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Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!
While the A’s spent most of the weekend squandering brilliant pitching efforts, some of the organizations’s farmhands made impressive showings in the minors.
A’s #1 prospect Tyler Soderstrom had a fine Sunday with the A+ Lansing Lugnuts. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs.
Putting it all in one spot:
— Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (@jgoldstrass) May 15, 2022
Three Soderstrom swings today - HR (377), 1B, HR (419)
A joy to take in. pic.twitter.com/uT6avksINd
Here’s a longer look at the first homer, mainly because I got a kick out of Kim C’s retweet comment:
Yes. It had been two days. The drought is over https://t.co/Ll9dVL2y5E
— Kim C (@Cu_As) May 15, 2022
In fairness to the person running the Lugnuts’ Twitter account, Soderstrom had actually been all of three days without a homer. Last Thursday, the 20-year-old walked it off for the Lugnuts with a grand slam.
20-year-old A’s prospect Tyler Soderstrom hit a walkoff grand slam last night for High-A @LansingLugnuts
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) May 13, 2022
pic.twitter.com/izp8Or52Ts
Soderstrom also tripled in the Lugnuts 8-7 win over the Dayton Dragons on Saturday. So it’s safe to say the A’s top prospect is on a tear at the moment. But the big hero in Saturday’s game in Lansing was Austin Beck, who hit two longballs of his own to earn Prospect of the Day honors from Athletics Farm.
Here’s the first:
.@austinbeck222 visits Good Hops with a 409-foot shot! pic.twitter.com/N3oW8AVO5K
— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) May 15, 2022
And the second:
Not sure what's prettier, the swing or that sunset https://t.co/bV3mGmap73
— Melissa Lockard (@melissalockard) May 15, 2022
Even when your team has hit four dingers as Lansing did, you need good pitching to seal the win with just a one run lead. Lugnuts reliever Trayson Kubo finished off the Dragons on Saturday with this nasty slider.
Can't spell Kubo without a K
— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) May 15, 2022
BALLGAME pic.twitter.com/dQmhbwbio1
A couple rungs up in AAA, Las Vegas Aviators lefty starter Jared Koenig struck out 10 on Saturday in a 5-2 victory over the Salt Lake Bees. He’s on the leaderboard in several pitching categories this season.
A's Minor League Report - May 14, 2022: @AviatorsLV LHP Jared Koenig struck out 10 batters across 8.0 innings in a 5-2 win over Salt Lake. Koening ranks 3rd in Triple-A in WHIP (0.93), T5th in strikeouts (42), 6th in ERA (2.36), and 6th in opponent batting average (.190). pic.twitter.com/MFrobqdmg7
— Oakland A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) May 14, 2022
Skye Bolt, rehabbing from his April injury, also got on base four times for the Aviators to join Saturday’s minor league notables.
LHP Jared Koenig allowed 1 run on just 3 hits & K'd 10 in 8 IP & rehabbing OF Skye Bolt had 2 hits & 2 walks for @AviatorsLV, and Kyle McCann had 3 hits including his 3rd HR & Zack Gelof & Jordan Diaz also had 3 hits apiece for @RockHounds as both teams won on Friday.
— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) May 14, 2022
Bolt’s rehab assignment was one of several recent roster moves in the organization. Adrian Martinez is back in Vegas after a fine debut start for the A’s. Billy McKinney cleared waivers and joined the Aviators, and the Eric Thames experiment ended.
A'S RECENT MOVES: OF Skye Bolt to LV on rehab, LHP Mac Lardner to LAN, IF Jack Winkler to LAN IL, RHP Adrian Martinez returned to LV, OF Billy McKinney cleared waivers/sent to LV, 1B Matt Davidson signed/sent to LV, OF Buddy Reed & 1B Eric Thames released…https://t.co/joKXkzbDRy
— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) May 14, 2022
With the A’s in rebuild mode, it’s good to see young players in the minor leagues showing promise for future days. And I didn’t even mention Shea Langeliers—until now. He went a relatively quiet 3-for-13 Friday through Sunday, but I’m sure he’ll be blasting off again soon enough!
A’s Coverage:
- Hall: Game #37: A’s bats quiet again in 4-1 loss to Angels
- Nico: Relishing The Sweet, Savory Taste Of Crow
- Hall: Game #36: A’s lose 9-1 in nightcap, earn split in doubleheader
- Ashford: Game #35: Walk-off! A’s beat Angels 4-3
- Hall: Adam Oller called up to start Game 2 of doubleheader for A’s
- Waldstein: The Loneliest Team in Baseball ($)
- Shea: A’s strikeouts piling up, but there’s a positive trend: ‘Need to do better job’ ($)
MLB News & Interest:
- Shea: Inside Giants’ humidor: How MLB’s effort to control baseballs impacts the game ($)
- McDonald: Marlins Place Jesus Luzardo On Injured List With Forearm Strain
- Passan: How St. Louis Cardinal star Nolan Arenado found the baseball fountain of youth ($)
- Polishuk: Ronald Acuna Jr. Day-To-Day With Groin Injury
- Polishuk: Injury Notes: Votto, Meadows, Canning, Howard
- McDonald: Blue Jays Activate Hyun Jin Ryu, Danny Jansen
- McDonald: Injured List Placements: Naylor, Wendle, Mountcastle
- Polishuk: Xander Bogaerts Open To In-Season Extension Talks
- Today in Baseball History
Best of Twitter:
Projected starters vs the Twins this week.
Pitching probables for upcoming A’s-Twins series:
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 15, 2022
Mon: LHP Logue vs. RHP Archer
Tue: RHP Kaprielian vs. TBA
Wed: RHP Jefferies vs. RHP Gray
Piscotty’s IL stint likely extended.
No baseball activity yet for Stephen Piscotty (calf). He said he’s running on the treadmill. But will likely be longer than 10-day minimum.
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 14, 2022
Obscure seconds!
Paul Blackburn is the second Oakland A's starter EVER to allow no more than 7 total runs in his first 7 starts of a season!
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 15, 2022
Mike Norris was the first back in 1980. No one else!
(not counting Liam Hendriks' stint as an opener)
Still hungry for seconds? Here’s a second helping.
Luis Barrera of the @Athletics is the second player in MLB history whose first career HR was a walkoff HR with his team trailing by multiple runs and down to its final out.
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) May 14, 2022
The other was Hank Severeid for the St. Louis Browns on April 17, 1915.
Barrera the A’s fifth to walk off with first career homer.
ATHLETICS WITH A WALK OFF HOMER FOR THEIR 1st ML HR:
— Mike Selleck (@MikeSelleck) May 14, 2022
Dee Miles (Sept. 14, 1939)
George Hendrick (May 28, 1972)
Derek Norris (June 24, 2012)
Brandon Hicks (July 18, 2012)
Luis Barrera (May 14, 2022)
Elvis’ bat trending up of late.
Opposing hitters were 0-for-30 off Patrick Sandoval's changeup this year before he gave up a single to Elvis Andrus here in the second inning. Here's the story on Sandoval's changeup from @HarriganMLB: https://t.co/NsNMdfbGek
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) May 15, 2022
Selleck’s Saturday notes.
The A's have four shutouts this year but have been shut out six times...this is the first time in Athletics history the A’s have either been shut out or shut out their opponent 10 times in the first 34 games...the A's game note highlights for May 14: pic.twitter.com/JMILwbAKYk
— Mike Selleck (@MikeSelleck) May 14, 2022
Congrats and thanks to Sunday’s Honorary Bat Girl, Tina Ramirez!
Thank you to our 2022 Honorary Bat Girl and breast cancer survivor Tina Ramirez for throwing out today's first pitch!@SusanGKomen | https://t.co/OoVeOmDA6N pic.twitter.com/qgPffs4AUu
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 15, 2022
Former A’s collide. Oly won this one.
Matt Olson crushing a homer off Sean Manaea has my head spinning. (#BatOlson vs. LHP's strikes again, too). pic.twitter.com/5mOSUlEfld
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) May 14, 2022
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