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A’s trade reliever Magnuson to Blue Jays for cash

Immapssuiva — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:25:40 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have traded right-hander Trystan Magnuson to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.

The A’s also announced Friday they agreed to minor-league deals with right-hander Edgar Gonzalez and infielder Wes Timmons and will invite them to spring training.

Magnuson made his major-league debut with Oakland last season and had no decisions and a 6.14 ERA in nine relief appearances. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 18 with right shoulder tendinitis and missed the remainder of the season.

Gonzalez is 14-25 with a 5.90 ERA in 107 career appearances for Arizona, Oakland and Colorado. He pitched mostly in the minors last season.

Timmons batted .341 with eight homers and 62 RBI at Triple-A and Double-A for Oakland last season.

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A’s send Magnuson to Blue Jays, agree to minor…

carpinteyronsf — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:28:32 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have traded right-hander Trystan Magnuson to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.

The A’s also announced Friday they agreed to minor league deals with right-hander Edgar Gonzalez and infielder Wes Timmons and will invite them to spring training.

Magnuson made his major league debut with Oakland last season and had no decisions and a 6.14 ERA in nine relief appearances. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 18 with right shoulder tendinitis and missed the remainder of the season.

Gonzalez is 14-25 with a 5.90 ERA in 107 career appearances for Arizona, Oakland and Colorado. He pitched mostly in the minors last season.

Timmons batted .341 with eight homers and 62 RBIs at Triple-A and Double-A for Oakland last season.

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A’s cut ties with P Wuertz

LawrenceCrane — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:16:44 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – The Oakland Athletics released reliever
Michael Wuertz on Tuesday.

Wuertz had no decisions and a 6.68 earned run average in 39 appearances with
the A’s last season.

The 32-year-old right-hander went 8-4 with 10 saves and a 3.19 ERA in his
previous two seasons in Oakland. He spent the first five seasons of his major
league career (2004-2008) with the Chicago Cubs, and has posted a 21-11 record
a 3.71 ERA in 426 career appearances.

In other team news, the A’s claimed right-handed pitcher Evan Scribner and
outfielder Cedric Hunter off waivers from the San Diego Padres.

Scribner began the season with Triple-A Tucson and made his major league debut
on April 26, pitching two innings in an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

He spent the majority of his season with Tucson, posting a 2-3 record with 10
saves and a 4.71 ERA .

Hunter made the Padres Opening Day roster and went 1-for-4 with a walk in six
games before being returned to Tucson. He spent the remainder of the season in
Triple-A and batted .255 with two home runs and 33 RBI in 81 games.

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Whos next? A list of possibilities

MofTonCoonymn — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:53:34 +0000

When the Red Sox hired Terry Francona, he was a 44-year-old former major-league player with experience both as a major-league manager and as a major-league bench coach. He’d managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000 — a tenure that ended disastrously — and he’d worked as a bench coach for the Texas Rangers in 2002 and the Oakland Athletics in 2003. He’d also had a unique experience in a pressure-cooker setting when he managed Michael Jordan with the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 1994.

No matter how it ends, there is no denying that the Terry Francona era was wildly successful for the Red Sox. The team won two World Series titles and won 86 or more games in each of his eight seasons.

Might a similar candidate land the job? Previous success at managerial stops, in that case, would not be a prerequisite; Francona did not have success in Philadelphia at all.

“He admitted he made mistakes,” Epstein said when he introduced his new manager in 2003. “It was his first time around as a manager, and he’s learned from what he did. We talked quite a bit about philosophies of pitching, and we’re comfortable with what Terry believes.”

What candidates out there look like Francona looked back then?

Here’s a list of possible successors:

Trey Hillman, Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach. An intriguing early possible front-runner, the 48-year-old Hillman was fired after three seasons at the helm of the Kansas City Royals.

John Farrell, Toronto manager. The Red Sox pitching coach for four seasons under Francona, Farrell looked like the manager-in-waiting until he took the job at the helm of the Blue Jays.

Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay manager. It seems like a longshot, but why not make a run at the all-but-certain American League Manager of the Year?

John Russell, Baltimore third-base coach. The 50-year-old Russell was fired after failing to win as a manager in Pittsburgh, but he’s not the only one to befall that fate — meaning he has something in common with Hillman. He was popular with his players, less so with fans.

Joel Skinner, Oakland bench coach. The interim manager of the Indians in 2002, Skinner worked for seven seasons on the Indians’ coaching staff under Eric Wedge before moving to the Athletics this season.

Alan Trammell, Arizona bench coach. A bench coach under Lou Pinella in Chicago for four seasons, the former All-Star shortstop managed the Detroit Tigers to disastrous results — including a 119-loss season — from 2003-05.

Don Wakamatsu, Toronto bench coach. For two years the manager of the Seattle Mariners, the 48-year-old Wakamatsu worked with John Farrell this season and has worked as bench coach of the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics — just like Francona did.

Here are some long-shot candidates:

Dave Clark, Houston third-base coach.

Dino Ebel, Los Angeles Angels third-base coach.

Chip Hale, New York Mets third-base coach.

DeMarlo Hale, Red Sox bench coach.

Glenn Hoffman, San Diego third-base coach.

Torey Lovullo, Toronto first-base coach and former manager of the PawSox.

Dave Martinez, Tampa Bay bench coach.

Bo Porter, Nationals bench coach.

Juan Samuel, Philadelphia third-base coach.

Rob Thomson, New York Yankees third-base coach.

Robby Thompson, Seattle bench coach.

bmacpherson@providencejournal.com

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Oakland Athletics at Mariners: Sept. 27, 2011 game…

Gaissultaks — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:09:20 +0000

Blake Beavan is rapidly establishing himself as a fixture in the back end of Seattle’s starting rotation. If the season began next week, he’d be in the rotation. Let’s see how well he mixes in his pitches tonight because he’s become more than just a pinpoint fastball guy lately.

Kyle Seager gets the start at second base tonight while Dustin Ackley moves to DH.

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Oakland Athletics at Mariners: Sept. 26, 2011 game…

Semeengerma — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:13:45 +0000

Seattle looked headed for a 1-2-3 sixth inning until Dustin Ackley singled with two out, Mike Carp singled as well and Justin Smoak hammered a pitch over the wall in right field to give the M’s their first lead of the night.

Jason Vargas now leads 4-1 heading to the seventh.

8:24 p.m.: Jason Vargas kicks off the final series of the season by ending his own 2011 campaign. His last game in a Seattle uniform? Quite possibly.

Don’t forget. He’s set to earn about $5 million in arbitration this winter and the M’s will have to believe he’s a mid-rotation arm if paying him that much. Otherwise, they’ve got their share of back-end candidates lining up at a six-figure wage apiece.

Not much going on so far, with the teams tied 1-1 midway through the fifth. Miguel Olivo just tied the score by lining his 19th homer of the season over the left field wall.

Only the second hit of the night for the Mariners, but that blast gives Olivo the most homers by a catcher in club history, surpassing Kenji Johjima’s 18 from 2006 and Dan Wilson’s 18 from 1996.

We had some action in the top of the inning when Chris Carter fouled a ball off the roof truss, third base side. It’s the third time this year — and in Safeco Field history — that’s happened.

Otherwise, Vargas gave up a first inning run when Jemile Weeks doubled to start the game and scored on a single by Hideki Matsui.

Since then, Vargas has looked pretty good. He’s struck out eight guys already.

Mariners (66-93)
——————————-
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) RF
1 Luis Rodriguez (S) SS
13 Dustin Ackley (L) 2B
20 Mike Carp (L) DH
17 Justin Smoak (S) 1B
30 Miguel Olivo C
12 Trayvon Robinson (S) LF
16 Alex Liddi 3B
55 Michael Saunders (L) CF
——————————-
38 Jason Vargas LHP

Athletics (72-87)
——————————-
19 Jemile Weeks (S) 2B
4 Coco Crisp (S) CF
55 Hideki Matsui (L) DH
16 Josh Willingham LF
29 Scott Sizemore 3B
8 Kurt Suzuki C
22 Chris Carter 1B
23 Michael Taylor RF
7 Adam Rosales SS
——————————-
32 Brandon McCarthy RHP

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Oakland Athletics reach deal with manager Bob…

Cmjif17 — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:15:19 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics reached agreement on a three-year contract to keep Bob Melvin as their manager, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Melvin is expected to formally receive his new deal in the coming days, both people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to The AP because there had been no announcement by the team.

