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Soon-to-be AL MVP Aaron Judge hits leadoff home run, Giancarlo Stanton also hits homer as Yankees triumph in second-to-last game in Coliseum
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Joseph Dycus
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By Bill Trocchi
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Right-hander Luis Medina was stellar for the A’s in his first start of the season, but it went for naught Sunday as Oakland’s offense generated just two hits during a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Former A’s catcher Sean Murphy drove in the go-ahead run for the Braves with a bloop double in the seventh inning. Murphy’s double down the right-field line knocked in Adam Duval for what proved to be the winning run and allowed the Braves to take the series 2-1.
Atlanta’s Charlie Morton allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, but he ended up with a no-decision when the A’s tied the game in the top of the seventh inning on a home-run by Zack Gelof.
Despite the loss, A’s manager Mark Kotsay came away encouraged by what he saw of Medina, who lasted 5 2/3 innings and surrendered two hits – including an Austin Riley bloop double that hit the chalk on the right field line — and just one unearned run. He had six strikeouts and two walks.
“It was a great outing for Medina,” Kotsay said. “Really going out for the first time, and to be able to command his pitches, he looked great out there. He looked comfortable. We thought he would go four innings or so, but for him to get into the sixth and execute the game plan, it was really nice to see.”
Medina started the season on the injured list with a sprained right knee. He made three minor league appearances before starting Sunday.
Braves manager Brian Snitker was encouraged afterward, despite his team finishing the homestand 3-4.
“I look at it individually and see some positives offensively with guys, which is what we’ve been trying to do,” said Snitker. “We’ve been playing good baseball. We just haven’t hit, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel for a bunch of guys.”
Morton had his best start of the season, walking five, striking out six and hitting a batter. No A’s batter reached third base during his outing.
“I had really good command of the zone for the most part,” Morton said. “If you are not giving up a ton of hard hit balls, you can afford to try to make pitches. That’s basically what we did today.”
Marcell Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a double and reached base for the 26th consecutive game.
Dylan Lee allowed a long home run to Gelof in the seventh, but Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias each pitched a scoreless inning. Lee (2-1) picked up the win and Iglesias earned his 15th save of the season.
Murphy’s shallow fly ball in the seventh landed just fair between right fielder Seth Brown, first baseman J.D. Davis and second baseman Gelof. Duvall scored from third on the play. Murphy had been 2-for-18 entering that at-bat since returning from the injured list.
Atlanta added an insurance run in the eighth when Ozzie Albies knocked in pinch runner J.P. Martinez with an RBI single.
The Braves were 13-14 in May and split their first two games of June.
“We don’t feel like everything is clicking,” Morton said. “I’ve been on teams where I’ve sensed we were in trouble. I don’t feel like that’s a room that’s going to allow that to happen. The quality of people in there is just too good.”
Gelof crushed his fourth home run of the season off Lee to lead off the seventh inning. It was the first batter Lee faced after replacing Morton.
The Braves scored in the first inning courtesy of a two-out walk to Ozuna, a passed ball by catcher Kyle McCann and an RBI single by former A’s star Matt Olson.
The game was delayed prior to the bottom of the sixth inning as the grounds crew tended to the pitching mound after a rain shower in the top of the inning. After four minutes, Medina was able to resume his warmups.
NOTABLE
In order to make room for Medina, the A’s designated RHP Aaron Brooks for assignment. Brooks started Saturday’s 11-9 win over the Braves and was 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA in four starts this season.
UP NEXT
The A’s will send RHP Mitch Spence (4-2, 3.52) to the mound to open a three-game series at home against RHP George Kirby (4-5, 4.08) and the AL West-leading Mariners on Tuesday,
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SAN JOSE – The Oakland Roots’ boisterous supporters section in the northeast corner of PayPal Park grew momentarily quiet during the 12th minute, their chants and drums going silent.
That brief hush at the US Open Cup soccer game between visiting Roots and the host San Jose Earthquakes was quickly replaced by a refrain baseball fans in Oakland have become well-acquainted with.
“Sell the team! Sell the team! Sell the team!” echoed through the half-full stadium on Tuesday evening, the demand to Earthquakes and A’s owner John Fisher soon replaced by another three-word chant that included an expletive.
The Roots lost 1-0 on a late goal by the Quakes, but the loud Oakland fans made their point.
Ruben Ortiz wore a brightly-colored “SELL” shirt with a neon-green “SELL” flag wrapped around his neck like a cape as he joined in the chants to get Fisher to sell the A’s before they relocate to Sacramento next season.
An A’s fan since 1996, Ortiz counted watching Josh Donaldson’s walk-off home run against the Tigers in 2014 as his favorite memory at the Coliseum.
That is the kind of experience that Ortiz believes Fisher is denying both A’s and Earthquakes fans as owner.
Ortiz had never been to a pro soccer match before, but he was moved by the opportunity to protest Fisher while supporting his local team.
LET’S GO OAKLAND!!!
👏🏽👏🏽 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/ag1yVFbKi4
— Last Dive Bar 🏟 (@LastDiveBar) May 8, 2024
“What would be a better first game than to go and show that it’s not just Oakland that deserves better, but that San Jose also deserves better ownership than John Fisher,” Ortiz asked rhetorically.
Some Oakland A’s fans have decided to boycott the team, not wanting to give the notoriously penny-pinching owner their money.
Jorge Leon is the founder of the Oakland 68s, a fan group that bused supporters down from The Town to San Jose. He’s not a fan of Fisher – to say the least – but he still bought a ticket to cheer on a team that the 68s have become aligned with.
“We see this as supporting our Oakland Roots,” Jorge Leon said in a text message to the Bay Area News Group on Monday.
Milling around the same stadium in similar “SELL” attire was Thomas Sanchez, an A’s fan who made the long drive from Stockton to the South Bay for one reason.
“If there’s any way we can support the ‘Sell the team’ (movement) and get him out of here, we’re going to do it,” said Sanchez.
The A’s move to the state capitol looks like a done deal, but that still leaves the last-place Earthquakes, who ranked 23rd in payroll last season according to Spotrac, in the Bay Area under Fisher’s control.
While Roots and A’s fans, perhaps one and the same, started the “Sell” chants, more than a few Quakes fans could be heard chiming in, even after their team took the lead.
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Joseph Dycus
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BRENTWOOD – Liberty coach Andrew Lonsdale was mildly annoyed by the commotion Oakland A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn caused at Thursday’s Bay Valley Athletic League game.
Yes, Liberty graciously switched up the home-and-away two-game series with crosstown rival Heritage to allow them to honor their famous alum on his day off. And Lonsdale and the Lions applauded as Blackburn posed for photos with family and friends.
But through all the pomp and circumstance, the Lions just wanted to play ball.
“We were here to play baseball,” Lonsdale said. “That’s what we were focused on.”
And on the day devoted to the greatest pitcher in Patriots history, it was Liberty lefthander David Roberts who stole the show and spoiled Blackburn homecoming in a 5-2 Lions victory.
The 220-pound Arizona State commit used his 91 MPH fastball and a wicked curve to strike out 11 and allow just four hits in a complete game.
“My curveball felt pretty good today, although there were a few times I tried to do too much,” Roberts said. “I’m feeling pretty good going into the playoffs though.”
Liberty scored the last five runs of the game, including three in the top of the seventh to break a tie. Center fielder Cruz Van Slyke was 4 for 5 with two RBIs, and both Stevie Wellens and Jake Farr each had an RBI, one of those driving in Joshua Rhodes.
“We’ve been hitting balls hard, but things just haven’t been going our way,” Roberts said. “So to see some guys come through today in some big spots, it was huge.”
Heritage got out to a 2-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning, with the highlight being Carter Lowell’s inside-the-park home run. Alonzo Alvarez also had a RBI for Heritage, and pitcher JJ Kinnaird struck out eight in five innings.
Liberty improved to 11-12, 3-5 while Heritage fell to 19-4-1, 7-1.
Milpitas pitcher Hugo Garay did it all on Thursday afternoon. He had three RBIs at the plate, and then allowed just three hits in a complete game on the mound.
Adrian Chavez had three hits for the Trojans, which remained a perfect 13-0 in Peninsula Athletic League El Camino play and improved to 15-7 on the year. Santa Clara dropped to 13-10, 9-4.
Everyone chipped in for San Mateo in its PAL Ocean Division rout of Mills. All 10 batters got a hit, with Julian Delfin going 5 for 5 with three RBIs. Aaron Wong wasn’t too shabby either, with three hits and five RBIs.
Julian Bleess and Jesus Olivas each had three RBIs for San Mateo, and Tyce Copus split pitching duties with Olivas. San Mateo improved to 14-11, 7-5 and Mills dropped to 6-17, 2-10.
Berean Christian walked off its Walnut Creek rival in an exciting 6-5 victory that saw the home team overcome four errors.
Damon Neu was 2 for 4 with a team-high three RBIs, and Berean Christian teammate Max McTighe was 3 for 3 with two RBIs. Charles Kruger had a team-high two RBIs for Los Lomas.
Berean Christian improved to 16-6, 4-6 while Las Lomas dipped to 10-11, 5-5 after the Diablo Athletic League game.
Freshman Dana Motroni handed Hillsdale a rare loss in PAL Bay Division play when she drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The best part is that her sister Avery Motroni was the one scoring that winning run.
Fellow freshman Lily Thomas more than held her own against the Knight’s high-powered offense, giving up just five hits. HIllsdale’s Alexis Kuka went six innings and allowed just six hits too. Capuchino improved to 12-11, 8-4 while Hillsdale fell to 21-4, 9-3.
Jaime Oakland had done a lot in her 1 ½ years on the Lancers roster. She had won West Catholic Athletic League player of the year as a freshman, and has led off an offense that reached the NorCal Open title game last year and has yet to lose a game this season.
But she had never hit a home run. That was until Thursday, when she hit her first round-tripper as part of a two-hit, three-RBI day.
Hayden Hummel had four hits and two RBIs, and pitcher Kate Munnerlyn had three RBIs and struck out 17 in a complete game. Lana Escarcega had Valley Christian’s only RBI.
St. Francis improved to 22-0, 7-0 and Valley Christian fell to 14-11, 4-4.
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Joseph Dycus
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OAKLAND – The Oakland A’s fans who braved the blustery winds on Monday endured a dismal and all-too-familiar sight: their overmatched home team flailing at the plate and on the mound.
In the team’s first, albeit preseason, game at the Coliseum of the year, the A’s were defeated by the San Francisco Giants 4-1 in the first of a two-game series between the Bay Area rivals.
A’s rookie outfielder Lawrence Butler broke up a no-hitter in the sixth inning with a single, and gave the fans something else to cheer about when he stole second on a flyball.
Abraham Toro’s RBI single drove in Butler and elicited the closest thing to a roar the Oakland portion of the reported 7,850 fans could muster during what could be the first home game of the team’s last season in Oakland.
Promising second-baseman Zack Gelof was 0-1 and drew a walk, while 2023 All-Star Brent Rooker struck out in two of his three at-bats.
Second-year righthander Mason Miller lit up the radar gun in the top of the ninth. The 25-year-old struck out the side using a fastball that touched 101 MPH.
The A’s dropped to 13-14 in spring training, while the Giants improved to 14-11.
The high-spending Giants are in many ways the anthesis of the A’s, and it was one of their high-profile additions that perplexed Oakland’s overmatched bunch of youngsters and low-cost veterans.
Ex-Cardinal Jordan Hicks, the recent recipient of a four-year, $44 million contract, struck out 10 A’s in five innings of hitless work.
JP Sears had a tougher time, allowing two home runs to Giants catcher Tom Wilson in 3.2 innings. The 28-year-old also walked and struck out three while throwing 70 pitches.
“I’m not super-thrilled with the results, but I feel good about my body and my workload, and how I feel going into Saturday,” Sears told media.
Sears didn’t have his best stuff on Monday, but said he has both high standards and what he considered achievable goals going into the regular season.
“I’m going to keep it simple, which is trying to get to 30 starts and make it into the sixth or seventh inning every game,” Sears said.
After an Austin Slater sacrifice fly and Wilmer Flores belted a home run off A’s reliever Michael Kelly, the offense stayed dormant until Hicks exited in at the end of the sixth.
Oakland will take the trip across the Bay Bridge to Oracle Park for the San Francisco portion of the home-and-home series.
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Joseph Dycus
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