Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Diamondbacks come calling at the Coliseum as A’s open three game series Monday night

The Texas Rangers made a laugher out of game 4 of the four game series at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun May 14, 2023 (@Rangers photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, in a contest that saw the Oakland A’s (9-32) tie the score up against the Texas Rangers (24-15) in the bottom of the seventh inning 3-3 on a Shea Langeliers home run to left center it would be the last time in the game that the A’s had a shot at taking game 4 of this four game set from the Rangers.

#2 The Rangers opened up on the A’s in the top of the eighth inning scoring eight times when Jonah Heim singled to center scoring Adolis Garcia on a error to break the 3-3 deadlock going up 4-3.

#3 Leody Taveras hit into fielder choice that allowed Heim to score making 5-3 and the Rangers touched up A’s relief pitching.

#4 The Rangers would add four more runs which included Garcia who got up again belting a grand slam homer and put the Rangers up by eight runs 11-3 for their 24th win of the season and the Rangers lead the A’s in the AL West standings by 16 games.

#5 The A’s open up a new series on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs are going Merrill Kelly (3-3 ERA 3.18) as starter, the A’s will be going with Drew Rucinski (0-3 ERA 8.16) for a 6:40 pm PT first pitch at the Oakland Coliseum.

Join Barbara Mason for the Oakland A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s dominated at home by Rangers 11-3

Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Jeff Chiu. Esteury Ruiz steals second base as Marcus Semien catches the ball.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- Mother’s day did not got in favor of Oakland against the Rangers as they fell by a final of 11-3.

JP Sears got the start against Andrew Heaney with Sears sporting a 0-3 record and a 5.27 era and Heaney having a 2-3 record and a 4.71 era.

The game got off to a rough start for Sears as Robbie Grossman got the Rangers on the board in the first inning with a two run homer on a fly ball to left field.

Oakland did find a response in the bottom of the second inning as Shea Langeliers singled on a ground ball that brought home Ramon Laureano.

In the third inning Adolis Garcia singled on a line drive to left field bringing home Marcus Semien bringing there lead back to two runs at 3-1.

Sears lasted until the sixth inning where he was replaced by Garret Acton who was making his major league debut. Sears finished the game with a stat line of 5.1IP, five hits allowed, two earned runs and six K’s.

Heaney was relieved after the sixth inning as Jonathan Hernández came in to replace him. Heaney finished with a stat line of six innings pitched, four hits allowed, one earned run, and nine K’s.

Hernández’s did not pitch great in the seventh inning as Langeliers homered on a fly ball to left center field tying the game at three.

Things were looking up for the A’s after tying the game up but the eight inning did not go well for the green and white.

It started with Jonah Heim singling on a live drive to center field bringing home Adolis Garcia. Then Leody Taveras grounded into a forceout that also sent Heim home as well.

With two outs already though it looked like the A’s could escape with only minimal damage with the score being 5-3. Sam Moll struggled to get that final out and cost the A’s another two runs bringing on Zach Neal to the mound.

Neal did not fair much better as Adolis Garcia hit a grand slam to left center field bringing the total runs in one inning to eight. That ended up being the rest of the damage but at that point the score was 11-3.

That scored ended up being the final as Hernández took home the win and Austin Pruitt took the loss.

The A’s next game will be tomorrow against the Diamondbacks at home and will start at 6:40 p.m.

Rangers Gray tosses 5-0 five hit shutout against A’s

Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray works against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning  at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat May 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

Texas (24-15). 101 100 002. 5. 9. 1

Oakland (9-32) 000 000 000. 0. 5. 0

Time: 2:18

Attendance: 8,230

Saturday, May 13, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–On this date in 1899, the Cleveland Spiders lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0, in front of a gathering of 1,800 spectators in Pittsburgh. It was the Spiders’ 10th consecutive loss and left them at 3-19 for the season.

On this date in 1962, lost to the MIlwaukee Braves, 3-2, and fell to 7-17. The paid attendance in Milwaukee was 13,447.

On this date in 2023. the Oakland Athletics were shut out 5-0 by the Texas Rangers. The Coliseum accommodated 8,230 attendees.

