Red Sox

The future continues to be shiny for Triston Casas.

Even after sitting out many of the 2024 season attributable to injury, the 24-year-old first baseman still has the strength and plate discipline vital to proceed to be a force at the center of the Red Sox lineup for years to come back.

But if the Red Sox look for methods so as to add more pitching this offseason than simply breaking the bank in free agency, Casas' high ceiling could turn into a lovely trade asset for Craig Breslow and Boston's top team.

Longtime MLB insider Ken Rosenthal talked about “foul territory” on Monday, dismissing the Mariners as a team that could be fascinated by getting Casas from Boston, especially if it means a young starting pitcher returns to Seattle.

“What if you could trade him for one of Seattle’s young starters? “Seattle needs a first baseman.” Rosenthal said. “My assessment is that they won’t spend on Pete Alonso or Christian Walker. Well, here's Tristan Cass, a guy with minimum salary for another year or two.

“And if you were to give up maybe a Bryan Woo or another young starter — who would be the most likely in my opinion [traded] – Well, that’s interesting.”

The Mariners don’t have any shortage of top young players of their rotation between Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Woo. Woo, 24, impressed in Seattle last season with a 9-3 record over 22 starts and a 2.89 ERA.

However, Woo handled some injury issues over the summer – including medial elbow inflammation and a hamstring strain. He also underwent an MRI in June it got here back “completely clean”.” – but concerns remain about his ability to log heavy innings.

For Rosenthal, acquiring a pitcher with some risk (but a variety of potential) in Woo can be only one step toward retooling a Red Sox rotation that's lacking top talent.

“And then when you're with the Red Sox, you go out and sign Blake Snell or Max Fried, you do a few other things too and bingo – you're back in business,” Rosenthal said. “I'm not saying that's going to happen. I'm speculating.

“But at the same time, all of these scenarios are the types of scenarios that I would imagine — I feel even stronger, I’m pretty sure — the Red Sox are discussing.”

This isn't the primary time Rosenthal has mentioned Casas as a possible trade chip for Boston – as he outlined Casas-to-Seattle deal at The Athletic in September.

Despite Casas' age and high potential, the Red Sox have ways to clarify his absence from the lineup in the event that they do move him.

As Rosenthal noted, Boston could trade Casas for pitching after which take a right-handed, hard-hitting infielder like Alex Bregman or Willy Adames in free agency.

Both Bregman and Adames can play third base, with Casas' absence giving Rafael Devers the choice to maneuver to first base if vital.

It's an intriguing possibility for Boston — one which also carries a variety of risk for the Red Sox if Casas can prove briefly order that the 2024 season was just an injury-related fluke.

“I think the team and the organization should continue to strive for a championship whether I'm there or not,” Casas told Julian McWilliams last month. “I don’t know what the front office plans to do this offseason in terms of restructuring the roster to try to be a playoff team.

“I want to be part of the plans to make this happen, but if not, and they want to look for an outside source for me to try and strengthen the squad, that is well within their power.”

OAKLAND — Bryan Woo will likely go down in history because the last Oakland-born pitcher to start out a game on the Coliseum, and the Seattle Mariners right-hander felt right at home Thursday afternoon against the A's.

Woo, who grew up 10 minutes from the Coliseum in Alameda, allowed two hits and struck out six players in six innings and teamed with three relievers to pitch a two-hit shutout that sent the A's to a 3-0 loss in front of 6,571 fans.

The 24-year-old threw a season-high 85 pitches and didn’t allow a single batter to pass while being cheered on by family and friends within the stands.

Woo has faced the A's 4 times in his profession and has yet to permit a run in 21 1/3 innings. In two starts on the Coliseum, he has allowed five hits in 11 scoreless innings.

“Honestly, I think you have to focus a little more when you come home because you see your family and friends, you look in the stands and you see a lot of familiar faces,” Woo said after lowering his ERA to 1.07. “Sometimes it can actually throw you off a little bit.

“So you have to concentrate a little more and focus more on baseball.”

Woo's only error came in his final inning, when the umpires called a pitch clock violation before the first pitch of the inning.

“Just somewhat little bit of confusion,” Woo said. “(Catcher Cal Raleigh) told me to rush up and throw. I wasn't sure if he was signaling me to toss something else. He wasn't quite looking after which I made sure he knew I used to be throwing a fastball.”

On Thursday, Abraham Toro started the first inning with a double and hung on second base. The A's only other hit was a one-out single by Tyler Soderstrom in the fifth.

The A's (25-39) failed to concede a goal for the fifth time this season and lost for the sixth time in eight games.

