Tag: Toronto Blue Jays

Vlad Jr. Debuts, Jays Walk Off Over A’s 4-2

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Cut4

By Matthew Harrington

All eyes were on the A’s Friday night as they took on the Toronto Blue Jays. No, it wasn’t because of the man leading the galaxy in homers, Khris Davis, but instead on a Jays player with a Hall-of-Fame pedigree. Vlad Guerrero Jr., baseball’s top prospect, made his debut Friday night, “accounting” for the winning run in a 4-2 walk-off win. Former Athletic Eric Sogard homered and Brandon Drury hit a two-run walk-off jack. Robbie Grossman knocked in both A’s runs with a two-run homer.

Mike Fiers started for the A’s and had arguably his best start of the season going seven innings with six hits and the two earned runs. He was touched up by Sogard in the first. Randal Grichuk added another on an RBI single in the bottom of the third, but Fiers wriggled out with the no-decision after Grossman took reliever Joe Biagini deep to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Marcus Stroman started the game for the Jays and was once again lethal against Oakland, firing seven innings of one-hit ball after limiting the A’s to one run on eight innings in an earlier outing this season.

For Guerrero, the debut started off failing to live up to the hype. He was 0-for-3 heading into his ninth-inning at-bat. Guerrero worked a double off Yusmeiro Petit for a double. He was lifted for pinch-runner Alan Hanson who moved to third on a sacrifice bunt but was stranded after Teoscar Hernandez’s line-drive out. Drury hit the game-winning homer off Petit (0-1, 2.93 ERA)  though to send the Toronto faithful home with a win. Closer Ken Giles (1-1, 2.19 ERA) wound up the winner with a clean top of the 9th, striking out two A’s while working around a hit.

Oakland will face Vlad Jr. and the Jays Saturday with Brett Anderson starting for Oakland and Aaron Sanchez taking the bump for Toronto.

Pomeranz, Giants shut down Jays 4-0

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

With the exception of the bullpen, which has been outstanding all season, the Giants have been a tough team to figure out. The starters have been inconsistent, and the bats have been the same.

However, they seem to have it figured out for the time being, particularly after a 4-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre Wednesday afternoon. After losing two straight series on the road, the Giants swept the two-game series from the Blue Jays and have now won three straight games.

Drew Pomeranz was in complete control of his stuff Wednesday afternoon. He got his first win of the season by giving up only a pair of hits over six innings, walking two and striking out five hitters while throwing only 87 pitches in the process.

Reyes Moronta and Trevor Gott took over for Pomeranz and kept up the stellar bullpen play that has been the staple of the Giants thus far this season. The two hurlers combined to keep Toronto off the scoreboard as well as the bases.

Brandon Belt, the first baseman with the huge hole in his swing, appeared to have that hole covered up on Wednesday, launched a double into the gap in left-center to bring in Steven Duggar in the top of the fourth to open the scoring.

One inning later, Pablo Sandoval launched a solo homer well over the right-field wall against Toronto starter and World Series champion Clay Buchholz. The Giants tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth with RBI doubles by Buster Posey and Evan Longoria.

Kevin Pillar, the former Blue Jay who was greeted with a giant sign that read “Thank You Kevin” as he trotted out to center field for both games, also pitched in a double on Thursday.

Buchholz, meanwhile, was tagged for all four Giants runs on six hits and struck out two batters.

Giants hit four home runs in narrow 7-6 victory over Jays

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Maybe a trip outside of the United States would help the San Francisco Giants, and find their hitting stride.

Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4, including his first home run of the season and the Giants staved off a late rally to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 at Rogers Centre.

Sandoval was one of four Giants to hit home runs, as Evan Longoria launched a solo home run over the center field wall and Joe Panik and Brandon Belt each hit home runs for the Giants, who have won two in a row after losing four in a row against the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was the first home run game for the Giants since they accomplished the feat on July 4, 2018 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In his first appearance, back in Toronto since being traded to the Giants for Alen Hanson and Derek Law, Kevin Pillar received a rousing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd.

Pillar drove in the first run of the game for the Giants, as he drove in Pablo Sandoval against the team that he played for a seven-year period.

Jeff Samardzija continues to look sharp in the early going of the season, as he gave up two earned runs in five and one-thirds inning of work. Samardzija gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four, as he improved to 3-0 in his big-league career against the Blue Jays.

