Tag: texas rangers

Giants strike first, but end up losing to Rangers 7-6 in 10 innings

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Ana Kieu

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants had hoped to build their win streak when they returned to AT&T Park, where they welcomed the Texas Rangers for a three-game series that began on Friday night.

Prior to Friday’s game, Dereck Rodriguez, who missed the Giants’ last 10 games with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, was reinstated from the 10-day DL. Following Thursday’s game, Casey Kelly was optioned to triple-A Sacramento.

Speaking of Dereck, his father Pudge was in attendance to watch his rookie son play like any proud Papa would. And, of course, the Rangers’ Twitter had to sarcastically ask Pudge who he was going to root for tonight.

In case you didn’t know, Pudge played the majority of his MLB career with the Rangers as a catcher from 1991-2002. Pudge was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. in his first year of eligibility on January 18, 2017. Pudge received 76% of the votes at the time.

Nathan Aung threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Giants. Aung did a darn good job like when he last threw the first pitch at the Giants vs. Dodgers game at AT&T Park on August 22, 2013.

The Giants got on the board first, thanks to Andrew McCutchen, who hit his 15th home run of the season and 10th career leadoff homer. San Francisco had a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Giants continued to roll in the bottom of the first. Evan Longoria’s RBI single scored Joe Panik for a 2-0 lead. Then, Brandon Crawford’s sac fly allowed Buster Posey to score for a 3-0 lead. And then Alec Hanson’s sac fly that drove in Brandon Belt for a 4-0 lead.

The Giants led the Rangers 4-0 after the first. Texas had a lot of work to do in order to mount a comeback.

Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth inning, where the Giants continued pouring in the runs. Posey hit a single to score McCutchen for a 5-0 lead. Belt followed up with a single that scored Panik for a 6-0 lead.

The Giants led the Rangers 6-0 after the fourth. The Texas defense hadn’t come up with any answers to suppress the San Francisco offense yet.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Rangers proceeded to score some runs–one apiece in the seventh and eighth innings and two in the ninth inning, which forced the game into extra innings. The Giants fans were delighted to see some free baseball on a cool, cloudy night…just not the end result.

Rangers’ Robinson Chirinos walked and Jurickson Profar scored to lift the Rangers past the Giants 7-6 in 10 innings.

Notes
This weekend, MLB is celebrating Players Weekend, a joint effort between MLB and the MLBPA. Players will be wearing traditional alternate uniforms with nicknames on the back and a patch on their sleeve to pay tribute to a person or persons who aided their career.

Enter the Catch the Cure Tacoma Sweepstakes by donating at busterstacoma.com. You could win Buster’s Toyota Tacoma!

Up Next
The Giants and Rangers meet again Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT. Andrew Suarez (4-9, 4.68 ERA) will take the mound for San Francisco, while Texas will counter with Martin Perez (2-5, 6.93 ERA).

Don’t mess with Texas: Rangers halt A’s potential sweep with 4-2 win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s were going for a sweep of the three-game series with the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon. But, Rangers’ starter Mike Minor had other thoughts as he shot down the potent A’s offense with just one hit in six innings of work.

The Rangers, who had been shutout in the previous two games, gave Minor support as they scored four runs off A’s starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson had pitched very well before his outing on Wednesday but did not have it. In his 4 1/3 innings of work, he threw 80 pitches, and two of those pitches were sent into the stands by Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Gallo.

The A’s were hoping to eventually get back in the ballgame. The Rangers’ bullpen gave up two runs, giving the A’s a chance to tie it in the ninth, but Nick Martini struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Rangers’ left fielder Shin-Soo Choo ended 18 innings of Texas futility when he hit the first pitch of the game into the left field bleachers. The Rangers failed to score in the first two games of the series. The Rangers led 1-0 after one inning of play.

The Rangers plated another run in the top of the third. Jackson walked the first two hitters he faced. With one out, Rangers’ right fielder Nomar Mazara flew out to center. Ramon Laureano slipped as he caught the ball and that allowed Choo to tag up and advance to third. Adrian Beltre singled to give the Rangers a 2-0 advantage in the middle of the third.

Gallo took Jackson deep to start the fourth inning. The big left-handed slugger blasted his 33rd homer of the year to increase the lead to 3-0. A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano helped out his pitcher with a leaping catch against the wall with a man on first. Choo almost had his second homer of the day, but Laureano’s catch kept at least one more run off the board.

Minor had the A’s mesmerized for the first four innings of the contest. He has allowed one hit and walked one batter so far, and both were erased on double plays. He has faced just 12 hitters in  four innings of work.

It was obvious to most of the fans in the park that Jackson was not as sharp as he could be. The Rangers were able to solve his slants as they put another run on the board in the top of the fifth. Shortstop Elvis Andrus led off with a single. Jackson struck out Mazara on a wild pitch. Andrus went to second on the play. Adrian Beltre, who has a spot reserved for him in Cooperstown after his playing days are over, singled to center to drive in Andrus with the Rangers’ fourth run.

A’s manager Bob Melvin had seen enough, and he brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Jacksons’ pitched 4 1/3 innings and he allowed seven hits and four runs. He also was tagged for two solo home runs. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning and now trailed the Rangers 4-0.

The A’s, after being dazzled by Minor for six innings, finally put a run on the board. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister brought in former Giant Cory Gearrin to face the A’s in the seventh. Gearrin retired the first two hitters he faced. Matt Chapman reached on a walk. A’s DH Khris Davis was hit in the back by a Gearrin pitch to put two men on. Stephen Piscotty followed with a double to drive in Chapman with the A’s first run. It was the A’s second hit of the day. With the left-handed hitter Matt Olson at the plate, Banister brought in lefty Alex Claudio to pitch. Claudio did the job as he was able to strike out Olson for the third out and the A’s left two men stranded. The Rangers are in control 4-1 after seven.

The A’s crept a little closer in the bottom of the eighth. Chad Pinder led off the frame with a single. He went to second a scored on double to right by Jed Lowrie, who was pinch-hitting for Jonathan Lucroy. Rangers’ reliever Chris Martin retired Semien and Loreano to end the threat. The Rangers led 4-2 after eight.

The A’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth without the benefit of a hit. Rangers’ closer Jose Leclerc walked the first hitter Matt Chapman to start the inning. Chapman went to third on a wild pitch. LeClerc then struck out Khris Davis and got Piscotty to fly out to right. He walked Matt Olson and hit Chad Pinder with a pitch to load the bases. The game was on the line as Martini came to the plate. Martini had the chance to tie the game with a hit, but LeClerc had enough gas in his tank as he was able to strike out Martini for the final out to preserve the 4-2 win for the Rangers.

Game Notes: A’s Edwin Jackson tied a season-low with just 4 1/3 innings of work and matched a season-high in hits allowed with seven. His record is now 4-3.

Stephen Piscotty tied a career-high with his 35th double.

Despite the loss, the A’s still have the best record in baseball since June 16th (42-15). They have not lost a series to an AL West opponent since June 12th to June 14th at Houston. They finished the homestand with a 6-3 record.

The Rangers’ Mike Minor improved to 10-6, and it was his third quality start in his last four games.

The A’s line score was two runs, four hits, and no errors.

The Rangers’ line was four runs, nine hits, and no errors.

The A’s drop to 76-51.

Time of game was three hours and three minutes and 13,139 people stopped by to watch the A’s lose the finale of the three-game series.

Up Next: The A’s head to Minneapolis to take on the Twins for a three-game series starting Thursday at 5:10 pm PDT.

The A’s will send Trevor Cahill (5-2, 3.12 ERA) to the hill and Kohl Stewart (0-1, 7.71 ERA) will go for the Twins.

A’s shutout the Rangers again 6-0

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — Oakland A’s starter Brett Anderson pitched his best game of the year as he went seven innings and allowed just one hit as he won his third game of the season. The A’s DH Khris Davis tormented the Rangers’ pitching when he his 38th home run of the year and drove in three runs to pace the A’s attack. His RBI total reached to 102. It was the third season in a row that Davis has knocked in over 100 runs. It was also the first time in a while that the A’s had two starters pitch seven innings and allowed just one hit. The A’s shutout the Rangers 6-0 for their second straight shutout versus Texas.

