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Carter Spoils Samardzija’s Night

Published

12 years ago

September 6, 2014

Oakland, CA – It’s not where they want to be yet they still continue their journey. Adam Dunn continued his hitting streak, Coco Crisp returned to the lineup and Jeff Samardzija pitched his third game with nine strikeouts or more. But that wasn’t enough to snap the A’s losing streak as they fell 4-3 to the Houston Astros.

“Jeff’s last three starts have been good,” said Oakland’s manager Bob Melvin. “Unfortunately, we don’t do enough offensively to give him some help.”

The A’s found their missing at-bats in the third. They scored three runs giving them lead. Alberto Callaspo leadoff the frame with a hit off Brett Oberholtzer who was late throwing him out at first. Crisp struck out and Oberholtzer walked the next two batters to load the bases.

Derek Norris hit a single to right field scoring in one run, an error on right fielder Jake Marisnick allowed the second runner to score making it a 2-1 game. Jonny Gomes popped out and Dunn’s RBI single extended Oakland’s lead 3-1. This is Dunn’s fourth game hitting consecutively and driving in a run in each of his four games.

“I was just trying to relax, get a good pitch to hit and not chase,” Chris Carter said. “I’m always looking for a fastball, then try to adjust off-speed and go from there. I got a good pitch middle way.”

The Astros responded in the fourth with a RBI single from Carter who trimmed the lead down to one run. Carter then went deep to center field in the sixth with a two-run homer giving Houston back the lead, making it a 4-3 game. Carter has 7 home runs, 20 RBI’s in 16 games against his former team this season.

“I threw a pitch he could handle, he got extended on it, and he hit out of the park,” said Samardzija. “If there’s one I could have back, it would be that one, for sure. But we’d thrown some fastballs by him earlier in the game, so I thought it was a good choice.”

Samardzija gave up his second home run of the game, his first went to Jon Singleton who blasted a solo shot on the first pitch in the third. Houston’s defense stifled the A’s offense in the fourth when they failed to score after loading the bases.

“We had many opportunities to put that game out of reach,” Norris said. “You let teams hang around long enough, they’re going to come through and they’re going to beat you, and I think that’s more the focal point for me than the pitch to Carter.”

Oakland loss tonight puts them two games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card race. The Mariners beat the Texas Rangers. With 22 games left in the season, every game becomes crucial for the A’s to keep a good position if they’re unable to catch the Angels. There’s a lot of baseball left and Oakland will take it one day at a time.

Notes – Adam Dunn has homered twice in four games since joining the A’s via trade from the Chicago White Sox last Sunday. Dunn has also hit safely in his last four games and driven in a run in each of those games. He feels confident about his at-bats and excited to be on a team that is in contention. Despite the struggles as of lately, Dunn continues to keep a positive attitude.

“We’ve played quite a few games here and I feel fine,” said Dunn. “It’s a lot easier when you know a few of these guys like I do. So, it’s been a very easy adjustment. The makeup that this team has is pretty loose and they realize they’re good despite what’s happened in the past month.”

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “He’s invigorating! He comes from a team that’s not in the pennant race and feels good about being here.”

Oakland has dropped from the leading the American League West to trailing six games behind the Anaheim Angels. The A’s have lost three straight, seven of the last eight and nine of the last twelve games. The moral is a bit low yet, Dunn feels as though he’s on top of the world.

“There’s a lot of games left, can’t sit here and worry about teams coming in two weeks,” explained Dunn. “We just have to take care of business and let everything else play itself out. This is what the goal is, to play meaningful games in September and then the postseason. They’ve done that and I’ve actually reaped the benefits of it by coming over here late.”

“You see his at-bats, he invigorates himself and a lot of the other guys,” Melvin said. “We do have some guys who are still struggling a bit but this is time we need to come out of this. Having him in the lineup gets other guys in there swinging the bats well.”

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

20 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

22 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.