Trent Thornton made his fifth start of his career, as he went five innings, allowing four earned runs, six hits and struck out five, as he fell to 0-3 on the season.

Things were going smooth for the Giants until the bottom of the eighth inning, as they led 7-2; however, Northern California native Rowdy Tellez launched a grand slam off of Tony Watson to cut the lead down to 7-6. Despite allowing the grand slam, Watson was able to get out of the inning unscathed.

Former Oakland As infielder Eric Sogard got the eighth inning rally started, as he singled off of Sam Dyson, then Richard Urena, but then Russell Grichuk singled off the right field wall that confused Urena, who stopped at second base and Sogard ended up at third.

Justin Smoak then struck out for the first out of the inning, and then Watson got the first two strikes against Tellez; however, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Tellez launched a 432-foot grand slam.

Will Smith struck out two of the three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he picked up his sixth save of the season.

NOTES: Once again, the Giants failed to score in the first inning and the streak now stands at 24 games, a National League record and four away from breaking the dubious record, held by the 1948 Chicago White Sox, who failed to score in 28 consecutive first innings.

This was just the ninth game that the Giants played at Rogers Centre, and their first trip to the Country since the 2013 season. Overall, the Giants are now 4-5 at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays home since June of 1989.

UP NEXT: Drew Pomeranz closes out the road trip, as he looks for his first win of the season, while the Blue Jays will send Clay Buchholz to the hill, as Buchholz also looks for his first win of the season.

A’s swept by the Blue Jays at the Coliseum, Anderson hurt in 5-4 loss

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — A rare and surprising weekend at the Coliseum ended with the tying and winning runs on base, and the A’s failing to push the runners across in their disappointing, final two at-bats.

The A’s fell 5-4, officially ending the most impressive run of success in their home ballpark in their 40 plus years in Oakland.

The A’s were swept at home by Toronto for the first time since 1993. The sweep ended an unprecedented run which saw the team win 15 of its previous 18 series at the Coliseum, tie three and lose none dating back to June 2018.

“We have to give it to them,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We didn’t expect that. Hopefully it just inspires us for the next series to start playing better because it didn’t feel good getting swept.”

Adding injury to insult, starting pitcher Brett Anderson was removed in the third inning after he sprained his ankle attempting to field Randall Grichuk’s ground ball. Afterwards Anderson offered insight that incorporated his health, the current state of the rotation and the ballclub in one brief statement.

“Do some treatment and see how it feels tomorrow. It’s day to day. It’s annoying, a series that wasn’t very conducive to the health and success of the starting pitchers,” Anderson said.

Simply, the A’s have posted results all over the spectrum in their first 24 ballgames (11-13). But one denominator has remained consistent: if the A’s starters have dealt, they’ve won. If not, they’ve lost. Oakland starters went 6-1 in the team’s 6-4 start. They’ve won four times in 14 games since, only once in the last seven.

The A’s have lost five of six, and nine of 14 as their rotation has become unsettled with the injuries to Anderson and Marco Estrada.

Ramon Laureano was worth the price of admission all by himself by jumping up to rob Teoscar Hernandez of a home run in the second inning. Of course, the defensive whiz who has established himself as one of the game’s most prolific outfield assist guys since his promotion from the minors last season didn’t stop there. Laureano immediately unleashed a throw in excess of 400 feet that flew past first base in a failed attempt to double up baserunner Justin Smoak retreating to first base.

That’s actually when the play took on a unique life of its own, courtesy of Smoak and catcher Brett Hundley. Smoak, who should have been shocked and left motionless by the length of Laureano’s throw, instead turned opportunistic and tried to take second base. But Hundley, running well over 100 feet into foul ground, fielded the throw and tossed out Smoak at second base.

And the obvious question after the zany play: how do you throw a baseball that far?

“I threw without thinking. That happens sometimes,” Laureano explained.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s looking at getting swept by Jays, having lost four of last five

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

On the A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 It was Oakland A’s Matt Chapman bobblehead day alright, and the A’s did just that on Saturday, bobbled the game away to the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1 in a no mercy rule game.

#2 The Jays’ first baseman Rowdy Tellez hit for his fourth homer and got a double as part of the Jays offense was hitting .191.

#3 The Jays’ Brandon Drury hitting .147 went 3-4 and hit for two RBIs and two runs scored.

