OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: Snapped an eight game losing skid last night in a win over the Blue Jays…were swept in a three-game series by Cleveland to start the road trip and have now been swept 11 times (have swept one series)…have lost eight of the last nine games after winning a season-high seven consecutive contests…are 8-12 (.400) in June after winning six games in May and five in April…are 38 games under .500 at 20-58 (.256)…that is tied for the seventh worst record by an AL, NL or FL team over the first 78 games since 1901 and is the worst since the 2003 Tigers began the season 18-60…are 3-3-1 over the last seven series after going 1-16 over the first 17 series.
EIGHT-GAME LOSING STREAK SNAPPED: The A’s were able to snap their eight-game losing streak with a 5-4 win last night over the Blue Jays…had lost each of their previous eight games, which was their second losing streak of eight or more games this year (11, May 17-28) and their fifth over the last two years…were been outscored 29-20 during the streak and five of the eight losses were by one run…the pitching staff had a 3.95 ERA (32 er in 73.0 ip) during the streak but the offense was batting .200 (54-for-270) with 20 runs scored (2.5 runs per game).
OFFENSE: The A’s rank last in the majors in batting (.221), slugging (.350), OPS (.653), runs scored (276) and extra base hits (183)…have the third most strikeouts (725), fourth fewest doubles (104), fifth lowest on-base percentage (.302) and the eighth fewest home runs (72)…lead the majors in sacrifice hits (16) and are Second in hit by pitches (45)…have been shut out eight times, which is tied for fourth most.
IN THE PINCH: A’s pinch hitters are 6-for-11 over the last six games and are 21-for-71 (.296) with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and 10 walks overall…lead the majors in hits, are second in plate appearances (82), rank third in walks, tied for fourth in extra base hits (5), tied for fourth in doubles and home runs and tied for seventh in RBI.
PITCHING: The A’s have compiled a 4.15 ERA (82 er in 178.0 ip) in June after posting a 5.54 ERA in May and 7.97 in April, both of which were the highest in the majors…have a 5.99 ERA for the season, which is the highest in the majors…today marks the first time the A’s ERA was under 6.00 since the sixth game of the season (5.79 at the conclusion of play on April 5)…also have the highest opponents on-base percentage (.359), the second highest OPS (.825) and slugging percentage (.466) and the third highest batting average (.271)…lead the majors in most walks (337), home runs (114), hit batters (49) and wild pitches (38) and have the sixth fewest strikeouts (606).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA (33 er in 83.0 ip) over the last 17 games after going 2-32 with a 7.19 ERA over the first
61 contests…are 6-36 with a 6.37 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors (Rockies, 6.30) and the wins are the fewest…the fewest wins from a starting rotation in a full season in Major League history is 21 by the Pirates last year…have tossed seven innings or fewer in each game this year and have the third fewest innings pitched (364.2).
FOR OPENERS: The A’s have used an “opener” seven times this year (all since May 24)…openers are 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA (7.2 ip, 12 h, 5 r, 5 er, 9 so) and the “main” pitchers are 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA (34.1 ip, 32 h, 16 r, 16 er, 11 bb, 34 so)…are 2-5 in the seven games…used an opener nine times in 2018 (all in September) and three times in 2019 (none after June 5).
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has compiled a 3.06 ERA (23 er in 67.2 ip) over the last 16 games but has a 5.56 ERA for the season, which is the highest in the majors…has one win, four losses, and three blown saves over the last eight games…leads the majors in losses (22)…is 11-for-26 (42.3%) in save opportunities, which is the lowest percentage in the majors…is tied with the Royals for second fewest saves and is tied for the third most blown saves (15)…has 322.1 innings pitched, which is second most…has allowed 55-of139 (39.6%) inherited runners to score, which is the fourth highest percentage…has the third most inherited runners.
ON THE BASES: The A’s have 24 stolen bases in June, which is third most in the majors and is the most by an A’s team in June over the last 25 years (23 in 2010)…the last time the A’s had more steals in June was in 1998 (27)…are now 78-for-95 (82.1%) for the season and have matched the club’s season total of 78 from last year…rank third in the majors in stolen bases this year, fourth in attempts and tied seventh in percentage…A’s opponents are 9-for20 (45.0%) in stolen base attempts over the last 15 games and are 57-for-86 (66.3%) for the season, which is the second lowest success rate in the majors (Diamondbacks, 66.0%)…the 29 caught stealings are 10 more than any other team…A’s pitchers have nine pickoffs, which is second most in the majors (Yankees, 10).
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 1-3 on this six-game road trip to Cleveland (0- 3) and Toronto (1-0)…went 5-4 on the last road trip to Miami (0-3), Pittsburgh (2-1) and Milwaukee (3-0)…it was the A’s first winning road trip since Sept. 14-19, 2021…are 11-29 (.275) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors…return home following the game Sunday for a six-game homestand against New York-AL (three games) and Chicago-AL (three games) that begins on Tuesday…went 2-5 on the last homestand against Tampa Bay (2-2) and Philadelphia (0-3) and are 9-29 (.237) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors…have compiled a 5.20 ERA at home compared to 6.82 (253 er in 334.0 ip) on the road
WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in 11 of their 20 victories…have five walk-off wins, which is tied for third most in the majors…are 11-53 when tied or trailing after seven innings compared to 9-5 when leading after seven innings…are fifth in the majors in wins when tied or trailing after seven innings but no other team has fewer than 14 wins when leading after seven…are 4-6 (.400) in extra inning games…the 10 extra inning games matches the A’s season total from last year and is tied for the most in the majors this years…are tied for the most losses this year and are tied for fifth in wins.
RUN DIFFERENTIAL: Nine of the A’s last 13 games have been decided by one run and Oakland is 4-5 in those nine one-run games…each of the A’s last three wins, four of the last five and 12 of 20 overall have been by one run… are now 12-16 (.429) in one-run games…are tied for second in the majors in one-run losses and third in games (28)…however, are 8-42 (.160) in games decided by two or more runs, including 1-14 in games decided by six or more…have a run differential of -14 in June after posting a mark of -78 in May and -118 in April…are -210 for the season, which is the lowest in the majors…had a run differential of -202 all last year, which was second lowest in Oakland history (-287 in 1979).
PLAYERS USED: On Thursday, Yacksel Rios became the 46th player to appear in a game with the A’s this year, which is tied for second most in the majors (Angels, 48)…employed a franchise record 64 players last year…Rios is the 30th pitcher, which is second most to the Rays (32)…tied an Athletics record with 34 pitchers last year.
THIS AND THAT: The A’s placed Ramón Laureano on the injured list today and have now used the IL 18 times, including 12 times for pitchers…currently have 10 players on the IL, including seven pitchers…are 16-29 (.356) in night games, 4-29 (.121) in day games…are 16-12 when scoring four or more runs, 4-46 when scoring fewer than four runs…have committed seven errors in the last nine games and now have 45 for the season, which is seventh most in the majors…are tied for second in outfield assists (16)…have an average time of game of 2:46, which is the longest in the majors…however, have not averaged under 2:53 per game since 2010 (2:46).
A’S VS. BLUE JAYS
- The A’s split the season series last with each club winning three games…are now 1-4-2 over the last seven season series dating back to 2015.
- Have lost 14 of the last 20 games and are 19-27 (.413) dating back to 2015.
- Have lost eight of the last 10 games at Rogers Centre and are 7-20 in Toronto dating back to 2014.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-0 1-0 1-0
2022 2-1 1-2 3-3
Oakland History: 230-209
at the Coliseum: 116-103
at Rogers Centre: 73-72
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Esteury Ruiz leads the majors in stolen bases (39) and ranks second in hit by pitches (12)…ranks third among ML rookies in hits (79), first in stolen bases (39) and hit by pitches (12), is tied for third in doubles (18) and ranks tied sixth in RBI (31)…Shea Langeliers ranks tied fourth among MLB catchers in home runs (9), fifth in RBI (31), 10th in OPS (.689), and tied 10th in hits (46).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: Hogan Harris (2-1, 4.45 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make the seventh appearance and third start of his career…three of his appearances came in a game started by an opener (May 27 vs. Houston, June 2 at Miami, June 13 vs. Tampa Bay)…was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas May 27 for his second stint with the A’s and is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA (28.0 ip, 18 h, 8 r, 8 er, 4 bb, 21 so) in five games, including two starts, since his return…was recalled for the first time on April 14, made his Major League debut that day in relief against the Mets (0.1 ip, 1 h, 6 r, 6 er, 5 bb, 0 so) and was optioned back to Las Vegas the next day…is 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA and .699 opponents OPS in eight starts with the Aviators.
MAJORS AND MINORS: Went 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA and 1.040 opponents OPS over his first five games this year at the Major League and Minor League level (four with Las Vegas, one with Oakland)…is 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA (12 er in 47.2 ip) and .522 OPS in nine games since then (four with Las Vegas, five with Oakland)…walked 19 batters, struck out 11 and yielded three home runs in 11.2 innings over his first five games…has walked just 10 in 47.2 innings since then (41 so, 2 hr).
THIS AND THAT: Has allowed five hits or fewer in all six of his appearances and opponents are batting .190…that breaks down to .173 (14-for-81) against right-handed hitters and .263 (5-for-19) against left-handers…has issued eight of his nine walks to righties…has a .164 (11-for-67) opponents average with the bases empty, .242 (8-for-33) with runners on…opponents are 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position…the opponents number seven hitter is 0-for-10 against him…has allowed 10 of his 14 runs in the fifth inning for a 16.88 ERA (5.1 ip)…has a 1.57 ERA (4 er in 23.0 ip) in all other innings.
2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 14 and made his Major League debut that day against New York (NL)…entered the game to start the fifth inning with the A’s trailing 6-3…retired the first batter he faced (Vogelbach ground out) but his next seven batters were BB, BB, BB, HBP, BB, 2B, BB…walked five batters in 0.1 innings to become the sixth AL, NL or FL pitcher since 1901 to walk five or more his debut while pitching less than an inning (last: Justin Dunn, Sept. 12, 2019 for Seattle)…allowed six runs, which matched the most by A’s pitcher in debut of fewer than one inning (Sam Gray, April 19, 1924 at Boston; James York, Sept. 12, 1919 vs. CWS)… had career highs in runs and walks and was optioned back to the Aviators the next day…was recalled for a second time on May 27 and pitched in relief of opener Adam Pruitt that day against Houston…entered the game to start the second inning and tossed 5.0 scoreless innings…allowed just one hit And one walk…walked the second batter he faced (Maldonado) but then retired 12 straight before Bregman singled with one out in the sixth…struck out Kyle Tucker in the fourth inning for his first career strikeout…pitched in relief of opener Shintaro Fujinami on June 2 at Miami and allowed a career-high five hits…picked up his first win in his first start on June 7 at Pittsburgh, a 9-5 A’s win…allowed three runs in 5.0 innings, which was his shortest outing as a starter…pitched in relief of Fujinami again on June 13 and picked up his second consecutive win in the A’s 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay…allowed just one run in a career-high 7.0 innings…it tied for the sixth longest outing by a reliever in Oakland history and was the longest since Reggie Harris logged 7.0 innings on Aug. 14, 1990 against Boston.
LAST START: He was charged with the first loss of his career in the A’s 3-2 loss to Philadelphia last Sunday in Oakland…struck out a career-high seven batters in 6.0 innings and logged a career-high 95 pitches…surrendered a home run to Schwarber to start the game and also allowed a RBI single to Schwarber in the fifth…was relieved by Fujinami to start the seventh with the A’s trailing 2-0.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays plated four runs in the 3rd inning last night but couldn’t add on as they were edged, 5-4, by the Athletics…Are now 13-12 in series openers, dropping five of their last six such contests… Are now 3-5 when tied after eight innings…Dropped to 12-7 in one-run games…Their .632 win% in one-run contests is still the best in the AL. Toronto has gone 12-9 over its last 21 games and is 15-11 over the last 26…Needs a win today to avoid falling to 14-11-0 in series play (7-4-0 at home).
VLAD TIMING: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gave Toronto a 4-3 lead in the 3rd inning with a three-run blast to left-center field… Was his 10th home run of the season and his 1st since June 4 at NYM…Marked his 1st home run at Rogers Centre this season (last: Sept. 30, 2022 vs. BOS). The 24-year-old also led off the 9th inning with a double, finishing the game 2-for-4, his 20th multi-hit effort of the season…Was his 3rd game with multiple extra-base hits (2-2B on April 26 vs. CWS; 2B, HR on May 4 at BOS)…His 80 hits are tied for 8th most in the AL…Has recorded an AL-leading 134 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 146 for the most in MLB.
BO KNOWS BASE HITS: Bo Bichette doubled and reached on a fielder’s choice last night, going 1-for-4 with a run scored…Extended his hitting streak to nine games, going 11-for-36 (.306) with six doubles and three RBI over that span (.797 OPS). The shortstop currently leads the AL with 102 hits, 16 more than any other batter, trailing only Luis Arraez (109) for the most in the Majors…His .316 batting average ranks 2nd in the AL (5th in MLB), while he sits 2nd in total bases (163), 7th in SLG (.505), 9th in OPS (.851), T-9th in XBH (32), 10th in RBI (46), and T-11th in home runs (14).
BRANDON’S BATTING: Brandon Belt singled in his 1st at-bat last night…Over his last 32 contests, has batted .327 (32-for-98) with 10 doubles, three homers, 11 RBI, and 21 walks (.970 OPS)…His .450 OBP over that span (since May 4) is only seven points back of Aaron Judge (.457) for the highest in the Majors (min. 100 PA).
HARD-HITTING STUFF: Matt Chapman picked up a single last night and now has five hits in his last three games…Has 25 doubles, tied with Freddie Freeman for the most in MLB… Is tied for 4th among AL hitters with 35 extra-base hits (T-9th in MLB)…Ranks 2nd among MLB hitters with a 59.6 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6), 4th in barrel rate (11.6%), 7th in hard-hit balls (115), and 7th in average exit velocity (94.0 MPH).
THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 38 Defensive Runs Saved, 2nd most in the Majors (TEX – 42)…The group is led by an MLB-high 19 runs saved in center field – 13 from Kevin Kiermaier who leads all MLB center fielders and six from Daulton Varsho.
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are on a nine-game, 10-day homestand (0-1 so far)…Have gone 19-14 this season at Rogers Centre…The .576 win% at home is 4th best in the AL…After this series with the A’s, will have Monday off before taking on the Giants (43-33) and the Red Sox (40-37) for three games apiece. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home OBP (.332), 5th in home AVG (.260), 7th in home OPS (.735), and 8th in home SLG (.403)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among AL teams with a .215 home opponents’ average (2nd: SEA – .217)…Are sitting 3rd with a 1.15 home WHIP and 4th with a 3.48 home ERA.
TIMMY TIME: Tim Mayza entered last night’s game with a man on third and two out…Retired Carlos Pérez to end the frame…His 33 inherited runners are the most in the Majors (2nd: José Cuas – 31) while his 18.2 inherited runners scored percentage ranks 2nd in the AL (min. 20 IR)…His 36 appearances on the year are tied for
the most among AL pitchers, one back of A.J. Minter (27) for the most in MLB.
BOTTOM’S UP: Kevin Kiermaier drove in Toronto’s 1st run last night with an RBI double in the 3rd…Has recorded 46 hits while batting 9th, the most in the Majors (2nd: Michael Taylor – 39).
DANNY IS DRIVING IT: Danny Jansen recorded his 9th double last night and came around to score Toronto’s 1st run…Has seven hits over his last seven games, five of which have gone for extra bases (2-2B, 3HR). Over his last 20 games, the Elmhurst, IL, native has gone 19-for-72 (.264) with six doubles, six homers, and 15 RBI for a .597 SLG and an .881 OPS.
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 696 hits this season, 3rd most in the Majors…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.262), 5th in OBP (.328), 5th in OPS (.744), 6th in SLG (.416), and 7th in extra-base hits (232).
STARTING SOMETHING: Toronto pitchers have combined for 36 quality starts, tied for 3rd most in the Majors…The starting rotation has tossed 422.1 innings, 4th most in the AL.
VS. THE ATHLETICS: All-Time: 209-230
2023: 0-1 Home: 104-114
Home: 0-1 Rogers Centre: 72-73
The Blue Jays went an even 3-3 against the Athletics last season with each team winning two of their three home contests…Have won eight of the last 10 meetings here at Rogers Centre…Have swept the A’s five times at home over the last 10 years, tied for most against any opponent over that span (Baltimore). Matt Chapman was a 1st round pick of the Athletics in 2014 and went on to play 573 games for club, batting .243 with 111 home runs and 296 RBI…Represented Oakland at the 2019 All-Star Game and won three Gold Gloves in his five years there…Is now 9-for-24 (.375) in seven games against his former ‘mates, including three home runs, six RBI, and three walks (.444 OBP, .750 SLG). Chris Bassitt pitched for the A’s from 2015 until his 2021 All-Star campaign in which he went 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA…Combined to go 30-24 with a 3.44 ERA during his six seasons in green and yellow. George Springer leads all current Blue Jays with 111 career games played vs. Oakland…Has hit .249 (107- for-429) with 21 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, and 53 RBI for a .771 OPS.
STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 16th start of the season and his 6th at Rogers Centre…Took the loss his last time out, on 6/19 at MIA, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk over 4.0 innings with 4 punchouts. Over his last 13 starts, has gone 7-3 with a 2.72 ERA (24 ER/79.1 IP), 67 strikeouts, and a 1.13 WHIP…The 2.72 ERA is the 4th-lowest Mark among AL pitchers over that span (since 4/14). The Blue Jays own a 20-3 record in Berríos’ last 23 starts at Rogers Centre, dating back to 2021.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Improved to 7-4 on the year on 6/14 at BAL, taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning before allowing a leadoff single to Adley Rutschman…Marked the longest no-hit bid by a Blue Jay since Ross Stripling also tossed 6.0 hitless innings on 8/17/22 vs. BAL…Finished the game with a season-high 7.2 innings of shutout ball (3H, BB, HBP, 5K)…Improved to a perfect 10-0 lifetime against the O’s (13 starts), joining Jon Lester (14-0) and Red Faber (12-0) as the only pitchers in MLB history to win each of his first 10 career decisions against Orioles/Browns franchise. Won his 6th game of the year on 6/8 vs. HOU, tossing 6.0 innings of 2-run ball (4H, 2BB, 2K)…Marked his 7th quality start of the season. Took a no-decision on 6/3 at NYM, throwing 6.0 innings of one-run ball wTih 4 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts…Allowed one run or fewer in a third straight outing. Pitched 5.2 frames of shutout ball on 5/28 at MIN (4H, 5BB, 5K)…Became the winningest pitcher in Target Field history, earning his 33rd career victory to break a tie with Kyle Gibson (32). Tossed 7.0 frames of one-run ball on 5/23 at TB, scattering 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts…Was his 5th quality start of the year and his 3rd in the last 4 games. Took the loss on 5/18 vs. NYY, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk over 6.2 frames with 8 strikeouts. Took a no-decision on 5/13 vs. ATL, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 5.2 innings with 3 strikeouts. Improved to 3-3 on the year on 5/6 at PIT, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 6.1 frames with 7 strikeouts. Worked 7.0 shutout frames on 4/25 vs. CWS, scattering 4 Singles and a walk with a season-high 9 strikeouts…Completed 7.0 innings in consecutive starts for the 13th time in his career (last: 3G from 6/4-15/22)…Has allowed 3 runs over his last 3 starts, posting a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) with a pair of walks and 18 punchouts. Took the loss on 4/19 at HOU, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk over 7.0 frames with 3 strikeouts…Was his 1st quality start of the year.
