A’s lead late rally but fall 7-6 to Red Sox in 10 innings

A’s lead late rally but fall 7-6 to Red Sox in 10 innings
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 22, 2014


OAKLAND – Sunday afternoon, the Oakland A’s looked as though they were going to go quietly into the late afternoon against the Boston Red Sox as they trailed 6-1 with two outs in the eighth with Jon Lester on the mound looking to add another dominant start of the A’s to his game log.

But that hasn’t been the makeup of this 2014 A’s squad, and although they eventually fell 7-6 in 10 innings, they made the Red Sox work hard to avoid the first four-game sweep by the A’s in their home park since 1932.

“That’s as hard as we fought all year in what looked like a game we weren’t in for a little while,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin after the game.

“A testament to the fight these guys have. They really never feel like they’re going to lose a game until the last out is made.”

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A's beat Red Sox 2-1 despite blown call

A's beat Red Sox 2-1 despite blown call
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 21, 2014


OAKLAND – As has been the case for much of this four game weekend series against the defending champion Boston Red Sox, Stephen Vogt and Coco Crisp were the offensive stars of the game in Saturday’s 2-1 win in 10 innings.

Vogt reached base in his first three at bats and was responsible for the only run to score in the A’s win over the Red Sox, securing a season series win over the defending World Series champions.

Vogt lead off the third with a triple and came around to score on Alberto Callaspo’s sacrifice fly and Jesse Chavez went seven scoreless innings, which included no-hitting the Red Sox through the first five innings.

“It was fun,” Vogt said of the triple. “I was hoping it was going to get out. In retrospect, I wish I’d slid into third. I’m fortunate I was just fast enough to beat the throw.”

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A's beat Red Sox 4-3 on clutch Crisp single

A's beat Red Sox 4-3 on clutch Crisp single
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 20, 2014


OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s proved Friday night at the O.co Coliseum that you can get a lot more for a dollar than you think as they beat the Boston Red Sox the second straight night, winning 4-3 on an eighth inning Coco Crisp two-out RBI single as well as five scoreless innings from the bullpen.

Newly acquired pitcher Brad Mills struck out the first four batters he retired. The A’s got Mills for one dollar from the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and he took injured started Drew Pomeranz’s spot in the rotation against the Boston Red Sox in the second of four games between the two teams this weekend.

Mills would get tagged for three runs, two of them earned, in four innings for the A’s.

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Kazmir, A's beat Red Sox 4-2

Kazmir, A's beat Red Sox 4-2
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 19, 2014


OAKLAND–Thursday night, the Oakland A’s defended their title as the team with the best record in the majors as they beat the defending champion Boston Red Sox by a 4-2 score in the first of four games at the O.co Coliseum between the two.

Stephen Vogt and Yoenis Cespedes were the offensive stars for the A’s. Vogt was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Cespedes’ third inning home run gave the A’s a 3-0 lead through the first four innings.

Scott Kazmir (9-2, 2.07 ERA) was excellent once again, going seven strong innings–the only runs allowed coming off a two-run Dustin Pedroia home run in the sixth inning. That made the game 3-2, but the A’s tacked on a run in the seventh on a John Jaso RBI single that scored Eric Sogard from second base. Coco Crisp was thrown out trying to advance to third.

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A’s offensive smorgasbord sends off Jeter as they beat Yanks 10-5

A’s offensive smorgasbord sends off Jeter as they beat Yanks 10-5
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 15, 2014

OAKLAND–After a power outage delayed Saturday’s game nearly 40 minutes, the A’s could’ve powered the stadium themselves Sunday as they hit two three-run home runs in the first two innings en route to a 10-5 win to begin their ten game home stand winning two out of three at O.co Coliseum.

The A’s gave Derek Jeter a nice send off and presentation before Sunday afternoon’s game, including a standing ovation from a fan base whose hearts Jeter has stomped on before.

The A’s got the last laugh in Jeter’s final regular season game against the club, dominating them to a 6-0 second inning lead on the strength of two three-run home runs from Derek Norris and Coco Crisp on Father’s Day.

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Athletics overcome delay, beat Yankees 5-1 behind Kazmir

Athletics overcome delay, beat Yankees 5-1 behind Kazmir
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 14, 2014

OAKLAND–Saturday night, a 38-minute game delay caused by the lights in left field at O.co Coliseum going out couldn’t keep the home team from beating the New York Yankees 5-1 while not at their full strength.

Scott Kazmir (8-2, 2.05 ERA) allowed just one run in six innings, the fifth time in his last seven starts he’s allowed one run or fewer as he out-dueled Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda, who the A’s (perhaps with help from the shoddy stadium) knocked out before the end of the fifth inning.

The delay came as the bottom of the fifth inning was set to begin. The A’s had a 2-1 lead at the time, and would tag Kuroda for two more as he couldn’t complete the fifth inning, going 4 2/3 IP with 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, and 3 K.

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A’s beat Angels 7-1 with timely hitting, clutch defense

A’s beat Angels 7-1 with timely hitting, clutch defense
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 11, 2014


ANAHEIM, Calif.–Though they were unable to extend their American League West divisional lead over the second-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after dropping the first two games of the series in Anaheim, the Oakland Athletics came away from Wednesday night’s game with a number of positives after securing a 7-1 victory.

The A’s ended the nine-game road trip against the Yankees, Orioles, and Angels with a winning record going 5-4 as they return to Oakland for ten games against the Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox.

A’s manager Bob Melvin stressed the difference in ending a road trip with a winning record after the game.

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A’s fall 4-1 to Angels in Anaheim

A’s fall 4-1 to Angels in Anaheim
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
June 9, 2014


ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics dropped the opener of their road series against the division rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Monday night 4-1 as Garrett Richards had an impressive outing on the mound for the Angels, going seven strong innings. Oakland starter Jesse Chavez had a quality start but didn’t get the necessary run support to avoid the loss.

Oakland MVP caliber third baseman Josh Donaldson had an off night, committing three errors while also going 0-for-4 at the plate.

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A's win 5-4 over White Sox behind another strong Jesse Chavez outing

A's win 5-4 over White Sox behind another strong Jesse Chavez outing
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
May 13, 2014


OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics extended their win streak to a season high five games on Monday evening behind another strong outing from emerging right-hander Jesse Chavez. The A’s won 5-4 as Josh Donaldson put Oakland ahead for good with a fifth inning two-run home run, Donaldson’s eighth of the season.

Aside from a second inning Dayan Viciedo solo home run, Chavez (3-1, 2.44 ERA) was dealing. Once the A’s gained control of the game following Donaldson’s blast in the fifth, Chavez retired every batter he faced until the last one. After retiring ten in a row, Chavez came out for the ninth inning for the first time in his career as a starting pitcher. On an 0-2 pitch, Jose Abreu hit his 14th home run of the season, spelling the end of Chavez’s night. His masterful performance would read 8+ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, with 2 solo HR allowed.

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Bullpen woes cost A’s two out of three against Indians

Bullpen woes cost A’s two out of three against Indians
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
April 3, 2014


OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics opened the 2014 regular season with some fantastic pitching from their starting rotation, but bullpen woes caused the A’s to be losers in two out of three games at home against the Cleveland Indians.

Starters Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir combined for 13 1/3 scoreless frames in the first two games.

Newly appointed ace, Gray, pitched six shutout innings without his best stuff, getting out of a number of jams that included getting a couple of force outs at home plate. He left the game knotted in a 0-0 tie, and offensively the A’s were unable to take advantage of a number of opportunities. Josh Donaldson hit a 400-foot single to deep center field that Daric Barton failed to score off of from second. New closer Jim Johnson came into the game in the top of the ninth and gave up two runs, leaving to a chorus of boos in his A’s debut.

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