It was home run weather, 74º to be exact, at the Coliseum when James Kaprielian (0-2,12.94) threw his first pitch, at 1:09 on a sunny afternoon, to Marcus Semien, who quickly supplied the visiting Rangers with a Rickey Run. Not a lead off home run, but the other type.

He singled and then stole second and third, scoring on another single, this one by Nathaniel Lowe. Karprielian then induced an around the horn double play from Adolis García, but the A’s were behind, 1-0, before they took their first at bat. Small ball added another tally to the Texas total. There was no curse attached to Josh Smith’s lead off double. Number nine hitter Sandy León bunted him over to third, and he scored on Semien’s sac fly to center. 2-0, Texas.

But the home runs presaged by the weather did come. Nathaniel Lowe parked a 90.8 mph Kaprielien four seamer 380 feet from the plate to lead off the fourth, the Rangers’ first baseman’s fifth homer of the year, to add to Texas’s two run lead.

It’s not saying much to call this afternoon’s performance Kaprielian’s best of the season, but he did do a credible job on the mound today. He lasted seven frames, the most he has gone all year, and gave up three runs, all earned, on six hits (one out of the park), a walk, and a hit batter. He threw 104 pitches, 69 of which qualified as strikes. Zach Neal relieved him to pitch a perfect eighth. His ninth wasn’t so perfect.

With one down, he surrendered a single to Jung and then paid the price of a warm day in the Coliseum: a two run hoer to left by Durán. It’s surprising that that was only the game’s second round tripper. It was Durán’s fifth of the year, and it put Texas ahead, 5-0.

Jon Gray, the 31 year old right hander who started for the Rangers is a veteran who entered the day with a career record of 62-57, 4.48 (2-1, 3.82 for ’23). His lifetime ERA probably was inflated considerably by his stint in Colorado, where he pitched long enough to log 849 strike outs.

His numbers were helped a bit by his previ0us start, his best of the year, when he held the Mariners to a single run, earned, over seven innings in Seattle last Monday. He dominated the Athletics today. For 6-2/3 innings the Oakland offense consisted of a walk to Esteury Ruíz.

Then Peterson broke up the no hitter with a single to right. Laureano followed with a double to the same field, but Peterson was thrown out at home, 9–4-2, on a play whose call was disputed by Oakland but confirmed by New York.

Before leaving the game in favor of John King, who pitched the bottom of the ninth, Gray went eight full innings and gave up three hits and two walks. He threw 95 pitches, 66 for strikes in blanking the A’s, earning the win and improving his record to 3-1, 3.15.

The top of the second was a beautiful inning for A’s fans to watch. Josh Jung, who had led off with a single was erased by a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play, and Jace Peterson did a perfect imitation of Josh Donaldson’s ironic over the rail catch of a foul fly to third

The A’s made a last minute attempt to come back, but last night’s hero, Brent Rooker, called in as a pinch hitter with two on and one down in the bottom of the ninth, hit into an around the horn twin killing.

The fourth and final game of this series will be played tomorrow, Sunday – Mothers’ Day for all you. fans of Dallas Braden – at 1:07. Oakland’s JP Sears (0-3, 5.54) will face fellow southpaw Andrew Heany (2-3, 5.25)

A’s four run 10th inning rally puts away Rangers 9-7 at Coliseum

Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker is doused with iced water by teammates after hitting the game-winning, three-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the 10th inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri May 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

Texas (23-15). 111 111 000 2 – 7 12. 0

Oakland (9-31). 110 110 010 4 – 9. 14. 1. 10 innings

Time: 3:22

Attendance: 6,575

Friday, May 12, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–On this date in 1899, the Cleveland Spiders lost to the St. Louis Perfectos, 5-4, dropping Cleveland’s record to 3-18. The attendance was 200.

On this date in 1962, the New York Mets swept the MIlwaukee Braves in a double header, 3-2 and 8-7, boosting their record 7-17 and defeating Warren Spahn in the opener, The twin bill drew 19,748 fans to the Polo Grounds.

On this date in 2023, the Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers. in a thrilling, come from behind surprise defeat of the Texas Rangers, 9-7.

Shintaro Fujinami (1-4, 12.17) was the winning pitcher, and Brock Burke (2-1, 3,71) was the loser. The announced paid attendance was 6,575. Appropriately, enough Fujinami’s first MLB win came on Asian -American, Pacific Islanders night.

Some pitchers start running into trouble on their second time through the batting order. Ken Waldichuk, who started for the A’s has a tendency to find trouble in the second inning. Although he had allowed only one first inning tally before tonight’s outing. he’d been touched for ten in the second frame of his six previous starts.

He was true to form tonight. He threw a shutout first inning but was scored upon in once in each of the subsequent four frames. He threw a total of five innings, allowing four runs, tree of them earned, on seven; hits and five walks. He struck out an equal number of batters. He threw 93 pitches, 56 for strikes.

Martín Pérez was the starter for Texas. He hadn’t looked good in his last start, allowing seven earned runs in 3-1/3 innings last Sunday in Anaheim. Still, his 4-1,3.86 record coming into today looked positively brilliant when seen in the light of Waldichuk’s 1-2, 7.25. Like Waldichuk, he lasted five innings and gave up four runs. All. of his were earned. Three of the eight hits off him were hoers. He walked two and struck out three. 54 of his 88 deliveries were strikes.

Esteury Ruíz got things started auspiciously for the home team. He took the first pitch Pérez threw, an 89.6 mph sinker 412 feet deep before it came to rest beyond the left center field fence. It was the first home run of Ruíz’s career. An out later, Brent Rooker, another hope for the A’s future, wherever that may be, doubled to right. But the A’s couldn’t pad their lead.

Oakland soon paid the price of their failure to capitalize on their opportunities. edging off in the second, Josh Jung hit a grounder to Kevin Smith at third on the first pitch he saw. Smith made a wild throw to first, and Jung made it to third. Ezeqiel Durán’s two bagger drove him in, tying the score with an unearned run.

Oakland got that back in the bottom of the inning by playing classic little ball. Langeliers led off with a single. Smith followed him with a walk. With weak hitting Nick Allen at the plate, a sacrifice seemed in order. Allen laid down a nifty bunt towards the mound and raced off to first.

Umpire Shane Livensparger called him out, but the A’s protested the call. The review umps in New York overturned the decision. Langeiers then came in when Ruíz forced Allen out at second. (He probably would have scored even if Oakland hadn’t won the appeal; the bunt was pivotal, and the hustle encouraging).

Of course Oakland coughed up the lead in the top of the third.. Bubba Thompson walked and stole second, followed by a walk to Marcus Semien. Robbie Grossman doubled to left, driving in Thompson, bit Semien got greedy, and the A’s cut him down at home, 7-5-2, Rooker to Smith to Carlos Pérez. Jung’s 6-4-3 double play kept the score knotted at tw0. A sac fly by Leody Taveras in the fourth unknotted it.

Kevin Smith promptly retied it with a 43 foot clout into the left center field seats, his third dinger of ’23 that led off the home fourth. Two outs later, Laureano tripled to the right field wall but died on third when Rooker’s blast to center was caught on the warning track.

You knew that wouldn’t last long, and it didn’t. Lowe got. a one out double in the top of the fifth and scored on singles by Jung and Heim.

The see-saw battle went on into the night. Carlos Pérez took an 89.5 mph cut fast ball deep to left, 406 feet deep, and the game was tied at four.

Spence Patton took over for Wladichuk in the sixth. He got his first two men out, but Laureano was unsuccessful in his leap at the right field fence trying to bring down Grossman’s fly that landed in the Budweiser seats, and Grossman circled the bases as Patton left the field. Richard Lovelady replaced him and caught Lowe looking at a third strike.

Josh Sborz replaced Pérez for the home sixth and held on to Texas’s 5-4. lead.

Austin Pruitt pitched a 1-2-3 visitors’ seventh.

Cole Ragans was on the hill to face the Athletics in the bottom of the frame. The lefty put them down in order.

