Athletics Split Series With Rays
Jun 23, 2019, 4:36 PM | Updated: 4:36 pm
(Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Matt Chapman enjoyed a huge series against Tampa Bay (2 HR, 5 RBI)
The Oakland Athletics split a hard fought four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, capped off by an 8-2 loss on Sunday afternoon.
Brett Anderson struggled against the Rays offense as he surrendered seven runs over three innings of work. Chad Pindar picked up three hits in the loss as Oakland fell to 41-38 on the season.
The A’s will be back in action on Tuesday night in St. Louis when they face the Cardinals.
Game 3: Saturday, June 22 – A’s 4, Rays 2
Matt Chapman drilled his 18th home run of the year while Mike Fiers tossed six strong innings of one-run ball as the A’s defeated the Rays 4-2 on Saturday.
Chapman and Ramon Laureano picked up two hits apiece to pace the offense as Yusmeiro Petit and Liam Hendriks closed it out with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Game 2: Friday, June 21 – Rays 5, A’s 3
Tampa Bay outlasted Oakland in a seesaw battle on Friday evening as they defeated the A’s by a final of 5-3. Matt Olson went three-for-four with a home run and two RBI’s while Khris Davis and Jurickson Profar each collected two hits in the losing effort.
Game 1: Thursday, June 20 – A’s 5, Rays 4
Like Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over until it’s over”.
After giving up three runs in the top of the inning, Oakland entered the bottom of the ninth inning staring a 4-1 deficit in the face. After a few hits pulled the A’s within two runs, Matt Chapman stepped into the box with two on and two out. Chapman deposited a three-run walk-off home run into the left-center field seats to cap off the incredible comeback as the Athletics stunned the Rays by a score of 5-4.
Frankie Montas, who has another strong performance on Thursday, was handed an 80-game ban from Major League Baseball for violating the MLB Joint Drug Agreement. Montas will now miss, essentially, the rest of the regular season and postseason if Oakland were able to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Montas had been enjoying a breakout season as he sported a 9-2 record with a 2.70 ERA over 15 starts.
