Oakland Athletics pitcher Joe Boyle works against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

Detroit (72-83). 001 000 000. – 1. 6. 0

Oakland (48-107) 002 000 02x. 4. 6. 2

Time: 2:38

Attendance: 9,776

Saturday, September 23, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND—About the only bright spot in the 10-1 beat down the A’s suffered at the hands of the San Diego Padres on September 17 was the brilliant debut of the 24 year old right handed pitcher Joe Boyle, who pitched three innings of one hit shutout ball before ceding the mound to a trio of his elders consisting of Ken Waldichuk, Darin Sweet, and Francisco Pérez, who proceeded to collaborate with Oakland’s impotent offense in the ignominious defeat that followed Boyle’s departure.

Friday night, the A’s bats regained their lost vim, vigor, and vitality, Waldichuk held the Detroit Tigers to a couple of runs on four hits in six innings as the Athletics broke their eight game losing streak in an 8-2 triumph over the visiting Bengals. Saturday, the green and gold defeated the orange in black, 4-1 in a game that was closer than the final score would indicate.

This afternoon Boyle was back on the mound for Oakland against the Tigers, who, with yesterday’s bitter defeat, joined the A’s in the group of teams mathematically eliminated from playoff competition. Boyle wasn’t as sharp this afternoon as he’d been six days ago, but he lasted longer and pitched extremely well.

He allowed a single in the first and a leg double to Parker Meadows in the second. A well hit two bagger by Zach McKinstry and an error by Jordan Díaz on a sharp grounder to third in the second combined for an unearned Tiger run in the third.

AJ Hinch, the ex-Athletic at the helm of the Detroit squad, indisputably used an opener, 28 year old right hander Miguel Díaz. He spent most of this season with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens, where he went 2-4-14, 5.05. His brief appearance ended after an inning and a third in which all he yielded was a second inning leadoff walk. The southpaw Joey Wentz took over after with one on and no outs and induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.

The A’s reversed Detroit’s one run lead in the home half of the third. After Nick Allen’s one out single to center, Esteury Ruíiz lifted a fly just to the right of the left field foul pole for his fifth home run and 45th and 46th RBI of the season. Wentz took the loss because of those two runs, bringing his won–lost record down to 3-12 and his earned run average up to 6.45.

Boyle came out for the fifth with no one warming up in the Oakland bullpen, which qualified his performance as a traditional start in my book. He ended up going six innings and allowing just that one unearned run and a total of five hits and a walk while striking out five of the 24 Tigers he faced.

He threw 94 pitches, only 30 of which were balls, and maintained his immaculate ERA while winning his first victory in the show. Lucas Erceg relieved him at the beginning of the seventh and allowed nothing but a walk in his one inning tenure.

Dany Jiménez, who took over for Erceg for the eighth, wasn’t as effective as his predecessors. He struck out two but also walked three, with a wild pitch thrown into the bargain, before Trevor May was called in to bail him out with the bases loaded and Parker Meadows, who had gone one for two with a double and a walk, at the plate. May fanned him on five pitches.

Oakland scored a couple of much needed insurance runs off Jason Foley in the bottom of the eighth. He issued a one out walk to Nick Allen, who moved up a base on an infield single by Ruíz. Nola followed that with a double off the right field wall that drove in Allen and sent Noda to third. Gelof’s single to right made it a 4-1 Athletic lead. The rally was squelched when Seth Brown hit into a 4-6-3 twin killing.

The top of the ninth wasn’t easy for May. He issued a full count walk to Carson Kelly to lead off the inning. Akil Baddoo hit a hard grounder to Gelof. He had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, and the A’s had to settle for a force out at second.

Zach McKinstry smacked a hard ground ball to Allen at short. Rather than throw to second, he made a one hop throw to first that Noda couldn’t come up with. Matt Vierling’s single to center loaded the bases. But May celebrated his 34th birthday by fanning Torkelson and Carpenter to earn his 20th save.

Sunday’s, 1:07 game will end the A’s home season. JP Sears (5-12, 4.52) will face Detroit’s Eduardo Rodríguez (11-9, 3.57).