The A’s tallied the first run of the night in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Nick Martini singled to left to get things going. He advanced to second on Matt Chapman’s groundout and scored when Jed Lowrie singled to center. The A’s lead 1-0 after one.

The A’s plated a run in the bottom of the fifth. With two out, third baseman Matt Chapman doubled. Rangers’ pitcher Ariel Jurado then walked Jed Lowrie. The next hitter, Davis, singled to center to drive in Chapman to give the A’s a 2-0 lead. For Davis, it was his 100th RBI of the year.

Oakland put two more runs on the board in the sixth. With one out, Marcus Semien doubled to left. Ramon Laureno singled to end Semien to third. Lurean then stole second. With the infield drawn in, A’s catcher Josh Phegley hit a sharp grounder to Rangers’ third baseman Jurickon Profar. Profar bobbled the ball, and his only play was to first base. Semien scored the A’s third run of the night. A’s left fielder Nick Martini then singled to drive in Laureano, and the A’s had a 4-0 lead after six.

Davis hit his 38th home run of the year with a man on to put the A’s ahead 6-0 after seven innings of play. Davis is just one home run behind Boston’s J.D.Martinez for the lead in that department. He is also second in the AL with 102 RBIs.

The A’s used Jeurys Familia in the eighth and Lou Trivino in the ninth as they kept the Rangers scoreless the last two innings of the game. The A’s won 6-0.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s are now 76-50 for the year and will remain in first place in the AL West. The A’s are a season-high 26 games over the .500 mark. They are 6-2 on the current homestand. They will go for a sweep of the three-game series Wednesday afternoon.

Brett Anderson went seven innings and allowed one and gave up just one walk. It was the first time in Oakland history that this has happened and it was the third time in the last four games. Before Tuesday night, Anderson had not allowed a run in two of his last three starts He is now 3-3 for the year. He has walked one batter or fewer in his last seven starts.

A’s DH Khris Davis has hit nine homers and knocked in 24 in 15 games with Texas this year. For his career, he has hit 27 dingers and batted in 62 in 52 games. Davis has 100 RBIs for the third year in a row, and it was the first time for an A’s hitter since Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada from 2001 to 2003.

The A’s line score was six runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The Rangers’ line was no runs, two hits, and one error.

Time of game was two hours and 26 minutes and 11,579 fans in attendance were delighted with the outcome.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Rangers again Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 pm PDT.

Edwin Jackson will pitch for Oakland, and Texas will send lefty Mike Minor to the mound in an attempt to salvage one game of the series.

Khris Davis puts on a show as the A’s roll over the Rangers 9-0

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — Oakland A’s Mike Fiers was magnificent as he dominated the Texas Rangers and won his ninth game of the year. The A’s trounced the Rangers 9-0 at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday night. The A’s pounded Rangers’ starter Bartolo Colon for seven runs, and as a result, Colon’s record dropped to 7-11.

The A’s scored three times in the bottom of the second. Stephen Piscotty started the rally off Colon, with a double to left. Marcus Semien followed with another double to drive in Piscotty with the A’s first run. A’s rookie Ramon Laureano, facing Colon for the first time in his short Major League career, hit his first home run as a Big Leaguer to put the A’s ahead 3-0. Laureano took Colon’s 89 MPH fastball over the wall in right-center field.

A’s manager Bob Melvin signaled for the ball to be returned to the dugout so that Laureano could put it in his trophy case at home. Jonathan Lucroy continued the hit parade with another double, but Colon settled down and was able to get out of the inning with no further damage.

The A’s DH, Khris Davis, led off the bottom of the third with his 37th round-tripper of the year. The ball left his bat traveling at 111 MPH and went an estimated 439 feet. The ball hit the concrete just below the glass that protects the fans in the suites in left field.

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The A’s sent Colon to the showers in the bottom of the sixth. Piscotty led off the inning with a single. Semien also singled to put men on at first and second with no out. The next hitter, Laureano, who hit the first home run of his career in the second inning, did it again as he slammed Colon’s pitch into the seats in the seats in left field to put the A’s in the driver’s seat with a formidable 7-0 lead. Piscotty homered in the seventh to make it 8-0, and the A’s tacked on another run in the eighth to win by a final score of 9-0.

