OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Brent Rooker hit his 27th homer of the season and the Oakland Athletics added two more long balls to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Friday night.
After leading the majors with 45 homers in July, the A's showed no signs of slowing down in their first game of August in front of a season-high 21,060 fans at the Oakland Coliseum.
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith, right, talks to home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, center, after being called out on strikes during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Brent Rooker hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Lawrence Butler, right, scores against the Los Angeles Dodgers off Miguel Andujar's triple during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after hitting a popup to Oakland Athletics third baseman Abraham Toro during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Brent Rooker watches his two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker, right, celebrates with JJ Bleday (33) after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown went deep against Gavin Stone (9-5) as the A's won for the 10th time in 14 games, starting with an 18-3 win at Philadelphia in the final game before the All-Star break.
“Really in Philadelphia, we really dove into approaching individually what we’re trying to do each game," Langeliers said. "We just kept growing with that approach. It’s just building confidence with the guys. We’re stringing good at bats together and obviously putting across crooked numbers. When the offense is doing that you tend tp keep momentum on your side.”
Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run homer in the first against Joey Estes (5-4) but the Dodgers managed little else until Shohei Ohtani broke an 0-for-15 slump with a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth.
But it wasn't enough for the Dodgers, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Los Angeles' NL West lead over Arizona dropped to four games.
“It’s just not Shohei’s job alone to carry this offense," manager Dave Roberts said. "That’s impossible. He’s a guy that is the top of the order, the most dangerous, most talented player we have. I think the game plan has to be to try to limit him, and if you can limit him, you take your chance with the eight other guys.”
Estes allowed two runs and two hits in six innings, retiring 15 straight following Hernandez's homer, capped by a running grab by third baseman Abraham Toro to rob Ohtani of a hit in the sixth.
Will Smith and Gavin Lux then drew back-to-back two walks but Estes struck out Hernandez to get out of the jam and end his night.
“For Joey, that last inning, the emotion kind of got to him," manager Mark Kotsay said. "I think he was kind of trying to get through that sixth inning after the play Toro made, which was an unbelievable play. He showed a lot of emotion after that and thus resulted in two walks to the next two guys. But he made a big pitch there against Teoscar to strike him out and get out of that jam.”
Austin Adams got Ohtani to ground out with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh.
“The balls that I’m supposed to be hitting well, I’m not — fly balls that should have been going out haven’t been going out, line drives right at the guy," Ohtani said through an interpreter. "So it's more about me rather than the (other) team or how the team is attacking.”
Stone's rough recent stretch continued as he started to run into trouble in the fourth when Langeliers and Brown hit solo homers to tie the game at 2.
Stone was replaced after allowing an RBI triple to Miguel Andujar and a run-scoring double to JJ Bleday in the fifth. Rooker greeted Joe Kelly with a two-run shot to make it 6-2. Stone is 0-3 with a 7.15 ERA in his last five starts.
Oakland is now fourth in the majors this season with 145 homers despite ranking in the bottom 10 in runs scored, with more than half of the A’s runs coming on long balls.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman isn't expected to join the team this weekend as he tends to his 3-year-old son Maximus. Freeman went on the family emergency list last week after Maximus was hospitalized because of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. ... RHP Walker Buehler (hip) will make one more rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City before rejoining the Dodgers.
Athletics: INF Darell Hernaiz (ankle) was reinstated from the 60-day IL and INF Brett Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. RHP Luis Medina was transferred to the 60-day IL to create a roster spot for Hernaiz.
UP NEXT
RHP Jack Flaherty will make his Dodgers debut after being acquired from Detroit before the trade deadline. Flaherty was 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA for the Tigers this season. RHP Mitch Spence (7-6, 4.47 ERA) will start for the A's.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Will Smith, right, talks to home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, center, after being called out on strikes during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Brent Rooker hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Lawrence Butler, right, scores against the Los Angeles Dodgers off Miguel Andujar's triple during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after hitting a popup to Oakland Athletics third baseman Abraham Toro during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics' Brent Rooker watches his two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker, right, celebrates with JJ Bleday (33) after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — The Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday is only the third Formula 1 race of the season, and several plots are developing that promise a few twists in the early season.