“We just haven't been in a position to get the correct hit,” A's manager Mark Kotsay said when asked about Woo. “I don't know what it’s about his fastball that's been bothering us.”

Mitch Garver hit a home run and had an RBI single for the Mariners, who lead the AL West and have won nine of 11 games.

Woo (3-0) remained undefeated after pitching out of two early tight spots. Oakland got its first batter to third base in the first two innings, but Woo retired the next three batters in a row in both innings.

Austin Voth and Mike Baumann each retired three batters. Ryne Stanek, who threw the ninth pitch while closer Andrés Muñoz recovers from back pain, put the team in position, earned his fourth save and completed the Mariners' sixth shutout of the season.

Garver walked and scored in the third inning, hit an RBI single against A's starter JP Sears in the fourth inning, then hit a home run against TJ McFarland in the ninth inning.

Seattle's first two runs were scored by players who reached base without being hit.

Garver went first in the third inning and Victor Robles was hit by a pitch. After Ryan Bliss attempted to sacrifice runners and safely loaded the bases, Dylan Moore's sacrifice fly gave Seattle an early lead.

Cal Raleigh was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, stole second base and scored on Garver's single.

Sears (4-5) matched his season-high eight strikeouts in six innings. The A's left-hander allowed three hits and two runs.

The A's open a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Left-hander Hogan Harris (0-0, 3.14) will face former A's star Chris Bassitt (6-6, 4.13) in the series opener.

OAKLAND — There have been eight no-hitters thrown within the A's 57-year history in Oakland. On Wednesday night, Joey Estes fell nine outs in need of throwing one other — and possibly final — no-hitter for the franchise leaving town.

Estes, making just his eighth profession appearance, was perfect against the American West-leading Seattle Mariners until JP Crawford hit his first pitch off the middle field wall for a double within the seventh inning. Four relievers, including closer Mason Miller, who earned a save with five outs, helped secure the A's 2-1 victory before a crowd of 9,735 on Dollar Hot Dog Night on the Coliseum.

Fans gave the 22-year-old right-hander a round of applause after his try and throw the A's first no-hitter since Mike Fiers in May 2019 was thwarted by the Mariners' leadoff man.

“You kind of know what's happening, but nothing changes,” Estes said. “It's the same game. I guess you kind of see it, but it doesn't eat me up.”

It was the longest perfect game by an A's rookie since Brett Anderson held the Angels runnerless for six 2/3 innings on July 19, 2009.

Second baseman Zack Gelof continued to shake off his slow start by extending his hitting streak to 6 – and giving Estes and Co. the one runs they needed with a third-inning home run off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. It was Gelof's fifth home run of the season, but second in three games.

The A's took a 2-0 lead within the fifth inning after Daz Cameron hit a single, moved to 3rd on a wild pickoff throw from Gilbert to first base, and scored on a passed ball a couple of pitches later.

That became an enormous run when Mariners star centerfielder Julio Rodriguez hit a 102 mph fastball from Miller over the middle field wall to open the highest of the ninth inning. After a walk brought the potential tying run to first base, Miller struck out Ty France and ended the sport by getting Victor Robles to hit a double play.

Estes joined the A's newly formed rotation in early May and was 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA in his first 4 starts. But the right-hander had limited the Rays to 2 hits and one run in five innings in his previous start. Estes, who was signed to the Braves within the Matt Olson deal ahead of the 2022 season together with catcher Shea Langeliers, outfielder Cristian Pache and pitcher Ryan Cusick, was even higher against the Mariners.

Estes needed just 70 pitches to get through the Mariners' lineup twice unscathed before Crawford's first pitch hit a fastball out of reach of Cameron, the A's right fielder, and past the bottom of the outfield wall.

“If it's a little shorter than a pop fly, that's an out,” Estes said. “But he could have gotten it and it could have gone even further, so it's just one of those things where you just have to trust your throws. I can only control what happens after I throw the ball.”

Estes retired the subsequent batter, Josh Rojas, but was then faraway from the sport by manager Mark Kotsay after throwing just 78 pitches, leaving Austin Adams to face Rodriguez.

“He's such a fighter,” Kotsay said of Estes. “It's hard to take the ball away from him in that situation, but Julio had hit a ball to center in his second at-bat. There's no point in leaving it in and giving him a chance to not get a win. The way Adam is playing, I felt really good about it.”

Adams walked Rodriguez six times and hit France with a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but TJ McFarland got Mitch Garver to hit a 3-2 pitch on a groundout to shortstop Max Schuemann to finish the threat and keep the Mariners scoreless.

