Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics took round one of the Bay Bridge Series, winning the rubber game over the San Francisco Giants 6-2 at AT&T Park Sunday afternoon. Oakland rallied for four runs in the fourth inning off Giants’ starter Andrew Suárez and Sean Manaea (9-6, 3.42 ERA) fired six innings, scattering five hits for a pair of runs to pick up the victory. Oakland (55-42) heads into the All Star break, having won seven of its last 10 contests.

For the Green and Gold, the interruption might be unwanted after a torrid stretch of play. Oakland hasn’t lost a series in over a month since dropping a June 12-14 sweep at the hands of the defending World Champion Houston Astros. Since then, the A’s have gone 21-6, but still find themselves three games behind Seattle for the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

Stephen Piscotty, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman singled in runs in the fourth and catcher Jonathan Lucroy lofted a sacrifice fly for the Green and Gold. Piscotty also hit his 12th homer of the season in the top of the sixth inning to collect a pair of RBIs on the day. Leadoff man Chase D’Arnaud hit a solo homer for San Francisco and center fielder Gorky Hernández plated a run for the home team.

The rookie Suárez was staked to a 1-0 lead after Brandon Crawford doubled with one out in the bottom of the second, then crossed the plate on a single Hernández. He shut down the A’s in the top of the next frame 1-2-3, but struggled after getting the first out in the fourth.

All-Star Jed Lowrie, making his first start since exiting Friday’s game after suffering a contusion following a collision with Stephen Piscotty, worked the one-out walk. Saturday’s hero Mark Canha singled to put runners on the corners. Piscotty, Olson and Chapman then hit consecutive run-scoring singles for a 3-1 lead. Lucroy would fly out to knock in the fourth run of the inning, his first of two RBIs on the day. Suárez finished the frame with a groundout from his counterpart Manaea.

The A’s would chase the eventual loser Suárez (3-6, 3.94) after five innings, bringing reliever Reyes Moronta, the magician who helped the Giants win Friday’s game by coaxing three outs with the bases loaded with A’s in the seventh inning. He didn’t pitch a clean inning Sunday though, with Pleasanton native Piscotty crushing an 82 mile-per-hour slider over the wall in left field for a 5-1 Oakland lead. Jonathan Lucroy singled in an insurance run in the top of the ninth off Will Smith for a six-pack of runs.

Manaea cruised after the A’s took the substantial lead, giving up just two hits over his next three innings of work. The only rough patch came when the Giants third baseman D’Arnaud took a 1-0 offering over the wall in center field for his second homer and second RBI on the season. Manaea finished out the inning with a trio of groundouts, hitting the showers staked to a 5-2 lead after allowing just five hits with a single walk and punch-out each. He threw just 73 pitches in the outing heading into the break.

The A’s bullpen triumverate of Ryan Buchter, Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen held the Giants (50-48) scoreless over an inning each to pick up the win and put the A’s 13 games over .500 at the midseason point.

The Bay Bridge series resumes on the other side of the Midsummer Classic, with first-time All-Stars Jed Lowrie, Blake Treinen, and the A’s welcoming the Giants to the East Bay for a Friday through Sunday series. Oakland can win the outright inaugural trophy made from the original Bay Bridge by winning the series. San Francisco would need a sweep to win it outright. If Oakland drops two of three, they’d tie at three games apiece. Starting pitchers have yet to be announced.