#4 The A’s rough day continued after using six relievers they called on their first baseman Kendrys Morales as a closer in the ninth inning.

#5 The A’s and Jays conclude the series today at the Coliseum with the Jays Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.86 ERA) and the A’s Brett Anderson (3-0, 2.63 ERA).

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Blue Jays spoil Chapman Bobblehead Day with a 10-1 crushing of the A’s

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Toronto final
Graphic/photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND — Saturday was supposed to be all about Matt Chapman. The Gold Glove-winning third baseman was honored by having his image immortalized as a bobblehead and given away to eager fans who love to collect limited edition pieces. 33 members of Chapman’s family traveled from Southern California to attend the game. However, instead of a day of celebration, the game became just a very ugly 10-1 lost to the surging Toronto Blue Jays.

The player who really had the opportunity to celebrate on Saturday grew up about 90 miles away from the Oakland Coliseum and had a large contingent of family and friends in the stands. Rowdy Tellez plays first base for the Blue Jays. Tellez came into the game struggling with just a .191 batting average. When the game ended, the big man from Elk Grove had picked up his fourth home run of the season to go with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

Tellez had a partner in crime that helped defeat the A’s in Brandon Drury. Drury also started the day hitting below the “Mendoza Line” at .147. Drury went 3-for-4 in the game with two RBI and two runs scored.

The A’s used six pitchers in the contest. The final player to take the mound for Oakland was first baseman Kendrys Morales. Yes, the A’s were waving the white flag at the point in the top of the ninth inning.

Oakland did manage to manufacture one run in the bottom of the ninth to prevent the game from being a shutout.

Bob Melvin’s Postgame Comments

A’s

  • The A’s have fallen under .500 with this loss. Their record now stands at 11-12.
  • Oakland has lost four of their last five games. They are 1-3 on this eight-game homestand.
  • This will be the first home series loss for the A’s since being swept by the Astros in June of 2018.
  • Mike Fiers was charged with the loss and falls to 2-2 for the season. He worked just 3.1 innings allowing six runs (all earned) off nine hits (2 HR). Fiers struck out four batters and walked none.
  • The A;s used a total of six pitchers who gave up 10 runs (all earned) on 15 hits to the Jays. A’s pitchers struck out 12 batters and walked just three. They did allow three home runs.
  • The A’s scattered six hits in the contest. Matt Chapman and Steven Piscotty both collected two hits off Toronto pitching.
  • The only extra base hit for the A’s came in the ninth inning. Robbie Grossman hit a double and eventually came home to score the only run for the green and gold.
  • The A’s left six men on base and were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
  • Fernando Rodney pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth inning for Oakland. It was his 906th career pitching appearance tying him with Cy Young for 24th on the all-time list. That is pretty “heady” company.

Toronto Rodney
Fernando Rodney makes 906th appearance Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Blue Jays

  • The Blue Jays have now won five of their six games on this seven-game road trip.
  • They will win both series on the road.
  • The Jays’ record has improved to 10-12 for 2019.
  • Sam Gaviglio (2-0) gets credit for the win.
  • Matt Shoemaker made the start for Toronto and was pitching a fine game when he had to exit due to injury. The pitcher became involved in a rundown play of Matt Chapman between first and second in the bottom of the third inning. Shoemaker put the tag on Chapman and then fell to the ground. He left the field under his own power, but the club reported later that he was being evaluated for a left knee injury.
  • The Jays left nine men on base and went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
  • Toronto hit three doubles and three home runs off A’s pitching.
  • It was a day for the Blue Jays where they could do no wrong.

There was something in the air

There were two separate incidents of fans jumping out of the stands and on to the field of play on Saturday. One occurred in the sixth inning and was ended fairly quickly.

The second incident happened in the ninth inning and the man spent a considerable amount of time running around on the infield. The trespasser thought he was about to elude security again when second base umpire and crew chief Bill Nelson grabbed him by the waist. Nelson threw the unruly fan to the ground and security took care of the rest. The big crowd of 31,140 gave Nelson a roar of approval.

The easy answer is to say it was 4/20 day, but that is too easy. The most import thing is that no player, umpire or employee was injured.

Up Next

The three-game series with Toronto wraps up on Easter Sunday. The Blue Jays will send RHP Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.86 ERA) to the mound while the A’s will counter with the undefeated LHP Brett Anderson (3-0, 2.63 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 PM.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants home opener hopes to bring successful homestand today

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The Giants went 2-5 on their first road trip of 2019. Anything manager Bruce Bochy should be concerned about or is this something that will chalked up as experience?

