermis Garcia, Cody Thomas, Skye Bolt, and Cal Stevenson fit into their plans for 2023. Will the A’s keep veteran players like Tony Kemp, Chad Pinder, Sheldon Neuse, and Seth Brown? So, let’s look at the starting pitchers for the next two games.

On Tuesday, The A’s will send rookie lefty Ken Waldichuk to the hill to face the Rangers. Waldichuk will be making his third start. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. In his last start against a very powerful Atlanta Brave lineup, Waldichuk went five and 1/3rd innings. He allowed three hits and three runs. His only problem was that two of the hits left the park. The Braves won the game 7-3. The Rangers will send their rookie lefty Cole Ragans to the mound. Ragans is 0-2 with a 3.80 ERA. Ragans has yet to win his first game in the bigs.

On Wednesday, lefty J.P.Sears will be looking to rebound from his tough outing against the Chicago White Sox last week. Sears and Waldichuk came to Oakland in the trade that sent Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees. Sears lasted two innings and allowed eight hits and six runs. Three of the hits were home runs. Righty Dane Dunning will pitch for Texas. Dunning has faced the A’s twice this year. On May 29th, he went four and 1/3rd inning and allowed seven hits and three runs. Dunning did not figure in the decision. He beat the A’s on August 18th. Dunning went six innings in that game and allowed four hits and two runs. He got credit for the win.

The Rangers want to finish in third place in the AL West. The A’s want to get any wins to avoid losing 100 or more games. The Rangers are 11-6 against the A’s this year. The odds favor the Rangers, but as they say in baseball; “You never know”