The 49-year-old Melvin took over in an interim capacity for the fired Bob Geren in June and had a 42-48 record heading into Tuesday night’s series opener with the AL West-leading Texas Rangers at the Coliseum. Geren’s dismissal marked the first time Oakland fired a manager during the season in a quarter century.

Buchholz OK after simulated game.

Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz reported no problems after throwing a 32-pitch simulated game before the Red Sox played the Baltimore Orioles.

Buchholz is hoping to pitch again this season, especially in the playoffs.

“Everything went well,” he said after throwing to the Red Sox’s extra players after a 25-pitch bullpen warm-up session.

Footnotes.

The Diamondbacks announced that team president and chief executive Derrick Hall has prostate cancer. A date for the surgery to remove the prostate hasn’t been scheduled.

• Billy Butler was scratched from the Kansas City Royals’ lineup because of the flu.

The Associated Press

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Gonzalez wins 14th for A’s

FPMickaela — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:17:16 +0000

OAKLAND — Athletics’ left-hander Gio Gonzalez threw only nine first-pitch strikes, struggled with his control and worked with runners on base in almost every inning.

Earning his 14th win of the season sure didn’t come easily for Gonzalez. Then again, not much has this season. Not for A’s or their All-Star left-hander.

“Maybe he didn’t have his best stuff and he got behind hitters but he made pitches when he had to,” manager Bob Melvin said following

Oakland’s 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. “I’m surprised he got us through seven, but that’s what good pitchers do. They make it work even without their best stuff.”

Gonzalez allowed eight hits over seven innings, struck out four and walked two while improving to 5-1 over his past six starts.

He got plenty of help from Oakland’s defense error-prone defense, which turned three double plays while holding Detroit scoreless for the first five innings.

“The defense played unbelievable,” Gonzalez said. “I felt like I was around the zone. They were swinging the bats, being aggressive so we tried to take advantage of that.”

Coco Crisp drove in the deciding run with an RBI single over the head of shortstop Jhonny Peralta in the second inning while Josh Willingham singled twice and scored for Oakland.

The A’s won for only the second time in five games, both coming in this series with the Tigers.

Detroit still had the tying run at the plate in the ninth following Don Kelly’s pinch-hit

two-run double off Bailey.

Oakland’s two-time All-Star closer, who missed 53 games earlier this year with a strained forearm, got out of it by striking out pinch-hitter Alex Avila and Austin Jackson.

No one could blame the Tigers for being a little off after toasting their first division title in nearly a quarter-century with a champagne-and-cigar celebration in the tiny visitor’s clubhouse at the Oakland Coliseum.

Magglio Ordonez had three hits and scored a run for Detroit, who had men on base most of the afternoon but failed to capitalize.

Gonzalez limited the damage to beat Detroit for the first time in five career starts. He did it despite twisting his ankle trying to make a pickoff throw to second base in the first inning.

After Ordonez and Ryan Raburn hit back-to-back one-out singles, Gonzalez (14-12) tried to catch Ordonez straying off second base. He turned to throw, but slipped on the mound and appeared to roll his left ankle.

Gonzalez walked around behind the mound to test his foot, threw one warmup pitch then returned to the mound. He got out of the inning when Miguel Cabrera flew out to right fielder David De Jesus, who doubled up Ordonez at second.

Detroit was stymied by Gonzalez in the third and fourth and only managed one run after loading the bases with one out in the sixth. Peralta hit a sacrifice fly to score Ordonez, but that was all the Tigers could get off Gonzalez.

“It was a good win, a good step in the right direction for us,” Gonzalez said. “We did our job.”

Grant Balfour pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Andrew Bailey worked the ninth for Oakland.

The Tigers had plenty of opportunities — they had at least two runners on base in five innings — but stranded seven runners and lost for only the third time this month.

Right-hander Rick Porcello took the loss, allowing three runs over seven innings. Porcello (14-9) struck out four and walked three but was denied in his first attempt to become the second-youngest player in franchise history to reach 39 career wins before his 23rd birthday.

Raburn went 2 for 4 while Victor Martinez singled twice to raise his batting average this month to .349.

The A’s stranded a pair of runners in the first then took a 2-0 lead in the second on RBI singles by Scott Sizemore and Crisp.

Oakland loaded the bases against Porcello with no outs the following inning, but Detroit’s right-hander allowed only a sacrifice fly to Kurt Suzuki then got Sizemore to ground out to end the inning.

