Tag: texas rangers

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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: mlb.com

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

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

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).

Rangers crush A’s 8-2 to win series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @athletics_fanly

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Rangers hit four home runs to beat the A’s for the second night in a row at Glove lIfe Stadium on Wednesday night.

Rangers’ starter Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon won his third game of the year. With the win, the 243rd of his 20-year career, he tied Juan Marichal for most wins by a pitcher born in the Dominican Republic. He went five innings and allowed six hits and two runs. The Rangers’ bullpen held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way and won 8-2.

The Rangers plated three runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. With two out, Nomar Mazara doubled. Jurickson Profar slammed his fifth big fly of the season to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. A’s starter Daniel Mengden then served up a gopher ball to Joey Gallo. Gallo sent his 17th of the year into the seats in the second deck in right field to make it 3-0.

Mengden continued to struggle as Profar hit his second dinger of the night to give Texas the advantage 4-0 in the bottom of the third. The Rangers’ onslaught continued as they tallied two more runs in the fourth. Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos walked and scored when Ronald Guzman took Mengden deep for his seventh of the year. The A’s trail 6-0.

The A’s put two on the board in the top of the fifth. A’s leading hitter, Jed Lowrie, reached on a double. Designated Hitter Khris Davis hit his 15th dinger to drive in Lowrie, and the A’s trailed 6-2.

Texas scored two more in the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Jurickson Profar continued his big night when he singled to drive in two more runs. The Rangers were done scoring, and they won 8-2.

Game Notes: Jurickson Profar was the hitting star for the Rangers. He had his first multi-homer game and had a career-high five runs batted in.

Bartolo Colon won his 243rd game and needs just one more strikeout to reach 2500 for his career. Colon, who is 45 years old, evened his season’s record at 3-3.

A’s starter Daniel Mengden, who was so good in May, took the loss. Mengden is now 6-5 and his line for the night was four innings pitched, five hits, and six runs. Four of the five hits Mengden allowed were home runs.

The A’s announced that Matt Joyce was placed on the 10-day DL retroactive to June 3rd. They recalled outfielder Nick Martini from Nashville. Martini, if he gets into a game, will be making his Major League debut.

The A’s also announced that pitcher Paul Blackburn will be activated from the 60-day DL and will be making his season’s debut against the Kansas City Royals Friday night at the Coliseum.

The Royals will send Jason Hammel to the hill to handle the pitching chores. Hammel gave up seven hits and three runs in six innings of work against the A’s last Saturday in Kansas City. Hammel did not get a decision.

Sad News: Baseball lost one of its greatest players Wednesday. The St. Louis Cardinals announced that Albert “Red” Schoendienst passed away at the age of 95. Schoendienst had a great career as a second baseman and won championships with the Cardinals and Braves. Schoendienst was a member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Up Next: The A’s will welcome the Royals for a four-game series starting Thursday night at 7:05 pm PDT.

Bombs away: Rangers top A’s 7-4

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nbcbayarea.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Texas Rangers blasted five home runs to down the A’s 7-4 at Globe Life Park on Tuesday night.

A’s ace Sean Manaea, who was 1- 4 with a 7.18 ERA in his six starts in May, went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and two runs. Rangers’ starter Matt Moore, who has struggled all season, pitched six innings and he allowed eight hits and three runs. Neither starter figured in the decision.

The A’s took an early lead in the top of the first. With two out, Jed Lowrie started the rally with a double to left field. A’s DH Khris Davis doubled to deep left field to drive in Lowrie. Matt Olson singled to drive in Davis with the A’s second run of the night.

Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos homered in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to one. The A’s lead 2-1.

Khris Davis hit a solo blast in the top of the fifth to make it 3-1. Rangers’ Jurickson Profar sent a Manaea pitch out of the park in the sixth to make it a one-run game as they trail the A’s 3-2.

In the top of the seventh, Chad Pinder doubled to deep center field. Pinder tagged up and moved to third when Lowrie flew out. The Rangers issued a free pass to Davis, but Olson thwarted the strategy when he singled to drive in Pinder.

A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit to face the Rangers in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Delino DeShields reached on a bunt single. Shin-Soo Choo homered to tie the game at four apiece.

The Rangers’ setup reliever retired the A’s in order in the top of the eighth. The Rangers took the lead for good in their half of the inning. Rookie reliever Lou Trivino was rocketed by the veteran Adrian Beltre’s second home run of the season. Beltre has missed 28 games so far this year due to an injury, but the future Hall of Fame player showed that he can still play. Jurickson Profar walked and then scored on big Joey Gallo’s blast that propelled the Rangers to a 7-4 advantage. Closer Keone Kela, struck out Lowrie, Davis, and Olson to earn his 14th save of the year. The Rangers win 7-4.

Game Notes: The Rangers evened the season’s series at four apiece.

The A’s fall to 31-30 and the Rangers improved to 26-37.

Chris Martin was the winning pitcher, and Lo Trivino took the loss.

The A’s announced that they placed Daniel Gossett on the 10-day DL with a strained right elbow. They also sent pitcher Josh Lucas back to Triple-A Nashville.

A’s relief pitcher Liam Hendriks was activated off the 10-day DL, and as a result, they recalled catcher Josh Phegley from Nashville.

Up Next: Game 2 of the two-game series will be played at 5:05 pm PDT. Daniel Mengden will go for Oakland, and the ageless Bartolo Colon will be on the hill for Texas.

Rangers snap A’s four-game win streak with 4-2 victory

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

There was good news and bad news in the loss the A’s suffered Wednesday night at the hands of the Texas Rangers.

The good news was that A’s starter Kendall Graveman went six innings, threw 112 pitches, struck out seven and allowed just three earned runs on six hits. The bad news was that it wasn’t good enough to get his first win of the year. Graveman took the loss and is now 0-5, but his ERA improved to 8.89.

Doug Fister made his first start since April 9 and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning. The A’s had chances to score early in the game but couldn’t get a needed hit to put runs on the board. Fister threw 105 pitches in 4 2/3 inning of work and left the game trailing 2-1.

The A’s put two runs on the board in the top of the third. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien singled with one out. Fister retired the hot-hitting Jed Lowrie, but could not get by A’s DH Khris Davis. Khrush sent a Fister pitch over the fence in right center field to give the A’s the lead. Texas scored a run in the bottom of the fourth. Joey Gallo started the rally with a single to right. Ranger first baseman Ronald Guzman singled to send Gallo to third. Catcher Juan Centeno hit a ground ball to Jed Lowrie, who got the force out at second, but Centeno beat the relay to first. The A’s challenged the call, but the call was upheld and the run was scored. The A’s lead 2-1 after four.

In the bottom of the fifth, Graveman retired the first two hitters he faced. Jurickson Profar doubled and scored on a single by Nomar Mazara, who went to second on the throw home. Graveman walked Joey Gallo to put men on at first and second. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, playing third base in place of the injured Andre Beltre, singled to drive in Mazara to put the Rangers ahead 3-2.

The Rangers added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. The big hit was a triple by Guzman to drive in the Rangers’ fourth run.

The A’s could do nothing in the ninth, and their four-game winning streak was over.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s record is now 13-12. The Rangers improve to 9-17

The line score for Oakland was two runs, four hits, and two errors. Texas improves to 9-17. Their line was four runs, eight hits, and one error.

Khris Davis’ home run was the seventh of the season and the 19th in 44 games against Texas.

Reliever Ryan Buchter left the game in the seventh inning after facing one hitter. Buchter complained about shoulder stiffness.

Up Next: The A’s are off Thursday, and they head to Houston to face the World Champion Houston Astros for a three-game series. Friday night’s game will be a battle of two excellent pitchers. The A’s Sean Manaea will be making his first start since he threw a no-hitter last Saturday night against Boston. Manaea is 3-2 and has an ERA of just 1.23. The A’s will face Houston’s Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel is a former Cy Young award winner and is 1-3 for the year, but he has a respectable ERA of 3.10. Game time will be at 5:05 pm PT.

A’s win fourth in a row as they escape with a 3-2 victory over the Rangers

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @athletics_fanly

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was an old-fashioned pitching duel for the first five innings of the Tuesday night game between the Oakland A’s and the Texas Rangers. Andrew Triggs, who did not have a good outing last week against the White Sox last week, was on the top of his game as he and the Rangers’ Cole Hamels each shut down their opponents’ offense for the first five innings.

Things changed in the sixth. Hamels retired the first two hitters he faced. Mark Canha, who has played well since his recall from Nashville, hit a flyball to deep right field. Rangers’ right fielder, Nomar Mazara, appeared to have made the catch but his wrist hit the wall, and the ball dropped out of his glove, and the A’s had the lead 1-0. For Canha, it was his third big fly of the season. The Rangers tied the game in their half of the sixth. Delino DeShields reached safely when he laid down a rarely seen push bunt. The ball was placed between first baseman Matt Olson and Triggs. Olson fielded the bunt but no one covered first, and DeShields was safe. Triggs nailed Shin-Soo Choo with a pitch to put men on at first and second with no out. With Mazara at-bat, Triggs and A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy got mixed up on what pitch was coming, and the ball got past Lucroy to advance the runners. Lucroy was charged with a passed ball. Triggs walked Mazara to load the bases. Rangers’ veteran third baseman hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in DeShields with the tying run.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the seventh. Lucroy doubled to start the inning but was thrown out at third. Marcus Semien followed with a double and that hit ended Hamels’ night. Matt Bush walked Matt Joyce who was pinch-hitting for Chad Pinder. The next hitter, Jed Lowrie doubled to drive in Semien with the A’s second run. With Khris Davis hitting, Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos saw Joyce a little too far off third base and nailed him with a throw to Beltre for the second out of the frame. Davis then grounded out to end the threat.

The A’s scored another run in the eightth when Matt Olson doubled to drive in Matt Chapman from first base. The Rangers got a run back in the bottom of the eighth. Blake Treinen relieved Ryan Dull with one out. Rangers’ DH Shin-Soo Choo lined a shot of Treinen’s leg for a single. Treinen had to leave the game, and there was no word on the extent of the injury. Bob Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to pitch. Trivino struck out Mazara for the second out, but Adrian Beltre singled to deep right-center field to drive in Shoo. Beltre pulled up limping as he injured a hamstring and had to leave the game.

The A’s called on the veteran Santiago Casilla to close out the game. Casilla retired the side to preserve the win for Oakland. The A’s win 3-2.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improve to 13-11, and the Rangers fall to 8-17. Andrew Triggs improved to 2-0, and his ERA lowered to 4.70. Cole Hamels took the loss for Texas and is now 1-4 with an ERA of 4.41. Casilla picked his first save of the season.

Up Next: Game 3 of the three-game series will feature Kendall Graveman (0-4, 10.07 ERA) will be looking for his first win, and he will be opposed by the tall righty Doug Fister who will be making his first start since April 9th. Fister is 1-2 with an 3.59 ERA. Game time will be at 5:05 pm PT.

A’s back over .500 after 9-4 rout of Rangers

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s defeated the Texas Rangers 9-4 to start the nine-game road trip on a high note. A’s pitcher Trevor Cahill made his second start of the year, going five innings and allowing seven hits and three runs. He was opposed by lefty Matt Moore, the former San Francisco Giant, in his first year as a Ranger. Moore also went five innings and allowed three runs.

The A’s put two runs on the board in the top of the third. Marcus Semien singled to start the inning. Moore walked Stephen Piscotty to put men on at first and second with no out. Moore retired Jed Lowrie for the first out. Designated hitter Khris Davis doubled down the left field line to drive in Semien and Piscotty with the first two runs of the night.

The Rangers cut the deficit to one in their half of the third. With men on at second and third, Cahill uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to score. The A’s got the run back in the fourth. Mark Canha doubled and scored on Chad Pinder’s single to center. The lead didn’t last long as the Rangers tied the game when Cahill made a mistake to Rangers’ catcher Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos, hitting a buck 53, hung a curveball and with Jurickson Profar on base, tied the game.

There was no more scoring until the ninth inning.

Marcus Semien, on the first pitch from Kevin Jepsen, homered to give the A’s the lead 4-3. The A’s scored five more times to make it 9-3. A’s manager Bob Melvin let Ryan Buchter start the ninth. Buchter retired the first hitter and then was replaced by Chris Hatcher.

The Rangers were able to score a run, but Hatcher was able to retire Profar and Chirinos to end the game.

Game Notes: The A’s line score was nine runs on 14 hits and one error.

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

Ryan Buchter received credit for the A’s win. Jepsen took the loss for the Rangers.

Semien, Canha, Davis, Matt Chapman, Jake Smolinski, and Jonathan Lucroy all drove in runs for Oakland. For Smolinski, it was his first RBI since late in the 2016 season. Jed Lowrie continued his hot hitting as he had two more hits.

The A’s have won seven of the last eight games played and are now 12-11 for the year. The Rangers drop to 8-16.

Sad News: The A’s announced that former owner Ken Hofmann passed away at age 95. Hofmann purchased the team along with Steve Schott, in late 1995 and sold the team in 2005. The A’s went to the playoffs three times during his tenure.

Up Next: Game two of the series will be played Tuesday night in Texas. Game time will be at 5:05 pm PT. Andrew Triggs will pitch for Oakland. The Rangers’ ace, Cole Hamels, will be on the hill for Texas.