Game Notes: A’s Mike Fiers was magnificent as he dominated the Rangers Monday night. Fiers gave up just one hit, one walk and hit a batter in his seven innings of work. He retired the last 18 batters he faced for his ninth win of the year.

The A’s hitting stars of the night were Stephen Piscotty, Marcus Semien, Ramon Laureano, and Jonathan Lucroy. Piscotty had a single, double and home run. Semien had two singles and a double. Laureano had two home runs and five runs batted in. Jonathan Lucroy had two singles and a double.

The A’s hit four home runs Monday.

With the win, the A’s are now 75-50 and were back in first place following the Houston Astros’ 7-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Time of game was two hours and 48 minutes and 9,341 fans went home happy.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be played Tuesday night at 7:05 pm PDT. The A’s will send Brett Anderson (2-3. 3.90 ERA) to the mound and the Rangers will counter with Ariel Jurado (2-2, 6.41 ERA)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: This Week in 1980, Charlie O. Finley Sold the A’s for $12.7 Million

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Photo credit: thesportsesquires.com

By: Amaury Pi-González

On August 21, 1980, Athletics owner Charlie Finley announced at a news conference that he has sold his A’s to Walter A. Haas, Jr., the chairman of the board of the Levi Strauss clothing empire, Haas’s son Walter Jr., and son-in-law Roy Eisenhardt for $12.7 million.

In 1980, Finley agreed in principle to sell to businessman Marvin Davis, who was planning to move the A’s to Denver, but before that, Finley and Davis were to sign a contract, as the NFL’s Oakland Raiders announced they were moving to Los Angeles in 1982. The City of Oakland and Alameda County officials didn’t wanted to be held responsible for losing Oakland status as a big league city and refused to let the A’s out of their lease with the Coliseum. So the A’s were sold and stayed.

Although they have changed ownership a few times since, today’s A’s are in solid ground to continue playing in Oakland. These days, the last thing in mind for the A’s is to move out of Oakland, because soon they will be the only professional team left, after the Warriors move to San Francisco and the Raiders to Las Vegas. That is the good news. Plus, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has said it all along, “the Bay Area is a two-team market.”

However, there is presently a group called Protect Oakland’s Shoreline Economy that is questioning the A’s proposed move to their favorite location of the Howard Terminal near Jack London Square. Here in the greater Bay Area, there is never a shortage of groups that oppose construction of sports facilities. and this one is the most recent. This is the second chapter of this novela. In December of last year, the A’s plans to build a 35,000 seat ballpark near Lake Merritt was stopped cold, when the community college refused to start negotiations about the proposed park.

All these recent concerns have been rather silenced by the A’s current play on the field, as they have been shocking the baseball world. They just took two out of three from the Mariners and two out of three from the Astros–two of their biggest rivals. This Monday, the Rangers open a three-game series at the Coliseum and then the A’s go on a six-game road-trip to Minnesota and Houston. They return the 30th of this month to say adios to August and welcome September with a four-game series against the M’s, three against the contending Yankees and the Rangers again. I do not believe the A’s bandwagon is close to capacity yet, as there are still a lot of folks who are not 100 percent certain they are going to see postseason play at the Coliseum. But I think they will.

By then, we will see how are the Atléticos de Oakland doing, with two very possible scenarios: 1) winning the division or 2) advancing as one of the two Wild Card teams.

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010am/990am, covering the Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley, and on the SAP Channel on NBC Sports California.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bartolo Colón–Número Uno in Latin America

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Photo credit: @simple_blitz

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

History was made at Arlington, Texas on Tuesday, August 7th as Bartolo Colón from the Dominican Republic and with his Texas Rangers team won his 246th game and became the #1 pitcher in total wins born in Latin America. His Texas Rangers routed the Seattle Mariners 11-4, Colón pitched seven innings. His last out was his 94th pitch of the game as he retired Dee Gordon. The “Big Sexy” gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings of work.

“It was a long journey, but it finally came and it feels good” Colón said. “I always give thanks to God and to my family and the support that I have from them.”

