Atlanta Braves’ Kurt Suzuki, right, celebrates with Dansby Swanson (7) after hitting a home run off Oakland Athletics’ John Axford in the twelfth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- The visiting Atlanta Braves beat the A’s again on Sunday to sweep the three-game series. The A’s sent left Sean Manaea to the mound and Manaea pitched well allowing just two runs. Manaea pitched into the eighth inning and allowed just six hits, two runs, walked two and struck out six. The Braves Julio Teheran kept the A’s scoreless until the seventh when they broke through to tie the game.

The Braves tallied their two runs in the second inning when former A’s catcher, Kurt Suzuki, hit a solo homer. The Braves’ second run scored on the double by Ender Inciarte drove in  Danny Santana. The A’s Khris Davis homered in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one with his 23rd of the year. A’s shortstop Adam Rosales tied the game with a sacrifice fly to bring Franklin Barreto home.

Neither team scored in regulation, and the game went into extra innings. The Braves broke the tie in the top of the 11th inning when A’s reliever, Daniel Coulombe, gave up a double to Matt Kemp that allowed Nick Markakis to score from first. The A’s, however, tied the game again in their half of the inning. They were facing a former teammate, Jim Johnson, and thanks to a clutch single by Bruce Maxwell, evened the score.  John Axford pitched the twelfth for Oakland and Suzuki took him deep to win the game for the Braves.

The A’s have three more games on the homestand against the Chicago White Sox before heading off to Seattle on Thursday. After the four-game set with the Mariners, the A’s will have four days off before resuming play. A’s first baseman, Yonder Alonso, was named to the American League All-Star team. It will be Alonso’s first All-Star game, and the game will be played in his hometown of Miami.