But the fresh storylines could be as fleeting as the cherry blossoms seen all over Japan at this time of the year.
There's McLaren, which has been the early force after winning the first two races. Are Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri about to run away with the season just as Red Bull and Max Verstappen have in winning the last four drivers' titles?
How about seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who moved this season from Mercedes and is looking for his first victory for Ferrari. He won the sprint two weekends ago in Shanghai. In Sunday's main race in China, he and teammate Charles Leclerc were disqualifed for technical infringements.
And back to the cherry blossoms in Japan — the season typically lasts for only about two weeks, from the initial blooms to its splendorous peak. A sellout crowd of about 115,000 on Sunday at Suzuka — the Honda-operated track in central Japan — will be following every lap of Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull last week from Racing Bulls, its feeder team.
A Japanese driver has never won an F1 race.
McLaren has been much better than everyone else in the first two races. Norris won in Australia and Piastri in China. Norris has 44 points to lead the driver standings followed Verstappen with 36, George Russell of Mercedes with 35, and Piastri on 34.
“We know realistically the McLarens are exceptionally strong, and I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody else to compete with them,” Russell said. “But you know, we saw last year how dominant Red Bull were, and suddenly they weren’t at the end of the season.”
Ditto Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.
“Our performance compared to McLaren is just not good enough,” Leclerc said.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has won five times in Japan, but not since 2018. Foremost on Ferrari's mind is having Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified in China for those technical infringments.
“It’s been a very difficult first part of the season,” Hamilton's teammate Leclerc said on Thursday. “The first two races were difficult, the pace was not where we expected it to be, and to lose even more points than we already did with that, it hurts the team a lot."
'I’m confident because whenever you make mistakes, you learn from them, especially when they cost that much," he added.
Hamilton has nine points. He was 10th in Australia after his win in the Shanghai sprint.
The phrase, roughly translated from Japanese into English, means “Tsunoda, go for it!"
Expect almost all of the 115,000 sellout crowd on Sunday to be wildly supporing Tsunoda. Having Tsunoda promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull — the feeder team to the No. 1 team — gives Japanese fans hope.
Almost 20 Japanese drivers have particiaped in F1 and none has won a race. Three have reached the podium with third-place finishes — Aguri Suzuki in 1990 and Kamui Kobayahi in 2012, both at the Japanese GP, and Takuma Sato in 2004 in the United States GP.
Sato also won two Indianapolis 500s.
Tsunoda may have the best chance of a victory of any Japanese driver. He's driving one of F1's best cars, and he's known for his speed.
“I think he (Tsunoda) always had the raw speed,” said Pierre Gasly, the Frenchman who drives for Alpine and is a former Red Bull driver. “He was a little bit too hectic behind the wheel at times, on the radio. I think in that sense he’s matured enough in minimizing the mistakes.”
The wild card on Sunday could be Verstappen — the Dutchman has won the last three races in Japan. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday, and Verstappen is F1's best driver in the rain. If that eventuates, look for No. 4 to be among the leaders in the wet.
McLaren produced the top times in Friday’s two practice sessions. Both were run under clear skies and sunshine ahead of the forecast rain for race day Sunday.
Norris was quickest in the first session, clocking 1 minute, 28.549 seconds. Teammate Piastri was fastest in the second in 1:28.114 with Norris just 0.049 behind. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar had the third quickest time in the second session, just 0.404 behind Piastri.
The second session was stopped several times with cars going off the track. The frequent disruptions made it difficult to draw conclusions from the session — except that McLaren still appears to be the team to beat.
Australian driver Jack Doohan spun off the track just seven minutes into the second practice. The car shattered into pieces after hitting a tire wall. He walked away from the crash and told his Alpine team by radio: “I’m OK.”
AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia prepares to drive his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Williams driver Carlos Sainz of Spain, right, and McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, left, steer their cars during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain and Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain celebrates on the podium after the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo)
Williams drivers Carlos Sainz of Spain, center left, and Alexander Albon of Thailand, back right, meet Japanese children at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A sparrow sits on a branch of a cherry tree at the Chidorigafuchi palace moat in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan, center, flanked by Kick Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany, left, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco, responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
