MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

To maintain employment, I preface this entire column with condolences to my editor, Joe T., for the demise of his glorious New York Mets.

How many A’s fans sat in the mancave on the Monday off-day, thinking “I bet we win 2-of-3 at Yankees Stadium and then sweep the Mets at CITI Field?”

The Athletics continued to re-invent themselves, pulling off a sweep of the Mets over the weekend, and the series began Friday with a 4-0 win.

After serving up a dish of shutout to the Yanks on the way out, the Athletics had leftovers and, served cold or hot, made the Mets eat their food before sending them to bed.

In all seriousness, the Athletics have settled into a nice rhythm, and were seeing the Mets at the right time.

New A’s starter JT Ginn went four innings, giving up just one hit, and recently promoted Jack Perkins (1-0. 0.00) who tossed 2 1/3 innings of 3-hit relief, took the win.

Catcher Shea Langeliers started the scoring with an RBI-Single in the third off Mets starter Clay Holmes. Holmes pitched a good game, lasting 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one run, and it took until the ninth for the A’s to pile-on some insurance.

In the ninth, Jacob Wilson hit the first pitch into left field for a single, and an error allowed him second base. Jeff McNeil followed with another hit one-pitch later, that drove in Wilson.

Max Muncy promptly doubled to make it three hits in three pitches, and Denzel Clarke hit a 2-run single to round out scoring.

The A’s found their bats Saturday, crushing New York 11-6, and Tyler Soderstrom drove in five, going 3-for-5 with two home runs. Mets hurler Kodai Senga pitched what amounted to batting practice, being chased after just 2 1/3 innings. The Athletics banged out 15 hits, including three by McNeil, and two each by Wilson and Muncy. Carlos Cortes is getting AB’s with Brent Rooker sidelined, and he hit a 3-run homer in the game.

The Mets didn’t make it easy, led by superstar Bo Bichette’s 2-for-3 day, and home run off starter Jacob Lopez. Jorge Polanco touched up Lopez (1-1, 7.43) with a bomb of his own, but Lopez lasted into the sixth and got the win.

It was McNeil’s first return to New York since his trade to the A’s, and he absolutely crushed his former team, going 6-for-13 (.461). In fact, McNeil owned the Big Apple on the entire road trip with ten hits, and three doubles. He is looking like the former-batting champion the Athletics were hoping to see.

With the win came the third series win in a row, but the Athletics weren’t done with the Mets.

Like the last piece of pizza, the A’s found enough “shutout” to dish up a 1-0 pitching gem and sweep New York Sunday morning.

While pitching the fourth shutout in eight games is a story, this game will be remembered as the game Nick Kurtz finally homered. When he was promoted last season, it took Kurtz 17 games to hit his first home run, and he went on to hit 36 home runs in just 117 games, including his 4-bomb night in Houston.

Like a year ago Kurtz took awhile to get going, 15 games to get a pitch he wanted, but he hits home runs in bunches and could hit four or five this week in West Sacramento.

Aaron Civale (2-0, 1.72) won his second game of the season with a dominant performance, and he needed to be great with Mets starter Freddie Peralta going six innings of one run ball. On any other day the Mets win this game, as former Athletics starter Sean Manaea followed Peralta with three hitless innings of relief of his own.

The only scoring was Kurtz third inning shot, and with Civale controlling the bump, the A’s took 5-of-6 on the New York road trip.

Joel Kuhnel was brought up last week, had two saves on the trip, and looked solid in relief.

Next: Rangers @ A’s Tonight 6:40pm Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento