PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #139
2018 Oakland Athletics (97-65) vs 1971 Philadelphia Phillies (67-95)
Winning the Moneyball way and doing it with a limited budget always makes the Athletics in intriguing club to follow. Bob Melvin lead the club to 97 wins but the success in the playoffs continued to elude this club, and now they will be once again tested in a playoff type format. Rich in talent in the lineup, Khris Davis may have been the biggest outlier going deep 48 times with 123 RBI and an .874 OPS mostly at DH. He did strike out 175 times but his muscle and 98 runs broke the backs of many a team. Stephen Piscotty also struck out over 100 times but he drove in 88 with an .821 OPS and 41 doubles proving his line drive abilities. Mark Canha wasn’t the most graceful centerfielder and he hit only .249 in 122 games. Dustin Fowler was a regular reserve for him playing in 69 games but having only a 68 OPS+. Chris Pinder platooned time in left with Nick Martin and Pinder had a .769 OPS with 13 home runs in 110 games. Martin had a .414 OBP and hit .296. Matt Chapman hit .355 with 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He did lead the team in runs with 100 and had real ability to be a five tool player. Marcus Semien scored 89 times and drove in 70 but had has OPS stale at .706 with only a .318 OBP. Jed Lowrie at 34 years old had 99 RBI and hit 23 home runs with an .801 OPS and some fine leadership for the group. Jonathan Lucroy was slowing down quite a bit at catcher hitting .241 with only 4 home runs and 100 hits in 126 games, he also however was a respected teammate. Finally at first base Matt Olsen was gaining attention hitting 29 home runs with 84 RBI but whiffed 163 times, the Athletics as a team struck out 1381 times. Matt Joyce was another outfield option while Josh Phegley backed up Lucroy at catcher. Season Manaea lead a staff that saw 6 pitchers start more then 1 games. Manaea went 12-9 with a 3.59 ERA although his FIP was 4.26. He allowed 21 home runs but was consistent with his quality of work. Daniel Mengden had a 4.05 ERA in 17 starts but allowed 18 home runs even with his good WHIP of 1.11. Trevor Cahill struck out 8.2 per nine and had a 3.76 ERA making him a decent option while 34 year old Edwin Jackson had a 3.33 ERA and in 92 innings still had something left in the tank. Brett Anderson had a 4.48 ERA and was too often hit hard while Frankie Montas made 11 starts but had a high WHIP at 1.46 and had to constantly work out of jams. Blake Treinen saved an impressive 38 games with an 0.78 ERA making his season one of the best we have ever seen for a closer. Yusmeiro Petit and Lou Trivinio were also lights out in set up roles and as always one of the strongest things about this A’s team was their late inning options and pitchers. Chris Bassitt and Mike Fiers had some spot starts and Ryan Bchter was 6-0 and a specialist for the left side. It is no fluke that this club made the post season and should not be overlooked. There draw against the lowly Phillies should finally see a Billy Beane team win a playoff series.
Another rough season in 1971 for the Phillies who were now over 20 years without a pennant. The talent level especially on the hitting side was thin and the construction of the roster seemed to favor players with a decent glove but no pop in their swing. Twenty one yea rold Oscar Gamble made his debut in left field but hit only .221 in 92 games with 23 RBI proving he had a lot to learn. Willie Montanez in center was a .255 hitter that brought 105 strikeouts but at least he had the power, hitting 30 home runs with 99 RBI and 78 runs. Roger Freed in right was also a .221 hitter with 37 RBI and a 78 OPS plus in 118 games, far from worthy numbers for the position. Larry Bowa as the feisty 25 year old short stop with a great glove and good speed swiping 28 bases, but his bat was singles power only with a .292 SLG. Denny Doyle at second hit .231 with 24 RBI in 95 games and only 12 doubles. He really sat buried in the lineup and had no place as an everyday option. John Vukovich at 23 years old was at third for 74 games with a .400 OPS and a .166 batting average; enough said. Deron Johnson actually put together an impressive year hitting 34 home runs with 95 RBI and a respectable .265 average, He had am .836 OPS and was the best thing going at Veterans Stadium in 1971. Tim McCarver came with a great reputation of winning and did a great job with the staff while he also hit .278 with 20 doubles and even 5 steals, he was still a very productive player. Don Money played in 121 games and was needed although he sported a .223 average and 80 strikeouts. Ron Stone played in 95 games hitting .227 and Terry Harmon batting .204 in 79 games proving that the Phillies bench was par for the course for this club. The Phlly pitching had a lot to do and really fought to keep games close. Rick Wise somehow won 17 games with avery impressive 2.88 ERA. He walked only 70 batters in 272 innings and had a good WHIP at 1.25. Wise deserves more credit then he gets for this particular season. Barry Lersch was 5-14 with a 3.78 and had a excellent WHIP of 1.18 proving that he could be trusted. He did allow a whopping 28 home runs however. Chris Short had a 3.85 ERA with a 4.15 FIP and a 92 ERA+ making his a decent third starter. After the top three the rotation fell off quite a bit as Ken Reynolds had a 1.50 WHIP with 4.5 BB per nine and some real command concerns to go along with Jim Bunning who at 39 years old was way past it, as the Philly legend ended with a 5,48 ERA in 8 starts. Joe Hoerner was a very good end of game closer with a 1.97 ERA and nine saves, he was a nightmare on left handed hitters. Woodile Fryman made 17 starts as well but transitioned to the pen with a 3.38 ERA. Bill Champion and Bill Wilson also helped make up a decent bullpen. There were many challenges for Frank Lucchesi and this team but none will be bigger then a very strong Oakland team standing in their way.
Game 1 At Oakland Coliseum
49 partly cloudy
1971 Phillies......................1
2018 Athletics....................3
WP: T. Cahill (1-0) LP: W. Fryman (0-1) S: B. Treinan (1)
HR: K. Davis (1)
POG: Trevor Cahill
2018 Athletics lead series 1-0
A three run swing of the bat by Khris Davis was the winning margin in this one as the slugger went deep in the sixth inning to turn around a 1-0 deficit against Woodie Fryman and the Phillies. Trevor Cahill went seven innings allowing only one run and striking out 11 at which point the Oakland pen took over and held the lead with Blake Treinan getting the save. Just the type of win the Athletics had hoped for to open the series. Even worse Larry Bowa suffered an injury in the loss for Philly.
Game 2 At Oakland Coliseum
Clear 61
1971 Phillies.........................3
2018 Athletics.......................2
WP: R. Wise (1-0) LP: S. Manaea (0-1) S: J. Hoerner (1)
HR: S. Piscotty (1), D. Johnsin (1), D. Money (1)
POG: Rick Wise
Series tied at 1
Don Money hit a two run home run in the sixth inning to put the visting Phillies ahead and support Rick Wise who had his good stuff and would need limited support. Wise went into the 8th inning striking out five before the call was made to Joe Hoerner to pull him out of a hole and close the deal. The first two games of this series have been very nip and tuck, and the A's may be in for more of a fight then they anticipated. Next stop Philly.
Game 3 At Veterans Stadium
Partly cloudy 51
2018 Athletics..................3
1971 Phillies....................1
WP: F. Montas (1-0) LP: J. Bunning (0-1) S: B. Trienen (2)
HR: M. Chapman (1), S. Piscotty (2)
POG: Frankie Montas
2018 Athletics lead series 2-1
Once again it was the long ball that made the differance in a tight game. Down by a run and the old vet Jim Bunning on the hill, Matt Chapman hit a solo home run in the 6th to tie the game and in the same inning Steven Piscotty hit a two run shot to put the A's up for good. Once again the Oakland pen held the lead all the way giving the win to Frankie Montas who walked six but allowed only one earned run.
Game 4 At Veterans Stadium
Clear 62
2018 Athletics.................9
1971 Phillies...................4
WP: B. Anderson (1-0) LP: B. Lersch (0-1)
HR: J. Briggs (1), W. Montanaz (1), M. Olson (1), R. Laureano (1)
POG: Matt Olson
2018 Athletics lead series 3-1
Matt Olson hit a three run home run in the first inning and Oakland scored five runs in the first two innings battering Phillies starter Barry Lersch and setting the pace for a 14 hit victory. Ramon Laureano also added a home run and scored two runs to support Brett Anderson in the win. Oakland now have control of the series.
Game 5 At Veterans Stadium
Clear 50
2018 Athletics...................4
1971 Phillies.....................8
WP: B. Brandon (1-0) LP: T. Cahill (1-1)
HR: W. Montanaz 2 (3), J. Briggs (2), M. Canha (1)
POG: Willie Montanez
2018 Athletics lead series 3-2
Willie Montanez drilled two home runs as the Phillies came from behind to get the win and extend the series. Montanez drove in as did Deron Johnson and John Briggs. Matt Canha hit a three run home run early to put the A's ahead but on this night for a change the Oakland pitching and Trevor Cahill were off the mark. Bucky Brandon picks up the win in relief.
Game 6 At Veterans Stadium
Partly Cloudy 48
1971 Phillies.....................4
2018 Athlletics..................8
WP: S. Manaea (1-1) LP: R. Wise (1-1) S: P. Blackburn (1)
HR: J. Briggs (3), D. Johnson (2), S. Piscotty (3), M. Olson (2)
POG: Stephen Piscotty
A six run bottom of the sixth inning broke this game wide open and set the Athletics up for the series clincher. Jonathon Lucroy drove in 3 runs from the 9th spot while Stephen Piscotty drove in two and scored three times. Rick Wise who had looked so good in his last outing, allowed five in this one and did not survive the big inning. Sean Manaea wasnt sharp, but did log six innings and was stubborn enough for the win. The A's win the series as deserved in six.
2018 Oakland Athletics Win Series 4 Games To 2
Series MVP:
Stephen Piscotty
(.250, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .700 SLG, 6 R, .348 OBP)