Colón began his career in 1997 with the Cleveland Indians, and has pitched for a total of 21 years with 10 different teams. He won over 20 games in two occasions. In 2005 with the Angels, he ended with a 21-8 record and a 3.48 ERA, earning the American League Cy Young Award. A master of control, when he began he was a power pitcher with a fastball from 95-100 MPH. He pitched with the Oakland A’s in 2012 and 2013. I remember in A’s Spring Training, he tutored a Cuban-born newcomer, Yoenis Céspedes, to the Major Leagues. They became good friends.

With his 246th win, Colón passed his compatriot Juan “The Dominican Dandy” Marichal and then Nicaragua’s Dennis “El Presidente” Martínez among the top pitchers with most wins born in Latin America. Colón in Spanish means Columbus (like Christopher Columbus) and like the man who discovered the DR in the 1400’s, this Colón is in a class all by himself.

In case you did not know; there are 28 pitchers in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York with less wins than Colón’s 246.

A’s mess with Texas again; sweep 4-game series with 7-6 win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their sixth game in a row as they defeated the Texas Rangers 7-6 at Globe Life Park Thursday night. The A’s swept the four-game series for their 27th win in their last 34 games since June 16th. It was the A’s third four-game sweep this season, and it was the first time the A’s have accomplished such a feat since 1928.

The A’s Trevor Cahill earned the win to even his record at 2-2. He had not won a game since April 17th when he beat the Chicago White Sox. He snapped a nine-game winless streak. He struggled as he went five innings and allowed seven hits and five runs. The A’s offense helped him out as he left the game with the A’s leading 6-5.

The Rangers’ starter was Bartolo Colon. Colon took the loss. He went seven innings and gave up nine hits and six runs. His record dropped to 5-9. He has 243 career win, and it was his fourth attempt to break the record he holds with Dennis Martinez for most wins by a Latin American native.

The A’s took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Nick Martini reached when he was hit by a pitch. Colon retired Marcus Semien for the first out. Jed Lowrie hit a dribbler up the first base line that Colon could not field properly. He tried to get Lowrie at first, but his throw sent the ball past Rangers’ first baseman Ronald Guzman. Lowrie was credited with a hit and Colon an error on the throw as Martini advanced to third base. Khris Davis singled to right to drive in Martini. Shin-Soo Choo’s throw to third base in an attempt to nail Lowrie went into the dugout for the second error of the inning. Lowrie scored.

The Rangers came back in their half of the first to tie the game. Cahill walked the leadoff hitter (Choo). Cahill hit Rougned Odor with a pitch to put men on at first and second with no out. Elvis Andrus singled to load the bases. Adrian Beltre singled to drive in Choo. Cahill struck out Jurickson Profar for the first out. Joey Gall grounded out, and Odor scored on the play.

The A’s Matt Chapman lead off the second inning with a line drive that went over the fence in left field for his 12th home run of the year.

The Rangers tied the game again in the bottom of the inning. Ronald Guzman doubled. He went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Choo singled.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the fourth. With one out Chapman walked. Dustin Fowler followed with a triple to drive in Chapman. Nick Martini followed with another triple to drive in Fowler. Semien singled to drive in Martini. The A’s lead 6-3.

The Rangers scored twice in the fifth to make it a 6-5 game. They put together a walk to Andrus and a single by Beltre. Profar followed with a triple to drive in both teammates.

The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth when Chapman tripled with one out. Jonathan Lucroy drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Jeurys Familia to pitch. Ronaldo Guzman reached when Matt Olson misplayed his ground ball. Pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Familia struck out Choo for the first out. Rougned Odor lined out to center-field and Guzman tagged up and made it safely to third base. Familia uncorked a wild pitch and Guzman scored on the play.

A’s closer Blake Treinen was brought in to pitch the ninth. Adrian Beltre greeted him with a single, but Treinen was unfazed. He struck out Profar for the first out. Joe Gallo flew out to left field, and Treinen got Robinson Chirinos to line out to Jed Lowrie. The A’s won 7-6.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s hitting star was Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a home run and had two triples. The A’s had four triples in the game. The last time they had three triples in a game was in April 2013.

Blake Treinen recorded his 27th save of the year.

The A’s improved to 61-43 and are 18 games over the .500 mark for the first time since September 9, 2014.

The A’s announced that they will honor Bill King on July 30th will a commercial-free radio broadcast to commemorate the first anniversary of Bill’s receiving the Ford C. Frick Award that put him in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Up Next: The A’s travel to Denver for a three-game interleague series against the Colorado Rockies. The game will be played without the DH, so Khris Davis probably will be in left field.

Lefty Sean Manaea (9-6, 3.30 ERA) will pitch for Oakland.

Colorado will counter with another lefty, Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 8-6 and has a 3.28 ERA.

Khris Davis’ homers lead the A’s to another amazing comeback over the Rangers 6-5

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By Jerry Feitelberg.

As Yogi Berra once said:”it’s deja vu all over again.” The late A’s Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill King probably would have screamed “Holy Toledo” several times during Wednesday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. The A’s continued to electrify its fans and demoralize their opponents as they did it again. The A’s trailed 5-1 after six innings. They stunned the Rangers Tuesday night as they overcame an eight-run deficit. Could they do it again? The answer is yes they did. Designated hitter, Khris Davis was a one-man wrecking crew as he homered twice to drive in five runs to propel the A’s to their fifth straight win and their 26th win in the last 33 games played. The A’s remain 1 and 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They are also closing in on the first place Houston Astros. The Astros lost to Colorado Wednesday night, and the A’s now trail them by 6 1/2 games.

The A’s scored a run in the first inning to take an early lead. Marcus Semien doubled to left to start the inning. First baseman Matt Olson also doubled to drive in Semien.

The Rangers tallied three in the bottom of the second. Edwin Jackson walked Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo to put two on and no out. Robinson Chirinos, who always seems to kill the A’s, hit a monster shot that went 429 feet over the center field wall. The Rangers added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Carlos Tocci singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Tocci advanced to third on a passed ball. Rougned Odor singled to drive in Tocci. Odor stole second and he scored on a single off the bat of future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre. The Rangers lead 5-1 after five complete.

The A’s failed to score in the sixth. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister brought in former San Francisco Giant Corey Gearrin to pitch the seventh. A’s catcher Josh Phegley greeted him with a single. Gearrin retired Semien and Nick Martini. He walked Jed Lowrie to put men on at first and second with A’s DH Khris Davis coming to the plate. KD unloaded his 26th bomb of the season to deep center field. The ball traveled 426 feet, and the A’s now trail 5-4.

The A’s bullpen continued to pitch well. After Jackson’s demise, Petit, Hatcher, Buchter, and Trivino kept the Rangers scoreless as they gave up just one hit to the Rangers.

That set the stage for the fateful ninth inning. The Rangers brought in Jose LeClerc to close out the game. Keone Kela was not available as he threw 40 pitches Tuesday night. Here’s how the inning unfolded. With one out LeClerc walked Nick Martini. He then struck out Jed Lowrie for the second out. Dustin Fowler was sent in to run for Martini. LeClerc now had to face Khris Davis. LeClerc put Davis in a two-strike hole. However, as mentioned earlier, Davis loves to hit in Texas. His 27th home run of the year was an opposite-field shot that went 421 feet. There was no doubt about it when it left the bat, and the A’s were in front 6-5. Bob Melvin summoned his All-Star closer Blake Treinen from the bullpen. Treinen did not disappoint as he struck out the side to preserve the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- Edwin Jackson made his sixth start of the year, and it was not his best effort. Jackson went 4 and 1/3rd innings and allowed 7 hits and five runs. The A’s bullpen was magnificent as they held the Rangers scoreless and gave the A’s a chance to get back in the game. The winning pitcher was Lou Trivino who worked a scoreless eighth inning. His record is now 8-1. Treinen recorded his 26th save in 30 tries. The Rangers’ Martin Perez gave his team a quality start as he went six innings and gave up one run and seven hits. Jose LeClerc took the loss and is now 2-3 for the year.

Khris Davis has homered in his sixth consecutive game against the Rangers. He has 25 homers and 57 RBIs in 49 career games against the Rangers. In Texas, Davis has 15 home runs and 31 RBIs in 26 road games. Davis also has six home runs in his last four games. He is sizzling right now.