Pruitt returned to the mound in the eighth. Huff and Taveras greeted him with singles. They advanced. to third and second, respectively, on a wild pitch to Bubba Thompson, who grounded out to short as the runners. held their bases. Sam Moll relieved Pruitt and granted an intentional walk to Semien, loading the bases for Robbie Grossman, who had gone two for four with a double and a home run.

He also had two strike outs. When Moll was through with him, Grossman had three strike outs. A weak grounder to the mound by Lowe ended the inning, and the A’s still were in the running, although trailing 5-4.

The A’s utilized their speed in the eighth. Jace Peterson, who had hit for Smith in the sixth. Manager Bruce Bochy yanked Ragans and replaced him with Jonathan Hernández. And then Ruíz came through a single center that brought Peterson home with the tying tally. But a pinch hitter Ryan Noda grounded out Semien at second, and we went into the ninth tied again. This time, at 5-5.

Zach Jackson tried to preserve the tie for Oakland in the ninth. He was successful, three up, three down, two by Ks.

Hernández remained on duty. The first batter he faced was Carlos Pérez, 1-4 with a homer. He walked on four pitches. Tony Kemp hit for Díaz. He dropped a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to put Pérez in scoring position. Exit Hernández. Enter Brock Burke. He issued an intentional pass to Langeliers, setting up a possible double play or a force at third with Peterson at the late. Peterson fanned for the second out, bringing up Allen. He worked a full count before flying out to center.

Josh Smith pinch hit for Hugg with Durán on second as the zombie runner in the top of the 10th. Smith walked. Taveras sacrificed them each up a notch, and Adolis García came up to hit for Thompson. The count went full. García lined a single to left, scoring Durán, putting runners on the corners, and, or course, giving Texas a 6-5 lead.

Semien dropped a single to right that brought in Smith and moved García to second. That brought Fujinami to the mound. He struck Grossman out looking and went to a full count on Lowe before walking him, clogging the base paths. Then Jung flew out to right, and the A’s had one more chance to crawl. back into the game.

Allen was he zombie runner in the A’s tenth. He immediately went to third on a passed ball and almost immediately after that scored on Ruíz’s single to right.JJ Bleday, who had hit for Laureano in the eighth, hit a single to center that sent Ruíz to third. Everyone scored on Rooker’s walk off blast 408 foot to left center. It came on a 3-2 change up that changed the game..

Tomorrow, Saturday, the teams will play the third of this four game. series. The A’s will send JJP Sears (0-3, 5.54) to the mound. Jon Gray (2-1, 3,82) is scheduled to start for the Rangers.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Texas’Eovaldi just kept mowing A’s down by the dozen; Howard Terminal proposal expires today

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, right, tags out Oakland Athletics’ Shea Langeliers on a steal attempt during the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu May 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel the Oakland A’s just couldn’t figure out Texas Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi who sat down A’s hitters with 12 strikeouts.

#2 Eovaldi is putting up some Cy Young numbers he now has a scoreless streak at 28 2/3 innings pitched improving to 5-2 ERA 2.70.

#3 Former Oakland A’s infielder Marcus Semien haunted his old club slugging a home run his seventh of the season and improving his average to .289.

#4 Daniel, Thursday night’s crowd was Oakland second smallest crowd of the season with only 2,949 in attendance. The news that the A’s will be locating at the Tropicana hotel and casino site in Las Vegas has turned off a few more fans and some fans even had a whole section to themselves on Thursday night.

#5 Daniel, the Port Commission hearing regarding the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal project and that proposal has expired today. During the hearing members of the public some expressed objections to building at the port mainly because of loses of port jobs and an A’s land grab and those in favor say that the idea of building there would mean jobs and the A’s would profit there and would not impact jobs at the port.

