ST. PETERSBURG
http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aledmys-diaz-jersey , Fla. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics missed out this weekend on gaining ground to
host the AL wild-card game.Khris Davis hit a grand slam in the ninth inning but
the Athletics again came up short, beaten by the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on
Sunday.“It was good to see on a day that looks like we’re dragging a little bit
or a little bit flat to be able to put up a four-spot like that,” Oakland
manager Bob Melvin said.The A’s remained 1 ½ games behind the New York Yankees
for the top AL wild-card spot. Oakland lost for the second straight day at
Tropicana Field — the Yankees fell to Toronto both days.Oakland dropped 4 ½
games behind AL West-leading Houston, which beat Arizona.Tampa Bay trails
Oakland by seven games with 14 games left.C.J. Cron and Willy Adames homered off
A’s starter Mike Fiers. Eight Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a
four-hitter.“Oakland came in here as hot as any team and we pitched like we
needed to,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.Down 5-0, the A’s loaded the bases with
no outs in the ninth on three walks by Jake Faria. After Jose Alvarado struck
out Jed Lowrie, Sergio Romo allowed Davis’ major league-leading and career-high
tying 43rd homer before getting the final two outs for his 21st save.Davis’
second career slam gave him 115 RBIs, second in the majors to the 122 for
Boston’s J.D. Martinez.Fiers (12-7) dropped to 5-1 over eight starts since being
acquired from Detroit on Aug. 6. He gave up three runs and four hits in four
innings. The righty worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second.“Put
the guys behind early,” Fiers said. “Just too many jams, too many errant
pitches.”Cron had a two-run drive in the first and Adames hit a fourth-inning
solo shot. The Rays (82-66) secured their first winning season since reaching
the playoffs in 2013 (92-71) as an AL wild-card team.“There’s no way around it,
we’ve had a good year
http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aaron-loup-jersey ,” Cron said. “It’s just that the guys in front of us are having an exceptionally
good year. I think most years this (record) would be good enough for a playoff
spot.”Diego Castillo worked the first inning for the Rays, then Andrew Kittredge
(3-2), Hunter Wood and Jaime Schultz all went two innings apiece.Kittredge also
got the win in the Rays’ 7-5 victory Saturday night by retiring his only batter,
Mark Canha, on two-out, bases-loaded grounder in the eighth.Matt Olson, who went
2 for 3 with a walk, was the only Oakland player to reach base through seven
innings.Cron put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0 on his career-high 27th home, coming two
pitches after Lowrie could only get a forceout after bobbling an apparent
inning-ending double-play grounder to second by Ji-Man Choi.The Rays went up 5-0
in the seventh on Brandon Lowe’s two-run triple.TWENTY IS STILL SPECIALRays ace
Blake Snell (19-5) will be seeking a major league-leading 20th win in the second
of a three-game series Tuesday night at Texas. “I think it’s a huge stat for a
pitcher,” Cash said. “Sometimes you’re at the mercy of the club, I understand
that, but ultimately if you win 20 ballgames you’re going to put the club on
your back and carry a lot of the load. Blake has done that.”TRAINER’S
ROOMAthletics: RHP Trevor Cahill (upper back) is nearing a bullpen session and
might rejoin the rotation next weekend. “We’ll have a better indication once
gets off the mound and really has to extend
Matt Adams Jersey ,” Melvin said. “I think that’s where he was having his troubles.” Cahill is 6-3 in 19 starts.Rays: OF Tommy Pham, playing through groin
and right ring finger injuries was rested. … Cash said it is unclear if C
Michael Perez (left hamstring) will return this season.UP NEXTAthletics: RHP
Liam Hendriks (0-1) will be the opener for the sixth time this month Tuesday
night against the Los Angeles Angels.Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-4) will face
Texas RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1) on Monday night. LAS VEGAS (AP) — As Brian
Cashman tried to close a $34 million, two-year deal to keep left-hander J.A.
Happ, the New York Yankees general manager made clear Wednesday he could shift
his focus from pitching to high-priced free agents Bryce Harper and Manny
Machado at any moment.“We are prepared to pivot and react at any moment if
things change,” Cashman said. “You know where my current focuses are, but at the
same time we’re a fully operational Death Star.”Cashman has said all offseason
he has more than enough outfielders. Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, said earlier
in the day the Yankees had not told him they were uninterested in his top free
agent of the offseason. Employing yet another of his increasingly flamboyant
metaphors, Boras said the amount of teams currently seeking Harper is not nearly
as noteworthy as those bidding at negotiations’ end.Happ is a more imminent
target for a rotation projected to include Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC
Sabathia and James Paxton, acquired from Seattle in a trade. A first-time
All-Star
http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , Happ was acquired from Toronto on July 26 as a summer rental and went 7-0 with a
2.69 ERA in 11 starts for New York. He did lose at Boston in the Division Series
opener, allowing five runs in two innings.Now 36, Happ is negotiating a contract
that would pay $17 million in each of the next two seasons and include a $17
million option for 2021 that could become guaranteed based on starts and innings
in 2020.“A real pro,” Cashman said. “Had a veteran presence within that
clubhouse, knew exactly what was necessary and brought it every five days in the
most competitive division in all of baseball.”Cashman has expressed interest in
Machado since Didi Gregorius had Tommy John surgery in October, an injury likely
to sideline the shortstop for at least half the season. Machado is expected to
get the second-largest contract among this offseason’s free-agent class.The
Yankees also have been speaking with the crosstown rival Mets, a club they
rarely deal with on trade topics. Multi-team swaps involving Miami catcher J.T.
Realmuto have been discussed.“Brian and I have had a lot of discussions about a
lot of different things, and I don’t think he would waste my time and I think I
would waste his time without an appetite and a willingness to try to see where
we could line up,” new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “Whether
that happens this offseason or this week, time will tell. But I certainly don’t
think there will be closed doors for us being able to work together going
forward.”
