Tag: Tony Kemp

MLB podcast Michael Duca Fri May 16, 2025: Rivalry baseball gets going with Mets-Yankees; Twins Buxton-Correa out for the count with concussion protocols; plus more MLB news

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New York Mets slugger Juan Soto after hitting an eighth inning solo shot against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thu May 1, 2025 at Citi Field in New York. Soto and the Mets gear up to face off with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium Fri May 16, 2025 (AP News photo)

MLB podcast Michael Duca Fri May 16, 2025:

#1 Their talking rivalries in baseball and the ones that are brought up are the New York Mets and New York Yankees and how former Yankee and current Met outfielder Juan Soto will hear will jeers from the Yankees fans in the right field bleachers. Also another rivalry that has some bad blood the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros as they are in the middle of a four game series in Arlington. Do you see some possibilities that there could be some animosities amongst these teams this weekend?

#2 It was a collision for the ages in a game at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa collided chasing down a pop fly in the shallow part of the outfield. Buxton got the ball but Buxton and Correa both banged heads. Correa had to leave the game and Buxton was able to stay until the end of the inning but left afterwards. Both players have been put on concussion protocols.

#3 Former Oakland A’s second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp announced Thursday that he is retiring from Major League Baseball after playing in the show for nine years. Kemp 33 played for the Astros (2016-19), Cubs (2019), Athletics (2020-23) and Orioles (2024). Kemp had wrote on Instagram that he was thankful to God for allowing him to be a Major League player and that after 12 years in pro baseball and nine of them in the majors he’s decided to hang up his spikes.

#4 The Colorado Rockies have taken the spotlight away from the 2024 Chicago White Sox as baseball’s first team in the modern era to lose 36 of it’s first 43 games. The Rockies had Thursday off and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said the plan was to take the day off and reset. The loss on Wednesday night to the Texas Rangers was the Rockies 11th out of their last 12 games.

#5 Michael, the baseball executive committee meets in December 2027 do you see that committee taking into consideration Pete Rose for a shot at getting elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot or will his betting on baseball while a manager overshadow his chances?

Michael Duca does the MLB podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s drop 9-4 decision to Rangers in series finale

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers ended their series on Sunday. The A’s dropped a 4-9 decision to the Rangers in their series finale at Globe Life Field. Oakland fell to 44-99, while Texas improved to 78-64.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Lawrence Butler, Kevin Smith, Tyler Sodestrom, Esteury Ruiz, and Luis Medina. Medina (3-9, 5.68 ERA) took the loss after pitching for 4 1/3 innings and giving up six hits, five earned runs, three walks, three strikeouts, and one home run.

The Rangers did it big in the first inning. Marcus Semien, a former A’s shortstop and second baseman, homered on a fly ball to left field for an early 1-0 lead. Robbie Grossman hit a ground-rule double on a line drive to center field. Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver scored to make it a 3-0 game.

The A’s finally got on the board in the third inning. Tyler Sodestrom homered on a line drive to right field to cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. Seth Brown singled on a sharp line drive to Robbie Grossman. Zack Gelof scored to make it a one-run game, 3-2, as Ryan Noda went to third base. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Leody Taveras. Noda scored to tie the game 3-3, as Brown went to second base. Lawrence Butler reached on a fielding error by Josh H. Smith. Brown scored for a 4-3 lead, as Jordan Diaz went to third base and Butler went to second base.

The Rangers regained the lead in the fifth inning. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager scored for a 5-4 lead, as Lowe went to second base. Lowe advanced to second base on a throwing error by Kemp.

The Rangers poured in the runs in the sixth inning. Josh H. Smith tripled on a sharp line drive to Esteury Ruiz. Leodys Taveras scored for a 6-4 lead. Evan Carter was out on a sacrifice fly to Lawrence Butler. Smith scored to make it a 7-4 game with two outs. Marcus Semien homered on a fly ball to left-center field to double the lead to 8-4. Corey Seager homered on a line drive to right field to expand the lead to 9-4.

Notes
The A’s wished the San Francisco 49ers good luck this season.

