OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: 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 each of the last eight games after winning a season-high seven consecutive contests…are 7-12 (.368) in June after winning six games in May and five in April…are a season-high 39 games under .500 at 19-58 (.247)…that is tied for the seventh worst record by an AL, NL or FL team over the first 77 games since 1901 and is the worst since the 2003 Tigers began the season 18-59… are 3-3-1 over the last seven series after going 1-16 over the first 17 series.
EIGHT-GAME LOSING STREAK: The A’s have lost each of the last eight games, which is their second losing streak of eight or more games this year (11, May 17-28) and their fifth over the last two years…have been outscored 29-20 during the streak and five of the eight losses have been by one run…the pitching staff has a 3.95 ERA (32 er in 73.0 ip) during the streak but the offense is 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 (.349), OPS (.652), runs scored (271) and extra base hits (180)…have the third most strikeouts (717), fourth fewest doubles (103), fifth lowest on-base percentage (.302) and are tied for the eighth fewest home runs (70)…lead the majors in sacrifice hits (16) and are tied for second in hit by pitches (44)…have been shut out eight times, which is tied for fourth most.
IN THE PINCH: A’s pinch hitters are 6-for-10 over the last five games and are 21-for-70 (.300) with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and 10 walks overall…lead the majors in hits, are tied for second in plate appearances (81), rank third in walks, tied for third 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 (78 er in 169.0 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 6.01 ERA for the season, which is the highest in the majors…the last time the A’s ERA was under 6.00 was after the sixth game of the season (5.79 at the conclusion of play on April 5)…also have the highest opponents on-base percentage (.360), the second highest OPS (.827) and slugging percentage (.467) and the third highest batting average (.271)… lead the majors in most walks (336), home runs (113), hit batters (49) and wild pitches (38) and have the fifth fewest strikeouts (595).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA (29 er in 77.0 ip) over the last 16 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, 6.31) 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 (358.2).
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 3.20 ERA (23 er in 64.2 ip) over the last 15 games but has a 5.61 ERA for the season, which is the highest in the majors…has four losses and three blown saves over the last seven games…leads the majors in losses (22)…is 10-for-25 (40.0%) in save opportunities, which is the lowest percentage in the majors…is tied with the Cubs for the fewest saves and is tied for the third most blown saves (15)…has 319.1 innings pitched, which is second most…has allowed 55-of-139 (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 23 stolen bases in June, which is third most in the majors and matches the most by an A’s team in June over the last 25 years (2010)…the last time the A’s had more steals in June was in 1998 (27)… are now 77-for-94 (81.9%) for the season and are one stolen base short of the season total of 78 from last year…rank third in the majors in stolen bases this year, fourth in attempts and seventh in percentage…A’s opponents are 9-for-20 (45.0%) in stolen base attempts over the last 14 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 six 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 0-3 on this six-game road trip to Cleveland (0-3) and Toronto (three games)…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 10-29 (.256) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors…return home following the game Sunday for a sixgame 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 6.90 (249 er in 325.0 ip) on the road
WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in 10 of their 19 victories…have five walk-off wins, which is tied for third most in the majors…are 10-53 when tied or trailing after seven innings compared to 9-5 when leading after seven innings…are tied for 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: Eight of the A’s last 12 games have been decided by one run and Oakland is 3-5 in those eight one-run games…each of the A’s last two wins, three of the last four and 11 of 19 overall have been by one run… are now 11-16 (.407) in one-run games…are tied for second in the majors in one-run losses and tied for third in games (27)…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 -15 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: Yesterday, 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 15-29 (.341) in night games, 4-29 (.121) in day games…are 15-12 when scoring four or more runs, 4-46 when scoring fewer than four runs…have committed seven errors in the last eight games and now have 45 for the season, which is tied for sixth most in the majors…are tied for third in outfield assists (15)…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 19 games and are 18-27 (.400) dating back to 2015.