#6 The Texas Rangers (23-14) who at the top of the AL West and led by manager Bruce Bochy will match up against the A’s just underway at the Oakland Coliseum. Starting pitcher for Texas Martin Perez (4-1 ERA 3.66) and for the A’s left hander Ken Waldichuk (4-1 ERA 4.66)

Join Daniel for the A’s podcasts each Friday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rangers Eovaldi 12 K’s A’s for career high in 4-0 shutout

Texas Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at Oakland Coliseum on Thu May 11, 2023 (AP News photo)  

Texas (23-14). 000 012 100. – 4. 7. 0

Oakland (8-31). 000 000 000 – 0. 3 0

Time: 2:16

Attendance: 2,949

Thursday, May 11, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–After snapping their season high two game winning last Sunday, your Oakland Athletics lost four straight games and came home today with a record of 8-30, .211, in hot pursuit of the 1899 Cleveland Spiders’ 20-134 (.130), the worst record in major league history.

Sarcasm aside, the major news about the A’s concerns their wheeling and dealing on the Las Vegas real estate market. Speaking of Vegas, Oakland added a couple of Aviators to their roster today. One of them was Luis Medina, who had pitched one big league game before he took the mound as the Athletics’ s starter this evening, That was on April 25, when he gave up eights hit and five runs in a 5-3 loss to the Angels. (The other Vegas call up was fellow right handed starter Zach Neal).

Thursday night, Medina began brilliantly and faded into mediocrity after four innings of work. The first hit he allowed was a triple to Nathaniel Lowe with two out in the top of the fourth. It would have been a single had it not been for JJ Bleday’s ill advised attempt at a diving watch.

That play resulted in an earned, but undeserved, run. When he left after the sixth inning, the youngster had been charged with three runs, all earned, on five hits. He didn’t walk anybody but threw two wild pitches. He had three strike outs to his credit, and 50 of his 87 pitches were counted as strikes. He brought his ERA down to 8.18. He also took the loss in the Athletics’ 4-0 defeat by the Rangers

The Rangers’ starter was more experienced than Medina. Evan Eovaldi is a 33 year old veteran now in his 13th season of MLB ball. His best season came in 2021, when he was named to the AL all star team as a Red Sox and fiinished fourth in the voting for the Cy Young award. He brought a career record of 71-70, 4.13 and a season’s mark of 4-2, 3.22 in his duffle bag with him to the decaying monument to seasons past on the banks of the River Nimitz.

Eovaldi was in fine form tonight. He came as close as you can to throwing a complete game , 8-2/3 innings.

The rookie and the veteran put kept each other’s team off board until the top of the fifth when, with Josh Jung on first with a lead off single and one down, Medina unleashed a wild pitch to Jonah Heim, allowing Jung to reach second. Medina almost dodged the Rangers’ bullet by striking out Ezequiel Durán, but Leody Tavares smacked a clean single to center to put the possee from the Lone Star State in the saddle, 1-0.

Medina weakened considerably after that. Marcus Semien led off the sixth with a resounding home run, his seventh, to left. It came off a 2-2 four seamer and travelled 403 feet before landing beond the left center field fence.

Fellow ex-Athletic Robby Grossman followed with double to right and moved on to third on Nathaniel Lowe’s fly to the foot of the warning track in right field. He came hone onb a wild pitch to Adolis Garcia. Two outs later the A’s came to bat in the bottom of the sixth trailing 3-0.

It was 4-0 when they came up in the bottom of the seventh. Sam Long had relieved Medina and surrendered a lead off double Jonah Heim, who eventually scored from third on third on a failed 3-6-1 double play attempt on Josh Smith’s grounder to Noda. Long stayed in the game through the eighth, yielding to Austin Pruitt at the start of the ninth. He held Texas to an infield single.

Oakland kept fighting until the end. With two out in the bottom of the ninth Esteury Ruiz deposited a double in the left field corner, and Noda walked. That brought Will Smith in from the bullpen to strike out Rooker and earn earn his seventh save of the season.

The series continues tomorrow, Friday, at 6:40. The Rangers’ Martín Pérez (4-1, 3.86) will go against Oakand’s Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.25)

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s hope to end four game skid against Rangers at Coliseum

Oakland A’s starter Kyle Muller delivers against the New York Yankees in the bottom of the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Wed May 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 New York Yankees (21-17) rookie Anthony Volpe slugged his first MLB grand slam home run at Yankee Stadium off the Oakland A’s (8-30) to help in an 11-3 laugher on Wednesday afternoon. The win gives the Yankees a three game sweep over the A’s.

