By Morris Phillips

Trade John Jaso? Not likely.

The A’s presumed backup behind the plate had a big night in a starting role with a home run, three hits and a blast off the right field wall with a man on in the 10^th inning that propelled the A’s past the Nationals, 4-3.

The A’s won their third straight to maintain a 2 ½ game lead in the AL West over Seattle. They played in front of a sellout crowd at the O.co Coliseum and evened their record at home (9-9) after 18 dates.

With the A’s short on starting pitching and gaining confidence in catcher Derek Norris (.378 batting average in 26 appearances in 2014) rumors surfaced that the team might shop Jaso in hopes of gaining another starting-caliber pitcher.   But apparently manager Bob Melvin, a former major league catcher who most notably performed in a platoon with Bob Brenly as a Giant, sees the value in keeping both catchers. After Saturday night, Jaso’s made 19 starts to Norris’ 18 and is actually swinging the hotter bat, hitting .428 in his last nine appearances.

Just as importantly, Jaso’s comfortable in his role, providing relief for Norris and bonding with the team’s ever-changing list of starting pitchers.

Against the Nationals, Jaso provided life, homering in the third inning to cut into the Nats 3-0 lead. At that point, Washington starter Tanner Roark was having his way, methodically mowing down the A’s lineup in a start that would see him go seven plus innings and allow just two hits.

“It looked like we were pretty much a dead team: three up, three down,” Jaso recounted.

“It’s strange how a starting pitcher can get on a roll and every single ball is getting caught. He just threw strikes and let the defense work.”

If the A’s were playing dead until after Roark departed, it didn’t seem to hold much weight in this case. Washington manager Matt Williams turned to closer Rafael Soriano to open the ninth, a reliever on the biggest roll of his career with 19 consecutive saves converted and no runs allowed in his previous 25 innings.

But Jaso led off with a single on the second pitch of the at-bat. Jed Lowrie then doubled into the right field gap to cut the Nats lead to 3-2. Josh Donaldson followed with the game-tying single and Soriano’s night—and Roark’s by extention—had unraveled in just nine pitches.

In the tenth, the A’s took aim at reliever Drew Storen, the Nationals’ former closer, who allowed a leadoff single to Alberto Callaspo. Then with two outs, Jaso responded again, knocking in pinch runner Nick Punto with the game-winner on his smash off the right field wall.

Reliever Sean Doolittle pitched two scoreless innings and collected the win. Starter Sonny Gray went seven innings, allowing three runs and four hits in a rocky third inning before settling down. Gray ended up throwing 96 pitches and veering away from his fastball after the rough third inning.

The A’s won for the third time in 2014 in walk-off fashion, and look to continue their momentum against their first interleague opponent of the season on Sunday, when Scott Kazmir faces former Athletic Gio Gonzalez.