- Have lost eight of the last nine games at Rogers Centre and are 6-20 in Toronto dating back to 2014.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-0 0-0 0-0
2022 2-1 1-2 3-3
Oakland History: 229-209
at the Coliseum: 116-103
at Rogers Centre: 72-72
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Ryan Noda leads the American League and is tied for third in the majors in walks (50)…ranks 10th in the majors in on-base percentage (.387)…leads Major League rookies in on-base percentage (.387) and walks (50)…Esteury Ruiz leads the majors in stolen bases (39) and ranks second in hit by pitches (12)…leads ML rookies in hits (79), stolen bases (39) and hit by pitches (12), is tied for third in doubles (18) and ranks sixth in RBI (31)
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.38 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas May 20 for his third stint with the A’s this year…is 2-4 with a 3.69 ERA (39.0 ip, 36 h, 18 r, 16 er, 16 bb, 31 so) in seven starts over his last two stints after going 0-2 with a 12.94 ERA in six games, including three starts, over his first stint…was on the A’s Opening Day roster and went 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in three starts before moving to the bullpen…posted a 16.88 ERA in three relief appearances before he was optioned to Las Vegas on April 25…returned on May 13, started at lost to Texas that day and was optioned back to Triple-A the next day…did not pitch with the Aviators before he was recalled by Oakland on May 20.
SLOW STARTS: Is 2-0 with a with a 2.60 ERA (17.1 ip, 14 h, 6 r, 5 er, 8 bb, 11 so) and .585 opponents OPS over his last three starts after beginning the season 0-6 with a 6.89 ERA and .853 opponents OPS over his first 10 games, including seven starts…is the first A’s pitcher to start the season 0-6 since Mike Mohler lost each of his first eight decisions in 1997…the six-game losing streak is a career high…started last season 0-5 with a 5.98 ERA and .853 opponents OPS over his first 10 starts from May 1-June 21…then went 5-4 with a 3.30 ERA and .669 OPS over his final 16 starts.
SEVEN INNINGS OR FEWER: Has tossed 7.0 innings or fewer in each of his 10 starts this year and has now pitched seven innings or fewer in all 57 of his career starts…that is the longest streak of consecutive starts of seven innings or fewer in Athletics history (previous: 47, Montas, Sept. 25, 2019-April 18, 2022).
OPPONENTS BATTING: Has allowed six of his eight home runs to left-handed hitters and has a .510 opponents slugging percentage against left-handed hitters compared to .388 against right-handers…opponents are 13-for-25 (.520) with two doubles and three home runs when putting the first pitch in play…they are 4-for-7 (.571) with two walks, a double and two grand slams with the bases loaded.
THIS AND THAT: Has a 4.50 ERA (15 er in 30.0 ip) and has allowed two home runs over innings 1-3…has an 8.64 ERA (24 er in 25.0 ip) and six home runs from the fourth inning on…is 2-3 with a 4.71 ERA (15 er in 28.2 ip) in five starts on five days rest or more compared to 0-3 with an 6.75 ERA (14 er in 18.2 ip) in four starts on four days rest…the A’s are 2-8 in his starting assignments and have been shut out three times in his 10 starts…has left with the lead in two of his starts this year only to have the bullpen blow the save (April 3 vs. Cleveland, June 17 vs. Philadelphia)…left with the lead in five of his starts last year only to have the bullpen blow the save…now has 22 career no decisions as a starter and has left with the lead and was the pitcher of record in 11 of those no decisions.
2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Had a no decision in his first start on April 3 against Cleveland, a 12-11 A’s loss in 10 innings…left with an 8-5 lead but the bullpen blew the save…it was his first of two starts in which he left with the lead only to have the pen blow the save (also June 17 vs. Philadelphia)…allowed a season-high seven runs, surrendered a career-high tying three home runs and logged a career-high 106 pitches in an 11-0 loss at Tampa Bay on April 9… that began a career-high six-game losing streak that ran through May 31… posted a 7.99 ERA and .910 opponents OPS during the losing streak, which spanned nine games, including six starts…walked a career-high seven batters in a 17-6 loss to New York (NL) on April 14…the walks were the most by an A’s pitcher since Sonny Gray also walked seven on May 3, 2015… tossed 3.2 innings, which is a season-low as a starter…was 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in three starts when he was moved to the bullpen following the start against the Mets…allowed at least five runs in each of those starts to join Todd Van Poppel (1994) as the only pitchers on an Opening Day roster in Oakland history to allow five or more runs in each of their first three starts…tossed a scoreless inning of relief on April 18 against Chicago (AL), but then allowed three runs in 1.0 inning on April 22 at Texas and two in 0.2 innings on April 24 at Los Angeles (AL) and was optioned to Las Vegas on April 25…was recalled on May 13 and struck out a season-high seven in a career-high tying 7.0 innings that day against Texas…allowed three runs and took the loss in a 5-0 decision and was optioned back to Las Vegas the next day…was recalled on May 20 and started and lost in the A’s 2-0 decison the next day at Houston, despite allowing just one run in 5.0 innings…allowed a season-high eight hits in 5.0 innings in a 5-2 loss to Houston May 26 in Oakland…was 0-6 with a 6.89 ERA and .853 opponents OPS over his first 10 games, including seven starts…then picked up his first two wins of the season in back-to-back starts on June 6 at Pittsburgh and June 12 vs. Tampa Bay.
LAST START: He had a no decision in the A’s 3-2, 12-inning loss to Philadelphia last Saturday in Oakland…shut out the Phillies on three hits over the first five innings…struck out Schwarber to start the sixth but then allowed back-toback singles to Turner and Bohm…was relieved by Moll with the A’s leading 1-0 but he allowed one of the runs to score for the blown save.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays used a five-run 2nd inning to propel their way to a 6-3 win over the Marlins in Miami on Wednesday…Improved to 5-4 in rubber games and moved to an even 7-7-0 in road series this season (14-10-0 overall). Toronto wrapped up its nine-game road trip at 4-5… Has gone 12-8 over its last 20 games and is 15-10 over the last 25.
PUTTING IN THE EXTRAS WORK: Matt Chapman doubled in his 1st at-bat on Wednesday and then added a solo home run in the 8th…Now has 10 homers for the year, reaching double digits in all seven of his Major League seasons…Finished 2-for-3 with a walk…Marked his 7th game with multiple extra-base hits, tied for 4th most in the Majors. The third baseman now has 25 doubles, tied with Freddie Freeman for the most in MLB…Is now tied for 3rd among AL hitters with 35 extra-base hits (T-7th
in MLB)…Ranks 2nd among MLB hitters with a 59.5 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6), 5th in barrel rate (11.7%), T-7th in hard-hit balls (113), and 8th in average exit velocity (93.9 MPH).
THE GAUSMAN CAN: Kevin Gausman allowed three runs over 6+ frames on Wednesday…Marked his 12th quality start, tied with Framber Valdez for the most in the AL…Gave up eight hits and issued one walk while striking out six batters…His 127 strikeouts lead the AL (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 117), and trail only Spencer Strider (136) for the most in MLB…Among AL pitchers, is currently 2nd in SO/9 (11.58) and K rate (31.5%), 2nd in FIP (2.67), 4th in innings pitched (98.2), and 9th in ERA (3.10).
A SPRING IN HIS STEP: George Springer drove in a pair of runs with a 2ndinning single on Wednesday…Added another single in the 4th to finish 2-for-5, his 21st multi-hit effort…Has multiple hits in six of his last 12 games, batting .340 (16-for-47) with four doubles, a home run, and six RBI (.869 OPS). Since May 19th, the Connecticut native has gone 39- for-124 (.315) with eight doubles, a triple, five home runs, 15 RBI, and 12 walks during his 32 contests… Over that span, ranks 5th among AL hitters in total bases (64), 5th in times on base (52), 8th in OBP (.380), and 8th in OPS (.896).
BRANDON IS BACK: Brandon Belt returned from the injured list on Wednesday and picked up a single in his 1st at-bat… Over his last 31 contests, has batted .330 (31-for-94) with 10 doubles, three homers, 11 RBI, and 21 walks (.989 OPS)…His .457 OBP over that span (since May 4) is only percentage points back of Aaron Judge (.457) for the highest in the Majors (min. 100 PA).
CAVAN A GOOD TIME: Cavan Biggio opened Wednesday’s scoring with an RBI double…Finished 2-for-4 with a run scored…Over his last 21 contests, has gone 14-for-52 (.269) with 10 runs scored, two doubles, four homers, and nine RBI (.883 OPS).
KEEPING YOUR WHITS: Whit Merrifield singled and drove in a run in the 2nd on Wednesday…Has hits in 11 of his last 12 games while going 14-for-45 (.311) with two doubles, five RBI, and four walks (.736 OPS)…Among AL players, is currently T-5th in stolen bases (18) and 7th in AVG (.298)…His .298 average is his best since hitting .302 in his 2019 All-Star season.
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are beginning a nine-game, 10-day homestand…Have gone 19-13 this season at Rogers Centre…The .594 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 (42-33) and the Red Sox (39-37) for three games apiece. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home OBP (.335), 5th in home AVG (.262), 7th in home OPS (.737), and 9th 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 3.44 home ERA and 3rd with a 1.15 home WHIP.
ROMANO-MATIC: Jordan Romano earned his 22nd save of the season on Wednesday, tossing a scoreless 9th inning (H, BB, 2K)…Has picked up a save in each of his last 12 appearances (2 ER/12.1 IP), tied for the 2nd-longest streak in team history…The 22 saves are tied with Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase for the most in MLB. The Markham, ON, native’s 22 saves are tied for 3rd most before the All-Star break in franchise history, one back of Randy Myers (23 in 1998)…The club’s record for most saves before the All-Star break is 24, set by B.J. Ryan in 2006.
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 689 hits this season, 3rd most in the Majors…Are currently 4th in the AL in team AVG (.262), 4th in OBP (.329), 6th in SLG (.415), 6th in OPS (.745), and 7th in extra-base hits (227).
QUALITY CONTENT: Toronto pitchers have now combined for 36 quality starts, tied for 2nd most in the Majors (1st: SEA – 37)… The starting rotation has tossed 417.1 innings, 4th most in the AL…Also rank 3rd in the AL in strikeouts (417), 6th in ERA (4.08), 8th in AVG (.247), and 8th in WHIP (1.30).
VS. THE ATHLETICS: All-Time: 209-229
2022: 3-3 Home: 104-113
Home: 2-1 Rogers Centre: 72-72
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 nine 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…Last season, went 8-for-20 (.400) in six games against his former ‘mates, including three home runs, six RBI, and three walks (.478 OBP, .850 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 110 career games played vs. Oakland…Has hit .251 (107- for-426) with 21 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, and 53 RBI for a .775 OPS.
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 16th start of the season and his 7th at Rogers Centre…Took a no-decision his last time out, on 6/18 at TEX, giving up 5R/3ER on 7 hits and 3 walks over 3.2 frames with a pair of strikeouts. Has held opposing RHH to a .180 AVG, good for 4th-best in the Majors. Over his last 14 starts, has gone 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA (32 ER/85.1 IP) and a 1.13 WHIP.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Took the loss on 6/13 at BAL, giving up 8 runs on a career-high 11 hits over 3.0 innings with a walk and 5 strikeouts. Picked up the win on 6/7 vs. HOU, tossing 8.0 frames of 2-run ball with 4 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts on just 81 pitches (58 strikes)…Marked his 10th quality start of the year. Earned his 6th win of the year on 6/2 at NYM, throwing 7.2 frames of shutout ball with 3 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts…Returned home immediately after his start for the birth of his son, Colson, and was placed on the Paternity List from 6/3-6/5. Allowed 6 runs (2 earned) across 6.1 frames of work on 5/22 at TB…Had his career-best scoreless innings streak ended at 28.0…Marked the 2ndlongest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Became just the 4th non-opener in Blue Jays history to throw 3 consecutive scoreless starts in a single season, joining Roger Clemens (1998), Al Leiter (1995), and Dave Stieb (1988). Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span.
