MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The recent changes in leadership by the Athletics have shown immediate results for the Organization. David Forst lost his GM position with the team on August 7th, and the A’s have won two of the last three series.

Given the fact that the A’s were on a streak of twelve consecutive series with either a series loss/tie, this isn’t a coincidence.

The bullpen is showing defined roles for the first time all season, and the results, while still inconsistent, are positive.

(Athletics: 8-3)
On Friday night “The Flying Squirrel”, Jeff McNeil had one of the finest games of his career with the Athletics, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, and the A’s won 8-3.

Carlos Cortes got it started early for the A’s when he hit a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in the bottom of the 1st, to give the A’s an early 3-0 lead.

Texas 1b Jake Burger, who brutalized the A’s pitching staff all series, tied the game with a 3-run bomb off starter Gage Jump in the 6th-inning. At 106 mph off the bat, the ball landed 428 feet later and it ended Jump’s day on the mound.

McNeil hit his home run in the 6th-inning, a solo-shot, and he later added a 2-run double, and was just 90-feet from hitting for the cycle.

Lawrence Butler also homered for the Athletics, the third game in a row for “Law Dawg”, and Luis Medina (W 3-3, 3.67) worked an inning-and-a-third and took the series-opening win.

(Rangers: 5-3)
Henry Bolte also came up a triple short of the cycle in this series, and he started Saturday off by hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the 2nd-inning. The ball hit the left side of the foul pole in left field, and careened into the landing for a 3-0 Athletics lead.

A’s starter JT Ginn pitched six innings, which isn’t frequently accomplished by Athletics starters, and was effective through the first four innings. Ginn (L 8-7, 3.53) allowed a run in the 5th, but a 2-run homer by Wyatt Langford in the sixth put the Rangers ahead to stay.

Three runs came across before a single out was recorded, but Ginn settled back down to strike out two of the next three batters, keeping it close.

Texas added an insurance run in the 9th-inning, but it wasn’t necessary, as the A’s went down 1-2-3 to end the game.

(Athletics: 5-2)
Henry Bolte had his second consecutive 3-for-5 day, and the seventh in his young rookie campaign, leading four other Athletics with multi-hit days at the plate.

The scoring began for Texas, with the same culprit in Jake Burger, who hit a solo-home run off of A’s starter Jacob Lopez, his 21st of the year. 
Lawrence Butler got the lead for the A’s in the bottom half of the inning, when he hit a two-run blast 107 mph off the bat, scoring Tommy White, and giving the Athletics a 2-1 lead.

Lopez copied JT Ginn and he too went a full six innings for the A’s, but as with everyone on the bump for the A’s, he had issues with Jake Burger. 

Burger had an RBI-groundout to tie the game in the third, showing even when things aren’t perfect he causes damage for the Athletics.

The A’s pulled away in the seventh inning, when after another Henry Bolte single, Zack Gelof launched a 403 ft missile onto the rt-ctr picnic grass for a 4-2 lead.

Tommy “Tanks” White finally hit his first career home run in the 8th-inning for the A’s, giving the team a 5-2 lead, and certifying his nickname at the pro-level.

The Athletics Luis Medina (W 4-3, 3.60) relieved Lopez and went a full inning for the win, and the second series win in three chances since GM David Forst was shown the door.

Next: 8/17 440pm PST @ Royals Kauffman Stadium Kansas City, Mo