#2 The Giants’ bright spot was when first baseman Brandon Belt hit a game-winning home run on Monday night for a win.

#3 Meanwhile, the Dodgers took their opening homestand, winning five of seven. Will the Dodgers be dominant much like the last two seasons this year?

#4 How important is it for Kevin Pillar to play for the Giants and be back in the Bay Area after playing most of his major league career in Toronto?

#5 In the Pillar deal, did the Giants make a good deal in sending Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan De Paula to the Blue Jays?

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s defeat Blue Jays 8-3 to sweep 3-game series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s continued to play great baseball as they swept the three-game series versus the visiting Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Wednesday. The A’s won the game, 8-3, and Sean Manaea picked up his 10th win of the season.

Not only did the A’s sweep the three-game series, they won all seven games against the Blue Jays this year. It was the first time that the A’s had ever swept a season series from the Jays. The A’s, with a 30-10 record of since June 16, moved into a tie with the Seattle Mariners in the race for the second Wild Card slot. The Astros beat the Mariners on Wednesday. The A’s and Mariners trail the Astros by five games.

Manaea bounced back from his loss to the Rockies last weekend in Denver. Manaea went six-plus innings and gave up just five hits and one run. Jays’ starter Marcus Stroman went five innings and he was roughed up for 11 hits and seven runs.

The A’s scored twice in the second inning. Stroman walked the leadoff hitter Khris Davis. A’s first baseman Matt Olson doubled down the right-field line. Davis stopped at third. Stroman retired Mark Canha and Marcus Semien. The next hitter was Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy, hitting over .300 with runners in scoring position, singled into short right field to drive in Canha and Semien. The A’s led 2-0.

The A’s put two more on the board in the fourth. Semien led off with a single on the first pitch from Stroman. Lucroy doubled to drive in Semien all the way from first base. It was Lucroy’s third RBI of the game. Franklin Barreto grounded out, and that allowed Lucroy to advance to third. Lucroy scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Nick Martini. The A’s were in the driver’s seat 4-0.

The A’s continued to put more runs on the scoreboard as they plated three in the sixth. Mark Canha started the rally with a single to left. Semien followed with a single that sent Canha to third. Lucroy had his third knock of the game to drive in Canha. Barreto followed with a double that plated Semien and Lucroy to make it a 7-0 game.

Manaea started the seventh inning and gave up a single to Russell Martin. A’s manager Bob Melvin replaced Manaea with J.B. Wendelken to pitch. Aledmys Diaz reached on a fielder’s choice. Martin was out at second. Wendelken walked Darnell Sweeney to put men on at first and second. Wendelken struck out Brandon Drury for the second out. Wendelken gave up a double to Randal Girchuk. Diaz crossed home plate with the Blue Jays’ first run of the game. Teoscar Hernandez walked. Wendelken was struggling and had thrown 35 pitches in the inning. Melvin brought in Ryan Buchter to face Justin Smoak. Buchter struck out Smoak to end the inning.

Buchter stayed in the game to pitch the eighth. With one out, Yangervis Solarte worked Buchter for a walk. Jays’ catcher Russell Martin blasted a home run to make it a 7-3 game. Buchter retired Diaz for the second out. Melvin brought in Lou Trivino to get the third out of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, Barreto hit his fourth home run of the year to end the scoring. Trivino retired the Jays in the ninth and the A’s won 8-3.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improved to 64-46, and moved into a tie with the Mariners in the race for the second Wild Card slot.

The A’s line score was eight runs, 13 hits, and no errors. The Jays’ line was three runs, eight hits, and no errors.

The A’s hitting stars were Jonathan Lucroy and Franklin Barreto. Lucroy had three hits, four RBIs, and two runs. Barreto also had three hits, including his fourth home run along with three RBIs.

Attendance was 17,088.

Up Next: The A’s are off on Thursday. On Friday, the A’s will start a three-game series versus the Detroit Tigers. A’s lefty Brett Anderson will pitch, and Tigers’ lefty Blaine Hardy (4-3, 3.61 ERA) will make his third consecutive start.

