Week 13 – June 18th – 3 Steps forward and 2 Steps Back?
We have a 3-game series on the road against the Oakland Athletics kicking off today. We will meet at the Oakland Coliseum, which seats 35,067 and plays like a ballpark that favors pitchers. With a record of 29 wins and 45 losses, the Athletics have a winning percentage of 0.392. They are in 5th place in the West Division, 12.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 290 ranks 14th in the American League, and their .228 batting average ranks 15th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 324 runs (6th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.38, which ranks 9th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.45, ranking 2nd. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 1 win and 2 losses.
Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.73 ERA) vs RHP F. Tarnok (3-2, 3.66 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs RHP M. Spence (5-5, 4.27 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (4-5, 4.50 ERA) vs LHP J. Sears (4-5, 5.17 ERA)
The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CL Mason Miller (Age: 25, Overall: 60, Potential: 60)
2. CF Esteury Ruiz (25, 60, 60)
3. RP Lucas Erceg (29, 50, 50)
4. SS Adeiny Hechavarría (35, 50, 50)
5. 1B Brent Rooker (29, 50, 50)
Game Summary – June 18th – Tarnok in Cruise Control in 12-2 Win
Oakland starter Freddy Tarnok kept the Kansas City offense under wraps, while his team rolled to victory, 12-2. The Athletics sport a record of 30-45. Tarnok allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 8 innings for the Athletics. With the win, he is 4-2 with an ERA of 3.29.
"I know we have our doubters," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard. "But I still have high hopes for this team."
Yes, I still have high hopes, of course, but how do we come out here to the west coast and sweep the LA Dodgers just 2 days ago, then come back out here and lose this badly? I’m stumped for an answer to that, but it just feels like we take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back every week with these series. I mean, this is Oakland for Christ’s sake! And we had a day off! WTF? And look at the miserable attendance. What a joke.
GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Freddy Tarnok
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (63 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM PT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 8238