The A’s go for the sweep Thursday night at Globe Life Field. Trevor Cahill will pitch for Oakland, and he will be opposed by the ageless wonder Bartolo Colon who is 45-years old. Colon is tied with Dennis Martinez for most wins (245) by a native of Latin America. Game time will be at 7:05 pm.

A’s rally from an 8-run deficit to beat Rangers 13-10

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s continued to perform their magic act as they came back from an eight-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 13-10 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday night.

Things initially did not go well for the A’s as the Rangers scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. Mark Canha, with one out in the third, homered to left field to make it a 2-1 game. Jed Lowrie tied the game with a solo home run off Rangers’ starter Mike Minor.

The Rangers plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off A’s starter Frankie Montas. Willie Calhoun led off the fifth with a solo home run. Shin-Soo Choo singled and went to third on Rougned Odor’s double. Elvis Andrus drove in Choo with a sacrifice fly to right field. Montas was done for the night, and he left the game trailing 4-2.

The Rangers appeared to break the game open in the sixth. Lefty Ryan Buchter was now pitching for Oakland. Joey Gallo, playing right field for Texas, started the onslaught with his 25th of the year. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then doubled. Carlos Tocci, playing center field, singled to drive in Kiner-Falefa. Choo reached on Marcus Semien’s fielding error. Buchter walked Odor to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin took the ball from Buchter and brought in J.B. Wendelken to face Andrus. The strategy failed as Andrus hit his first career grand slam to put Texas in the driver’s seat with a 1-2 advantage after six innings of play.

The A’s, who have never come back to win after trailing by eight runs after six innings, made history Tuesday. The A’s scored 11 unanswered runs in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th innings to come away with what could be the most improbable win of the season. The players know that they can come back, but no one ever would believe that they could overcome an eight-run deficit. They tallied three runs in the seventh. Texas reliever walked Matt Chapman and Mark Canha to start the rally. Mann retired Lucroy, but Marcus Semien doubled to drive in Chapman and Canha. Nick Martini followed with a double to drive in Semien. The A’s trailed 10-5 and had two more innings to get more runs.

The A’s scored four in the eighth to make it a 10-9 game. They scored four times and had just one hit. Lefty Jake Diekman could not find the strike zone. With one out, Diekman walked Chapman, Canha, and Lucroy. Semien hit a ground ball to Rangers’ shortstop Elvis Andrus. Andrus mishandled the ball and Chapman scored. The bases were still loaded. Diekman hit Nick Martini with a pitch to force in another run. Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister ended Diekman’s night and brought in his closer Keone Kela to pitch. Jed Lowrie was the next hitter. Lowrie, hitting from the left side, hit a rocket up the middle that appeared to bounce off Kela’s hand. The ball went into center field, and Lucroy and Semien scored. Kela retired Khris Davis and Matt Olson to end the threat.

In the top of the ninth, Stephen Piscotty hammered his 14th homer of the season to tie the game. Kela retired the A’s with no further damage. A’s reliever Jeurys Familia, who entered the game in the eighth inning, set the Rangers down in order and the game went into extra innings.

In the 10th inning, the A’s scored three more times. Austin Bibens-Dirks was on the hill for Texas. Bibens-Dirks retired the first hitter. Nick Martini then singled. Lowrie walked to put men on at first and second. Khris Davis was the next hitter. Davis had a tough night as he was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Davis, who had three home runs in his last two games, came through once again as hit his 25th of the season into the seats in left field to give the A’s the lead for the first time in the game. Bob Melvin summoned his closer Blake Treinen from the bullpen and Treinen retired the Rangers to preserve the win for Oakland. The A’s won 13-10.

Game Notes: Khris Davis hit his 25th homer of the year and has knocked in 72. It was the biggest and best comeback of the season for Oakland. They had never come back from an eight-run deficit when trailing after six innings.

Stephen Piscotty’s home run was his seventh in July. Jed Lowrie’s home run was his 17th of the year. Lowrie never hit more than 16 before this year. The A’s improve to 59-43 and are now just 1 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card Slot. The Mariners lost to the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in Seattle.

The line score for Oakland was 13 runs, 11 hits, and two errors.

The Rangers’ line was 10 runs, nine hits, and they also made two errors.

The A’s announced that Kendall Graveman would undergo Tommy John surgery. Graveman, who started for the A’s on Opening Night, was demoted to Nashville and spent a considerable amount of time on the DL. He is done for the year and will probably not be able to pitch until September 2019.

18,249 people were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s and Rangers will meet again Wednesday at 5:05 pm PDT.

Edwin Jackson (1-2) will make his sixth start for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Texas lefty Martin Perez (2-4).

A’s hitters torch Rangers’ pitchers in 15-3 laugher in Arlington

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a very warm night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, on Monday night as the Oakland A’s started a seven-game road trip against the Texas Rangers. The temperature at the start of the game was over 100 degrees, but that did not faze the A’s hitters one bit.

The Rangers had their best pitcher, Cole Hamels, on the mound. Hamels, a four-time All-Star and 2008 World Champion (with the Philadelphia Phillies), is having an off year so far this season. The 34-year old lefty was 5-8 for the year, but his home record was 1-6 at home.

The A’s countered with their lefty, Brett Anderson, who started the game with a record of 1-2 and has spent a lot of time on the DL. A’s manager Bob Melvin was hoping to get some innings from Anderson to not use his bullpen. Anderson did his job as he went six innings and allowed just two runs and six hits. That, baseball fans, is a quality start.

The A’s torched Hamels for five runs in the top of the second inning. Hamels walked Matt Olson to start the inning. Chapman reached on an infield single. Rougned Odor made a gallant effort trying to stop Chapman’s grounder from going into centerfield. Odor flipped the ball to shortstop Elvis Andrus. Andrus stretched to grab the ball for the out, but he did not control of the ball as Olson’s slid in safely. Mark Canha singled sharply to right field to load the bases with no out.

Jonathan Lucroy was the next hitter. Lucroy was traded to the Rangers in 2016 and was with them until the trade deadline last year when the Rangers sent him to the Colorado Rockies. Lucroy had been with Hamels, who had a winning record when Lucroy was his catcher. Lucroy had hit only one home run so far the year but his second of the season was a grand salami. The ball was hit to deep center-field and barely made it over the fence. Statcast said the ball went 408 feet. The A’s were on the board, and it was just the beginning of the fireworks. The A’s plated another run to make it 5-0. Semien walked. Chad Pinder, who was 8-for-9 with three home runs in his career against Hamels, singled. Hamels retired Jed Lowrie, but was touched for a double by Khris Davis.

The Rangers scored two in the bottom of the third. Odor doubled and scored when Elvis Andrus homered. The A’s lead 5-2 after three. The A’s got the two runs back in the top of the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. With one out, Matt Olson singled. Stephen Piscotty homered for the thirteenth time this year to give the A’s a five-run lead. Hamels was done for the night. He went five innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits. He walked two, struck out five, and gave up two dingers.

Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister brought in another lefty, Matt Moore (former San Francisco Giant), to pitch the sixth inning. Moore set the A’s down in order. Banister should have given him the night off after that. Moore’s second inning of work was a disaster. The A’s scored six times on five hits. The big hit of the inning was a three-run blast off the bat of Matt Chapman. Moore gave up doubles to Lucroy and Semien to make it a 12-2 game. Banister brought in another lefty, Alex Claudio, who did not fare any better as Chad Pinder doubled on Claudio’s first pitch to drive in the sixth run of the game.

The A’s scored two more in the eighth, while the Rangers tallied just one. The A’s took game one by a lopsided score of 15-3.

Game Notes: The A’s continue to play well. They are now 24-7 in their last 31 games and are now 2 1/2 games behind the idle Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card slot.

The line score for Oakland was 15 runs, 18 hits including four home runs, and no errors.

The line for Texas was three runs, eight hits, and no errors.

The A’s are now 58-43, and Texas falls to 42-59.

Khris Davis hit his 24th home run of the run and his third in the last two games.

Matt Olson had two hits. Steven Piscotty had two hits, three RBIs, and a home run. Matt Chapman had three hits, four RBIs, and a three-run homer. Lucroy hit a grand slam to go along with a double.

Up Next: The A’s and Rangers will meet again on Tuesday at 5:05 pm PDT.

Texas will send left Mike Minor (6-6) to the hill, and Oakland will counter with Frankie Montas (5-2).