He thought he was getting demoted to Class AA; instead, Lucas Erceg instead found out he was getting traded. And headed straight to the big leagues.

The owners of the Oakland Athletics are not giving politicians a chance to move forward on a Las Vegas move. Rob Manfred and MLB should get involved.

Oakland A's management has their hat in hand in the Nevada legislature asking for nearly $400 million in taxpayer money for their proposed Las Vegas stadium, and team executives are failing in their sales pitch even worse than the A's are failing on the baseball diamond. This season's Oakland A's may be heading toward the worst record in Major League Baseball history, but team management's hopes for a quickie Las Vegas marriage may be failing more spectacularly before the relationship is even consummated. Team president Dava Kaval has been unsuccessfully trying to persuade Nevada lawmakers to pony up $395 million in state taxpayer money for the franchise to move to Las Vegas, and one Wednesday exchange went viral, showing Nevada state Senator Fabian Doñate pretty much handing Kaval his rear end.

NPR Sports LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music RSS link Sports Oakland A's fans are demoralized ahead of the hapless team's move to Las Vegas June 9, 2023 4:33 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered From By Brian Watt Oakland A's fans are demoralized ahead of the hapless team's move to Las Vegas Audio will be available later today. Oakland A's fans are angry as their team works to move to Las Vegas. These days, the team is playing to a mostly empty stadium as it's on pace for the lowest winning percentage in baseball history. Facebook Flipboard Email

Read CNN’s Fast Facts about Jose Canseco and learn more about the former Major League Baseball player who released the book “Juiced.”

After capturing a series win in Pittsburgh, the Oakland Athletics will make the final stop on their three-city road trip Friday night when they begin a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The A's began the trip by getting swept in a three-game series in Miami, but bounced back in a big way by taking two of three from the Pirates. Oakland outscored Pittsburgh 24-12 over the three games and will seek their first three-game winning streak of the season Friday night. The Brewers come into the series with a 34-29 record and currently hold a one game lead over the Pirates for the top spot in the NL Central.

Friday's game at American Family Field has the Milwaukee Brewers (34-29) taking on the Oakland Athletics (14-50) at 8:10 PM (on June 9). Our computer prediction projects a 4-3 win for the Brewers, who is a small favorite based on our model. This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Brewers will send Adrian Houser (2-1) to the mound, while Sam Moll (0-3) will get the nod for the Athletics. Brewers vs. Athletics Game Info & Odds When: Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:10 PM ET Where: American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin How to Watch on TV: BSWI Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo! Bet on this matchup with BetMGM Sportsbook and use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers! Brewers vs. Athletics

The Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics will meet on Friday at American Family Field, at 8:10 PM ET, with Brian Anderson and Brent Rooker among those expected to step up at the plate. The Brewers are favored in this one, at -250, while the underdog Athletics have +190 odds to play spoiler. The over/under is 9.5 runs for the matchup. Rep your team with officially licensed Brewers gear! Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, and much more. Brewers vs. Athletics Odds & Info Date: Friday, June 9, 2023 Time: 8:10 PM ET TV: BSWI Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Venue: American Family Field Live Stream: Watch on Fubo! Favorite Favorite Moneyline Underdog Moneyline Total Over Total Odds Under Total

The Pittsburgh Pirates (32-29) had a major lapse against the Oakland Athletics and dropped two out of three games to the worst team in baseball.

The Milwaukee Brewers, including Rowdy Tellez (.179 slugging percentage in past 10 games, including no homers), battle starting pitcher Sam Moll and the Oakland Athletics at American Family Field, Friday at 8:10 PM ET. In his previous game he had a hitless showing (0-for-4 with an RBI) against the Orioles. Rowdy Tellez Game Info & Props vs. the Athletics Game Day: Friday, June 9, 2023 Game Time: 8:10 PM ET Stadium: American Family Field Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo! Athletics Starter: Sam Moll TV Channel: BSWI Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -149) Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +525) RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +175) Runs Prop: Over/under

Oakland Athletics (14-50, fifth in the AL West) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (34-29, first in the NL Central) Milwaukee; Friday, 8:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Sam Moll (0-3, 4.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 24 strikeouts); Brewers: Adrian Houser (2-1, 3.45 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 19 strikeouts) : Brewers -238, Athletics +194; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the Oakland Athletics on Friday to begin a three-game series. Milwaukee has an 18-13 record in home games and a 34-29 record overall. The Brewers have a 22-7 record in games when they record at least eight hits. Oakland has a 7-26 record on the road and a 14-50 record overall. The Athletics have an 11-42 record in games

Milwaukee welcomes Oakland to town as part of a six-game homestand, which reached the midway point with a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. "We didn't get much going after that," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.

The Brewers have looked good as of late, winning their last two series against the Reds and the Orioles. The Brewers have been holding onto a slim margin atop the NL Central, with the Pirates nipping at their heels. Milwaukee will need to keep winning if they want to stave off some feisty division rivals. The Oakland Athletics coming to town is a great opportunity for the Brewers to win their third straight series, as Oakland sits at just 14-50 even after taking two of three against the Pirates.

This is because the potential stadium for the Oakland A's relocation to Las Vegas is, in fact, a political issue. The Nevada legislature adjourned earlier this week without bringing up the bill for the subsidy the A's want for their stadium. In a special session Wednesday that one state senator said costs taxpayers $250,000 per day, Nevada legislators were largely skeptical and sometimes outright critical of a plan that calls for $380 million in public funding. “You've all called us in here for a special session, and are asking, minimally, for the state to give you all $36 million per year for the next five years for a taxpayer-funded stadium, at the same time that the governor has vetoed funding for summer school, a bill to support children's mental health, a bill requiring paid family leave — all because the governor said we couldn't afford them,” State Senator Rochelle Nguyen said early in a three-hour back and forth with two advocates of the bill.

The Oakland Athletics' pursuit of a new ballpark in Las Vegas had its longest public vetting yet on Wednesday. The A's and their representatives were drilled on their ballpark bill in a marathon special session in the Nevada senate held two days after the regular legislative session ended. Oakland Athletics | Oakland A's fall in Pittsburgh, tie team record with 15th straight road loss And while Wednesday's session didn't ultimately lead to a vote, with the Nevada officials electing to pick things back up later Thursday morning instead of jamming in a vote after midnight, things sure got intense across the nearly nine hours from start to finish — and even a little wacky. Perhaps the most noteworthy moments both came from Democratic senator Fabian Doñate and A's president Dave Kaval.

Five distinguished student-athletes and one legendary head coach make up the six individuals in the 2023 University of Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame class, announced on Wednesday, June 7. The 2023 class includes: Lori Endicott (volleyball, 1985-88); Tommie Frazier (football, 1992-95); Emily Parsons (women's gymnastics, 2005-08); Tolly Thompson (wrestling, 1993-97); Brittany Timko (soccer, 2003-06); and retired men's and women's track and field head coach Gary Pepin. The five student-athletes in the 2023 Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame class combined to win two team national championships and one individual national title while earning 18 All-America awards.

The Oakland Athletics won back-to-back games for just the third time season as Ryan Noda homered and reached base four times in a 9-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. All seven scored to give Oakland its second road victory in less than 24 hours following a 15-game slide away from home. Seth Brown had three of the A's season-high tying 17 hits. Jace Peterson followed up a five-hit night with two more hits, including a two-run double that helped break things open in the first.

Loyal fans, lawmakers and even Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors are coming to bat to keep the Oakland A's in Oakland. Oakland A's fans say they're not going down without a fight and many are holding out hope that the deal to build a new stadium for the A's in Las Vegas, Nevada could still fall through. "I feel like this is like urgency time for A's fans," Anson Casanares, a Board Member of the Oakland 68's said.

Luis Arraez singled twice to raise his major league-leading batting average to .403 and help the Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Wednesday night. Jesús Sánchez homered, singled twice and had four RBI for the Marlins, who won their sixth straight. The consecutive three-game series sweeps over the Royals and Oakland Athletics are the first by the Marlins at home since winning six straight against Washington and Houston in 2008. Marlins starter Edward Cabrera's one-run outing ended after throwing his warm-up pitches to begin the sixth.

The Oakland Athletics began a three-game series in Pittsburgh by essentially doing whatever they could to give away what became a 15th straight road loss. The fundamentals manager Mark Kotsay keeps telling his players they need to be great at were lacking. Ryan Noda homered and reached base four times and Hogan Harris took advantage of a massive first inning by his teammates oN Wednesday to earn his first major league victory, 9-5 over Pittsburgh. Less than 18 hours after winning on the road for the first time in a month, Oakland jumped on Roansy Contreras (3-5) early to capture a series for just the third time in 2023.