Athletics Nation - Game #63: A's vs. RangersAn SB Nation blog for Oakland Athletics fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47025/an-fave.png2016-06-13T22:29:16-07:00http://www.athleticsnation.com/rss/stream/116927532016-06-13T22:29:16-07:002016-06-13T22:29:16-07:00Game #63: A's beat Rangers 14-5; lose Manaea
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<figcaption>Robert Reiners/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Your 2016 Oakland Athletics scored a season-high 14 runs against the Texas Rangers, and tallied a total of 17 hits -- en route to a 14-5 victory at the Coliseum on a cool Monday night. </p> <p>It wasn't until the series finale in Cincinnati that the green and gold's bats truly came alive, for their first and only win of their eight-game road trip. The offense played a big factor on get-away day, and they subsequently carried that momentum into tonight's series opener against the Texas Rangers, as demonstrated by their 14-5 win in front of the Oakland faithful. Khris Davis led the charge with a three-run home run off of Rangers south paw Cesar Ramos in the bottom of the third; and by the time the night was over -- he racked up five RBI, despite the fact that he's battling an elbow issue.</p>
<h4>Sean Manaea leaves game in the fifth with a left pronator muscle strain</h4>
<p>Manaea looked to bounce back against the Rangers on Monday night, after surrendering two moonshots to Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Chris Carter in his last outing -- Oakland's top pitching-prospect hoped to replicate an equally impressive performance in which he recorded his first win of his major league career by holding Texas' offense to just one run over 6 2/3 innings on May 16 at the Coliseum, while punching out three.</p>
<p>The 24-year-old looked very impressive in his first four frames of work, as demonstrated by five strikeouts through four innings, as he reared back with his fastball, snuck in a sweeping slider, and deceived the opposition with a devastating change-up that kept Texas off-balance. Manaea looked absolutely masterful on the mound (despite a couple of defensive blunders) and proved to A's fans why he is a force to be reckoned with as he's slowly, but surely settling into the big leagues very nicely.</p>
<p>Everything was going swimmingly for the south paw, that was until the top of the fifth rolled around, when Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo launched a mammoth shot to center field and Manaea moments later was seen clutching his left forearm before being replaced by Daniel Coulombe.</p>
<p>It wasn't until a few frames later that Manaea was diagnosed with a left pronator muscle strain. But what caught me off guard was when the 24-year-old admitted to the press after the game that his forearm has bothered him a couple of times this season, and he continued to feel discomfort in his most recent bullpen session. Manaea will have a MRI, but until then I'm sure A's fans will be holding their breath -- considering the bright future the Indiana native is expected to have in Oakland's rotation for many years down the road.</p>
<h4>Oakland's offense comes alive in innings 3-4-5</h4>
<p>After a leadoff walk to Coco Crisp, Danny Valencia reached base thanks to an infield miscue by Rangers third baseman Jurickson Profar -- who attempted to throw out Crisp at second base, but ultimately failed to do so as the 36-year-old reached the bag before the defense could put down a tag. With runners on first and second with one away, Davis stepped into the batter's box and did what Khris Davis does best -- which is connect on a 2-0 fastball that made its way over the left field scoreboard for his 15th round tripper of the campaign, increasing Oakland's lead to four.</p>
<p>After surrendering free passes to Billy Butler and Jake Smolinski -- sandwiched in between a single to left field by Josh Phegley, Yonder Alonso was able to plate the A's fifth run of the contest by slapping a sac-fly to left fielder Ryan Rua; unfortunately, his relay throw (along with several others) managed to catch Smolinski napping between first and second base to finally end the frame</p>
<p>Ramos made quick work of the A's in the bottom of the fourth, as he retired both Tyler Ladendorf and Crisp on five pitches. Thinking he was out of the woods, Marcus Semien ambushed the Los Angeles native by scorching a sharp single to center field and Oakland's offense presumably batted around for what seemed to be an hour -- thanks to an RBI single from Valencia, followed by a seeing-eye-single from Butler, and capped off by a laser-shot over the right-center field fence from Phegley -- giving the A's a 10-1 advantage</p>
<p>Still hungry for more offense?! I know I am! After a dismal eight-game road trip in which the A's racked up a total of 21 runs, and a horrid 1-7 record, the green and gold broke that cold-spell with four more runs in the fifth! Let me give you the rundown, it's pretty great.</p>
<p>Tom Wilhelmsen took over for Ramos in the fifth and was dealt the same hand as his counterpart when Ladendorf, Crisp and Semien all reached base on three consecutive singles to begin the frame. However, Wilhelmsen managed to record an out after Valencia grounded into a force out; but the carousel of craziness kept on moving along as Davis, Butler and Smolinski slapped three singles to the outfield, thus giving the A's a commanding 14-2 lead heading into the late frames.</p>
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<h4>What a relief! A's secure their 27th win of the season</h4>
<p>Oakland's bullpen really stepped up on Monday night, after the departure of Sean Manaea in the top of the fifth. Daniel Coulombe made quick work of Ian Desmond and Profar, before getting tagged by a Rua two-run homer in the top of the sixth. Luckily, Coulombe calmed down and induced a few weak groundballs off of the bats of Prince Fielder, Elvis Andrus and Bobby Wilson concluding any chance of the Rangers getting back into this one.</p>
<p>A's long man Zach Neal brought this one home for the green and gold by pitching three solid frames of two-hit baseball, thanks to a combination of timely groundouts, fly-outs and putouts to ultimately secure the A's 27th win of the season and notch his first major league save of his career.</p>
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<h4>Final Thoughts</h4>
<p>It was nice to see the back end of the A's bullpen come through, even though losing Manaea in the bottom of the fifth could be a major cause for concern. At first glance, it appeared that the lefty was clutching onto his left forearm; but it wasn't confirmed until a few innings later that the issue was centered around a pronator muscle strain -- similar to what Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg was diagnosed with early in his career before eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery.</p>
<p>Further examination confirmed that there was no ligament damage to the affected area, just muscle. However, when his average fastball velocity dropped from 92.1 MPH to 89.7 MPH in the fifth, your mind can only drift off to the worst-case scenario. We won't know if Manaea will be placed on the disabled list for a significant amount of time; but if worse comes to worse -- Jesse Hahn is waiting in the wings in Nashville, as he is on the same turn as Manaea should he need to make an emergency start come Saturday.</p>
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https://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/6/13/11929374/as-beat-rangers-in-14-5-slugfest-lose-manaea-in-the-processCaseyWitt_2016-06-13T21:47:16-07:002016-06-13T21:47:16-07:00Game Thread #63: A's vs. Rangers (2)
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<p>What a night for the A's bats to come alive! The green and gold are leading the Texas Rangers by a score of 14-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Khris Davis hit a big three-run homer, but the cause for concern is Sean Manaea who left the game in the top of the fifth -- with what appears to be a pronator muscle strain on his pitching arm. Lets hope the A's can put this game away and all is okay with Manaea.</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2016/6/13/11929116/game-thread-63-as-vs-rangers-2CaseyWitt_2016-06-13T18:30:29-07:002016-06-13T18:30:29-07:00Game Thread #63: A's vs. Rangers
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<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Sean Manaea (2-4, 6.20 ERA) takes the mound for your Oakland Athletics, against Cesar Ramos (1-2, 3.58 ERA) and the Texas Rangers. Tonight's series opener begins at 7:05 PM PDT on CSN California or 95.7 The Game. If you're driving to the game, parking will presumably be $40 -- with dual events taking place at the Coliseum and Oracle Arena.</p> <p>I'm sure many of you will be tuning into the NBA Finals as the Golden State Warriors look to secure their fifth NBA Championship as a franchise -- two of which would presumably come against the Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back years, if the Dubs can lock down one more victory in the next three games or so. However, I like the Warriors' chances of getting it done tonight in Oakland, in front of some of the most devoted, passionate and rowdy fans in the game.</p>
<p>Across the concourse you will find the best fans in all of professional sports, watching Sean Manaea take on the first-place Texas Rangers at the Coliseum. While Golden State's time is now, the A's have a bright future in front of them -- and are beginning to witness the "Youth Movement" with Manaea on the mound tonight, and Daniel Mengden looking quite impressive after surrendering just two runs in 5 2/3 innings with five punch outs, against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.</p>
<p>Lets not forget what Oakland's Triple-A affiliate is accomplishing down in Nashville. Currently, they own a 38-24 record (.613) and have a four-game lead over the Round Rock Express (Rangers) in the Pacific Coast League American Southern Division. In the month of May, Nashville tallied up 22 wins in a 30-game span -- highlighted by a seven and nine-game winning streaks at there respective moments in time.</p>
<p>A's third base prospect Ryon Healy is absolutely tearing it up for the Sounds, and it's only a matter of time -- via trade or injury, before the 24-year-old and his impressive .343/.406/.606/1.012 slash line with 11 round trippers and 49 RBI in 59 games gets a promotion to the majors. Renato Nunez is having a respectable season with Nashville as is Matt Chapman who is of course... doing Matt Chapman things with the bat in Midland, and therefore should be a valuable asset for years to come when he is eventually promoted to the green and gold.</p>
<h4>Sean Manaea | #55 | LHP | (2-4, 6.20 ERA)</h4>
<p>The 24-year-old from Valparaiso, Indiana has settled into the big leagues quite nicely since getting the call on April 29 against the Houston Astros at the Coliseum. One of those appearances coming against the Rangers on May 16 in Oakland in which he tossed 6 2/3 of one-run ball, surrendered just four hits and struck out three -- against a stacked middle of the order lineup including Nomar Mazara, Adrian Beltre and Ian Desmond. That night, Manaea was absolutely masterful on the mound; not only was he keeping his off-speed pitches down, but his fastball had exceptional life on Monday -- as the southpaw consistently hit 95, 96, 97 miles per hour on the radar gun. Since that outing Manaea has tossed a minimum of six innings and racked up an equally impressive 22:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.</p>
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<h4>Cesar Ramos | #55 | LHP | (1-2, 3.58 ERA)</h4>
<p>The 2005 first-round pick will make tonight's spot start for Rangers' ace Yu Darvish who was scheduled to pitch in the series opener. Darvish left his previous outing against the Astros after five innings and 76 pitches with shoulder tightness. The right-hander threw a bullpen session on Friday and another throwing session on Saturday, although, that appearance was cut short due to neck and shoulder tightness.</p>
<p>At this moment, it is unclear if Darvish's 2016 campaign is in jeopardy; but he doesn't sound to concerned -- after addressing through ESPN that it's common for players to have issues like this following surgery. Ramos has made a total of three starts this season -- and has surrendered only five runs altogether. In two of those outings, the south paw pitched six complete innings against the offensively potent Astros and New York Yankees, and coughed up four free passes and punched out a total of nine.</p>
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<p>Without further ado, here are tonight's starting lineups:</p>
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"> <h3>Today's Lineups</h3> <div class="lineup"><table class="zebra" cellspacing="0"> <thead> <tr> <th align="left">TEXAS RANGERS</th> <th align="left">OAKLAND A'S</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Shin-Soo Choo - RF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Coco Crisp - CF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Ian Desmond - CF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Marcus Semien - SS</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Jurickson Profar - 3B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Danny Valencia - 3B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Rougned Odor - 2B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Khris Davis - LF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Ryan Rua - LF</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Billy Butler - DH</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Prince Fielder - DH</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Josh Phegley - C</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Elvis Andrus - SS</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Jake Smolinski - RF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Mitch Moreland - 1B</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Yonder Alonso - 1B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Bobby Wilson - C</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Tyler Ladendorf - 2B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"></td> <td class="td-first td-name"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Cesar Ramos - LHP</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Sean Manaea - LHP</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> </div>
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<p><strong>Now, lets PLAY BALL!</strong></p>
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