#2 Jerry, the A’s absolutely got bombarded by the Yankees in the bottom of the fifth for seven runs as A’s starter Kyle Muller got lit up for six runs, five hits over four innings for his third regular season loss.

#3 Muller also gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Yankees show signs of rocking the A’s pitching early.

#4 This was the Yankees first three game win streak of 2023 and the A’s extended their losing streak to four games. The Yankees had struggled and the A’s continue to struggle.

#5 The A’s open a four game series at the Oakland Coliseum hosting the Texas Rangers, the Rangers will start right hander Nathan Eovaldi (4-2 ERA 3.22) and the A’s have not determined a starter for Thursday night.

Join Jerry for the A’s podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Loses Continue to Mount For Athletics Lose to Texas 5-2; Loss for Oakland is 9th of last ten games

Oakland A’s pitching couldn’t keep the Texas Rangers hitting at bay, the Rangers scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning in a three run win 5-2 at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Sun Apr 23, 2023 (@Athletics photo)

Loses Continue to Mount For the Athletics Losing to Texas 5-2

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Oakland A’s (4-18) were back on the field in game three of their series with the Texas Rangers (14-7) the A’s dropped a three run decision to the Rangers 5-2 for their ninth loss in their last ten games. Oakland had a horrible loss on Saturday in game two in what was probably their worst game this season getting clobbered 18-3.

The A’s are on shaky ground and if things do not change they could wind up with the worst season record in modern baseball history surpassing the 1962 Mets who won only 40 games that season.

None of their starting pitchers have clocked a win yet this season. They are getting beaten in every way possible whether it be on the mound, hits in a game or defense. It has been an alarming start for the team this year. Last season they finished as the second worst team in baseball and they are on course to finish in last place this year.

It was a tough opening inning for Oakland pitcher Kyle Muller loading the bases. There was a bit of good news, however, when Muller got out of the inning unscathed. This was something he would not want to repeat especially against a team like the Rangers who have a slew of offensive giants.

In the second inning Muller threw a pitch down into Robbie Grossman’s comfort zone only to watch it sail out of the park, a three-run home run giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

Texas would score again in the fourth inning; Robbie Grossman sacrificed and Leody Taveras scored giving the Rangers a 4-0 lead.

Oakland would make an appearance on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Shea Langliers hit a two-run home run. They had cut the Rangers lead in half 4-2.

It was a quiet sixth and seventh inning but it got boisterous in the eighth inning when Texas would load the bases. Relief pitcher Sam Moll was one strike away from saving the inning but walked the batter to load the bases. He then through a wild pitch and the Rangers scored extending their lead 5-2.

The A’s have not won a series this year, their pitchers have not won a start and they now sport a miserable 4-18 season record. This game was a loss but it was competitive unlike yesterday’s game. Oakland did face ace Texas pitcher Jacob DeGrom. DeGrom struck out 11, with no walks and 3 hits. The A’s had 5 hits in this game.

Monday evening the A’s will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Angels. The A’s will start Ken Waldichuk (0-2 ERA 7.65) for the Angels Jose Saurez (0-1 ERA 9.26) First pitch is scheduled for 6:38 PM.

Rangers Slam Oakland 18-3; A’s 8th loss in last nine games

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (11) reacts in the dugout after being relieved in the third inning. Fujinami pitched just over two innings and got lit up for seven hits and eight earned runs against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life in Arlington on Sat Apr 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Saturday evening the Oakland A’s (4-17) took on the Texas Rangers (13-7) in game two of their three game series it was not the same winning result they had in game 1, in game 2 the A’s faced an avalanche of runs losing 18-3 . On Friday night the A’s had a great game with some outstanding pitching from JP Sears winning the game in the ninth inning. Pinch hitter Jordan Diaz hit his first big league homer in the ninth inning that broke the 4-4 tie handing the A’s a much needed win, breaking a seven-game losing streak.