The A’s rejected an offer from the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, a local Black-owned development group, to buy half of the Coliseum. A’s president, Dave Kaval, sent a letter to AASEG leader Ray Bobbitt on Wednesday saying that they appreciate the offer but aren’t interested in selling or disposing of their interest in the Coliseum.

Up Next
The A’s will take on the Houston Astros for a three-game series starting Monday at 5:10 p.m. Pacific.

A’s take care of business with 6-3 win over Rangers

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers met again for game two Friday. The A’s sealed their rodeo road game with a 6-3 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Oakland improved to 44-97, while Texas fell to 76-64. Devin Sweet (1-0, 4.50 ERA) took the win in his first game pitching for the A’s.

The A’s starting lineup featured Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Ryan Noda, Aledmys Díaz, Jordan Diaz, Kevin Smith, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn pitched three innings and gave up six hits, two earned runs, three walks, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first. Ryan Noda grounded out to Nathaniel Lowe and Jordan Montgomery. With two outs, Zack Gelof scored for an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The A’s lead was short-lived as the Rangers went ahead in the bottom of the first inning. Corey Seager homered on a fly ball to right-center field. Marcus Semien scored for a 2-1 lead.

The A’s quickly responded with a game-tying single in the top of the second inning. Esteury Ruiz singled on a line drive to Evan Carter. Nick Allen scored to tie the ballgame 2-2. With three outs, Ruiz was at second base on the throw from Carter to Jonah Heim to Corey Seager.

The Rangers regained their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a line drive to Brent Rooker. Marcus Semien, a former Oakland Athletic from 2015 to 2020, scored for a 3-2 lead.

The A’s immediately tied the ballgame 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning. Esteury Ruiz homered on a fly ball to left-center field.

The A’s took a two-run lead in the top of the sixth inning. This was a “welcome home” moment for Shea Langaliers. Langaliers, a Keller, Texas, native and a Keller High School and Baylor University alum, homered on a fly ball to center field. Kevin Smith scored for a 5-3 lead.

The A’s extended their lead just before the seventh-inning stretch. Ryan Noda doubled on a sharp fly ball to Leody Taveras. Brent Rooker scored for a 6-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Notes
On Friday, the A’s reinstated Lawrence Butler from the bereavement list and optioned Jonah Bride from Triple-A Las Vegas.

A’s left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas made his MLB debut Friday. Lucas pitched one inning and gave up two hits, one earned run, two walks, and one strikeout.

Tony Kemp was named the A’s nominee for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Vote for Kemp at mlbtogether.com/clemente21.

The A’s Filipino Heritage Night, hosted by P-Lo and Anthony Presents, is coming up. Get your tickets at athletics.com/filipino.

Up Next
The A’s and Rangers will meet again on Saturday for game three at 4:05 p.m. Pacific. The A’s starting pitcher is TBD, while the Rangers’ starter will be Nathan Eovaldi (11-4, 2.95 ERA).

A’s get blown out 6-1 by White Sox

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox concluded their four-game series on Sunday. The A’s got blown out by the White Sox 6-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field and split the series. Oakland fell to 38-93, while Chicago improved to 52-79.

White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger (6-6, 3.32 ERA) won after pitching seven innings and giving up one hit, one earned run, two walks, and ten strikeouts.

The A’s starting lineup featured Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, Tony Kemp, Aledmys Díaz, Carlos Pérez, Jordan Diaz, Esteury Ruiz, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (3-4, 4.15 ERA) took the loss after pitching six innings and giving up nine hits, four earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts.

The White Sox got on the board first. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson scored for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Eloy Jimenez was out on third base on the throw, Kemp to Jordan Diaz to Zack Gelof to Aledsmy Díaz. Vaughn went to second base with two outs.

The White Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Andrew Vaughn singled on a ground ball to Jordan Diaz, who committed a throwing error. Andrew Benintendi scored for a 2-0 lead. Gavin Sheets walked, and Vaughn made it 3-0. Yoan Moncada went to third base. Paul Blackburn threw a wild pitch and committed a missed catch error.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Zack Gelof was out on a sacrifice fly to Andrew Benintendi. Esteury Ruiz scored to cut the White Sox’s lead to 3-1 with two outs.

