Kommandozentrale » Jurickson Profar and Ramon Laureano homered,

OAKLAND Julio Urias Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Japan is over for the Oakland Athletics.A couple of big swings helped wake up the A’s.Stephen Piscotty, and Oakland beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on Sunday in the Bay Bridge exhibition series.The A’s kicked off the season with a pair of losses to Seattle last week in Tokyo. Back stateside, they are prepping for their home opener Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels.“It was weird . plus the jet lag, with some of the guys it seemed like we were kind of sleepwalking through (batting practice),” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “You put a couple of good swings on them and the next thing you know you’ve got five runs on the board and the way those two guys were pitching that was enough today.”Brett Anderson pitched six innings of three-hit ball, and Frankie Montas struck out three while finishing the three-hitter.The 31-year-old Anderson struck out three and walked one, capping an impressive spring for the injury-prone left-hander.“Coming in, you hope he’s healthy enough to get through a spring and he’s been way better than that.He’s really pitched well,” Melvin said. “You really don’t go on spring training results for guys like him but it’s nice to see him in the fashion that he is.”San Francisco right-hander Dereck Rodriguez gave up three runs in four innings. He struck out two and walked two.Manager Bruce Bochy said Rodriguez will begin the season as the team’s third starter, slotted for Saturday’s game in San Diego.“I felt really good, the body feels good, I’m ready to back out there http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey ,” Rodriguez said.Piscotty went deep after Matt Chapman walked with one out in the first. Profar connected in the fourth, and Laureano added a two-run shot in the seventh.GIANTS MOVESSan Francisco acquired veteran catcher Erik Kratz in a trade with the Brewers in exchange for minor league infielder C.J. Hinojosa. The Giants reassigned catcher Stephen Vogt to minor league camp, and right-hander Jose Lopez was designated for assignment.NOTESMelvin said 1B Matt Olson will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on Friday on his right hand. “Now it’s just about hopefully that bone healing up and getting him back out there as quick as you can,” Melvin said. “There’s also a period of time where you have to build up the hand strength, so there’s really no timetable on it, but obviously the sooner the better with a guy like him.” Profar, Mark Canha and Chad Pinder will split time at first until Olson returns, Melvin said. … LHP Jesus Luzardo (strained left shoulder) has started a strengthening program. The touted prospect is expected to miss at least four weeks. “He’s felt better the last couple of days, but it doesn’t affect the timetable,” Melvin said.UP NEXTRHP Liam Hendricks will start for Oakland for the second game of the three-game exhibition series in San Francisco on Monday. LHP Drew Pomeranz will go for the Giants. When you’re still just a teenager, it’s hard to imagine baseball without Joe Mauer."On October 1st, 2006, I attended my first ever Twins game. The Twins were playing the White Sox Chris Taylor Jersey , and they had a chance to clinch the AL Central that day, the final day of the season. All that had to happen was a Twins win and a Tigers loss to the Royals. The Twins win happened first. The Twins defeated the White Sox 5-1, backed by a stellar pitching performance from Carlos Silva and a 2-for-4 day from Joe Mauer. Joe clinched the batting title that day as well, hitting .347 on the season. It is a day I won’t ever forget, not just because the Twins won the division, but also because it was my first time seeing Joe Mauer in person. Three years later, I watched Joe in awe as he had his best season ever. In 2009, Mauer had arguably the best season by a catcher of all time. He hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs and won the batting championship again, along with the AL MVP award. He was already my favorite Twin, and the 2009 season made me appreciate him even more. He was playing for his hometown team and taking them to new heights, and even though the Twins were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS, I will always remember the 2009 season fondly. Fast forward to the 2017 season, and the American League Wild Card game. The Twins were playing the Yankees again http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , as has become common when the Twins make the postseason. Joe Mauer came up late in the game as the tying run. He hadn’t been much of a power hitter since the aforementioned 2009 season, but I kept my fingers crossed that he would hit a game tying home run and avenge all of the losses to the Yankees earlier in his career. Joe hit a ball to deep left field. It appeared to go over the wall thanks to the camera angle, however, the ball was actually caught at the wall. I briefly celebrated, since I had thought that Joe Mauer, the face of the franchise for his entire career, had just had a clutch playoff moment. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I was disappointed, but not too disappointed. As good of a story as it would have been if he actually had tied the game, I was glad that Joe was given at least a chance at glory, because he very much deserved it. At the beginning of this season, Joe collected his 2000th hit. There was a buzz around Twins Territory as he approached the milestone. There was also kind of a sense that this was a very big deal because we didn’t know how much longer he was going to play and how many more milestones he was going to reach. When he got to 2000 hits (on a single up the middle, because that’s what Joe Mauer does) Ross Stripling Jersey , Dick Bremer exclaimed, “And the hometown kid reaches his milestone at home!” Of course he got it at home. He had to get it at home. And it was against the White Sox, a team that had been the Twins’ nemesis for most of Joe’s career. I’ve probably watched the video of hit number 2000 on YouTube many times, because it was so perfectly Joe Mauer, and it couldn’t have happened any other way.I’m sure all of us can think of a childhood sports hero, someone who we looked up to and saw as larger than life. Joe Mauer is very much mine. He was drafted by the Twins just after I was born and is exiting the league just as I am about to become an adult. I grew up watching Joe Mauer, and maybe it’s fitting that Joe is starting a new chapter in his life at the same time that I am. Someday, I may have children of my own, and they might love baseball just as much as I do. I will surely tell them about Joe Mauer, just as my parents have told me stories about the athletes that they grew up watching.