Saturday game recap: The A’s took an early lead in the first inning of this game 1-0. Jordan Diaz hit a single driving in Esteury Ruiz for the first score of the game. Carlos Perez sacrificed flied and Diaz scored extending the A’s lead to 2-0. Oakland had the bases loaded in the inning but only came away with the two runs.

This was a tough break for the A’s. They had missed a huge opportunity in the opening inning and against the Rangers those opportunities do not come along very often. When they do you have to jump on them because missing them can totally change the direction of a game especially against a team with the offense that the Rangers have.

Texas sure did change the direction of this game from the first inning to game’s end. They tied up the game in the first 2-2 and it was then that the beat down began. Texas scored five runs in the second inning now leading 7-2. Adolis Garcia got the party started with a 2-run homer. Marcus Semien, Josh Jung and Leody Taveras all scored in the second inning.

The Rangers added four more runs in the third inning. Josh Smith, Semien scored and more from Garcia hitting a two-run home run to extend the Rangers lead to 11-2.

Garcia hit his third home run of the evening a two-run homer in the fifth and the A’s now trailed 13-2.

Oakland did score one more time in this game. Jesus Aguilar hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. By the eighth inning Texas had a strangle hold on Oakland 16-3. The final was 18-3. The Rangers had hit four homers in this game and had outhit the A’s 18 to 7.

I was rough start for Oakland pitcher Shintaro Fujinami. He is 0-4 with an ERA of 14.40 and only 12 strikeouts. He only went 2.1 innings in this game. The A’s went through four pitchers in the game and the relief pitchers that followed Fujinami did not fare much better.

Oakland will take on the Rangers tomorrow in game three of this series. After a loss like this, it will be tough to put this game behind them. Kyle Muller (0-1 ERA 7.23) will take the mound for the A’s. He has not won a game this year. The Rangers will counter Jacob deGrom (1-0 ERA 3.48) First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 AM.

A’s Beat Texas Breaking Seven Game Losing Streak 5-4

Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp rounds third past Texas Rangers’ Josh Jung on a solo home run during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Fri Apr 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

A’s Beat Texas Breaking Seven Game Losing Streak 5-4

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Oakland A’s (4-16) began a three game series in Arlington taking on the Texas Rangers (12-7). The A’s opened up this road trip and this series with a one run win 5-4 against the Rangers, snapping a seven game losing streak.

Among the plethora of problems Oakland has been facing, allowing home runs and walks has been a couple of glaring issues. Unfortunately the A’s demonstrated those in the first inning of this game. After walking Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim came to the plate and hit a three-run home run giving the Rangers an early 4-0 lead. It was a tough start for the A’s but it was early in the game.

In the fourth inning Oakland made a move to get back into the game. Aledmys Diaz grounded into a fielder’s choice and Brent Rooker scored the first run of the game for the A’s.

There was more action for Oakland in the fifth inning. Tony Kemp homered to right center and the score was now 4-2 in favor of the Rangers. The A’s would continue to add more runs in the fifth. Kevin Smith scored on a Jon Gray wild pitch and just like that, the A’s trailed by a single run.

In the sixth inning Oakland tied up this game 4-4 when Conner Capel scored. After a rough first inning A’s pitcher JP Sears settled down and had a terrific game. He pitched through six innings allowing five hits, four runs and had 11 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the eighth inning the Rangers got a rally going. With no outs Texas had runners on first and second base. Oakland relief pitchers Zach Jackson got the A’s out of the inning and it was on to the ninth inning where we would see the top of the order for Oakland, Esteury Ruiz, Jordan Diaz hitting for Ryan Noda and Jace Peterson. The decision to put Diaz in was a good one as he knocked one out fo the park giving the A’s their first lead of the game 5-4.

The A’s closer Jeurys Familia would try to close out this game. Oakland turned a double play and was one out away from their fourth win of the season against a very tough Texas squad. The A’s got that third out after fighting back; got the win after losing seven games in a row and breaking the Rangers five game winning streak. We had seen a great game from the A’s bullpen.

This series will continue tomorrow with Shintaro Fujinami (0-3 ERA 11.37) taking the mound for Oakland. Andrew Heaney (1-1 ERA 4.07) will get the nod for the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM.