Oakland Athletics’ Mark Canha, right, celebrates with Matt Chapman (26) after hitting a two run homerun off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot

Arizona 1-6-0

Oakland. 4-6- 0

Wed Aug 19, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–In spite of their heart breaking failure to gain another last minute victory over Arizona on Sunday and the horrendous drubbing they received from the Diamondbacks last night, the A’s began today at 16-8, leading the second place Houston Astros by two and a half games in the abbreviated race for the American League Western Division crown.

Returning to the Coliseum from their ill-starred visit to Phoenix, Athletics still had to attend to some unfinished business with the Arizona club; the two teams were scheduled to complete their four game, home and home series this evening,

The visitors, riding high on a six game winning streak, came into the game in third place in the NL West, four and a half games behind the division and MLB leading Dodgers.

Frankie Montás, AL player of the week for August 2-9, was charged with nine of the D-backs’ ten runs in yesterday’s debacle in Phoenix. Tonight’s starter for Oakland, Jesús Luzardo, another deservedly highly rated pitching prospect, was coming off a disappointing performance in his previous appearance.

Luzardo’s lackluster outing against the Giants last Friday—six earned runs in three and a third innings—wasn’t the disaster that the shellacking of Montás was, but it raised the young lefty’s ERA from 2.60 to 4.79.

The entire Athletic squad looked flat in their 10-1 loss in Phoenix. Perhaps it was the effect of playing a day game after a night game. In any case, the home team took the field needing to reverse what threatened to become some disturbing trends.

Arizona’s starting pitcher, right hander Merrill Kelly, went 13-14, 4.42 with the D-backs last year, his rookie season. But he was far from an inexperienced youth. He had arrived in Phoenix with ten years of professional baseball under his belt, starting in 2010 including five years of minor league ball, from lower class A to triple A, a season in the Dominican Winter League, and four years in Korea, where he added five to seven mph to his fast ball . He features a four seamer in the mid 90s, a slider and cutter in the low 90s, a curve about 10 mph slower than that , and an occasional change up in the high 80s.

Kelly had been very effective in his previous starts this year, going at least six innings in all of them, which would not have been notable in normal circumstances (in spite of the arbitrary definition of “quality starts”) but in 2020 is, indeed, worthy of note. He took a record of 3-1, 1.71, with an opponents batting average .212 and a WHIP 0.91 into the game with him.

Luzardo started out well, striking out lead off batter Tim Locastro on an 0-2 slider before surrendering a clean single to center by Kevin Marte. Starling Marte-no relation- eliminated him with an around the horn, inning ending double play two pitches later.

Kelly had more trouble. Marcus Semien led off for Oakland by beating the shift with a single to center. After Ramón Laureano flew out to center and Matt Olson forced Semien out at second, it looked as if Kelly had the situation under control. But he walked Matt Chapman and hit Mark Canha with a pitch.

Robbie Grossman then hit a fly to right that bounced in fair territory a few feet short of the warning track and landed the seats a few feet to the right of the foul pole, an automatic double double that plated the two Matts and put the A’s up, 2-0.

Arizona threatened in the third, when Nick Ahmed, who had hit the walk off single that undid the A’s on Monday, opened the frame with a single to right, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and, after Luzardo got Kevin Cron to take a called third strike, advanced to third on a balk. Luzardo rose to the occasion and retired Carson Kelly and Locastro on fly outs to escape unscathed.

The A’s did more than threaten in their half of the inning. With one out, Chapman doubled down the left field line. Canha then drove a 91 mph four seamer from Kelly into the Mechanics Bank advertisment on top of the auxillary scoreboard in left field for a home run that doubled Oakland’s lead.

Kelly got through two more innings without any difficulties other than the double that Sean Murphy blasted against the top of the Kaiser Permanente advertisement in the fourth. The D-Backs had Kevin Ginkel warming up in the bullpen during the fifth, and he took over mound duties for them in sixth. Kelly’s line for his five innings of work was fourl runs, all earned, on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven and threw 99 pitches, of which 37 were balls.

Oakland missed a chance to pad its advantage in Ginkel´s one frame on the mound. With no one out and Grossman and Piscotty occupying second and third, respectively, Tony Kemp hit a sharp grounder to second that Ketel Martel fielded cleanly and through home to nail Grossman at the plate. Murphy´s infield fly to first and a called third strike to Semien ended the episode.

Bob Melvin kept Luzardo in the game for one out in the top of the seventh. But, when the youngster allowed a single to Calhoun, the Á’s skipper called on Yusmeiro Petit to relieve him. The veteran allowed a single to Almond and then retired Cron and pinch hitter David Peralta on a strike out and a fly to left center.

Luzardo certainly removed any misgivings that might have lingered after his poor showing in San Francisco. The youngster threw six and third inings of shut out ball, holding the Diamondbacks to four hits and two walks, while thowing one wild pitch and committing one balk. Of his 92. pitches, 34 were called balls. He left the game having lowered his ERA to 3.67.

Arizona finally broke through to score their lone tally in the eighth off another veteran, Joakim Soria, who gave it up on a lead off single by Locastro, followed by flies to deep center by the Martes, each of which moved the runner up a base.

Liam Hendricks was lights out in the ninth to save the game for Oakland. It was the eighth time he’s done it this year.

The win went to Luzardo, who’s now 2-1. Kelly took the loss. His record stands at 3-2 with. an ERA of 2.59. In addition to Kelly and Ginkel, TaylorÑClarke contributed two innings of shut out relief to the losing Diamondbacks.

With the victory, Oakland maintained its two and a half game lead over the Astros.

Before the game, the A’s announced that they had recalled right handed pitcher Paul Blackburn from their alternative site in San José. To make room for him, they optioned James Kaprielian to that facility.

The probable starters for tomorrow´s 6:40 contest are two lefties, Alex Young (1-0, 3.86) and Sean Manaea (0-2,7.65).