A’s beat the Blue Jays again 6-2

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The A’s beat the Toronto Blue Jays for the sixth consecutive time this year by a score of 6-2. With the win, the A’s picked up a game on the Seattle Mariners. The Houston Astros beat the Mariners to drop them four games behind. The A’s remain five games behind and they trail the Mariners by just one game in the race for the second Wild Card slot.

The A’s starter, Trevor Cahill, gave the team a quality start as he went six innings and allowed just five hits and two runs as he improved his record to 3-2. The A’s pinned the loss on Toronto’s Sam Gaviglio. Gaviglio is now 2-4.

The Blue Jays jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Randal Girchuk doubled. Cahill struck out Justin Smoak for the second out. Kendrys Morales singled to drive in Girchuk. The A’s tallied two runs in their half of the first. Gaviglio walked Nick Martini and Matt Chapman to put men on at first and second with no out. Gaviglio retired Jed Lowrie for the first out. Designated Hitter Khrid Davis reached on an infield single to load the bases. Matt Olson hit the first pitch from Gaviglio for a single to drive in Martini and Chapman. The A’s lead 2-1.

The A’s scored three times in the third inning. Davis led off the inning with his 29th home run of the year. Matt Olson followed with a double. Olson advanced to third when Stephen Piscotty grounded out. Mark Canha doubled to drive in Olson. Marcus Semien singled to send Canha to third. The A’s manager Bob Melvin sent the sign out to the baserunners to execute a double steal. Toronto catcher Luke Maile’s throw to second base was cut off to nail Canha at home. Canha managed to touch home plate with his foot before the tag was applied. Canha was ruled safe. Toronto challenged the call, but after a short review, the call was confirmed. Sam Gaviglio’s night was over as Toronto brought in Luis Santos to pitch.

Toronto’s Justin Smoak cut the lead to 5-2 when he homered in the top of the fourth, but the A’s got the run back in the sixth when Matt Chapman led off with a double and scores on a single by Khris Davis.

There was no more scoring the rest of the way. The A’s bullpen shut the Toronto offense down as they allowed them just one hit in the last three innings of the game. The A’s win 6-2.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win the A’s, improve to 63-46. Cahill went six innings and Yusmeiro Petit, Heurys Familia, and Blake Treinen each worked a scoreless inning.

The line score for Oakland was six runs, eleven hits, and two errors. Toronto’s line was two runs, six hits, and one error.

The A’s will meet the Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon at 12:35 pm. Lefty Sean Manaea will be seeking his tenth win of the campaign, and he will be opposed by Marcus Stroman.

In other news, the A’s announced that Daniel Gossett will undergo Tommy John surgery to correct a problem in his right elbow. Gossett will be the fourth A’s pitcher to undergo Tommy John Surgery this year. The other three are Jharel Cotton, A.J.Puk, and Kendall Graveman.

A’s to Host Nearly 5,000 Teachers for Teacher Appreciation Nig

Nearly 5,000 teachers will attend tonight’s game as part of the A’s Teacher Appreciation Night. To celebrate Bay Area teachers and their dedication to educating our youth, the A’s offered complimentary tickets to teachers who pre-registered for the 7:05 p.m. matchup versus the Toronto Blue Jays.

Prior to the game, the Oakland A’s Community Fund will host a free Educational Fair for teachers. Teachers can learn about the A’s educational programs, including Home Run Readers and Science of Baseball presented by Chevron, and visit booths from community partners. More than 2,000 teachers have signed up to participate in the Educational Fa

The A’s also announced that August 7th will be Black History night.

The Oakland A’s will celebrate the rich heritage of Oakland’s black history during African American Heritage Night on Tuesday, Aug. 7, when the team hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As part of the celebration, fans are invited to a pregame mixer and panel discussion with former players Rickey Henderson, Vida Blue and Joe Morgan, plus A’s team executives, at 4:30 p.m. in the Eastside Club.

Prior to the 7:05 p.m. game, the A’s will present the inaugural Vida Blue Diamond Award to a deserving community member for their service to the African American community. Following the presentation, Tony! Toni! Toné! will perform the African American national anthem, and Bebe Memorial Cathedral Choir will perform the national anthem. MC Hammer is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

 

A’s get back on track with 10-1 rout of Blue Jays

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Oakland A’s snapped a three-game losing streak Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum as they blasted the Toronto Blue Jays 10-1.

The A’s, returning home after getting swept by the Colorado Rockies in Denver, beat the Blue Jays for the fifth consecutive time this year. The Blue Jays were hoping to be contenders this season. Injuries to key players such as Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, and Kevin Pillar have contributed to their demise.