The White Sox added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Gavin Sheets singled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Yoan Moncada scored to make it 4-1.

The White Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yoan Moncada doubled on a line drive to Tony Kemp. Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi scored to make it 6-1.

Notes
According to reports, a reported third victim was uninjured in Friday night’s game between the A’s and White Sox. The A’s blew out the White Sox 12-4 on Friday.

Up Next
The A’s will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday at 6:40 pm Pacific.

A’s Hold on to Beat the Rockies 8-5

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics kicked off the weekend by visiting the Colorado Rockies Friday. The A’s held on to beat the Rockies 8-5 in their series opener at Coors Field. Oakland improved to 29-76, while Colorado fell to 40-63.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Jordan Diaz, Ramón Laureano, JJ Bleday, Aledmys Díaz, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) got the win after pitching five innings and giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano singled on a ground ball to Randal Grichuk. Brent Rooker scored for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Diaz went to second base.

The A’s scored thrice in the top of the second inning. Shea Langaliers tripled on a fly ball to Brenton Doyle. Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kemp hit a sacrifice bunt. Langaliers scored for a 3-0 lead. Nick Allen went to second base, while Kemp went to first base on a Kyle Freeland committed a throwing error. Jordan Diaz reached on a ground ball to Alex Trejo, a call that stood after an official scorer’s ruling. Nick Allen scored for a 4-0 lead. Kemp went to third base, while Brent Rooker went to second base.

The A’s scored once in the top of the third inning. Nick Allen tripled on a sharp line drive to Jurickson Profar. Shea Langaliers scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Randal Grichuk homered on a fly ball to left-center field to reduce the A’s lead to 5-1.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.

The Rockies scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado began the inning by challenging a play at first base, but their call was overturned after further review. Ryan McMahon grounded into a forceout, while Nick Allen went to Zack Gelof. Jurickson Profar, a former Oakland Athletic, scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-2. Ezequiel Tovar was out at second base, while McMahon went to first base.

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but they didn’t inch closer to the A’s to take the lead or at least tie the ballgame. Michael Toglia singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Elehuris Montero scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-3. Nolan Jones went to third base. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Bleday. Jones and Toglia scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-5.

The A’s expanded their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Ramón Laureano homered on a line drive to center field for a 8-5 lead.

Notes
The late A’s pitcher Vida Blue would’ve turned 74 today.

The A’s will honor the five members — Carney Lansford, Gene Tenace, Bob Johnson, Roy Steele, and Jason Giambi — of the 2023 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame during the annual Bay Bridge series on August 6, 2023.

Up Next
The A’s and the Rockies will continue their series on Saturday at 5:10 pm Pacific. Paul Blackburn (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will start for the A’s, while Chris Flexen (0-4, 7.71 ERA) will start for the Rockies.

A’s swept by Red Sox; Oakland loses 4-3 Sunday in Boston

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics concluded their series against the Boston Red Sox with a series finale on Sunday. The A’s looked to avoid a sweep against the Red Sox but dropped a close game 4-3 at Fenway Park. Oakland (25-67) lost four games in a row, while Boston (48-43) won its fifth straight game.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Cody Thomas, Manny Piña, Jace Peterson, Tyler Wade, and JP Sears. Sears pitched five innings and gave up one hit, one run, three walks, and four strikeouts before leaving the mound.

The A’s got on the scoreboard first, thanks to a wild pitch by Tayler Scott off a throwing error by Jorge Alfaro. Noda scored for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Red Sox tied the ballgame in the bottom of the first inning. Adam Duvall was out on a sacrifice fly to Cody Thomas. Rob Refsnyder scored to make it a 1-1 tie with two outs.

The A’s took their first lead of the game in the top of the second inning. Noda walked, and Jace Peterson scored for a 2-1 lead. Wade went to third base, while Kemp went to second base.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Rooker homered on a fly ball to left field for a 3-1 lead.

The Red Sox got even in the bottom of the sixth inning. Duvall homered on a fly ball to left center field to make it a one-run game. Christian Arroyo doubled on a sharp line drive to Cody Thomas. Masataka Yoshida scored to tie the game 3-3.

The Red Sox took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Masataka Yoshida homered on a fly ball to left field for a 4-3 lead.

Notes
A’s prospect catcher Tyler Sodestrom singled up the middle in the bottom of the second inning of the 2023 All-Stars Futures Game at T-Mobile Park on Saturday.

Up Next
The A’s will return home to host the Minnesota Twins on Friday, July 14, at 6:40 pm Pacific. Starters for Friday for Minnesota at Oakland to be announced.

A’s Lose 7-3 to Red Sox; Sox do most of the damage with 5 run second inning at Fenway

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics’ last series of their road trip was at the Boston Red Sox. The A’s began a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday night. The A’s lost 7-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Oakland fell to 25-65, while Boston improved to 46-43.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Jordan Diaz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Jace Peterson, Shea Langaliers, Seth Brown, Tyler Wade, and Sam Long. Long pitched just one inning and gave up three hits, three earned runs, one walk, and two strikeouts.

After a scoreless first inning, Boston opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Yu Chang singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernandez scored for a 2-0 lead as Triston Casas went to second base. Jarren Duran singled on a ground ball to Tony Kemp.

Casas scored for a 3-0 lead as Chang went to third base. Justin Turner singled on a line drive to Seth Brown. Chang scored for a 4-0 lead as Duran went to third base. Rafael Devers grounded into a forceout fielded by Tyler Wade. Duran scored for a 5-0 lead as Turner was out at second base, while Devers went to first base with two outs.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. Tony Kemp singled on a ground ball to Rafael Devers. Seth Brown scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-1. Tyler Wade went to third base while Kemp went to second base. Devers committed a throwing error.

The A’s inched closer to the Red Sox in the top of the seventh inning. Seth Brown homered on a fly ball to right center field. Shea Langaliers scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-3.

The A’s chances of a comeback were short-lived as the Red Sox scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adam Duvall singled on a ground ball to Tyler Wade. Jarren Duran scored for a 6-3 lead as Rafael Devers went to third base. Alex Verdugo singled on a line drive to Brent Rooker. Devers scored for a 7-3 lead as Duvall went to second base.

Notes
A’s LHP Richard Lovelady turned 27 on July 7.

The A’s recalled RHP Angel Felipe from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s selected OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s placed OF Esteury Ruiz on the ten-day injured list retroactive to July 6.

The A’s optioned and designated RHP Rico Garcia for assignment.

Up Next
The A’s and Red Sox will continue their series on Saturday at 1:10 pm Pacific. Starting for Oakland Paul Blackburn (1-1 ERA 4.50) for Boston James Paxton (4-1 ERA 2.70).

A’s Beat Blue Jays 5-4, Snap 8-Game Skid

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics took on the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to wrap up their six-game road trip. The A’s snapped an eight-game losing skid with a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Oakland improved to 20-58, while Toronto fell to 41-36.

Before the ballgame’s first pitch at 4:08 pm Pacific, Oakland made two roster moves by placing Ramón Laureano on the ten-day injured list with a hand fracture and recalling Conner Capel from Triple-A Las Vegas. Capel recorded a .297 average with three home runs, 22 runs, and eight stolen bases over 145 at-bats in 37 games with the Las Vegas Aviators.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Ryan Noda, JJ Bleday, Seth Brown, Aledmys Díaz, Jace Peterson, Shea Langaliers, Tyler Wade, Conner Capel, and James Kaprielian. Kaprielian pitched six innings and gave up six hits, four earned runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

The A’s wasted no time taking a quick lead in the top of the first inning. JJ Bleday homered on a fly ball to right field, and Tony Kemp scored for a 2-0 lead. Shea Langaliers singled on a ground ball to George Springer, and Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 3-0 lead as Jace Peterson went to third base.

The Blue Jays responded in the bottom of the third inning. Kevin Kiermaier doubled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday, and Danny Jansen scored to cut the A’s lead to 3-1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered on a fly ball to left-center field, and Kiermaier and Bo Bichette scored to take a 4-3 lead.