Jemile Weeks singled in Suzuki in the eighth to make it 4-1 and Crisp followed with his second RBI single.

Weeks finished 3 for 5 while Crisp and Sizemore added two hits apiece.

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Jered Weaver Wins 17th As Angels Beat A’s 4-1

dragmadyephar220 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:39:02 +0000

Jared Weaver pitches against the Oakland Athletics. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

OAKLAND (CBS/AP) – Jered Weaver went seven innings for his career-best 17th win, Mark Trumbo hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Wednesday.

Bobby Abreu added two hits and scored twice for the Angels, who began the day three games behind first-place Texas in the AL West. The Rangers were scheduled to host Cleveland at night.

Josh Willingham matched his career high of 26 home runs with a solo shot off Weaver in the third but the A’s managed only two baserunners over the final six innings.

Weaver (17-7) allowed six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first and escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the second to beat the A’s for the third time in four starts this season.

That lowered the lanky right-hander’s ERA to 2.40, second in the AL behind Detroit ace Justin Verlander (2.36). Weaver also improved to 13-0 this year when going at least seven innings.

That’s been big for the Angels, who are 21-10 in games Weaver starts and 61-57 otherwise.

It was also marked Los Angeles’ second straight win in Oakland after losing 10 of its previous 12 at the Coliseum.

Scott Downs pitched a scoreless eighth and Jordan Walden worked the ninth for his 31st save, extending his Angels rookie record.

The A’s, who still lead the season series 9-7, had Weaver in trouble early but couldn’t deliver with runners on base and lost for the sixth time in nine games.

Oakland, which committed two errors to add to its AL-leading total of 119, has been held to one run or fewer 30 times this season.

Willingham drove in the A’s only run when he hit a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left-center. That tied his career high set in 2006 with Florida.

Oakland’s defense made several nice plays to help preserve the 1-0 lead until Los Angeles broke through in the sixth.

Howie Kendrick, who hit a pair of two-run homers in Tuesday’s 6-3 win, drew a leadoff walk and scored from first on Abreu’s double to right-center. Two batters later, Trumbo hit his 26th home run of the season to make it 3-1.

Rich Harden (4-3) didn’t make it out of the sixth, allowing three runs and seven hits. Since throwing seven scoreless innings against Toronto on Aug. 19, the Oakland right-hander is winless in four starts and has a 6.97 ERA during that span.

Trumbo also hit a hard single off the wall in the eighth. He needs three home runs over the final 13 games to become the second rookie in Angels history to have at least 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. Tim Salmon had 31 home runs and 95 RBIs in 1993.

Abreu, who led off the eighth with a walk, scored an insurance run when Trumbo stole second base and Oakland infielder Eric Sogard bobbled the throw from catcher Kurt Suzuki.

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Angels Vs. Athletics: Mark Trumbo, Jered Weaver…

creditcardskingqw — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:35:58 +0000

Read More: Rich Harden (P – OAK), Josh Willingham (LF – OAK), Bobby Abreu (DH – ANA), Jered Weaver (P – ANA), Jordan Walden (P – ANA), Mark Trumbo (1B – ANA), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 14, 2011 12:35 PM PDT

Mark Trumbo hit a go-ahead, two-run home run off Rich Harden in the top of the sixth inning, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon at Overstock.com Coliseum in Oakland. Jered Weaver allowed one run in seven innings to pick up his 17th victory of the season. The Halos are now two and a half games behind Texas in the American League West, with the outcome of the Rangers’ game against Cleveland Wednesday night pending.

Josh Willingham hit his second home run of the series, a two-run shot off Weaver in the third inning, to give Oakland a 1-0 lead. Bobby Abreu tied the score with an RBI double off Harden in the top of the sixth, and Trumbo followed with his team-leading 27th home run of the season, giving the Angels a 3-1 lead. The Halos added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

Weaver threw 115 pitches in his seven innings of work, allowing just one run, but he also had just one strikeout against two walks. The 17 wins are a new career high for Weaver. Jordan Walden pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 31st save of the season.

The Angels are off Thursday, but open a three-game series in Baltimore on Friday against the Orioles.

For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.

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Kendrick homers twice in Angels win

evedaygab — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:03:40 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. —
Angels 6, Athletics 3

Howie Kendrick homered twice, Erick Aybar scored the go-ahead run on a wild throw home in the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Angels picked up a needed and rare win at the Oakland Coliseum, beating the Athletics 6-3 on Tuesday night.

Maicer Izturis added two hits and an RBI and Aybar also had two hits for the Angels, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Los Angeles remains three games behind division-leading Texas, which beat Cleveland earlier in the day. The Angels and Rangers finish the regular season with a three-game series in Anaheim.

Aybar, batting .476 over his last six games, singled leading off the seventh and was sacrificed to second. Hank Conger’s hit moved Aybar to third before Izturis hit a grounder to shortstop Cliff Pennington. Aybar broke for home on the play and made it safely when Pennington’s throw was wide of the plate.

Hisanori Takahashi (4-3), the first of four Los Angeles relievers used in the game, pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win while rookie Jordan Walden worked the ninth for his 30th save.

The Angels combined for seven walks but matched their season high of four double plays to limit the damage and win for only the third time in their last 13 games at the Coliseum.

It was also Los Angeles’ sixth victory on the road since Aug. 1.

Kendrick hit a two-run home run in the third off starter Guillermo Moscoso, then added another two-run blast in the ninth.

Josh Willingham doubled and drove in two runs for the A’s, who had won five of six against their AL West rivals before Tuesday’s loss.

The A’s left the bases loaded in the fifth and stranded eight runners overall.

Neither starter was around for the decision.

Oakland’s Guillermo Moscoso carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his previous start against Kansas City on Sept. 7 and retired the first six Angels before Aybar’s double in the third.

Peter Bourjos followed with a foul pop-up near the Angels bullpen that first baseman Brandon Allen chased down. Aybar wisely tagged up at second and beat Allen’s throw to third, then scored when the ball skipped past Oakland third baseman Scott Sizemore and Moscoso backing up on the play.

Izturis singled to keep the inning going, and Kendrick capped it with his 17th home run of the season to give the Angels a 3-0 lead.

Angels’ right-hander Jerome Williams had control problems in the bottom of the frame and nearly gave it all back.

A former first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants, Williams gave up an RBI double to Jemile Weeks and a bases-loaded walk to Josh Willingham — one of three free passes he issued in the inning.

Williams continued to struggle, giving up back-to-back walks in the fifth. Josh Willingham then doubled in front of diving right fielder Torii Hunter, scoring Cliff Pennington with the tying run.

Kendrick’s second home run came off reliever Michael Wuertz. The Angels slugger, who has four multi-home run games in his career, has 18 homers this season.

Notes: Oakland CF Coco Crisp had an MRI on his sore right foot and manager Bob Melvin said he expects Crisp play again this season. … Scioscia kept rookie 1B Mark Trumbo out of the lineup because he felt the veteran might be pressing a little. “This is a good time for him to catch his breath and hopefully finish strong,” Scioscia said. “The last 10 at-bats you’re seeing a little tighter grip on the bat. To reach our goal we need him to get back to where he could be. … RHP Jered Weaver, second to Detroit’s Justin Verlander for lowest ERA in the AL, pitches for the Angels on Wednesday. Weaver (16-7) has a three-game losing streak on the road. … RHP Rich Harden (4-2), who last beat Los Angeles more than a year ago, goes for Oakland. … Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour threw out the first pitch.

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Angels Vs. Athletics: Halos Lose Again In Oakland,…

RUSSOEvangeline18 — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:05:59 +0000

Read More: Joel Pineiro (P – ANA), Hideki Matsui (DH – OAK), Torii Hunter (RF – ANA), Erick Aybar (SS – ANA), Grant Balfour (P – OAK), Scott Sizemore (2B – OAK), Cliff Pennington (SS – OAK), Jemile Weeks (2B – OAK), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 12, 2011 7:05 PM PDT

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Josh Willingham hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBI to help the Oakland Athletics take a 6-3 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim in the opener of a three-game set. Kurt Suzuki had three hits and Cliff Pennington added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Athletics, who had lost four of six coming into the game. Gio Gonzalez (13-12) gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 6 2/3 frames to get the win.

Vernon Wells hit a solo homer and had two RBI while Erick Aybar also hit a solo home run for the Angels, who have dropped their past two games. Joel Pineiro (6-7) went three-plus innings and was charged with four runs on five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

The loss moves the Angels to three games back of Texas for first place in the AL West.

Oakland jumped on top in the first inning as walks by Jemile Weeks and Hideki Matsui set the table for Willingham, who clubbed a shot over the wall in left- center for a 3-0 lead.

The Angels made it a 3-1 game in the second as Torii Hunter hit a leadoff single and later came home on a Wells triple.

Oakland added two more to its lead in the fourth. With men on second and third, Tyler Chatwood took over for Pineiro on the mound and, after getting the first out, gave up a single to Scott Sizemore to score one. Later in the frame, Pennington made it a 5-1 game with a single.

Aybar’s solo homer in the seventh made it a three-run game, but the Athletics got the run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Willingham.

Wells hit a leadoff homer in the ninth off of Grant Balfour, who set down the next three batters to cap the win.

Game Notes

Willingham has 25 home runs on the season and is one shy of matching his season-best set in 2006…Oakland has won nine of the 14 games against the Angels this season…The Angels batted 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.

For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.

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American League Game Summary – LA Angels of…

alekssafer — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:29:42 +0000

Written by

The Sports Network

Kurt Suzuki had three hits and Cliff Pennington added two hits, an RBI and a
run scored for the Athletics, who had lost four of six coming into the game.
Gio Gonzalez (13-12) gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and six
strikeouts over 6 2/3 frames to get the win.

Vernon Wells hit a solo homer and had two RBI while Erick Aybar also hit a
solo home run for the Angels, who have dropped their past two games. Joel
Pineiro (6-7) went three-plus innings and was charged with four runs on five
hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

The loss moves the Angels to three games back of Texas for first place in the
AL West.

Oakland jumped on top in the first inning as walks by Jemile Weeks and Hideki
Matsui set the table for Willingham, who clubbed a shot over the wall in left-
center for a 3-0 lead.

The Angels made it a 3-1 game in the second as Torii Hunter hit a leadoff
single and later came home on a Wells triple.

Oakland added two more to its lead in the fourth. With men on second and
third, Tyler Chatwood took over for Pineiro on the mound and, after getting
the first out, gave up a single to Scott Sizemore to score one. Later in the
frame, Pennington made it a 5-1 game with a single.

Aybar’s solo homer in the seventh made it a three-run game, but the Athletics
got the run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Willingham.

Wells hit a leadoff homer in the ninth off of Grant Balfour, who set down the
next three batters to cap the win.

GAME NOTES:
Willingham has 25 home runs on the season and is one shy of matching his
season-best set in 2006…Oakland has won nine of the 14 games against the
Angels this season…The Angels batted 0-for-6 with runners in scoring
position and stranded six.

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A’s chase Pineiro early again, beat Angels 6-3

RtexFRoWA — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:29:25 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. —
Athletics 6, Angels 3

Josh Willingham hit his 25th home run and drove in four runs to help the Oakland Athletics chase starter Joel Pineiro early again in a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

Willingham’s three-run shot in the first inning off Pineiro (6-7) started a second straight brief outing for the Angels right-hander at the Coliseum. Los Angeles fell three games behind first-place Texas in the AL West.

Pineiro allowed four runs on five hits in three-plus innings. His short start still lasted longer than his previous performance in Oakland on July 17, when he gave up eight runs in one-third of an inning.

Gio Gonzalez (13-12) struck out six and gave up two runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Erick Aybar and Vernon Wells each hit solo home runs late for the Angels, who had won six of their last eight games to climb back into the playoff race. With only 15 games remaining, time is running out to catch the Rangers.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia had hoped that Pineiro’s struggles were over. He had a six-start winless streak until his last outing — allowing one run in seven innings in a 4-1 victory over Minnesota — and seemingly fixed the mechanics in his release point that were at the root of his problems.

All that washed away quickly.

Pineiro walked two of the first three batters and pitching coach Mike Butcher visited the mound for a chat before Willingham came to the plate. Willingham sent a 1-1 pitch soaring into left-center field, skipping off the top of the wall for a home run to put the A’s ahead 3-0 in the first inning.

After Torii Hunter singled leading off the second, Wells hit line drive that ricocheted off the wall just below the foul pole in right. The ball skipped back over the outstretched arms of David DeJesus, giving Wells a triple and allowing Hunter to score to bring the Angels within 3-1.

Ryan Sweeney singled and Kurt Suzuki hit one his two doubles to start the bottom of the fourth. That was enough for Scioscia to pull Pineiro for Tyler Chatwood after a start that was reminiscent of Pineiro’s last visit to Oakland, a 9-1 loss that was the shortest appearance by an Angels starter — not counting an injury or ejection — since Aug. 28, 2007.

The A’s kept piling it on with a rare display of pop. Scott Sizemore hit a run-scoring single and Cliff Pennington knocked a two-out RBI single later in the inning to put Oakland ahead 5-1. After Aybar hit his 8th home run of the season in the seventh, Willingham answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to give the A’s a 6-2 lead.

Wells homered for the 21st time this season in the ninth off Grant Balfour.

NOTES: The A’s held out closer Andrew Bailey as a precaution after he was hit just above his left ear by a foul ball from teammate Kurt Suzuki during batting practice. He passed an initial concussion test. Bailey said his vision momentarily went black but joked that his sunglasses saved him and he’ll be fine. … Scioscia said ace Jered Weaver, who is scheduled to start Wednesday in Oakland, could pitch on three days’ rest Sunday at Baltimore. That would allow the right-hander to get an extra start in the season finale at Texas on normal rest. … Oakland CF Coco Crisp was scheduled to have a precautionary MRI exam on his right foot, which he injured taking two foul balls off last week. Manager Bob Melvin said he was hopeful Crisp could return this season. … The Angels will send RHP Jerome Williams (3-0, 3.51 ERA) to the mound Tuesday against A’s RHP Guillermo Moscoso, who didn’t allow a hit until the eighth inning in his last start against Kansas City.

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A’s eliminated from playoff race with loss

CreeneGag — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:43:06 +0000

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The math made it certain Sunday: The Oakland Athletics have missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

The A’s were eliminated from postseason contention with an 8-1 loss to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin said his focus remains on finishing strong and pointing toward next season, and his players agree.

“We’re here playing to get into the playoffs and win a World Series, so it’s a learning experience,” said Eric Sogard, whose ninth-inning homer accounted for his team’s lone run. “Anything we can get from here on out we can take into next year and hopefully get into the playoffs.”

Player evaluation has been the A’s focus for quite a while, and that will continue over the last 16 games. But the A’s also have games left against playoff contenders, and Melvin knows he must strike a balance.

“You want to evaluate talent going forward, but you’ve got to put forth your best lineup and continue to play your veterans,” he said. “Pretty much everybody we play is a contender — the Rangers, Angels and Tigers.”

The A’s managed only five singles in eight innings against C.J. Wilson (16-6). The left-hander struck out 11 and walked one, following up on his first career shutout — an 8-0 win at Tampa Bay last Tuesday.

Adrian Beltre homered twice for Texas to reach 301 for his career. Beltre has seven homers in his last eight games against Oakland and 15 RBIs against the A’s this season.

Josh Outman (3-5) got a spot start for Oakland, replacing Rich Harden, whose turn in the rotation was pushed back to give him extra rest. Outman allowed four runs and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings.

Outman, whose previous three appearances came in relief, was making his ninth start of the season, first since July 2.

The Rangers broke up a scoreless game in the fifth when Craig Gentry led off with his first career triple and Ian Kinsler drove him in with a single.

Kinsler advanced to second on his 23rd straight stolen base, tying his club record, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Josh Hamilton’s sacrifice fly.

Michael Young reached on an infield single and Beltre followed with a two-run homer to left field. Beltre also doubled in the second to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

“It’s always a good-hitting lineup, especially in this park, no matter what nine they throw out there,” Outman said. “I battled through the first four innings, then in the fifth I was a little leg-weary. I felt like every mistake I made, they capitalized on.”

Beltre led off the seventh against Andrew Carignan with his 23rd homer for his 22nd career multihomer game.

NOTES: The A’s open a three-game home series against the Angels on Monday night with LHP Gio Gonzalez (12-12) getting the start against RHP Joel Pineiro (6-6). … Oakland called up OF Jai Miller from Triple-A Sacramento and had him in the starting lineup. Miller spent the season with Sacramento, batting .276 with 32 homers and 88 RBIs in 110 games. He was acquired by Oakland off waivers in April from Kansas City. … X-rays showed no fracture in Oakland OF Coco Crisp’s lower leg injury. He was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day, and Crisp probably won’t play in the Angels series. … Oakland 1B Brandon Allen is in an 0-for-18 slide and was hitless in three at-bats, all strikeouts against Wilson.

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