In a season in which the American League West was supposed to be a two-horse race between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers, it has been the surprising Oakland Athletics that have stunned the pundits.

The Angels are showing some signs of righting the ship, having rallied to earn a split in the four-game series with Toronto, but still are 61/2 games back of Texas and three back of Oakland and residing in the basement of the AL West.

Oakland has assumed the role of the Rangers’ greatest threat early on, with a nice combination of solid starting pitching, a brilliant bullpen and good team speed to help take advantage of some timely hitting.

The Athletics’ team ERA of 3.48 is third in the American League behind just Baltimore and Texas. The only starter that has really been hurting the Athletics is Tyson Ross, who has lost his past two decisions to fall to 1-2 with an 8.55 ERA.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been able to get plenty out of his bullpen with Grant Balfour nailing down seven of nine save opportunities and the middle and long relievers (led by Ryan Cook and Brian Fuentes) flirting with perfection most nights.

Melvin, though, deserves accolades himself for mixing and matching his low-budget lineup to get the most out of this group. In a win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, Melvin used his 26th different lineup in the first 29 games.

Offensively the one off-season extravagance the Athletics allowed themselves, centre fielder Yoenis Cespedes, has tailed off somewhat lately after a hot start, but Melvin has found ways to score regardless.

The A’s will add the bat of one-time dominant slugger Manny Ramirez at some point after his 50-game suspension ends on May 30.

Ramirez, though, wasn’t even a shadow of his former self in a short stint with the Rays last season, and it remains to be seen whether he can still dominate opposing pitchers after his lengthy time away from the game and at the age of 40.

For now, the A’s are doing a pretty fine job without him.

BLUE JAYS AT ATHLETICS

TUESDAY 10:05 p.m. LHP Ricky Romero RHP Brendan McCarthy

WEDNESDAY 3:35 p.m. RHP Brandon Morrow RHP Jarrod Parker

OAKLAND’S HOT PLAYERS

OF Jonny Gomes went 5-for-14 (.357) against Tampa Bay on the weekend, with a home run and four runs scored.

SS Cliff Pennington is hitting .308 in his past 26 at bats.

RHP Ryan Cook has yet to allow a run in a game this year. Cook has been on the mound for 14 2/3 scoreless innings so far. He has allowed just three hits.

OAKLAND’S COLD PLAYERS

Former Cuban national Yoenis Cespedes is off to a slow start in May, hitting just .227 with one extra base hit in five games this month.

Second baseman Jemile Weeks did not play Sunday, in part to get him a mental day away from his struggles at the plate. For the season Weeks is hitting just .174. He is just 2-for-24 in his past six games.

GANTER’S TAKE

With Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow on top of their respective games right now, it could be a rough couple of days for an already anemic offence in Oakland. Neither Romero nor Morrow have lost to Oakland in their careers. Combined they are 7-0 lifetime against the A’s. Brandon McCarthy was a big part of Oakland’s success on its recent road trip, picking up wins over Baltimore and Boston in the 5-4 trip. Jarrod Parker got his first ML win in his second start in the pros last week against Boston. So the A’s hurlers have it going too.

PREDICTION

We’ll go out on a limb here and predict a two-game road sweep for the Jays, despite Oakland’s recent success.

ST. PETERSBURG –

Tampa Bay Rays LF Desmond Jennings left Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics after the second inning due to soreness in his left knee.

Manager Joe Maddon said Jennings was being evaluated and didn’t know whether he would be available for Tuesday night’s game in New York against the Yankees. Maddon said he believed Jennings was hurt during a first-inning slide, when he scored the game’s first run on Jeff Keppinger’s sacrifice fly.

Jennings is batting .270 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 29 games.

Maddon said if Jennings can’t play, he likely would station Matt Joyce in left and Ben Zobrist in right.

“Hopefully, Desmond isn’t banged up too bad,” Joyce said.

Joyce’s 3-hit afternoon

Joyce, who was batting just .174 (4-for-23) against left-handed pitching this season, collected three singles against Oakland’s lefties. Maddon was particularly pleased with Joyce’s eighth-inning at-bat against Brian Fuentes, which produced an opposite-field hit.

It was only the second time in Joyce’s major-league career that he had a three-hit game against left-handed pitching.

“I was excited to get the at-bats against lefties,” said Joyce, who is batting .292. “I take advantage of every opportunity I get. I’ve never really had a problem before (hitting lefties). It’s not something I’m going to go crazy over. It’s more of a comfortability factor.”

S-Rod’s late highlight

The game was out of hand in the ninth, but SS Sean Rodriguez made a highlight reel play to rob Oakland’s Brandon Inge of a single. Rodriguez left his feet, gloved the ball on one bounce, popped up and delivered a quick one-hopper that 1B Carlos Peña speared for the out.

“Throw the glove at it, get up and get rid of it, that’s all you can do,” Rodriguez said. “And make sure to keep the throw low.”

Ramos up, Gomes down

LHP Cesar Ramos pitched an inning of scoreless relief Sunday. He was called up from Triple-A Durham and arrived Sunday morning.

RHP Brandon Gomes was sent down to Durham.

Ramos learned of the call-up Saturday night while watching the Floyd Mayweather fight with his Durham teammates. Ramos made 59 relief appearances for the Rays last season.

Noteworthy

CF B.J. Upton (.333) homered and walked three times. He had walked only once in his previous 13 games (and 51 plate appearances) this season. … Oakland was 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position against LHP Matt Moore. Coming in, Moore had allowed only four hits with runners in scoring position (4-for-20) and Oakland was batting a league-low .189 (38-for-201) in that situation. …  … Recent acquisition Hideki Matsui will see his first action in Wednesday’s extended spring training game at 1 p.m. in Port Charlotte. Matsui will DH. Once Matsui is in shape, Maddon said the organization will develop a plan based on its need. … Oakland LF Jonny Gomes is now 8-for-19 with four extra-base hits and four RBIs in six games against the Rays, his former team. … Oakland has won 11 of its last 16 games against the Rays. … Oakland’s bullpen didn’t allow a run (152/3 innings, four hits allowed) in the three-game series. … Oakland scored more than seven runs for the first time since last Sept. 10 at Texas, ending a franchise-long streak of 45 straight games with six runs or fewer. … The Rays get a partial off-day at home before leaving this afternoon for New York and beginning an eight-game road trip that also hits Baltimore and Toronto. The next home game is Wednesday, May 16 against Boston.

We’ve mentioned the Oakland A’s and the “margin for error” they give opposing teams. We just saw it that fifth inning, when Jemile Weeks uncharacteristically booted a grounder with a runner on. Ichiro later doubled home a go-ahead run and then pitcher Graham Godfrey fumbled a grounder in which he would have had a play at home.

Instead, the run scored and Godfrey was forced to take the out at first base.

Mariners back on top, 5-3. Not that all teams are perfect, it’s just that the A’s tend to make these types of mistakes, as well as give away outs, more than others. If the M’s hang on, this will be their fifth win of the season versus Oakland. It’s a reason why we need to see them play other teams before we can really get a gauge on where they are this year.

Yes, the A’s are a major league team. They just let others get away with stuff more than most.

2:40 p.m.: Blake Beavan had barely given up a hard hit ball before the fifth inning, but a momentarily lapse cost him big that frame as the A’s tied it 3-3 on a three-run homer to right field by Eric Sogard. Kila Ka’aihue opened the inning with a hard single to center, Anthony Recker was hit by a pitch and then Sogard launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall.

So, each No. 9 hitter from both teams has a home run today.

2:14 p.m.: Make it 3-0 for the Mariners after Justin Smoak went deep to right off Graham Godfrey with two out in the third inning. First multi-homer game of the season for the Mariners.

Blake Beavan gave up a pair of bloop singles in the third but was otherwise fine.

1:54 p.m.: Brendan Ryan got all of a Graham Godfrey pitch in the second inning and sent it over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. Kyle Seager was on second following a leadoff double, so it’s now 2-0 for the Mariners as we enter the third inning.

Blake Beavan has retired all six batters he’s faced to start the game.

1:00 p.m.: Though it may still be very early in the season, it never hurts to capitalize on games and series your team is expected to win. I do feel this series falls into that domain for the Mariners, going up against Oakland yet again. Of the 10 games played by Seattle so far, six have come against the A’s

Of the five wins posted by the 5-5 Mariners, four have been against Oakland. So, yeah, with the Indians and White Sox coming into town next, better off starting those games with a winning record rather than a losing one. The M’s won’t face the A’s again until late June. Good riddance, I say. But at the same time, the M’s might be sorry to see the A’s go.

And it’s Jackie Robinson Day here at the ballpark. The 65th anniversary of when #42 made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

As usual, you can follow along here, as well as at my @gbakermariners Twitter feed.

The lineups:

ATHLETICS

2B Jemile Weeks
LF Coco Crisp
DH Seth Smith
CF Yoenis Cespedes
RF Josh Reddick
SS Cliff Pennington
1B Kila Ka’aihue
C Anthony Recker
3B Eric Sogard

RHP Graham Godfrey

MARINERS

LF Chone Figgins
2B Dustin Ackley
RF Ichiro
1B Justin Smoak
3B Kyle Seager
DH Jesus Montero
CF Michael Saunders
C Miguel Olivo
SS Brendan Ryan

RHP Blake Beavan

The Oakland Athletics were defeated in both their home opener on April 6 and the game the following night against the Seattle Mariners, but centerfielder Yoenis Cespedes gave fans a reason to get excited. While Billy Beane may leave fans shaking their heads about some of his decision, there is no denying that he seems to have made a good one when he signed Cespedes to a four-year $36 million deal.

When the A’s faced the Mariners in Tokyo, Cespedes contributed to their first victory of the season by knocking his first major league home run out of the park. He impressed in his spring training debut by hitting a solo home run, in addition to an RBI single and a walk in three at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds.

In Friday night’s home opener for the Athletics, the highlight of the game was Cespedes’ two-run homer that was estimated by Hit Tracker Online to be 462 feet. It was said to be a “monstrous hit,” and he became the first Oakland player to hit three home runs in his first three games in the major leagues.

A’s manager Bob Melvin told Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com, “You don’t see too many here at night that go that far. He’ll hit them farther than that.”

According to Gutierrez, the 26-year-old center fielder remarked after the game, “I’ve hit some farther in Cuba.”

In the seventh inning during Saturday’s game, Cespedes provided the drama for Oakland once again with a three-run home run, bringing the A’s just one run away from tying the Mariners. Unfortunately they were unable to get another man on base after that, ultimately losing 8-7.

There is no denying that Cespedes could be one of the best decisions that Beane has made this year. Those who questioned whether or not his performance in Cuba would be matched in the major leagues have their answer.

Just before Cespedes took part in spring training he commented through an interpreter, “The most important thing in my life is to play in the big leagues and now it’s a dream come true because I’m going to start (a game) now in spring training.”

Cespedes may be a dream come true for A’s fans as well.

Looking back at another Cuban born player who achieved great success with the A’s, Jose Canseco, his first home run came six games into his first major league season in 1985, his third wasn’t knocked out of the park until his 20th game that year. Mark McGwire, the second half of the famous “Bash Brothers,” hit his third homer seven games into his rookie season in 1986.

Not that those statistics mean too much, but it’s obvious that Cespedes has some incredible potential. The question is, will he stick around with a team that the team that seems to recruit some of the best players only to send them packing?

I asked Dale Tafoya, author of “The Bash Brothers,” his thoughts on the home opener Friday. He was one of many fans who filled the sold-out Coliseum that night. Tafoya remarked, “Tonight’s home opener could very well reflect the remainder of the A’s season. They will lose some games, but Cespedes will generate some excitement in the process. That’s something A’s fans haven’t experienced in the last five years.”

Tafoya echos my thoughts almost exactly. It’s been rather frustrating for fans to watch what used to be considered one of the premier teams in baseball, sink to the depths that they have, not to mention having wait what seems like an endless amount of time to find out what the future holds in regard to a move or a new stadium.

Now we can at least say we have a star in the making with Cespedes, and right now we’ll take whatever positive we can.

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, following the Oakland Athletics since the days of Billy Ball, and attending hundreds of games over the past three decades. Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter, Twitter @kcdermody, or www.kcdermodywriter.com.

More from this contributor:

Yoenis Cespedes Helps Oakland A’s Get First Win of the Season: Fan’s Take

Oakland A’s Sign Manny Ramirez to Bargain Basement Deal: Fan Reaction

Jose Canseco Still Waiting or that Call from Billy Beane

Three Players from the 1989 World Champion Oakland Athletics: Where Are They Now

TOKYO (AP) — A change in continents failed to help the Oakland Athletics on opening day.

The A’s lost their eighth straight opener, 3-1 in 11 innings to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, as Dustin Ackley homered and singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning,

“They got bigger hits than we did at the end,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We hit some balls hard, but they just didn’t get in.”

Felix Hernandez combined with two relievers on a six-hitter as Major League Baseball opened its season in Tokyo for the fourth time. The A’s became the first team to lose eight straight openers since Philadelphia from 1985-92, according to STATS LLC.

Oakland was just 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Last year, the A’s hit .266 with runners on second or third, 22 points above their overall average.

After finishing 12th in runs in the league with 645, Oakland opted not to re-sign Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract with the A’s, was 1 for 3 with a seventh-inning double and two strikeouts in his major league debut.

Cespedes’ double was the last hit for Oakland until Seth Smith singled with two outs in the 11th off Brandon League, who struck out Kurt Suzuki to end the game.

A capacity crowd of 44,227 at Tokyo Dome was a sea of flashbulbs every time Ichiro Suzuki came to bat. He got a standing ovation when he took his position in right field in the final inning.

The 38-year-old Suzuki set a big league record with 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons before falling short last year.

“He’s a hitting machine,” said Oakland manager Bob Melvin, who managed ichiro Suzuki with the Mariners in 2003 and 2004. “It doesn’t matter where he bats in the lineup. That’s what he does — hit.”

Seattle and Oakland complete their two-game series Thursday. The rest of the big league teams start to get going April 4, when the renamed Miami Marlins open their new ballpark against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

“It was very special to open in Japan,” said Ichiro Suzuki, who spent nine seasons in Osaka with the Orix Blue Wave. “I wanted to have fun and give the fans something at this special time and wanted to share a special moment with them.”

Ackley homered in the fourth off Brandon McCarthy, putting the Mariners ahead.

“It was a really bad fastball,” McCarthy said. “It was supposed to be a cutter up and in, and it turned out to be a cutter in the middle, and I asked him to hit it out.”

Kurt Suzuki doubled in a run in the bottom half off Hernandez, who allowed five hits in eight innings.

“He’s a great pitcher,” Kurt Suzuki said. “He got into some tough situations tonight, but he made the pitches when he had to.”

Hernandez struck out six and walked none.

“I didn’t think he was throwing as hard as he normally throws,” Cliff Pennington said. “But he was still Felix, and was still pitching. It’s always a battle when you’re facing him.”

The score remained 1-1 until the 11th, when Brendan Ryan doubled against Andrew Carignan (0-1), Chone Figgins sacrificed and Ackley singled to center. Jerry Blevins relieved, Ackley stole second and Ichiro Suzuki singled for a two-run lead. Brandon League closed it out for the save.

Tom Wilhelmsen (1-0) got the win with two hitless innings.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract with Oakland, was 1 for 3 with a seventh-inning double and two strikeouts in his major league debut.

McCarthy gave up one run and six hits in seven innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

NOTES: The eight straight losses in openers is an A’s record, one shy of the major league mark shared by the New York Giants (1893-1901) and Atlanta (1972-80). … It was 3:09 a.m. PDT when the game began. It was not televised live in the U.S. outside the markets of the teams involved, and was shown on a delayed basis by the MLB Network. … Bartolo Colon starts Thursday the A’s, opposed by Jason Vargas. … The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs opened in Tokyo in 2000, followed by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), and Boston and Oakland (2008). Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play at the Tokyo Dome in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq. … A pregame video presentation honored victims and survivors of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The video was narrated by Derek Jeter, Bobby Valentine and Cal Ripken Jr. … MLB and the players’ association are using the series to assist rebuilding in Japan following last year’s earthquake and tsunami. A group of players and coaches traveled to the disaster zone on Tuesday to conduct a baseball clinic.

A change in continents failed to help the Oakland Athletics on opening day.

The A’s lost their eighth straight opener, 3-1 in 11 innings to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, as Dustin Ackley homered and singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning.

“They got bigger hits than we did at the end,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We hit some balls hard, but they just didn’t get in.”

Felix Hernandez combined with two relievers on a six-hitter as Major League Baseball opened its season in Tokyo for the fourth time.

Oakland was just 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Last year, the A’s hit .266 with runners on second or third, 22 points above their overall average.

After finishing 12th in runs in the league with 645, Oakland opted not to re-sign Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract with the A’s, was 1 for 3 with a seventh-inning double and two strikeouts in his major league debut.

Cespedes’ double was the last hit for Oakland until Seth Smith singled with two outs in the 11th off Brandon League, who struck out Kurt Suzuki to end the game.

A capacity crowd of 44,227 at Tokyo Dome was a sea of flashbulbs every time Ichiro Suzuki came to bat. He got a standing ovation when he took his position in right field in the final inning.

The 38-year-old Suzuki set a big league record with 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons before falling short last year.

“He’s a hitting machine,” said Oakland manager Bob Melvin, who managed ichiro Suzuki with the Mariners in 2003 and 2004. “It doesn’t matter where he bats in the lineup. That’s what he does — hit.”

Seattle and Oakland complete their two-game series Thursday. The rest of the big league teams start to get going April 4, when the renamed Miami Marlins open their new ballpark against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

“It was very special to open in Japan,” said Ichiro Suzuki, who spent nine seasons in Osaka with the Orix Blue Wave. “I wanted to have fun and give the fans something at this special time and wanted to share a special moment with them.”

Ackley homered in the fourth off Brandon McCarthy, putting the Mariners ahead.

“It was a really bad fastball,” McCarthy said. “It was supposed to be a cutter up and in, and it turned out to be a cutter in the middle, and I asked him to hit it out.”

Kurt Suzuki doubled in a run in the bottom half off Hernandez, who allowed five hits in eight innings.

“He’s a great pitcher,” Kurt Suzuki said. “He got into some tough situations tonight, but he made the pitches when he had to.”

Hernandez struck out six and walked none.

“I didn’t think he was throwing as hard as he normally throws,” Cliff Pennington said. “But he was still Felix, and was still pitching. It’s always a battle when you’re facing him.”

The score remained 1-1 until the 11th, when Brendan Ryan doubled against Andrew Carignan (0-1), Chone Figgins sacrificed and Ackley singled to center. Jerry Blevins relieved, Ackley stole second and Ichiro Suzuki singled for a two-run lead. Brandon League closed it out for the save.

Tom Wilhelmsen (1-0) got the win with two hitless innings.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract with Oakland, was 1 for 3 with a seventh-inning double and two strikeouts in his major league debut.

McCarthy gave up one run and six hits in seven innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

NOTES: It was 3:09 a.m. PDT when the game began. It was not televised live in the U.S. outside the markets of the teams involved, and was shown on a delayed basis by the MLB Network. … Bartolo Colon starts Thursday the A’s, opposed by Jason Vargas. … The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs opened in Tokyo in 2000, followed by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), and Boston and Oakland (2008). Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play at the Tokyo Dome in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq. … A pregame video presentation honored victims and survivors of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The video was narrated by Derek Jeter, Bobby Valentine and Cal Ripken Jr. … MLB and the players’ association are using the series to assist rebuilding in Japan following last year’s earthquake and tsunami. A group of players and coaches traveled to the disaster zone on Tuesday to conduct a baseball clinic.

TOKYO (CBS/AP) — Ichiro Suzuki had four hits in his return to Japan, Dustin Ackley homered and then singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1 Wednesday night in baseball’s season-opener.

Felix Hernandez combined with two relievers on a six-hitter as Major League Baseball opened its season in Tokyo for the fourth time.

Box Score | Oakland Athletics Team Page

Seattle and Oakland complete their two-game series Thursday. The rest of the big league teams start to get going April 4, when the renamed Miami Marlins open their new ballpark against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Ackley homered in the fourth off Brandon McCarthy, and Oakland’s Kurt Suzuki doubled in a run in the bottom half. The score remained 1-1 until the 11th, when Brendan Ryan doubled against Andrew Carignan (0-1), Chone Figgins sacrificed and Ackley singled to center.

“I was able to put a good swing on that one,” Ackley said of his 11th inning hit. “Our team is off to a good start, and that’s all that matters.”

Jerry Blevins relieved, Ackley stole second and Ichiro Suzuki singled for a two-run lead. Brandon League closed it out for the save.

Tom Wilhelmsen (1-0) got the win with two hitless innings.

Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million,

four-year contract with Oakland, was 1 for 3 with a seventh-inning double and two strikeouts in his major league debut.

A capacity crowd of 44,227 at Tokyo Dome was a sea of flashbulbs every time Ichiro Suzuki came to bat. He got a standing ovation when he took his position in right field in the final inning.

Ichiro Suzuki, dropped from leadoff to third in the batting order as he started his 12th big league season, singled in the first when be beat shortstop Cliff Pennington’s throw after his grounder over the mound was deflected by McCarthy.

Suzuki singled on a grounder to shortstop in the fourth and singled to center in the sixth.

Hernandez, coming off a 14-14 season, allowed five hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked none, throwing 104 pitches.

McCarthy gave up one run and six hits in seven innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

While Oakland threatened repeatedly, the A’s were 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

NOTES: It was 3:09 a.m. PDT when the game began. It was not televised live in the U.S. outside the markets of the teams involved, and was shown on a delayed basis by the MLB Network. … Bartolo Colon starts Thursday the A’s, opposed by Jason Vargas. … The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs opened in Tokyo in 2000, followed by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), and Boston and Oakland (2008). Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play at the Tokyo Dome in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq. … A pregame video presentation honored victims and survivors of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The video was narrated by Derek Jeter, Bobby Valentine and Cal Ripken Jr.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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