Estes ended up allowing only one hit and striking out five in 6 ⅓ innings, dropping his ERA to 4.67. It was the third time in five starts this season that he didn’t allow a walk.

Estes struck out five of the primary nine batters he faced, and the Mariners didn't really put a single ball in play until Cal Raleigh hit a pointy line drive to center fielder JJ Bleday within the fifth inning for the primary out.

One batter later, the possibility of an ideal game was tested again when France hit a chopper in front of the plate that Langeliers caught after which threw to the primary baseman for the second out. With one out within the sixth inning, first baseman JD Davis stopped Dominic Canzone's sharp grounder with a diving catch and threw it to Estes, who got to base in front of the Mariners' right fielder.

Kotsay said Estes' performance – and his potential profession path – reminds him of Tim Hudson, one in all Oakland's famous Big Three starters within the early 2000s.

“That was literally going through my mind tonight when I saw him go out and pitch,” Kotsay said. “The way he pitched, the aggressiveness of his fastball, the attacks on the batters. Huddy was that kind of pitcher.”

– The A's finish three games against the Mariners on Thursday at 12:37 p.m.

JP Sears, the A's only starter who hasn't missed a start because the starting of last season, faces Bryan Woo.

With the A's moving to Sacramento after this season, Woo will likely be the last Oakland-born pitcher to begin on the Coliseum, barring a trade or other transaction later within the season.

By CHRIS TALBOTT (Associated Press)

SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie starter Joey Estes had five hits in five solid innings after being called up for his first major league win earlier within the day, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Saturday night.

Abraham Toro and Brent Rooker hit two-run, run-scoring singles within the third inning to provide Oakland a 2-1 lead. Max Schuemann added a three-run double within the eighth and JJ Bleday hit a two-run home run within the ninth as Oakland snapped a two-game losing streak. The A's had lost five of six after a six-game winning streak.

Estes took a liner off his right bicep from Julio Rodríguez in the primary inning, but collected the ball for the primary pitch and waved to the coach as he took the mound back.

“They knew he was locked up when Julio's line drive lost his biceps, and I didn't realize it,” said A's manager Mark Kotsay. “That kid, I don't know how to describe him really. You do a line drive like that from your biceps, and if the trainers don't come out, you don't want it to be recognized. He got into the dugout and when we finally got to him he was already swollen.”

Cal Raleigh hit his tenth home run, a solo shot within the second inning that gave Seattle a 1-0 lead. But Estes calmed down and after that it was all about athletics.

The A's starters had allowed 55 runs within the last six games, including an 8-1 loss to the Mariners on Friday night, before Estes (1-0) was called up to switch fifth starter Joe Boyle (back injury). He gave up two hits and didn't rating on 61 pitches.

“This is great,” Estes said after a little bit of bullying within the shower room. “I've worked my whole life to be able to say I got a win, so I'll definitely cherish that.”

Bryce Miller (3-3) threw nine strikeouts and allowed five hits, but began the costly third inning with certainly one of his two walks to Lawrence Butler. The speedy right fielder moved to second on Brett Harris' single and scored on Toro's single to right field. Rooker's shot to the correct gave Harris a 2-1 lead.

The Mariners had beaten the A's in 13 of their last 14 games for the reason that start of the 2023 season. They have lost three of their last 4 and 4 of six. Seattle had gone 12-1 in Miller's last 13 good starts.

Relievers Mitch Spence, Austin Adams, Lucas Erceg and Michael Kelly combined to provide up one hit in the ultimate 4 innings. Seattle had just three hits and left only one runner on base.

“Early in the series, Oakland improved significantly,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “They have a different ball club. They’ve strengthened their bullpen and they have guys who can put the ball in play.”

SCHUEMANN'S REVENGE

The Mariners intentionally walked Shea Langeliers to get to Schuemann within the eighth and cargo the bases for the shortstop.

“Of course I was a little upset,” said Schuemann. “I saw it as a kind of motivational thing. On my first swing, I made as much swing as I could, you know? And then I thought, “Okay, I need to calm down.”

He then sent the ball into the left field corner to place the play out of reach.

RALEIGH'S BIG BAT

Raleigh is the primary AL catcher to hit 10 or more home runs in his team's first 40 games since Jorge Posada of the Yankees in 2003. Three NL catchers have achieved this feat in the identical time-frame.

Squad changes

The A's optioned LHP Easton Lucas to Triple-A Las Vegas once they recalled Estes to begin.

NEXT

Athletics: LHP Alex Wood (1-2, 5.30) ends the series. He is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his last three starts.

Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (3-5, 3.54) is first within the AL and fourth within the majors with 56 strikeouts.

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