The Oakland A’s faltered out of the gate, but wound up salvaging the series victory against the Houston Astros by taking the final two games of the series. However, there was bigger news from the Oakland clubhouse earlier in the day when Billy Beane decided enough was enough from Jim Johnson.

Johnson was designated for assignment by the A’s and is expected to clear waivers. He has had an abysmal season in Oakland with a 6.92 ERA in 38 appearances. His WHIP is north of 2.00 and has accumulated a WAR of -1.3. Those aren’t numbers that should be expected from a guy who signed a $10 million annual salary to be the A’s closer from day one. The A’s announced they recalled RP Evan Scribner to take Johnson’s spot in the bullpen.  

#Athletics recall Evan Scribner from Sacramento and designate Jim Johnson for assignment.

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) July 24, 2014

Here is a recap of each of the three games against the Astros:

Game 1 final score: Astros 3, Athletics 2

SP Scott Kazmir got off to a rough start but was able to pitch out of trouble in the 1st, only to see things get worse in the 2nd inning when the Astros scored two runs (one earned). Kazmir finished settled down after the 2nd inning to complete 7 innings at a heavy 107 pitches. The A’s offense scored on two sacrifice plays and were unable to come through when it mattered most against Brett Oberholtzer and the Astros bullpen.  

In the 12th inning, LJ Hoes came up and hit what wound up being the game winning home run off of RP Fernando Abad.  

Game 2 final score: Athletics 9, Astros 7

In what should have been an easy victory for the Athletics, the Astros fought back to bring the tying run to the plate in the 8th inning, despite being down by 7 runs after 4 innings. The A’s offense was led by Home Run Derby champion, Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes homered in the 2nd inning driving home two others and then homered a second time in the 4th inning for two more RBI’s. John Jaso continued his hot hitting as well, driving in two runs on a 3-3 evening.  

It all turned sour shortly thereafter. Cespedes left the game with a right thumb injury. Despite the x-rays being negative, Cespedes was not in Thursday’s lineup and is essentially day-to-day, but could pinch-hit if it were needed. Then Jim Johnson took the mound in the 8th inning. The sequence that followed was a single, single, double, single, and call to the bullpen. Dan Otero didn’t fare much better in relief, as Bob Melvin had to go to the bullpen a third time to close out the inning with Luke Gregerson. Johnson’s latest struggles were more than enough evidence to support his DFA on Thursday.  

In the end, the A’s were able to salvage the victory despite the need to go much deeper into the bullpen than Melvin desired.  

Game 3 final score: Athletics 13, Astros 1

It was a total team effort to close out the series with a victory for Oakland. SP Jeff Samardzija went 8 innings, striking out six and allowing the one run on a Chris Carter home run. At the plate, the A’s received timely hitting up and down the lineup with seven different players driving in runs. The nail in the coffin came from Brandon Moss in the 6th inning when he hit a grand slam home run, bumping up the A’s lead to 8-1, before they grinded out another run later in the inning.

What’s Next?

The A’s hit the road to take on the Texas Rangers Friday through Sunday, with Sunday night’s game being bumped from ESPN due to the Rangers’ struggles. Pitching match-ups remain the same as noted in the A’s Weekly Preview. Pending tonight’s action, the A’s will either hold a 2 or 3 game lead on the Angels heading into the weekend.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
John Flesta
Displaced Oakland A's, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Timberwolves fan in New Jersey.