by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- It was Jewish Heritage night at the Coliseum Tuesday night, and the A’s needed a little mazel (luck) as the rallied in the bottom of the eighth to win a thriller 10-8 over the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals scored three runs in the first inning off A’s starter Chris Smith. Smith settled down and kept the Royals off the board, and he left the game with one out in the sixth. The A’s scored one in the first, two in the second, and one in the third to take a 4-3 lead. The A’s bullpen did their job and kept the Royals scoreless until the fateful eighth inning and what an inning it was. The Royals scored five runs off A’s off Santiago Casilla and Blake Treinen and took a comfortable 8-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth. The A’s stormed back sending ten men to the plate, and they plated six runs on six hits off Royals’ relievers Joakim Soria and Mike Minor. Treinen pitched the ninth, and he was able to secure the win for Oakland.

The Royals jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, A’s starter Chris Smith walked Whit Merrifield to start the game. Merrifield then stole second. Smith nailed Lorenzo Cain with a pitch to men on at first and second with no out. Eric Hosmer doubled to right driving in both runners. Melky Cabrera followed with a single and Hosmer was able to make it home safely. Smith retired Moustakas on a fly to deep right field and then got a strike-them-out and throw -them-out double play to end the inning. The A’s Matt Joyce put the A’s on the board in the bottom of the first. He blasted his seventeenth homer of the year. It was the fourth time this season that Joyce led off a game with a home run. The A’s trail 3-1 after one.

The A’s cut the deficit to just one when Matt Olson led off the second inning with a solo homer. It was Olson’s eighth of the year. The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the third. With one out Jed Lowrie singled. Khris Davis followed with a blast over the left-center field wall for his thirty-third round tripper of the year. The A’s lead 4-3 after three innings of play.

There was no more scoring until the top of the eighth. A’s pitchers had retired thirteen in a row until Santiago Casilla was called in to do the pitching. He walked Alex Gordon and then Royals’ catcher Drew Butera sent a Casilla pitch down the left field line for his third home run of the year. Casilla retired Whit Merrifield but gave up a single to Lorenzo Cain. Bob Melvin rushed out and removed Casilla. Blake Treinen was brought in to pitch to Hosmer. Hosmer went yard with his 20th of the year and the Royals now own a 7-4 lead. Melky Cabrera grounded out, but Mike Moustakas followed with his 35th to make it 8-4. The Royals, in the inning, scored five runs on four hits, three of which were home runs. The lead didn’t last long as the A’s sent ten men to the plate and scored six runs on six hits, one walk, and a wild pitch. Jed Lowrie started the rally with a double. Khris Davis, Ryan Healy, and Matt Olson all singled to cut the deficit to two. Healy and Olson advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. The Royals issued an intentional walk to Rajai Davis to load the bases and set up a possible double play. Royals’ manager Ned Yost brought in lefty Mike Minor to pitch to left-handed hitter Matt Joyce. The strategy backfired as Joyce doubled to left field and cleared the bases, Marcus Semien followed with a single to drive in Joyce to put the A’s ahead 10-8. Blake Treinen gave up an infield single to Alcides Escobar to start the ninth but he retired the next three hitters to preserve the win for the A’s.

Game Notes- The two teams had ten hits and produced eleven runs in the eighth inning which took forty-four minutes to play. The Royals hit three homers in the inning while the A’s had two doubles and four singles.

The line score for Oakland was ten runs, fourteen hits, and no errors. The Royals line was eight runs, eight hits, and no errors.

The rubber game of the series will be Wednesday game will be played at 12:35 pm at the Coliseum. Paul Blackburn will pitch for the A’s and left Danny Duffey will go for Kansas City.

Time of game was three hours and sixteen minutes and 13,675 fans went home very happy as they saw a very entertaining ball game.