Tag: texas rangers

A’s outlast the Rangers 8-6 in a slugfest on Saturday at the Coliseum

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

IMG_0702

By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND — The Oakland Athletics’ 61-0 winning streak when they held a lead after seven innings was on the line Saturday versus the Texas Rangers. The A’s had a 6-4 lead after seven innings, but Texas veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre had other ideas about Oakland continuing that winning streak.

Beltre came to bat in the top of the eighth inning with teammate Nomar Mazara at first and his team trailing by two runs. With the count at 0-2, Beltre hit a Fernando Rodney pitch down the left-field line into the seats for a two-run home run to tie the game at 6-6. It was home run No. 11 of the season for Beltre and his second of the game (his first multiple home run game of the season). The crowd of 20,504 became very concerned.

The Rangers brought RHP Chris Martin into the game from the bullpen. The first batter he had to face was Matt Olson who entered the game in the seventh inning for Mark Canha. Olson hit the 0-1 pitch from Martin over the fence in left field for his 25th home run of the year to give the A’s a 7-5 lead. After Chad Pinder flied out, Jonathan Lucroy singled. Ramon Laureano struck out for the second out of the inning. Matt Chapman, who leads the majors in doubles since the All-Star Break, hit an RBI-double to right field that allowed Lucroy to score the A’s eighth run of the game to give them an 8-6 lead.

The A’s went to the top of the ninth with an 8-6 lead which meant it was “Treinen Time.” Treinen took the mound and struck out the first two hitters he faced. Shin-Soo Choo then stepped into the batter’s box and hit a soft line drive to Marcus Semien for the final out of the game.

The A’s won the game 8-6 and upped their record for the season to 86-57. They have now won three consecutive games and have guaranteed that they will win this series with the Rangers. The A’s are now 11-0-2 in their previous 13 home series which is the longest single-season home series unbeaten streak in Oakland history.

Ryan Buchter (4-0) received credit for the victory and Blake Treinen of the A’s picked up his 37th save. Chris Martin (1-4) of the Rangers was hung with the loss.

The Astros beat the Red Sox on Saturday 5-3 in Boston so the A’s will stay 3.5 games back of Houston. The Mariners host the Yankees on Saturday night.

Bob Melvin analyzes the game

Performances worth remembering

IMG_0672

  • Khris Davis hit his 41st home run of the season in the home half of the first inning. He now has 10 round-trippers off Rangers pitching.
  • Jed Lowrie hit his 36th double of the year in this contest, which ties him with Nick Swisher for third most for switch hitters in A’s history.
  • Stephen Piscotty doubled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
  • Matt Olson’s 25 home runs lead the American League for most HR’s by a first baseman.
  • Chad Pinder hit his 11th home run of 2018 in the sixth inning – a solo shot.
  • The Rangers Shin-Soo Choo has reached base in 15 out of 17 games versus the A’s this year.
  • Jurickson Profar hit his 16th home run of the season in the fourth inning off Jackson.

Pitching was a group effort in this game

A’s

IMG_0650

  • Starter Edwin Jackson was credited for just 3.0 innings and was dinged for four runs (all earned) off five hits. He struck out five and walked just one but gave up two home runs.
  • Shawn Kelley was back after his kitchen accident and pitched a perfect inning with two K’s.
  • Lou Trivino worked a perfect inning of relief.
  • Fernando Rodney was charged with blown save for giving up the two-run shot to Beltre.
  • The A’s used eight pitchers.
  • Oakland pitching gave up six runs (all earned) off six hits. They walked just one batter. A’s pitchers struck out 12 Texas hitters. They did give up three home runs.

Rangers

  • The Rangers used five pitchers in the game.
  • All but one of those hurlers gave up at least one earned one. Ouch!
  • Eddie Butler was the only reliever not to give up a run.
  • Texas pitchers gave up eight runs (all earned) on nine hits. They struck out seven and walked six. The Rangers also issued three home runs to A’s hitters.

Up next

The series wraps tomorrow at 1:05 PM when the Rangers send RHP Ariel Jurado (2-4, 6.00) to the mound to face the A’s RHP Trevor Cahill (6-3, 3.60).

Laureano Better Than Big Mac, Canseco in A’s 8-4 Win over Texas

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SportingGreenSF

By: Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND–Just think where the Oakland Athletics might be if they’d called Ramon Laureano up sooner. Maybe a 3.5 game division deficit is actually a division lead at this time. The 24 year old rookie has won games for the A’s with his glove, his arm, his baserunning and his bat since getting the call August 3rd and Friday night was no different.

The speedy center fielder became the first Athletic to have two multi-homer games in his first thirty big league appearances, going deep twice in the A’s 8-4 win over the Rangers at the Coliseum on Friday night. He joins the Bash Brothers, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco as the only players in A’s history to accomplish the feat in the first 50 games of their careers.

The A’s needed the win with the Astros rallying past the Red Sox and the New York Yankees dispatching of the team directly below the A’s in the Wild Card standings. A loss would have pushed Oakland 4 1/2 games back of each team. The A’s pounced on Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo, plating five runs of him in just 4 1/3 innings.

Laureano put the Rangers on the ropes in his first at bat of the game, working his way into the leadoff spot after earning manager Bob Melvin’s trust over a first cup of coffee that includes a .309 batting average in 81 at-bats. Laureano rewarded his manager with a solo shot to center field, his 4th homer of the year already, to give the A’s a 1-0 lead just one batter into their licks at the dish.

Marcus Semien hit his 12th long ball of the season with a runner on in the bottom of the 2nd inning, then the rally continued till Matt Chapman’s two-run single made it 5-0 A’s.

Joey Gallo did what he does best, crushing two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the top of the 4th. Bassitt, the second man out of the pen after Liam Hendriks served as “opener” once again, allowed three runs over his three innings of work.

Yusmeiro Petit was credited with the win for his work pitching the fifth and sixth innings despite the A’s already being up 5-2. He got some major run support when Laureano blasted another solo shot, this time off reliever Adrian Sampson. Sampson would get tagged for another pair after an error and three straight singles put Oakland up 8-3.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the A’s. Fernando Rodney labored for his appearance in the seventh inning. He gave up one run, his fourth of September in just 2 2/3 innings and it could have been much worse. Ronald Guzman hit a ball that appeared to hit the top of the wall in right, but was ruled a double and scored only one run. Rodney walked the bases loaded with two outs, but Ryan Buchter came in and got the deep fly out from Rougned Odor to escape the big inning.

Jeurys Familia also struggled in his inning of work after getting one out, but giving up a hit to Nomar Mazara, a walk to Adrian Beltre and an RBI double to  Gallo to pull Texas within four at 8-4. He’d get the final to outs and turn the game over to the closer Blake Treinen. Treinen, a dark horse Cy Young candidate, finished off the ninth in his usual dominant fashion to give the A’s the final 8-4 lead.

The A’s and Rangers will continue their series with game two on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

The A’s will send one of their few true starters to the hill, Edwin Jackson, a journeyman with a 5-3 record and 2.91 ERA. He’s locked in a battle with Mike Fiers to determine who will pitch in the one-game playoff come October if needed. He’ll be opposed by Yohander Mendez, a southpaw with a 1-1 record and 5.59 ERA.

A’s to host Rangers in weekend series starting Friday night

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: markmoneyhoffman.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will host the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum for three games beginning Friday night. It will be the final time the teams will meet this season.

The Rangers find themselves in last place in the AL West with a 61-79 record. The Rangers had hoped to have had a better record as they put together a lineup with hitters that could put runs on the board. On the other hand, their pitching could not keep the other team from putting more runs on the board.

The A’s, who have an off-day on Thursday, after 20 consecutive games, find themselves in a race for either one of two possibilities. The A’s are 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the race for first place in the AL West.

If the A’s were to win the division, they would not have to play in the one-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams. They are also 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the first Wild Card slot. The first Wild Card hosts the game at their home park. If the A’s finish in the second spot, they would have to fly to New York for the game.

Also, history is not on the side of the second Wild Card. The home team usually, but not always, prevails when the one-game playoff is held at their home stadium.

The A’s have a lot to play for this weekend. While they have successfully handled the Rangers so far this year, they cannot take them lightly. The Rangers would love nothing more than upsetting the A’s apple cart.

Below are the A’s and Rangers pitching matchups:

On Friday night, The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill. Bassitt has pitched well at times, but he has not been as consistent as the team had hoped. However, in his last start against Minnesota, he went 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run. The A’s could potentially use an “opener” when a bullpen pitcher to start the game and then bring in Bassitt after the first or second innings.

The Rangers will counter with the veteran hurler Yovani Gallardo who has a 8-3 record and a 5.97 ERA. Gallardo beat the Twins 7-4 in his last start. His line was pitched five innings and gave up three runs. Gallardo has a 5-2 record with a 4.07 ERA in his last eight starts.

On Saturday, the A’s Edwin Jackson will pitch for the Green and Gold. Jackson has a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA so far this year. In his last start, Jackson went six innings and allowed just one run and three hits.

The Rangers will start Yohender Mendez. Mendez recorded his first MLB win last Sunday when he beat the Twins. He pitched six scoreless innings and allowed three hits while walking one and striking out three. He has a 1-1 record and a 5.59 ERA for the season.

On Sunday, Trevor Cahill will start for the A’s, and Texas has not yet announced their pitcher. Cahill has a 6-3 record and a 3.60 ERA. The big righty has pitched extremely well at the Coliseum this year. In his nine starts at home, he has a 5-0 record and a 1.09 ERA. He beat the Yankees last Monday before 41,000 fans. He allowed the Yanks’ three runs (two earned) and five hits while walking one and striking out three.

The A’s pitching will have their hands full as they try to stop the Rangers’ hitters. The Rangers’ infield consists of Ronald Guzman at first, Rougned Odor at second, Elvis Andrus at short, and Adrian Beltre at third. The Rangers’ outfield will be patrolled by Shin-Soo-Choo, Joey Gallo, and Nomar Mazara. Robinson Chirinos will handle the catching. Every one of these players can hit the ball out of the park.

The A’s also have big boppers. They have five guys that have hit 20 or more balls out of the park this season. Part-time players such as Mark Canha and Chad Pinder are in double figures in that department.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the A’s cannot let their guard down. The team knows what’s at stake and their manager Bob Melvin will prepare them. The A’s are 84-57 and have 21 games left to play. They have to keep winning, and they will need help from other teams if they are to move up in the standings.

The Boston Red Sox could really help the A’s as they host the Astros at Fenway Park this weekend, and have six more, three at home and three in New York, against the Yanks. The Red Sox would love nothing more than upsetting the Yanks’ apple cart.

The surprise team and feel good story of the 2018 season have been the A’s. The players know they are good and they are showing the world what they can do.

Holland beats his former team–Rangers–for the first time, 3-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Derek Holland faced his former team in the Texas Rangers for just the third time in his career, but it was a rookie that came up with the biggest hit of the game.

Steven Duggar hit a two-run triple that helped the San Francisco Giants defeat the Rangers 3-1 before a crowd of 39,260 at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon.

Duggar’s triple off of Yovani Gallardo scored Hunter Pence and Nick Hundley with what proved to be the winning margin, as the Giants took two of three in a rematch of the 2010 World Series.

That triple was the first of Duggar’s career.

Gallardo got the first two batters out in that fateful fourth inning, but Pence singled and then Hundley walked before Duggar launched a Gallardo pitch into Triples Alley to give the Giants the lead for good.

Holland went 6.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits, while walking three and striking out four, as he won for the seventh time on the season.

This was the first career win for Holland against the team that drafted him in the 25th round of the 2006 Major League Draft. Holland played his first eight seasons with the Rangers, where he went 62-50 with a 4.35 earned run average in 179 games (158 starts).

The 158 starts by Holland with the Rangers is the eighth-most in Rangers history, and his 62 wins are the ninth-most.

Evan Longoria got the Giants going in the bottom of the first inning, as he tripled to the appropriately named ‘Triples Alley,” and then Brandon Belt singled to score Longoria. As for Longoria, that was his third triple of the season, the most for him since the 2013 season, when he also hit three.

The Rangers tied it up in the top of the third inning, as Elvis Andrus hit a double to left field that Hunter Pence bobbled in left field to allow Rougned Odor to score the tying run for the Rangers.

Following the Andrus double that tied up the game, Brandon Crawford came up with the defensive play of the game, as Adrian Beltre hit a ball into the hole that looked like it was going into left field; however, Crawford dove for the ball, got up and was able to throw out Beltre to keep the score tied at one. Not only did Crawford make another fantastic play, but Brandon Belt dug the ball out of the dirt for the final out of the inning that kept Andrus from scoring the potential go-ahead run.

That was the only hit that Holland would allow until he gave up two in the top of the seventh inning.

Duggar gave the Giants the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning, as his triple scored the eventual winning runs for the Giants.

Holland got into a bit of a jam in that seventh inning, as he gave up two hits in the top of the seventh inning; however, both Joey Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were stranded at third base, when Tony Watson struck out Robinson Chirinos and then got Odor out on an attempted bunt to end the inning.

Without the services of usual closer Will Smith, Mark Melancon came on to finish the game, and despite the fact that he gave up a pinch-hit single to Shin-Soo Choo with one out in the top of the ninth inning, Melancon was able to get the last two batters for his third save of the season.

NOTES: Buster Posey will undergo season-ending hip surgery on Monday in Vail, Colorado to repair a damaged labrum and remove bone spurs in his right hip.

Posey was placed on the 10-day disabled list, and to replace Posey on the roster will be Aramis Garcia, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.

This was the first time that Melancon picked up back-to-back saves in consecutive games since May 19 and 20, 2017 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

By winning the series finale against the Rangers, the Giants won their 65th game of the season, surpassing their total of 64 from just one year ago.

UP NEXT: The Giants host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series starting Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Giants’ Chris Stratton will look for his ninth win of the season on Monday night, as he takes the mound against Patrick Corbin of the D-Backs, who is looking for his 11th win of the season for the Diamondbacks.

Crawford and Pence go deep in the Giants’ 5-3 win over the Rangers

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — What is that old saying by Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra? “It is like Déjà vu all over again.”

After jumping out to a 4-0 lead after the bottom of the first inning, the San Francisco Giants were forced to hold onto the victory after nearly blowing it in the end and ended up with the 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers before a crowd of 40,287 at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s really incredible how similar the two games were but we found a way to get the last out today,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Torture was back.”

Brandon Crawford came up with the big hit in the bottom of the first inning, as he smashed a three-run home run off of Martin Perez. It was the 12th home run of the season for Crawford.

Andrew McCutchen got the ball rolling for the Giants in the bottom of the first inning, as he doubled to left field to lead off the bottom of the first. It was the second straight day that McCutchen came up with an extra base hit to lead off the game.

After the McCutchen double, Brandon Belt then singled and then Evan Longoria drove in the first Giants run of the afternoon, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored McCutchen from third base. Brandon Belt came up with the heads up play of the game early on, as he went to second on the Longoria sacrifice fly.

Nick Hundley then walked, and then Perez was able to get Austin Slater to line out to Nomar Mazara in right field, and then Crawford launched his home run over the right-center field wall.

Andrew Suarez bounced back from two tough starts, as he went seven strong innings, allowing zero runs on three hits, walked three batter and struck out five on his way to his fifth win of the season.

“This whole week I looked at old video just to see what could get me going again,” Suarez said. “Once I know I’m getting a lot of groundballs I know that’s when I’m in my game.”

Despite allowing those four runs in the bottom of the first inning, Perez ended up pitching a good game, as he allowed four runs on five hits, walking one and striking out four in five innings of work.

After that fateful first inning, where Perez gave up four runs on three hits and walked one, he then settled down, as he allowed two hits and struck out four in his final four innings of work.

Hunter Pence lengthened the Giants lead up to 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he hit a pinch-hit home run off of former Giants teammate Matt Moore.

It’s very important to continue to send that message of relentless attack,” Pence said. “Even where we are and as clouded as it may seem, you still never know. When there’s still a chance in this game of baseball, things can get hot in an instant.”

Things began to get interesting in the top of the eighth inning, as after Hunter Strickland was able to get the first two outs of the inning, then it got weird for the second day in a row.

Joey Gallo reached when Slater was unable to close hid glove on the potential third out of the inning, then Shin-Soo Choo singled Gallo to right field and then Rougned Odor launched a three-run home run onto the Arcade to get the Rangers within two runs. Strickland was able to regroup, and get Elvis Andrus to ground out to end the inning.

The ninth inning was no better for the Giants, as closer Will Smith came on for the third straight day and got the first out, but then Jurickson Profar walked and then Robinson Chirinos beat out an infield single and then Smith uncorked a wild pitch that sent the potential tying run into scoring position; however, Smith was able to get Adrian Beltre to strikeout for the second out of the inning.

Smith was unable to end it without some drama, as he walked pinch-hitter Isiah Kiner-Falefa and that was end of the day for Smith.

Mark Melancon came on to end the game, as he pinch-hitter Carlos Perez to fly out to Slater end the game. It was the second save of the season for Melancon, and the first since June 21 against the San Diego Padres.

NOTES: Odor’s home run in the top of the eighth inning was the seventh home run allowed by the Giants bullpen since in the last 10 games.

With the two home runs by Crawford and Pence, this was the first time that the Giants hit more than one home run in a game since June 19 against the Miami Marlins.

That was just the second pinch hit home run of Pence’s career, the only previous one was on June 18, 2017 against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Buster Posey will miss the rest of the season, as he will undergo hip surgery in Colorado on Monday. Posey will miss the next six to eight months.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Rangers conclude their series with a finale on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.

Derek Holland looks his seventh win of the season for the Giants, while Yovani Gallardo tries for his eighth win for the Rangers.

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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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.

DlGV2k8XgAACrq-.jpg

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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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.