Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz slugged a two run homer in the bottom of the third inning against the St Louis Cardinals to help pace Oakland to a three run 6-3 victory over the Cardinals at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Apr 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The A’s beat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on getaway day. The A’s sent Paul Blackburn to the hill Wednesday afternoon. Blackburn had not allowed a run in 19 and 1/3rd innings to start the season. Blackburn added three more innings to his record, holding the Cardinals scoreless for the first three innings.

The Cardinals plated three runs in the fourth to snap his streak. The A’s rallied in the fifth to regain the lead. The A’s bullpen did not allow a hit or a walk after taking over for Blackburn with two out in the sixth. The A’s won the game 6-3.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the third. The Cardinals’ starter, lefty Steven Matz, walked rookie Max Schuemann to start the inning. A’s centerfielder, Esteury Ruiz, lined a shot over the left field wall to give the A’s an early 2-0 lead. It was Ruiz’s second big fly of the young season.

The Cardinal offense ignited in the top of the fourth, setting the stage for an exciting comeback. Lars Nootbaar led the charge with a single, followed by a single from Nolan Arenado, sending Nootbar to third. Cardinals’ DH Willson Contreras doubled, driving in Nootbar, and Arenado stopped at third. Blackburn struck out Nolan Gorman for the first out. Catcher Ivan Herrera added a single to drive in Arenado and Contreras to the excitement. The Cardinals surged ahead, leading 3-2 midway through the third inning.

The A’s demonstrated their resilience and strategic play in the bottom of the fifth, reclaiming the lead. Singles by Tyler Nevin and Zack Gelof set the stage, putting men on first and second with no outs. A’s catcher Shea Langeliers showcased his strategic thinking with a ground-rule double to drive in Nevin. Gelof would have scored, but the ball got stuck under the wall in center field.

Gelof had to go back to third. Abraham Toro’s ground out allowed Gelof to score, and Langeliers scored on a sacrifice fly, solidifying the A’s lead at 5-3 in favor of Oakland.

The A’s added another run in the bottom of the sixth. With two out, Ruiz reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. A’s right fielder Tyler Nevin singled to drive in Ruiz with the sixth run of the game. The A’s led 6-3 after six.

The A’s bullpen did not allow a hit after starter Paul Blackburn exited in the sixth inning. The A’s win 6-3.

“The job our bullpen did again today [is] a reflection of the season so far,” said Manager Mark Kotsay. “Overall, [it] was a really solid day for our pitching staff.”

Game notes: With the win, the A’s are 8-11. The A’s are 7-4 after a 1-7 start. The Cardinals fall to 9-10.

Paul Blackburn was the winning pitcher. He is now 2-0 for the year. His line was five and 2/3rds innings, allowing three runs and six hits. Cardinals starter Steven Matz was the losing pitcher. His record is 1-1.

“It was kinda one of those days where [I] didn’t really have anything, I felt like,” said Blackburn. “[However], I kept the boys in it, the offense came through, and we were able to get a win. Anytime you get a win, it’s a good outing.”

“Overall, he managed the game as Paul does,” said Kotsay. “Ultimately, he gave us a chance to win, like he’s done all season. He grinded it in that last inning to get through it.”

The Line score for Oakland was six runs, ten hits, and no errors. The Line score for St. Louis was three runs, six hits, and no errors.

Oakland’s hitting stars were Ruiz, Nevin, and Langeliers. Ruiz blasted a 412-foot home run in the third to give the A’s a 2-0 lead. Nevin had a double and two singles. Langeliers’ double helped the A’s score three runs in the fifth.

The A’s used four relievers: T.J. McFarland, Austin Adams, Lucas Erceg, and Mason Miller. Miller earned his fourth save of the season.

The time of the game was two hours and 30 minutes, and 9,551 fans watched the Green and Gold pick up their eighth win.

“We’re playing great baseball right now,” said Blackburn. “The energy has been I think at [an] all-time high right now for us. It’s not just coming from guys [playing every day]. It’s coming guys that are on the bench…..it’s coming from everyone. It’s definitely a group effort right now, and it shows. The come-from-behind wins that we’ve had this year, it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward. [When] we do get down, it’s not like we don’t have a chance. We’re fighting out every at-bat, we’ve thrown the ball well, we[‘ve] hit the ball well and [we’ve played] good defense. We’re playing some really good baseball right now.” 

“I haven’t been here too long, but [there] doesn’t seem to be any egos,” said Nevin. 

The A’s are off on Thursday as they are on their way to play the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland for three games starting Friday night. Joe Boyle (1-2, 5.68) will pitch for Oakland. Triston, McKemzie (1-2, 6.23) will be on the mound for Cleveland. The game will start at 4:10 pm.