The A’s tied the ballgame in the top of the fifth inning. JJ Bleday was out on a sacrifice fly to George Springer, and Conner Capel scored to tie the game 4-4 with two outs.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Shea Langaliers homered on a fly ball to left field for a 5-4 lead that led to the A’s first win since Tuesday, June 13, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s and Blue Jays will face each other in a middle game on Saturday, June 24, at 1:07 pm Pacific. Hogan Harris (2-1 ERA 4.45) going for Oakland and for Toronto Jose Berrios (7-5 ERA 3.64).

A’s shutout by Marlins Cabrera in 4-0 loss at LoanDepot Park to open series

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Oakland Athletics third baseman Aledmys Diaz (12) and Miami Marlins Bryan De La Cruz (14) hugs after De La Cruz was caught between bases during the fifth inning at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Fri Jun 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics (12-47) looked to avoid a two-game losing streak as they started a new three-game series against the Miami Marlins (30-28) on Friday. The A’s and the Marlins matched up at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. The A’s just couldn’t get any hitting going getting struck out ten times by Marlins starter Edward Cabrera for a 4-0 shutout to open the three game series in Miami.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, Aledmys Díaz, JJ Bleday, Jonah Bride, Shea Langeliers, Tony Kemp, and Shintaro Fujinami. Fujinami, a Japanese pitcher who bats and throws right, took the loss and fell to 2-6 on the season after pitching just one inning. Hogan Harris pitched five innings, while Austin Pruitt pitched 1.2 innings and Sam Moll pitched 0.1 innings.

The A’s had their work cut out for them against the Marlins, but they couldn’t get anything going. Miami opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Jesus Sanchez homered on a fly ball to left field and Bryan De La Cruz scored to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.

As if they haven’t already done enough damage, Miami added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jorge Soler doubled on a sharp line drive to JJ Bleday and Jacob Stallings scored to give the Marlins a 3-0 lead. Bryan De La Cruz scored again as he singled on a ground ball to Seth Brown and Jorge Soler scored to give the Marlins a 4-0 lead.

Cabrera pitched six innings on four hits, one walk and ten strike outs before being lifted in the seventh for reliever JT Chargois who was followed by two more relievers who held down the fort to shutout the visiting A’s.

The A’s and Marlins meet again on Saturday, June 3 at 1:10 pm Pacific. Luis Medina (0-4 ERA 6.83) seeks his first win of the 2023 season will be opposed by the Marlins Eury Perez (2-1 ERA 2.84) in the second game of the series.

Florida Gulf Toast: A’s outclassed, shutout again 11-0 by the Rays

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By Morris Phillips

For the A’s, it has to get better because it can’t get worse.

In losing 11-0 for the second consecutive day the A’s did absolutely nothing of note except appear on the injury list with a significant issue regarding Seth Brown. Given that, saying the right things after the game carries some weight.

“The ball didn’t roll our way today, and we’ve got to shore up some things,” second baseman Tony Kemp said. “It’s good to get the bad things out of the way now. It was a tough series for us. We have stay positive, stay confident and keep moving forward.”

The A’s were swept in three games by the red-hot Rays, who set a couple of impressive records in starting the season 9-0. Run differential is one of those records that was merely enhanced by Tampa Bay outscoring the A’s 31-5 across the series.

“When you’re rolling as a team, you just keep it going. You don’t question anything,” said Brandon Lowe.

As outstanding as the Rays were, it still felt the A’s were trying to draw greater attention to themselves with their poor play. The A’s managed just one hit–Ramon Laureano’s single–and two baserunners. Only five A’s reached base on Saturday night, another snoozefest for the visitors.

James Kaprelian’s start was rocky, but it looked like almond butter until the fourth when Brandon Lowe’s grand slam put things out of reach at 5-0. The Rays struck for four more in the sixth, and single runs in the eighth and ninth.

The A’s pitching staff proved plenty helpful by issuing seven walks and hitting two batters.

Brown was injured in Saturday’s game on a check swing. The injury became serious when it was diagnosed as an oblique issue that will land Brown’s critical contributions on the disabled list.

The A’s visit Baltimore on Monday, another team on the rise. JP Sears will face Kyle Gibson in the series opener.