SB Nation Bay Area - Athletics vs. Tigers: Hideki Matsui Hits 500th Home Run In Oakland Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2011-07-21T03:00:53-07:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/20476652011-07-21T03:00:53-07:002011-07-21T03:00:53-07:00MLBAM Video: Hideki Matsui's 500th Career Home Run
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<p>Wednesday evening, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> DH <span>Hideki Matsui</span> joined an exclusive club as he hit his 500th career home run between Japan and the United States. Matsui hit number 500 off the right field foul pole in the A's 7-5 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a>. His home run, hit on a 1-0 pitch leading off the sixth inning gave the A's a 3-2 lead they would relinquish in the bottom of the sixth and recapture in the top of the seventh. You can <a target="_blank" href="http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_07_20_oakmlb_detmlb_1&highlight_content_id=17105961&c_id=oak">view video of Matsui's home run at athletics.mlb.com</a>. We've also got some YouTube embedded after the jump for now so we'll see how long that remains available for viewing.</p>
<p>The home run was number 168 since Godzilla came to Major League Baseball. This followed 332 home runs in Japan while playing for the Yomiuri <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a>. While with the Japanese Giants he averaged just under 39 home runs per season. His numbers declined in MLB but he has still put together five seasons of 20+ home runs. This season he's on pace for 11 or 12, but it's possible getting number 500 out of the way will allow him to refocus.</p>
<p><b>Hideki Matsui's 500th career home run</b></p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PEo3IjlHiAo" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/21/2286225/video-hideki-matsui-500th-career-home-run-mlbamDavid Fucillo2011-07-20T19:37:53-07:002011-07-20T19:37:53-07:00Hideki Matsui Hits 500th Home Run In Athletics 7-5 Win Over Tigers
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> completed a split of their two-game series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> on a night that saw <span>Hideki Matsui</span> finally hit his 500th career home run between Japan and the United States. Matsui hit his 499th home run June 16 against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>, and one has to wonder if he was pressing a bit to get that big number 500. The home run was part of a strong overall day as he was 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and a run scored in the 7-5 A’s victory. You can view <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17105961&partnerId=aw-6565644168615116825-1039" target="new">video of the 500th home at the A’s home page</a>.</p>
<p>The A’s benefited from a rare offensive explosion as they found themselves taking an early lead and then having to come back from a deficit. Oakland took an early 2-0 lead on an <span>Eric Sogard</span> groundout and a Matsui <span class="caps">RBI</span> infield single. The Tigers then evened the score at two with a groundout and single of their own.</p>
<p>The A’s then captured the lead in the sixth inning on Matsui’s big home run, which came with nobody out and nobody on and on a 1-0 count. The bottom of the sixth saw the A’s hand the lead right back on singles by <span>Magglio Ordonez</span> and <span>Miguel Cabrera</span>, followed by a <span>Victor Martinez</span> double and <span>Don Kelly</span> sacrifice fly.</p>
<p>The rally gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead heading into the seventh, at which point their bullpen melted down. <span>David Purcey</span> walked <span>Landon Powell</span>, Eric Sogard and <span>Coco Crisp</span> to start the inning at which point he was pulled for <span>Joaquin Benoit</span>. The A’s proceeded to grab a Pennington single, a Willingham sacrifice fly, and then Matsui and Jackson singles to take a 7-5 lead.</p>
<p>The A’s bullpen slammed the door shot from there on out with three shutout innings from <span>Brad Ziegler</span>, <span>Craig Breslow</span>, <span>Grant Balfour</span> and <span>Andrew Bailey</span>. <span>Joey Devine</span> claimed the victory and Andrew Bailey the save as the A’s improve to 43-55. They’ll head off to New York City to face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> for three games this weekend.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/20/2285991/hideki-matsui-hits-500th-home-run-video-athletics-tigers-winDavid Fucillo2011-07-20T13:56:08-07:002011-07-20T13:56:08-07:00Athletics vs. Tigers: Jemile Weeks Out Of Lineup With Sore Foot
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> look to split their two-game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> on Wednesday without their most explosive player. <span>Jemile Weeks</span> fouled a pitch off his right foot on Tuesday and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/JaneMLB/status/93775435187503105" target="new">is still feeling a bit sore</a>. However, he did state he would be available off the bench if needed. <span>Eric Sogard</span> will get the start at second base in place of Weeks. This is the first game Weeks will have missed since he was called up in early June.</p>
<p>The A’s will send out <span>Brandon McCarthy</span> to face recently recalled <span>Duane Below</span> who is making his major league debut. Below underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009 shortly after his promotion to Double-A and has finally worked his way back. In 18 starts at Triple-A Toledo, Below was 9-4 with a 3.13 <span class="caps">ERA</span> and 83 strikeouts in 115 innings. The A’s will look to figure out a way to get some offense going against the new starter.</p>
<p><strong><u>Oakland Athletics</u></strong><br>
1. <span>Coco Crisp</span> CF<br>
2. <span>Cliff Pennington</span> SS<br>
3. <span>Josh Willingham</span> LF<br>
4. <span>Hideki Matsui</span> DH<br>
5. <span>Conor Jackson</span> 3B<br>
6. <span>Kurt Suzuki</span> C<br>
7. <span>David DeJesus</span> RF<br>
8. <span>Landon Powell</span> 1B<br>
9. Eric Sogard 2B</p>
<p><strong><u>Detroit Tigers</u></strong><br>
1. <span>Austin Jackson</span> CF<br>
2. <span>Brennan Boesch</span> LF<br>
3. Magglio Ordonez RF<br>
4. <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> 1B<br>
5. <span>Victor Martinez</span> DH<br>
6. <span>Carlos Guillen</span> 2B<br>
7. <span>Alex Avila</span> C<br>
8. <span>Don Kelly</span> 3B<br>
9. <span>Ramon Santiago</span> SS</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/20/2285460/athletics-vs-tigers-jemile-weeks-out-of-lineup-sore-foot-duane-belowDavid Fucillo2011-07-19T19:21:17-07:002011-07-19T19:21:17-07:00Athletics vs. Tigers: Miguel Cabrera Blasts Tigers Past Guillermo Moscoso
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> dropped an 8-3 decision to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> Tuesday night as <span>Guillermo Moscoso</span> was unable to recapture his pre-All Star break dominance. Moscoso kept things close through four innings and actually held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. However, he struggled mightily with location as a <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> two-run home run gave the Tigers a lead on they would not surrender.</p>
<p>Moscoso and Tigers starter <span>Rick Porcello</span> were able to work their around some jams early on. After the two teams exchanged zeros through the first three innings, the A’s were able to load the bases on Porcello with nobody out in the top of the fourth. Unfortunately the A’s could not convert any runs from the situation. <span>David DeJesus</span> grounded into a fielder’s choice at first in which <span>Coco Crisp</span> was forced out at home. That was followed by <span>Conor Jackson</span> hitting into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.</p>
<p>The Tigers grabbed a run in the bottom of the fourth following a Conor Jackson error that allowed <span>Victor Martinez</span> to score from first. Martinez slid around A’s catcher <span>Kurt Suzuki</span> to score the run. The A’s bounced back in the fifth with three runs thanks to three straight two-out hits. Kurt Suzuki led off the inning with a double before <span>Cliff Pennington</span> grounded out and <span>Jemile Weeks</span> flew out. <span>Ryan Sweeney</span> then singled to score Suzuki, followed by a Coco Crisp double put men on second and third, and concluded by a <span>Hideki Matsui</span> single scored Sweeney and Crisp.</p>
<p>Moscoso got the first out in the bottom of the fifth, but then ran into trouble as he put men on second and third after an <span>Austin Jackson</span> single and <span>Brennan Boesch</span> double. <span>Magglio Ordonez</span> sacrified in one run to cut the lead to 3-2, bringing up Miguel Cabrera. Although Moscoso was able to get two strikes on Cabrera, his location was off as he was missing down and away. Cabrera was just missing on pitches and it looked like Moscoso might escape the Tigers <span class="caps">MVP</span> candidate. However, he went to the well once too often and Cabrera made him pay with a two-run home run.</p>
<p>The inning quickly fell apart from there as <span>Jhonny Peralta</span> later hit an <span class="caps">RBI</span> single and <span>Carlos Guillen</span> added a two-run home run. By the time Moscoso left he had given up seven runs, six of them earned, on nine pitches and one walk over 4 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>Given the A’s general offensive struggles their chances of a comeback were slim. They managed four singles (two of which were infield singles) and not much else, falling quietly 8-3.</p>
<p>The teams wrap up the brief two-game series with a 4:05pm start time on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on <span class="caps">CSN</span> California and features <span>Brandon McCarthy</span> vs. <span>Jacob Turner</span>.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/19/2284115/athletics-vs-tigers-miguel-cabrera-home-run-guillermo-moscosoDavid Fucillo2011-07-19T14:10:29-07:002011-07-19T14:10:29-07:00Athletics vs. Tigers: Josh Willingham Out Of Oakland Starting Lineup
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> will face off with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> Tuesday afternoon at 4:00pm pacific looking to build on the momentum of their series victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Los Angeles Angels</a>. The matchup features <span>Guillermo Moscoso</span> taking on <span>Rick Porcello</span> as the Tigers will look to hang steady behind the AL Central-leading <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a>.</p>
<p>In an interesting twist, the A’s have sat outfielder <span>Josh Willingham</span> for the series opener, instead going with <span>Ryan Sweeney</span> in left field and placing <span>Coco Crisp</span> in the three spot in the lineup. More than likely this is simply the A’s looking to get some quality matchups given Sweeney’s success against right handed batters. At the same time, it’s an interesting decision if the team is in fact <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/14/2276212/2011-mlb-trade-deadline-news-trade-rumors-oakland-athletics-a-s-as-sellers" target="new">shopping Willingham in advance of the trade deadline</a>. One would think the A’s would want to showcase the outfielder, but there is also the idea of actually trying to win games.</p>
<p>First pitch is scheduled for 4:05pm pacific on <span class="caps">CSN</span> California.</p>
<p><strong><u>Oakland Athletics</u></strong><br>
1. <span>Jemile Weeks</span> 2B<br>
2. Ryan Sweeney LF<br>
3. Coco Crisp CF<br>
4. <span>Hideki Matsui</span> DH<br>
5. <span>Scott Sizemore</span> 3B<br>
6. <span>David DeJesus</span> RF<br>
7. <span>Conor Jackson</span> 1B<br>
8. <span>Kurt Suzuki</span> C<br>
9. <span>Cliff Pennington</span> SS</p>
<p><strong><u>Detroit Tigers</u></strong><br>
1. <span>Austin Jackson</span> CF<br>
2. <span>Brennan Boesch</span> LF<br>
3. Magglio Ordonez RF<br>
4. <span>Miguel Cabrera</span> 1B<br>
5. <span>Victor Martinez</span> DH<br>
6. <span>Jhonny Peralta</span> SS<br>
7. <span>Carlos Guillen</span> 2B<br>
8. <span>Alex Avila</span> C<br>
9. <span>Brandon Inge</span> 3B</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/oakland-athletics/2011/7/19/2283678/athletics-vs-tigers-josh-willingham-trade-rumors-oakland-lineupDavid Fucillo2011-07-19T13:58:02-07:002011-07-19T13:58:02-07:00Athletics vs. Tigers: A's Take Post-All Star Momentum On The Road
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<p>The Oakland Athletics begin their first road of the post-All Star game campaign hoping to carry some positive momentum forward. The A's opened the second half with three wins in a four-game home series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Los Angeles Angels</a>. Although the A's actually lost a half game in the standings during the series, they were at least able to make a move in the right direction towards the .500 mark. The A's 2011 season has been filled with a variety of calamities and rather than worry about making the playoffs, it's all about baby steps towards respectability.</p>
<p>The A's get a pair of tough challenges this week as they play two games at the Detroit Tigers and three more at the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">New York Yankees</a>. The Tigers currently sit a game back of the first place <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> in the AL Central and are five games over .500. The A's and Tigers played a four game set in Oakland in April and split the set in a fairly even score with the A's outscoring the Tigers 15-14 over the course of the series.</p>
<p>The A's will send out recently recalled Guillermo Moscoso and <span>Brandon McCarthy</span> to face Rick Porcello and <span>Jacob Turner</span> in a pair of evening games. Moscoso sits at 3-4 with a 2.16 ERA and makes his first start for Oakland since July 6. He was sent down to Sacramento after the start primarily to get work in over the All Star break. He made one start, lasting six innings and giving up three runs, two earned. He'll look to continue his recent hot streak for the A's in which he's lowered his ERA from 3.91 to 2.16.</p>
<p>Both games will air at 4:05pm pacific time on CSN California.</p>
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<h4>2 game series vs Tigers @ Comerica Park</h4>
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<p class="game-info"><span>Tuesday, Jul 19, 2011, 4:05 PM PDT</span><br> Comerica Park</p>
<p class="pitchers"><span>Guillermo Moscoso</span> vs <span>Rick Porcello</span></p>
<p class="weather"> Clear. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85.</p>
<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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<td class="td-first">Wed 07/20 - Brandon McCarthy vs. Jacob Turner</td>
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<td class="td-last"><span>4:05 PM PDT</span></td>
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https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/7/19/2338120/athletics-vs-tigers-as-take-post-all-star-momentum-on-the-roadDavid Fucillo