Toronto manager John Gibbons still had to put a team on the field. He sent Marco Estrada to the hill Monday night. The A’s tagged him for one in the second, one in the third, and two in the fourth. Mark Canha smoked his 14th home run of the year in the second to give the A’s a 1-0 lead. In the third, Nick Martini singled. Matt Chapman walk. Jed Lowrie flew out, and Martini tagged and went to third. Martini scored on Khris Davis’ sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The A’s plated two more in the bottom of the fourth Singles by Stephen Piscotty and Marcus Semien put men on at first and third. Jonathan Lucroy hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Piscotty. Nick Martini followed with a double to drive in Semien all the way from first The A’s lead 4-0.

There was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth. The A’s, who lead the majors with runs scored in the eighth inning, worked their magic once more as they scored six times to break the game wide open. Stephen Piscotty led off with his 15th big fly of 2018. Lefty reliever Jaime Garcia gave up a single to Mark Canha. Semien reached on left Fielder Teoscar Hernandez committed an error. Both players scored on Lucroy’s double to increase the lead to 7-0.  Garcia walked Matt Chapman, and he was then rocked for a double by Jed Lowrie to make it 9-0. Khris Davis singled to drive in Lowrie with the sixth run of the inning.

Toronto’s shortstop Adelmys Diaz led off the top of the ninth off A’s reliever Ryan Buchter. Buchter then retired the next three hitters to close out the win. The A’s win 10-1.

Game Notes- A’s starter Edwin Jackson was the winning pitcher, and he evened his record at 2-2. His line was 5 2/3rds innings of work. He allowed no runs and just three hits. He walked three and struck out five. A’s manager Bob Melvin removed him from the game with two outs in the sixth as he had exceeded his pitch count limit. Ryan Dull finished the sixth, Lou Trivino worked the seventh, and Familia pitched the eighth. Lefty Ryan Buchter pitched the ninth.

The A’s gained a game on the Houston Astros Monday night. The Astros, in a bit of turmoil as they were swept by the Texas Rangers this weekend, lost Monday night again to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are now two back of the Astros. Houston made a blockbuster trade Monday as they sent closer Ken Giles to Toronto for Roberto Osuna. Giles did not do the job for Houston. Osuna is serving a 75-game suspension and is due to be available on August 4th. The A’s are now just five games behind the Astros and remain two back of the Mariners.

The A’s will send Trevor Cahill to pitch Tuesday night. Cahill is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.43. He will be opposed by righty Sam Gaviglio who is 2-3 with an ERA of 4.65. Game time will be at 7:05pm at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s also announced a major restructuring of how they will be selling tickets next year. Enclosed is the press release from the A’s.

Oakland A’s Cancel 2019 Season Ticket Program

Team introduces A’s Access; New approach to membership

 

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland A’s will no longer offer season tickets in the traditional format and will introduce A’s Access, a new membership program for the 2019 season, the club announced today. A’s Access provides all members general admission access to every 2019 regular season home game, a reserved seat plan, and significant benefits that are exclusive to members. Access memberships will go on sale this Friday, Aug. 3.

“To better meet the evolving needs of our fans, we are changing our approach to membership. This flexible model is designed to serve both fans who want a more traditional reserved seat plan and those who desire a more flexible and social experience,” said A’s COO Chris Giles.

 

Access Members will receive 50 percent off concessions, 25 percent off merchandise, and parking benefits, as well as an allotment of seat upgrade credits for games not included in their reserved ticket plan. A’s Access will also include a flexible new payment plan, a 12-month option that auto-renews each year. Fans who purchase 2019 A’s Access this season will have the first opportunity to purchase 2018 postseason tickets, including a “Pay As We Play” option.

“A’s Access is the first program of its kind. From access to every game to special member concessions pricing, we’re focused on maximizing the value proposition for members. We are inviting our fans to truly become members of the A’s,” said Giles.

Every A’s Access membership includes a reserved ticket plan and all seat plans held by current season ticket members are available for renewal within the Access program. A’s Access plans begin at $240. Member concession pricing includes $4 20-ounce domestic drafts, $3 hot dogs, and $2.50 16-ounce sodas.

A’s Access will go on sale on Friday, Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. For more information, visit athletics.com/2019.

– athletics.com –