Oakland A’s Yan Gomes slides in for the score in the bottom of the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum during a two run inning against the San Francisco Giants (AP News photo)

San Francisco 1 – 5 – 1

Oakland 4 – 6 – 0

By Lewis Rubman

Friday August 20, 2021

OAKLAND–For all the misery the A’s endured while on the road last week, they came home to find themselves still in the midst of an exciting pennant race, only two and a half games behind Houston, who, like Oakland, had gone 5-5 and their last ten games, in the struggle to win the AL West.

The danger comes from outside the division, where the Yankees have a one game lead for the first wild card slot, and the Red Sox only a half a game behind the green and gold for the only remaining vacancy at the play off motel.

Even without the interest spurred by the pennant race, tonight’s game promised excitement. People may not chant “BEAT L.A.!” at an Oakland-San Francisco encounter (although I’ve heard that at some of them), but emotions run pretty high when the cross bay rivals meet, more so in the stands than on the field.

By some stroke of statistical coincidence, the Giants’ position is a bit of a mirror image of Oakland’s. San Francisco leads the NL West, two and a half games ahead of the Dodgers. The Jints took two out of the three games between they played against at Oracle Park in the June half of this year’s Bay Series.

Even though it’s not likely that Chris Bassitt will be able to pitch in any of the forty games left on the Athletics’ schedule, the rapid improvement of his prognosis after the terrible injury he sustained on Wednesday in Chicago has lifted the team’s spirits.

The return of Chad Pinder to the active roster, announced today, strengthened the home team’s depth in both the infield and the outfield. He was joined in tonight’s starting line-up by trade deadline additions Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison, all of whom having been playing well for their new club. Bear in mind, also, that forty games means eight starts. A mediocre pitcher would, almost by definition, either win or allow the A’s to win, four of those games.

A rebound by Sean Manaea, a strengthened bullpen featuring AJ Puk, the occasional use of an opener, or a combination of the above (or other positive development) would minimize and maybe offset the effects of the A’s losing their all-star mainstay.

Tonight’s starter, James Kaprielian, is one of the Oakland hurlers who could ameliorate the effects of Bassitt’s absence. The 27 year old righty went into the game at 6-4, 3.33 and, although he got badly battered by San Diego on July 27 and underperformed in Texas six days ago, allowed only two earned runs in six innings of work against the Rangers at home six days after that. Those were his last three starts, and the only one of them that took place at the Coliseum gave reason to hope.

Kaprielian’s opponent, southpaw Alex Wood, went to the mound at 10-3, but his ERA was 4.14. After all, he’s pitching for the team with the best record in major league baseball this year. He pitched well in his last start, against Colorado on August 15, but surrendered a total of nine earned runs in ten innings against the lowly Diamondbacks over his two previous starts, one in Phoenix and the other in Oracle Park.

The pitchers were pretty evenly matched over the first five innings of tonight’s game, which the Athletics eventually won by a score of 4-1. Neither starter made it to the sixth frame.

Kaprielian had no difficulty keeping the Giants off the board the first time through the batting order, but his control deserted him after retiring his tenth batter faced, LaMonte Wade, Jr., for the second out in the top of the third. He walked Tommy LaStella on a full count and Buster Posey on four pitches.

He proceeded to load the bases by giving a free pass to Brandon Belt, who fouled off one of Karprielian’s offerings. A fly to deep center by the first pitching swinging Kris Bryant enabled the A’s rookie to escape without lasting damage.

But it was Wood who cracked first. He walked Jeff Lowrie to open the home fourth. The A’s DH advanced to third on Yan Gomes’s double to left center. The runners held when Matt Chapman bounced out to short but came home on Harrison’s sharp single to center.

Harrison took second on the throw, and it was runners on first and second a one out after Pinder walked on a three and two pitch that missed. The Giants’ southpaw recovered to strike out Andrus swinging and Canha looking at a third strike that just caught the high and outside corner of the strike zone.

The visitors promptly cut the Athletics’ advantage in half with Mike Yaztremski’s lead off home run, his 19th dinger of the year, a 401 foot blast into the right field seats. The Giants continued to hit Kaprielian hard, with the next two batters, Wade and LaStella, driving Marte to the warning track to corral their towering fly balls. Posey’s fly to deep right ended the frame.

Jake Diekman took over for Kaprielian to start the sixth. In his five innings of work, the A’s starter threw 92 pitches, 54 for strikes and allowed one run, which was earned. He gave up three hits and four walks while striking out four Giant batters.

It was Zach Littell who replaced Wood to open the bottom of the sixth. Wood departed with a line of five innings pitched, five hits, two runs, both earned, two walks, and nine strike outs. Of his 96 pitches, 66 were strikes.

Diekman stayed in the game long enough to retire the Giants in order in the sixth and strike out Alex Dickerson, the only batter he faced in the seventh before yielding to Yusmeiro Petit. It took all of five pitches for him to close down San Francisco for the rest of the inning.

Littel wasn’t as effective in his second inning on the hump. He walked Pinder, got Andrus on a hard line drive that Flores grabbed in a nice play at third, and then retired Canha who forced Pinder at second. But the Giants’ relievere threw a wild pitch with Marte at bat, and Canha was safe at second.

Marte drove him home with a down the line double to right, and that was it for Littell. José Alvarez replaced him. Marte broke for third with Olson at bat. Alvarez threw wildly to try to stop him, Marte was credited with a stolen base and scored on the errant throw. The A´s were up 4-1.

That was the score when Sergio Romo took over for his fellow ex-Giant Petit to face San Francisco in the top of the eighth. Aside from a two out single to Posey, he was lights out.

Lou Trivino toed the rubber in the top of the ninth looking for his 21st save of the season. He got it, allowing only a two out single to Alex Dickerson.

The win went to Kaprielian, He’s now 7-4, 3.25. The A’s now are 17 games above .500 at 69-53. Wood took the loss. He’s now 10-4, 4.11 for the 78-44 Giants.

Saturday afternoon’s contest is scheduled ot start at 1:07 with Sean Manaea (8-8, 3.77) going against Kevin Gausman (12-5, 2.40).