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  Hey what’s up A’s fans, this is Charles here with another series recap. This week the A’s faced the wrath of a poised Cleveland Indians team that did not allow an RBI in the entire series. The A’s went on to be swept in the “mistake by the lake,” as their bad play continued.

On Tuesday night, the A’s were shutout 4-0 by Paul Byrd who pitched 7 1/3 innings, while giving up five hits. Justin Duchscherer pitched 6 2/3 while surrendering four hits and one earned run. In the top of the first Travis Hafner hit an RBI single to score David Dellucci and gave the Indians a 1-0 lead. They would increase that lead to 4-0 after a three run home run by Ryan Garko.

Wednesday night provided another Cleveland shutout of the A’s, this time by a margin of 2-0. C.C. Sabathia started for Cleveland and threw a complete game shutout while striking out 11. For the A’s, Joe Blanton pitched 7 innings and gave up two earned runs. Mike Sweeney was the lone bright spot for the A’s with a modest 2-4 day at the plate. Cleveland scored their two runs on solo home runs by Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko.

The A’s were again defeated 4-2 on Thursday afternoon as Cleveland completed the sweep. Aaron Laffey started for Cleveland and pitched seven innings while not surrendering an earned run and only five hits. Greg Smith started for the A’s and pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and three earned runs. Jhonny Peralta hit a home run off of Santiago Casilla who was forced to leave the game with an arm injury. Ryan Garko, Travis Hafner and Ben Francisco each had an RBI. No A’s player had an RBI the entire series. The two runs scored in this game were the result of a throwing error by Laffey and a wild pitch in the 9th, as the A’s lost 4-2 and were swept. 

From here the A’s head to Atlanta to face the Braves in a three game series. On Friday night Dana Eveland will face Jair Jurrjens, and Saturday Rich harden will face off against Tim Hudson. On Sunday Justin Duchscherer will face Jo-Jo Reyes to conclude the three game series. 

Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.

Hello again A’s fans, it’s Jordan here with you again. The A’s began their road trip in Arlington, Texas, where they met the red-hot Texas rangers for the second time in the last week. Unfortunately for the A’s, they do not match up favorably with the Rangers, and it shows. They dropped two of three last week in Oakland and repeated that performance when they visited Arlington. The A’s are still in first place, but these divisional games are very important, and it hurts when you lose them.

In the series opener on Friday evening, Greg Smith took the mound for Oakland, and was opposed by Scott Feldman for Texas. The Rangers opened the score sheet with an RBI groundout for American League RBI leader Josh Hamilton in the bottom of the first inning. Brandon Boggs doubled the Rangers advantage with his second homerun of the season off of Greg Smith. Scott Feldman was phenomenal for Texas, as he shut the A’s offense down for six innings, where they only managed two hits. In the bottom of that sixth inning, Brandon Boggs hurt Oakland again, with a two-run double into the left-center field gap, as he concluded his evening with a 3-4 performance and three RBI. The A’s did not fare much better against the Rangers’ bullpen, as they scratched out just two more hits the rest of the way, and were shutout. Jack Cust was the lone bright spot offensively for the A’s, as he had two of those hits. On a positive note from a pitching standpoint, Chad Gaudin embraced his new role out of the bullpen, and pitched two solid scoreless innings in relief. The A’s dropped this one 4-0.

On Saturday evening, the A’s tried to even up the series, but were outdone yet again by the Rangers. Texas won this one, 6-4. They jumped out in the first inning to take the lead for the second straight day, as former Athletic Milton Bradley continued to hurt the A’s, as he drove in the first run as he doubled in a run off of A’s starter Dana Eveland. Rangers’ starter Kevin Millwood was forced to leave the game after facing just two batters, and then entered Jason Rupe, who earned the win with three innings pitched, where he gave up two runs, one of which was earned. Oakland tied the game at one in the third inning, as Emil Brown, the RBI machine knocked in another with a single that scored Jack Cust. That tie did not last long, as Milton Bradley flexed his muscle again with a two-run blast to straightaway center field. Oakland pulled within one in the fourth as Ryan Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly, but they would get no closer. Texas gave themselves all the insurance they needed with a Josh Hamilton RBI single in the seventh inning, and two more two-out runs in the eighth, as German Duran and Ian Kinsler drove in runs off of A’s reliever Keith Foulke, who just returned from the disabled list. The A’s tried to rally in the ninth, as Frank Thomas drove in two runs on a two-out double, but four runs were all the A’s could get, and they dropped the series to Texas again. Dana Eveland had another quality start as he went six innings, allowing just three runs on six hits, and struck out five. Both Emil Brown and Bobby Crosby had two hits each.

In a wild series finale, that gave the scoreboard a workout, the A’s muscled their way to a 12-6 win. This marked the return of Rich Harden from the disabled list. He did struggle, however, as he gave up five earned runs on eight hits in just three and two-thirds innings, walking four and striking out five. Oakland jumped in front in the top of the first inning, as Frank Thomas singled in a run, and then Emil Brown crushed a three-run jack into the A’s bullpen to put the A’s comfortably ahead 4-0, or so they thought. Texas hipped away at the lead, by scoring one in the bottom of the first on a Milton Bradley RBI double, and then got another run in the second on an Ian Kinsler single. Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled in two more runs to tie the game in the third, and Josh Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI triple that scored Kinsler. In the top of the sixth, Oakland tied it up on a bases loaded walk to Jack Cust, and then took the lead back with a Frank Thomas sacrifice fly. In the bottom of that same inning, Texas tied it up yet again, on a Michael Young RBI single. In the seventh, with Mark Ellis at first and Bobby Crosby at third, Ellis broke for second. The Rangers’ pitcher tried to pick off Ellis, and that is when Crosby broke for the plate. He slid past Saltalamacchia to score what turned out to be the winning run on a stolen base, and Ellis took second. Ryan Sweeney provided some insurance with a sacrifice fly of his own. Emil Brown (2-5) drove in his fourth run of the game on a single in the eighth, and then Oakland scored three more times in the ninth. An error gave them their tenth run, and Daric Barton hit his second homer of the year into the right field porch in a pinch hit appearance. When all was said and done, the A’s won it 12-6, and pounded out thirteen hits. Mark Ellis went 3-5, Jack Hannahan was 2-2, and the win was credited to Santiago Casilla, who went one and a third inning of scoreless work.

It was nice to see the A’s get at least one here, after the tough start to the series, and they now travel to Cleveland to take on the Indians. Tuesday night, the A’s fell 4-0, but I will leave the recap to Charles on his next entry. Later today, Joe Blanton (2-5 3.82 ERA) takes on C.C. Sabathia (2-5, 6.55 ERA). The young man originally from the Oakland area, Sabathia has really struggled against the A’s, and Oakland hopes to continue to haunt C.C. The series wraps at 9:05 AM Pacific time on Thursday morning, as Greg Smith (2-2, 3.00 ERA) takes on Aaron Laffey (1-2, 1.83 ERA). The A’s offense has been inconsistent as of late, so we shall see what they can do. I expect them to win one of the next two, and if I had to guess, I would say it comes against Sabathia today.

I would like to reiterate that we love to hear your feelings, thoughts, opinions, or questions regarding the team and our show. We want this to be as interactive as possible, so we really encourage you to get in touch with us, and here are some ways how; you can reach us by email at hosts@athleticscast.com, by phone at 415-691-6185, by posting on our Myspace or Facebook, or by posting your comments below this blog entry. Thanks to everyone who does contact us and those who listen to our show, we really appreciate it. Take care everyone, and enjoy the rest of your week.

That’s How I See It…Let’s Go Oakland!!!

Hey what’s up A’s fans this is Charles here with another series recap. This week we saw Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon get married, Barack Obama strengthen his chances for the Democratic nomination, and the A’s sweep the O’s. The series provided many thrills with two extra inning wins, including Monday nights game. 

On Monday night, Dana Eveland got the start for the A’s going seven innings and giving up three hits and no earned runs. He was opposed by Garret Olson who pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up four hits and one earned run. The A’s took a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning thanks to an RBI single by Rajai Davis in the seventh inning. In the ninth, Huston Street came in and blew the save after allowing a leadoff double by Melvin Mora. Mora would later score in the inning on a Ramon Hernandez groundout. In the bottom of the tenth,  Mr. Clutch Emil Brown hit an RBI single to score Daric Barton and gave the A’s the 2-1 win.

Tuesday night the A’s kept up the winning with a 4-2 victory. Justin Duscherer pitched seven innings and gave up two earned runs to pace the A’s. Brian Burres started for the Orioles and lasted only 5 1/3 innings while surrendering eight hits and three earned runs. Emil Brown continued his stellar play by going 2-4 with an RBI. Bobby Crosby, Mark Ellis and Rajai Davis all added an RBI each for the A’s in their win. Santiago Casilla came in for the 9th to record the save, his first of the season.

In a wild game on Wednesday afternoon the A’s defeated the O’s 6-5 in extra innings. Joe Blanton got the start for the A’s and pitched 5 2/3 innings while giving up two earned runs. For Baltimore, Jeremy Guthrie pitched 5 2/3 innings while surrendering five hits and four earned runs. The A’s took a 4-2 lead into the eight inning thanks to a two run home run by Kurt Suzuki, and an RBI for both Jack Hannahan and Emil Brown. Andrew Brown had a tough outing lasting 2/3 of an innings and squandering 3 earned runs. The key play of the game came in the bottom of the eight when Jack Hannahan broke up a potential double play off the bat of Frank Thomas that allowed the tying run to score. Mark Ellis would later go on to send the hometown fans home with a win after he hit a walk off big boy in the 10th inning to complete the sweep of the O’s. With this series in hand the A’s now head to my “second state” of Texas, where the A’s will play a three game series in the Dallas area suburb of Arlington. 

On Friday night Greg Smith will oppose Scott Feldman at 5 pm pacific time. On Saturday night the A’s are scheduled to send Dana Eveland to face Kevin Millwood. The series will conclude on Sunday, and the A’s are scheduled to welcome Rich Harden back to the rotation to face Sidney Ponson. To make room in the rotation for Harden, Chad Gaudin will move back to the bullpen. Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.

Hello again A’s fans, It’s Jordan here a little later than I would like to have been, so I apologize for the tardiness on this entry. The A’s entertained the Texas Rangers this past weekend in Oakland, and came out on the wrong end of a two out of three series. These divisional games are obviously the most important of all the games, and if the A’s intend to remain in any sort of divisional race, they must win their home games against the teams of less quality.

Friday night, I was in attendance with our good friend Jack and sat a few rows behind the Texas dugout. It was a nice evening weather wise, but unfortunately the A’s struggled and could not make it a perfect night. The A’s dropped the series opener 4-3, thanks largely in part to some very poor defense. They made 4 errors, and Joe Blanton was tagged for four runs, as only two were earned. The A’s have the second most errors as a team this season, only behind the very same Rangers who were in town.

The visitors opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Ian Kinsler came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Michael Young. Kinsler, the leadoff man reached on an Emil Brown error, as he just flat out dropped a fly ball, and Kinsler made it all the way to third base. Former Athletic Milton Bradley returned to the Coliseum and had a great day going 3-4, and scored the second run after singling in the top of the fourth. He was driven home by a Brandon Boggs sacrifice fly. The A’s stormed back in the bottom half of that same inning by scoring three times. Jack Cust opened the Athletics’ scoring with a one-out solo blast to the left-center bleachers. After Texas committed an error of their own and Rob Bowen reached base, Bobby Crosby doubled home Emil Brown and Bowen. The 3-2 lead, however, did not last long. In the top of the fifth inning, Ian Kinsler tied it up with an RBI groundout. With one out in the inning and Ramon Vazquez on second, Michael Young grounded to third. Jack Hannahan briefly looked Vazquez back at second and threw across the diamond to get Young at first. Vazquez broke for third on the throw, and Daric Barton took a chance to try and peg him there. Unfortunately for Barton and the A’s, his throw was wide to the left field side of the bag, and Vazquez scored what turned out to be the game-winning run. The A’s threatened in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Donnie Murphy was uncharacteristically aggressive at the plate, swinging at a 2-0 fastball and grounding out to end the inning. Although it did not work out, I appreciate the fact that Donnie was aggressive. He looked for his pitch and just happened to miss it. With Daric Barton on first in the bottom of the seventh, Jack Cust hammered a ball into right-center which looked like a certain RBI double, but Josh Hamilton turned in the play of the day, making a running catch that took him into the wall, and then doubled off Barton at first. Vicente Padilla turned in a quality start for Texas, as he went five and two-thirds innings, allowing 3 runs, 1 of which was earned on 5 hits while striking out 6 A’s hitters. This was a frustrating loss, and again, Joe Blanton was on the wrong end of it. This marks the third time this season he has given up 2 earned runs and lost. He is now 2-5 with a pretty solid 3.88 ERA.

Saturday evening the A’s were in action again, trying to even their series. Unfortunately for them, they could not. They fell behind early and never recovered, losing 6-3. This marked the first series that the A’s have lost since April 17 against the Mariners. Chad Gaudin was on the hill against youngster A.J. Murray.

The Rangers jumped out again in the first inning, as David Murphy smoked a 1-2 fastball that stayed up for a three-run shot to right-center field. This blow came with two outs as well, so that was definitely a pitch that Chad wanted back. The A’s fell behind by even more in the top of the fifth, as Michael Young doubled home a run and then scored in the next at-bat on a Josh Hamilton single. Oakland pulled two back in the bottom half of that inning, as Mike Sweeney doubled a deep fly ball to right-center that scored both Kurt Suzuki and Mark Ellis. The A’s looked like they may be mounting a comeback as they scored once more in the following inning on a Bobby Crosby RBI single that plated Emil Brown. A.J. Murray stymied the Oakland hitters, as they mustered just the three runs, two of which were earned on a scattered six hits over five and one-thirds innings. The Texas bullpen shut the door on Oakland as they combined to no-hit the A’s the rest of the way, allowing just two base runners the last three and two-thirds innings. Texas added an insurance run in the ninth as well, on a Chris Shelton home run. This was his first hit of 2008, and I was surprised to be part of a Chris Shelton sighting. Gaudin had a rough outing, surrendering five earned runs on eight hits, and was saddled with the loss, his second on the young season. Mike Sweeney was the only Athletic with multiple hits, going 2-4 with his 2 RBI.

In the finale, a Sunday matinee, Oakland came out in front of 31, 673 and won 3-1 to avoid the sweep. It was Campy Campineras jersey giveaway day, and the Plaza Level seats were only $4 due to the 20 hit outburst Thursday night in Anaheim, so the fans came out in droves, which was nice to see for a change. The A’s wore those ‘68 jerseys which were really nice in my opinion, and wish they would wear them more often. Also, Texas participated in the throwback style of the Washington Senators. The weird thing was that they wore the same hats as the Washington nationals do, so I had to do a double take when watching the game.

