Oakland Athletics News

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ Manager Bob Geren and second baseman Mark Ellis are staying with the Oakland Athletics for at least the near future. The A's picked up contract options for Geren and Ellis on Monday, locking up Geren through 2009 and Ellis for the 2008 season. Geren, who had extensive managerial experience in the minors and overseas and is a longtime friend of general manager Billy Beane, signed a two-year contract for his first managerial job ...

The Oakland Athletics and left-handed reliever Alan Embree agreed to a US$5.5- million, two-year contract Wednesday, and the club also was closing in on a one-year deal with Mike Piazza. Oakland general manager Billy Beane didn't expect anything to be finalized with Piazza until later in the week. ``I don't think it's any secret we've been pursuing Mike Piazza and I would say we're getting close,'' Beane said. ``Anytime you ...

The Oakland Athletics need a designated hitter, and they aren't going far for one potential candidate to fill the spot: Barry Bonds. A's general manager Billy Beane has had conversations with Bonds' agent Jeff Borris about the 42-year-old slugger, who has played the past 14 seasons with San Francisco. Oakland lost Frank Thomas on Friday when he finalized an US$18.12 million, two-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bonds, who became a free agent after the season at ...

The Toronto Blue Jays finalized an US$18-million, two-year deal with veteran slugger Frank Thomas on Friday. The contract includes a $10 million option for the 2009 season. The Blue Jays reached a tentative deal with the six-foot-five, 275-pound 38-year-old Wednesday night and spent Thursday wrapping up the details. Thomas spent the 2006 season with the Oakland Athletics batting .270 with 39 homers 114 RBIs. He takes over Toronto's vacant DH ...

The Oakland Athletics' monthlong search for a new manager spanned from Japan to New York _ then ended where it started with bench coach Bob Geren, the man who sat alongside fired skipper Ken Macha all season. The A's announced Friday morning that Geren will be promoted to his first managerial job in the majors after extensive experience managing in the minor leagues and in winter ball. Two A's players ...

The Toronto Blue Jays, starting to reshape their roster for the 2007 season, are on the verge of signing veteran slugger Frank Thomas to a two-year deal. A source close to the talks said late Wednesday night that an agreement was near with only the final details remaining to be ironed out. Reports suggest the contract could be worth US$20 million and contain an option for 2009. Barring any last-minute ...

The Oakland Athletics narrowed their list of managerial candidates to three Monday, eliminating Trey Hillman from consideration. The team said that because Hillman had a contractual obligation to give notice to his club in Japan either way, Oakland informed him earlier in the day of its decision to move forward in the process without him. A's bench coach Bob Geren, Colorado Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk and ESPN baseball analyst ...

The Oakland Athletics have fired manager Ken Macha. The move comes just two days after the A's were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. The A's went 368-280 in his four seasons as manager. But the team has frustrated management and fans by failing to get to the World Series. The A's won the AL West this season and swept the Minnesota Twins in the ...

Kenny Rogers took off his cap, waved it to the crowd and twirled around for all to see. And that sent a real chill to the fans packing Comerica Park. Because of him, they can really start dreaming about seeing their Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Rogers pitched the game of his life once again and the Tigers backed him with their bats, gloves and legs, beating the Oakland Athletics 3-0 on a frosty Friday to ...

Ken Macha hopped out of his loaner Hummer that brings Oakland's manager far more attention than he'd prefer, and made his way into the Coliseum for a team workout. ``Is something going on?'' he said, hardly a sarcastic tone to his voice. ``All these trucks.'' TV trucks, setting up for the Athletics' first AL championship series since 1992. For Macha, leading the AL West-champion A's past the first round of ...

Alexis Gomez impressed his teammates time and again by routinely hitting long home runs. In batting practice, that is. Still, Jim Leyland trusted his gut and went with the little-used Gomez as Detroit's designated hitter for Game 2 of the American League championship series _ yet another spot-on call by the Tigers manager this post-season. The result: a 2-0 advantage heading home to Motown. Gomez hit a go-ahead, two-run single and later added a two-run homer to lead the ...

The Oakland Athletics never saw this particular curve from Barry Zito coming. The A's steady ace got rattled and routed in Game 1 of the AL championship series on Tuesday night, failing to get out of the fourth inning in arguably his biggest start for the club. The left-hander with one of baseball's most beautiful curveballs gave up seven hits, three walks and all of the Detroit Tigers' runs in ...

Brandon Inge and Ivan Rodriguez homered to knock Oakland ace Barry Zito out of the game, and the Detroit Tigers rolled to a 5-0 lead over the Athletics after six innings in Game 1 of the AL championship series Tuesday night. Inge had three hits, including a run-scoring double during the rally that chased Zito, who retired Detroit's first eight batters and then fell apart in the fourth inning of ...

Kenny Rogers will have to wait until a possible Game 7 of the AL championship series to build on his success in Oakland. Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland decided not to use the left-hander in Game 2 at the Coliseum, holding him back until the series shifts back to Detroit for Game 3 on Friday. Rogers has dominated in Oakland _ both for and against the Athletics. He is 25-4 ...

Ten of Oakland's top decision makers held a closed-door meeting in the manager's office Sunday and cast their votes on who should start for the Athletics in Game 2 of the AL championship series _ Victoria native Rich Harden or Esteban Loaiza. The tally: Harden 5, Loaiza 5. Loaiza won the tiebreaker based on his health, recent results and reliability. Harden has only pitched three times since missing more than three months with an elbow injury. As expected, ...

The Oakland Athletics have increased their efforts to re-sign Frank Thomas, offering the Big Hurt a two-year deal. The A's made the offer on Thursday _ when general manager Billy Beane spoke to Thomas' agent, Arn Tellem. Thomas has repeatedly said he wanted nothing less than a two-year deal, and Oakland previously offered one year with an option for 2008. ``They've offered two years, but we're still a long way away,'' Thomas told The Associated Press on Friday ...

The Oakland Athletics swept away years of first-round futility. Milton Bradley homered and threw out Torii Hunter in a disputed play at the plate as the A's snapped a stretch of nine straight losses in potential playoff clinchers, beating Minnesota 8-3 Friday to reach the AL championship series for the first time in 14 years. The A's never trailed in finishing off the Twins in three games and will face either the Detroit Tigers or New York ...

Oakland outfielder Milton Bradley found himself in hot water _ or hot coffee, more accurately _ after a mishap in the Athletics' dugout during Game 2 of the playoffs Wednesday. Television cameras caught Bradley being separated from an Athletics coach in the fourth inning after accidentally spilling some coffee on starter Esteban Loaiza. ``It was an accident. Milton Bradley came into the dugout, threw his batting gloves up, hit the ...

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis broke his right index finger during an at-bat in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the AL division series on Wednesday. X-rays taken after the Athletics' 5-2 win over Minnesota revealed the fracture. His status will be updated on Thursday at the team's workout in Oakland. The Athletics lead the best-of-five series 2-0 heading into Friday's Game 3. Ellis went 2-for-4 with two ...

The Twins' piranhas have keyed an offensive resurgence this season in Minnesota, relentlessly chomping away at opposing pitchers to key big rallies. They had no such success in Game 2 of the AL division series against Oakland on Wednesday, looking more like harmless goldfish in a 5-2 loss to the Athletics that left the Twins facing an 0-2 deficit. After jump-starting so many big innings down the stretch for the ...

Right after two of his Minnesota teammates hit back-to-back home runs, Torii Hunter tried to be the hero. Instead, the Gold Glove centre-fielder made an ill-advised dive for a sinking line drive. Sprawled on the turf, he could only watch as Mark Kotsay circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run that lifted the Oakland Athletics over Minnesota 5-2 Wednesday for a 2-0 lead in their AL playoff series. A's ...

Capitalizing on questionable judgment by a diving Torii Hunter, Oakland's Mark Kotsay hit an inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the AL division series against Minnesota on Wednesday. With the score tied 2-2 and two outs, Kotsay got ahead of lefty reliever Dennys Reyes before roping a line drive toward right-centre. Five-time Gold Glove winner Hunter dove for the ball, but wasn't even close, and ...

Oakland's Frank Thomas went 3-for-4 on Tuesday, but nearly lost a hit in the seventh thanks to a heads-up play by Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer. The 38-year-old Thomas ripped a sharp single to right and lumbered toward first base. Cuddyer, who was playing shallow on the hit, scooped up the ball and unleashed a throw to first base. The crowd stood on its feet in anticipation, but Thomas just ...

In the place where Johan Santana usually can't be beaten, Barry Zito and Frank Thomas slowed Minnesota's momentum and gave Oakland a big boost to start this AL division series. Zito threw eight innings of one-run ball, besting Santana behind two big home runs by Thomas and sending the Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the Twins on Tuesday afternoon. Minnesota rookie Boof Bonser will start against Oakland's Esteban Loaiza ...

Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha said Tuesday that right-hander Dan Haren will start Game 3 of the AL divisional series against Minnesota, followed by righty Rich Harden of Victoria in Game 4. Haren has been a horse for the A's this season, going 14-13 with a 4.12 ERA in 223 innings. The last time he faced the Twins, he threw eight shutout innings in the Metrodome on Sept. 13 for ...

Brendan Donnelly's throwing error enabled Jeremy Brown to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning Sunday, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-10 to avoid being swept in a season-ending four-game series. The A's, who played the finale like an exhibition game, open their best-of-five division series Tuesday at Minnesota, the AL Central champion. The Twins went 6-4 against Oakland this season, including 5-1 at the ...

Chone Figgins, batting fourth for the first time in his career, drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning with a bases-loaded single and Francisco Rodriguez set a club record with his major league-leading 47th save as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 Saturday night. Figgins, who has spent most of his career as a leadoff hitter before getting dropped to the ninth spot ...