Oakland fell behind first for the third consecutive day as German Duran homered in the top of the third off of Greg Smith. Smith, aside from this mistake was flawless. He unfortunately had a no-decision, but was great as he fanned ten over six innings, allowing just the one run on three hits. Another young pitcher, Scott Feldman of the Rangers pitched well also, allowing three runs over six and a third on six hits and striking out five. Oakland got those three runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Frank Thomas reached on a fly bal to center that was lost in the sun by Josh Hamilton, and was credited with a double. Jack Cust then followed with a two-run blast to left-center. This marked Jack Cust’s seventh consecutive game with at least one hit, which tied his career high, as he finished his day at 2-3. The Big Hurt also went 2-3 in this one. The A’s added a third run in the same inning, as Ryan Sweeney lined an RBI single into left-center that scored Bobby Crosby. Santiago Casilla came on for the seventh inning in relief of Greg Smith and earned the win with one perfect inning. Alan Embree logged his fifth hold of the year with a hitless, scoreless inning, and Huston Street earned his ninth save on the season with a scoreless ninth in which he had two strikeouts.

The A’s fought hard in this last game, and it was nice to see them salvage at least one in the series. This put the A’s at 19-14. Hats off to Jack Cust, who was named the American League Player of the Week, and he did a wonderful job with two home runs in the series. Word has also come in that Eric Chavez may not be ready for activation at the 60 day mark as originally expected, so that still hangs over the A’s at this point. On a more positive injury note, Rich Harden and Keith Foulke are each working their way back through their rehab starts.

The A’s opened up another home series last night, as they beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in ten innings, but I will save the details for our Wednesday show and Charles’ next blog entry. As for later tonight, the probable pitching match-up pits Justin Duchscherer (2-1 with a 2.40 ERA) against Brian Burres (3-2 with a 2.87 ERA). Wednesday, the A’s will send Joe Blanton (2-5 with a 3.88 ERA) to oppose Jeremy Guthrie (1-3 with a 4.06 ERA). The A’s have the better team here and should win at least one of the next two games, as I see them taking two of three overall. I do hope that Joe Blanton gets the win on Wednesday afternoon, as I feel he has earned it, with quality start after quality start.

Make sure you guys remain a key component to our show by making your voice heard. You can e-mail us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also get a hold of us by posting a comment or message on our Myspace or Facebook pages. We love to keep A’s fans involved and have our show and website be as interactive as possible. You can post on our website here right under this blog entry by clicking on add my comment. Share your thoughts or ideas on our latest episodes, share your ideas on what the A’s should do, submit topics for discussion, or just drop by to tell us why the A’s are your team of choice. Hopefully everyone has a great week, and we will be back with a new episode for Wednesday.

That’s How I See It…Let’s Go Oakland!!!

Hey what’s up A’s fans this is Charles here with another series recap. This time we will recap the first rivalry series between the A’s and the Angels. Let’s begin with game one on Monday night.

On Monday the A’s brought their big boy sticks as they annihilated the Angels 14-2 in Anaheim. Chad Gaudin started for the A’s and lasted six innings while surrendering five hits and only one earned run. For the Angels, Jon Garland pitched six innings while being brandished with seven earned runs. Daric Barton had a big day for the A’s as he went 2-6 with a three run big boy. The “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas had a perfect day going 3-3 with a single double and his first triple since 2002, he also had 2 RBI. Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney each tacked on 2 RBI, and Jack Hannahan and Emil Brown each hit home runs, Brown’s being a 3-run home run. 

Tuesday night the Angels shutout the A’s 2-0 as Joe Saunders dominated the A’s through 8 innings. A’s starter Greg Smith pitched well for 8 innings only giving up 2 earned runs, but took the loss in this game. A wild pitched proved to be enough as the Angels scored the first of two runs in the 3rd. Francisco Rodriguez picked up the save for the Angels. Kurt Suzuki, Mark Ellis, Mike Sweeney and Donnie Murphy were the only A’s to pick up hits in the loss.

On Wednesday the A’s were again defeated, this time by a score of 6-1. Ervin Santana set the pace for the Angels going 6 2/3 and surrendering no earned runs. For the A’s Dana Eveland outing lasted 5 1/3 innings and got tagged for 6 earned runs. Casey Kotchman started the scoring with a two run double in the second to give the Angels a 2-0 lead. In the third Torii Hunter added an RBI single, to increase the lead to 3-0. The A’s got their only run in the 5th with a Ryan Sweeney RBI single. Kotchman would finish with 3 RBI while Chone Figgins and Jeff Mathis each had an RBI.

On Thursday the A’s collected another lopsided win against the Angels with a 15-8 beat down. Justin Duscherer collected the win going 5 innings and giving up 1 earned run. For the Halos Nick Adenhart made his major league debut and struggle to find his command as he pitched 2 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. Jack Cust made himself look like an idiot in the field by botching an easy pop fly but finished the game 4-4 with a home run. Kurt Suzuki, Daric Barton, Frank Thomas, Ryan Sweeney and Bobby Crosby all had two RBI. Emil Brown and Jack Hannahan each had an RBI as the A’s picked up the series split.

This weekend the A’s return home to face the Texas Rangers. Vicente Padilla will start against Joe Blanton on friday night. AJ Murray is scheduled to face Chad Gauidn saturday night, and Scott Feldman will face off against Greg Smith to conclude the three game series.

Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.  

Hello again A’s fans, its Jordan here and it sure is nice to be reporting on a first place team. That is just what we have here with your Oakland Athletics, who ended today with a 16-10 record, and they have won seven of their last nine games. The Seattle Mariners gave the A’s fits last season, and opened 2008 by taking two of three in Oakland earlier this month. This weekend, however, the Athletics returned the favor, by taking two of three up in the emerald city.

Friday night, the A’s came in from consecutive series victories against the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. Dana Eveland took the mound for Oakland against the poet/author/pitcher Miguel Batista for game one. Eveland earned his third win on the young season, as he went five and one third innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and striking out three in the A’s 4-3 win. Batista lasted just one inning as he was lifted due to injury. The A’s got to him early in the first, opening up a 3-0 lead out of the gates.

Kurt Suzuki led off with a single and then Daric Barton walked to put two on with two outs. After Mark Ellis was retired, new addition Frank Thomas came through with an RBI single to left field. The bases were then loaded and Emil Brown drew a walk that scored Barton for the second run. The final run of the first inning came in the form of a wild pitch. The Mariners pulled one run back in the bottom half of their first inning on a Raul Ibanez sacrifice fly. Ryan Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the third off of Mariners’ reliever Cha Seung Baek to bring the lead back to three runs. Baek was excellent in relief, as he logged six innings allowing just one run on one hit. It was not enough however, as the Mariners were unable to finish their comeback, as they mustered two runs the rest of the way and fell 4-3. Offensively for the A’s, it was a rather quiet day, as they put up their four runs on just three hits. Those hits belonged to Kurt Suzuki, the Big Hurt, and Emil Brown. The bullpen was fantastic, as it has been for so much of this early season. Santiago Casilla logged one and one thirds innings of scoreless work, surrendering just one hit. Alan Embree gave up no runs on one hit in a third of an inning, Andrew Brown pitched a scoreless inning, and Huston Street earned the save with a scoreless, hitless ninth inning.

On Saturday evening, the A’s looked to clinch a series win for the third straight time. This would have to wait however, as Seattle held on for a 5-3 victory behind a stellar effort by starter Erik Bedard. Bedard went six and two thirds strong and shutout the A’s, allowing just two hits. Ichiro helped open the scoring for the M’s as he singled in Yuniesky Betancourt in the bottom of the third off of A’s starter Justin Duchschererer, who made his first start since his recent DL stint. A Brad Wilkerson infield single gave the Mariners their second run in the bottom of the fourth to give them a two run advantage. Greg Norton supplied the third run for Seattle with a sixth inning run scoring single, and the way Bedard was dealing, it looked hopeless for Oakland. hey pulled one back once the bullpen got in to make the score 3-1, when Mike Sweeney crushed a line drive homer over the left field fence. The A’s bullpen, however, was unable to keep it close enough, as they gave up two runs on a two-run double by Greg Norton in the bottom of the eighth. The Athletics certainly made it interesting in the ninth though against mariners’ loser J.J. Putz. They loaded the bases with one out, and Daric barton came up with a pinch-hit two-run single. A’s runners then moved into scoring position on a passed ball by catcher Jamie Burke. Kurt Suzuki was at the plate with an opportunity to tie the game with a base-hit, but on a full count, he popped out to second base. Mark Ellis walked to load the bases, and Mike Sweeney grounded out to first to end the game, and put the series win on hold, for now, anyway. The A’s put together just five hits in this one, and Emil Brown was the only member of the team who had a multi-hit game, at 2-4.

In the finale, a matinee on Sunday afternoon that sent both team’s aces to the mound, Oakland came out with a scrappy 4-2 win. Joe Blanton was wonderful again, and out-dueled King Felix in this one as he went seven innings, allowing just two runs on eight scattered hits, and striking out three. Oakland gave up the lead in this one early, as Adrian Beltre singled in a run with two outs in the bottom of the first. Seattle doubled their lead off Blanton in the fourth with a solo home run by Yuniesky Betancourt to left field. Felix Hernandez was cruising until he hit the top of the eighth inning, as he had given up only four hits until that inning. The eighth was a different story though, as he was charged with all four runs in the A’s rally. It started with a two-run single by Emil Brown to tie it at two. Jack Cust singled in a run with the bases loaded to break the tie, and then some insurance was added with a Ryan Sweney RBI single. Santiago Casilla came on for a perfect eighth inning, and Huston Street nailed down his second save of the series, as Oakland won their third straight series.

This three game set really impressed me, as Charles and I discussed on our last show, these are the games that mean the most. It was very nice to see the A’s win some divisional games on the road, and continue their hot trend, winning seven of nine. Oakland also got Justin Duchscherer back, and even though they lost in his start, he looked pretty good, allowing just two runs in five innings of work. Going forward, having a healthier rotation will be key, as the A’s continue on into the summer.

The A’s will be in Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the team that they share first place with. Oakland brings their 8-3 road record into southern California for this rivalry series. It is always a fun one, and I have no doubt that the A’s fans will be out in full effect and that the Athletics will bring their best out on the field. The probable pitching match-ups for the four game series pit Chad Gaudin (2-1 with a 3.38 ERA) against John Garland (3-2 with a 5.04 ERA) on Monday evening, Greg Smith (2-0 with a 2.88 ERA) against Joe Saunders (4-0 with a 2.55 ERA) on Tuesday night, Dana Eveland (3-1 with a 2.48 ERA) against Ervin Santana (4-0 with a 2.97 ERA) on Wednesday, and Justin Duchscherer (1-1 with a 2.70 ERA) versus Dustin Moseley(1-2 with a 7.30 ERA) in the finale on Thursday night. These should be good match-ups, and I look forward to watching the games, as the A’s gun for their fourth consecutive series win. I see a split here, however, as both teams are playing well. As always, I hope for a better result, and I believe it is possible, so we shall see what shakes down in Anaheim.

As always, you can get in contact with us a variety of ways. We really encourage listener participation, and the easiest way to reach us is to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or by calling us and leaving a voicemail at 415-691-6185. You can also post on our Myspace or our Facebook. You can also post your comments just underneath our blog entries. Make sure you stay tuned for our next episode, which should be out on Wednesday.

Thats How I See It…Let’s Go Oakland!

Hey whats up A’s fans this is Charles here with another series recap. Before we recap the Minnesota series, let’s take a look at the big roster moves made this week. The first roster move that was made this week was the A’s picking up former San Francisco Giant outfielder Rajai Davis. To make room for Davis on the roster, the A’’s again designated Kirk Saarloos for assignment. Then on Wednesday, big boy news transpired as the A’s signed “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas to be the A’s new DH. The move sent Travis Buck to the DL, after his recent struggle with shin splints. The acquisition of Thomas will bolster the A’s chances of being a serious contender in the American league. Prior to the Thomas signing the A’s were using a platoon with reliable veteran Mike Sweeney and the vastly overrated Jack Cust. Thomas was in the lineup batting cleanup on Wednesday but before we recap that game lets start with Tuesday nights game.

On Tuesday the A’s lost to the Minnesota Twinkies 5-4. Blanton started for the A’s and tossed 7 2/3 innings while giving up 4 earned runs while his counterpart Livan Hernandez pitched six innings and gave up 4 earned runs. Joe Blanton picked up the loss for the A’s and Juan Rincon picked up the win for the Twins. Justin Morneau started the scoring in the second with an RBI single. In the 5th Craig Monroe hit an RBI double to score Jason Kubel and Mike Lamb hit an RBI double to bring home Monroe. Suzuki hit a 2 run single in the bottom of the 5th to close the deficit. Emil Brown chipped in with a two run home run to give the A’s the lead in the 6th. However Minnesota would go on to win after Justin Morneau hit a game tying home run in the 7th, and Jason Kubel hit a go ahead RBI single in the eight. Joe Nathan recorded the save as the Twins won the game 5-4.

Wednesday the A’s shutout the Twins 3-0 behind a great start by Chad Gaudin.  Gaudin was stellar as he pitched 7 shutout innings to pick up the win over Boof Bonser who lasted 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. Emil Brown started the scoring in the 2nd inning with a sac fly. In the third Mike Sweeney hit an RBI, and in the 8th he hit a home run to finish off a 2-3 night with 2 RBI.  Huston Street picked up the save as the A’s won the game 3-0. 

On Thursday the revamped A’s walloped the Twins 11-2 to win the three game series. Greg Smith picked up the win by going seven innings and surrendering two earned runs, while his adversary Francisco Liriano lasted 2/3 of an inning giving up six earned runs. Chris Gomez put the Twinkies on the board in the first by hitting a home run off of Smith. The A’s responded in the bottom of the 1st with a six run inning led by Emil Brown’s 2 run single, Donnie Murphy’s 2 run single and RBI singles by Chris Denorfia and Kurt Suzuki. Donnie Murphy finished the game 3-5 with 4 RBI and new comer Rajai Davis went 3-4. Kurt Suzuki, Mark Ellis, and Mike Sweeney all tallied two hits and in his first game back The Big Hurt went 0-3 with 2 walks.

 The A’s now head to Seattle where Dana Eveland will face Miguel Batista in game 1. Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.

Hey what’s up A’s fans this is Charles here for another series recap. This week the A’s hosted another brief two game series, this time with divisional foe Seattle. Seattle’s dominance of Oakland would once again be in display in this series.

On Wednesday night “King” Felix Hernandez continued his dominance of Oakland by defeating Joe Blanton and the A’s 4-2. Blanton ran into trouble early by relinquishing three runs in the first inning. A’s killer Raul Ibanez hit an RBI single to score Ichiro and put Seattle on the board. Jose Vidro then hit a two run double that scored Ibanez and Beltre. The ball was hit to shallow center field, and Ryan Sweeney made a miscalculated dive that allowed the ball to roll past Sweeney. That turned out to be the deciding play in what would become another mediocre performance against Seattle. In the top of the third Beltre hit an RBI double to score Ibanez and stretch the Mariners lead to 4-1.  Daric Barton was the lone bright spot for the A’s as he went 2-4 with an RBI. Raul Ibanez abused the A’s again with a 3-4 night and an RBI. Blanton lasted 8 innings while giving up 12 hits and four earned runs. This paled in comparison to “King” Felix pitching a complete game while giving up one earned run and striking out eight batters.   

On Thursday Seattle defeated the A’s once again by an 8-1 margin behind a stellar performance by Carlos Silva and a terrible outing by Lenny Di Nardo. Di Nardo lasted only 2 1/3 innings while surrendering five earned runs, five hits and four walks. Kirk Saarloos came in for relief and pitched 5 2/3 innings while only allowing two earned runs. For the Mariners, Jose Vidro went 1-5 with 2 RBI in the third, Johjima had an RBI on a walk and Rafael Betancourt added an RBI single to finish off the third inning. Jose Lopez finished with a 3-5 day with 2 RBI and the A’s killer Raul Ibanez finished with a 3-5 night and an RBI. The A’s were only able to muster 4 hits off of Carlos “Big Chief” Silva who pitched seven innings and gave up one earned run. That run was scored on a meaningless RBI double by Emil Brown, who along with Jack Cust, Daric Barton and Mark Ellis accounted for all four of Oakland’s hits. After being swept, the A’s now start a three game home series against the Kansas City Royals. Oakland sends out Chad Gaudin to face Brian Bannister on Friday night, while Greg Smith faces Zack Greinke on Saturday afternoon. The three game series will conclude on Sunday with Dana Eveland pitching for the A’s against a starter yet to be named by Kansas City.

Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth. 

Hey what’s up A’s fans it’s Charles here for the recap of the White Sox series. After a series victory against Cleveland, the A’s left the “Mistake by the Lake” and treaded over to the “Second City” to face the White Sox. With the Southside boys laying in wait, the A’s arrived for a brief 2 game series.

On Monday night the A’s defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in a great pitching duel between Greg Smith and Mark Buehrle. Smith was fantastic as he pitched 7 innings while surrendering 6 hits, and only 1 earned run as he earned his first Major League win. Kurt Suzuki hit an RBI single in the 4th inning to score Mike Sweeney and gave the A’s the early 1-0. Emil Brown extended the lead with an RBI single in the 6th which also scored Mike Sweeney and gave the A’s a 2-0 lead. The White Sox would get on the board with an RBI ground out by Jim Thome but the A’s were able to hold on for the 2-1 win, despite some Huston Street theatrics again in the 9th inning. Huston earned his 4th save of the year, and Kurt Suzuki went 4-4 with an RBI, Emil Brown went 2-4 with an RBI, and Mike Sweeney went 2-4 with 2 runs scored.

On Tuesday the A’s concluded their brief two game with Chicago as Dana Eveland opposed John Danks and the A’s lost 4-1. Eveland was shaky in his start as he lasted 4 2/3 innings while allowing three earned runs and 5 hits. The big blow to Eveland was a 3 run home run by Carlos Quentin back in the bottom of the fourth. Joe Crede increased the Chicago lead to 4-0 in the 5th inning with an RBI single that scored Jermaine Dye. The A’s attempted a comeback as they scored a run in the 9th with an Emil Brown sac fly, but the A’s were defeated 4-1. John Danks picked up the win, Dana Eveland the loss, and Bobby Jenks the save. So the A’s finish the road trip with a split in Chicago and very successful 6-2 record on the trip. The A’s begin another brief two game series at home versus the Seattle Mariners. On Wednesday “King” Felix Hernandez will oppose Joe Blanton, and on Thursday Lenny Dinardo will face Carlos “Big Chief” Silva. On a side note Kirk Saarloos now joins the team as he takes the roster spot of Fernando Hernandez.

Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great day and remember to live smooth.

Hello Again A’s fans, its’ Jordan here and am glad to report again that the A’s have continued their string of good play. They managed to win another series, their third consecutive series win, taking two of three from the Cleveland Indians. This is the second time that the A’s have won two out of three from Cleveland, as they won the set back in Oakland last week. I was very happy to be in the Bay Area with the way the weather was this weekend, rather then in Cleveland, it actually snowed during Sunday’s game in Ohio.

Friday night, the A’s jumped all over Indians’ starter, C.C. Sabathia for the second time this season. The A’s opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by Mike Sweeney, that scored Emil Brown with two outs. Sweeney was thrown out at second trying to advance an extra base. The A’s busted it open early, with a five-run second frame. Jack Cust knocked in Bobby Crosby on a double to left to make the score 2-0. A few batters later, Cust scored on an RBI single by Chris Denorfia. Mark Ellis followed suit with an RBI double to left. Daric Barton hit his third double of the season to center, which scored another run, and the final run of the inning crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Mike Sweeney. The score was 6-0 after one and a half innings. The Indians pulled one back on a solo shot by Jhonny Peralta off of A’s starter Joe Blanton. Mark Ellis hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the third, and Sabathia’s struggles against the A’s continued. After two hits in the top of the fourth, Sabathia was pulled, and Donnie Murphy came up big with a two-out, two-run single, as all nine of those runs were charged to Sabathia. His final line in three and a third; nine earned runs on twelve hits.

At 9-1, it looked as if the A’s would roll to an easy victory, however, this was not the case. Joe Blanton was cruising, having tossed seven solid innings, giving up just one run, but then he ran into trouble in the eighth. David Dellucci led off the inning with a double, and scored on a Jason Michaels single. Blanton then recorded two outs, and seemed to run out of gas, as the Indians managed to rally when Travis Hafner hit another RBI single. Blanton came out with two men on, the score 9-3 and two outs. Fernando Hernandez was called on to get the last out, but he was unable to do so. He hit the first batter he faced, and then walked in a run when he faced his next hitter. Santiago Casilla was then called upon, but he gave up a two-run double to Ryan Garko, making it 9-6. The game was then halted for a while with a rain delay. After play resumed, and the Indians had the tying run at the plate, Huston Street came on to try and get a four-out save. He promptly threw a wild pitch, allowing Peralta to score Cleveland’s seventh run. He did get it together, and finished off the Indians in the eighth and ninth to get the save, and the A’s won their fourth straight game, 9-7. Blanton earned his first win, as he went seven and two-thirds innings, conceding five earned runs on eight hits. Bobby Crosby had a nice day, going 3-3 and walking twice, and scoring twice. Mark Ellis, Mike Sweeney, and Donnie Murphy knocked in two runs apiece. It was certainly nice to see the offense produce for Country Joe, as that had been an issue through his first three starts.

Saturday afternoon, the A’s were taking on Fausto Carmona, with Lenny Dinardo filling in for the spot start in Rich Harden’s place. They won their fifth straight game, with a 7-3 win. Oakland opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-out, two-run single by Daric Barton. Cleveland pulled a run back on an RBI ground-out by Casey Blake. Oakland got that run right back in the third, as they took advantage of four walks in the inning by Carmona, who walked eight on the day and was pulled after just three and a third innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Indians pulled back to within one after Lenny Dinardo was pulled after five-plus innings. Joey Devine walked two, including one with the bases loaded, and that run was charged to Lenny D. Dinardo pitched very well, as he had only logged one inning before this game this year, and went five-plus, giving up two earned runs on six hits, and striking out three Cleveland hitters. Oakland put it away in the next half inning by hanging a four-spot on the board. Emil brown hit an RBI single, and then Bobby Crosby came up huge with a three-run blast to left field to put the A’s up 7-2. Andrew Brown went two good innings, and gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth, as the A’s shut the door on yet another series victory with the 7-3 win. Mike Sweeney had two hits, Crosby knocked in those three runs, and Barton had his two RBI.

Sunday morning, at least out here on the west coast, the A’s were swinging for the sweep. Unfortunately, they ran into Cliff Lee. Lee shut the A’s down last Sunday in Oakland, as the Indians staved off that sweep. It was no different Sunday, as Lee pitched eight brilliant innings where he gave up just one run on two hits, and struck out eight Athletics. The Indians went on to win, in the snow, 7-1.

Cleveland got off to an early lead on Chad Gaudin when Travis Hafner hit a two-out, two-run single. Mark Ellis helped cut the lead in half as he knocked in Travis Buck, who tripled to lead off the inning. Any possible rally was halted when Daric Barton grounded into a double play, and those two hits would be all they could muster against Cliff Lee. In the bottom of the fifth, Grady Sizemore had a run scoring single to center, and the A’s fell behind 3-1. Short of the four walks he allowed, Chad Gaudin pitched quite well, allowing just the three runs on four hits, which gave the A’s a chance to win the game. That is really all one can ask, is to give the team an opportunity to come out on top. Unfortunately, any comeback hopes were dashed in the bottom of the eighth, as Cleveland hung four runs on the A’s youngster, Fernando Hernandez. He gave up all four earned runs on four hits in his two innings of work. Grady Sizemore drove in three runs in the game, and Cliff Lee dominated.

In closing, the A’s continued to play well, and are now 5-1 on the road. Can they keep rolling? We will find out, as they move into the Windy City tomorrow for a short two game set with former teammate Nick Swisher and the White Sox. The Sox just finished off the struggling Detroit Tigers in impressive fashion, taking two of three, including Sunday’s 11-0 romp in which they hit two grand slams. As for the probable pitchers for the two game set, Monday evening Greg Smith takes on Mark Buerhle. Although he did not get a decision, Smith pitched well in the win against the Toronto Blue Jays. Buerhle won his last start on April 6^th in a 13-2 win against the Tigers. He went seven strong, and allowed just one earned run on seven hits. Tuesday, Dana Eveland opposes John Danks. Eveland threw six and a third of shutout ball in the A’s win in Toronto, while Danks was shelled in his last start against Minnesota, where he gave up seven runs in just two and a third innings. I see a split as the forecast for this short series, and would be very satisfied with the wait for it…first place A’s coming back home to Oakland with a 9-6 record. As always, I hope for the sweep. Starting pitching has been the key to the A’s early season successes, and as long as the starters pitch well, things are looking great for this young ball club. If you would like to comment, or have any questions that you would like to be read on the air, you can reach us in a variety of ways.

You can call us at 415-691-6185, email us at hosts@athleticscast.com, post on our Myspace page or our Facebook. We love to have your participation, so let your voice be heard! you can also comment here on our website, by clicking the add comment link. Hopefully the A’s keep on winning, and the games aren’t rained out in Chicago.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland!