(Graphic by The Golden Bay Times)

A’s Roast The Jays in the Sacramento Heat 2-0

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–With the mercury close to 100 degrees throughout the duration of today’s series ending showdown, Henry Bolte needed one swing to give the Athletics a lead, and a five-man pitching relay made sure it held. Bolte launched a solo homer to left-center in the third inning, Tommy White scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, and the A’s shut out Toronto 2-0 to take two of three in the series.

Brady Basso set the tone with four scoreless innings in his sixth start of the season. The left-hander allowed three hits, walked two and struck out four, repeatedly escaping before Toronto could cash in. His biggest jam surfaced in the fourth, when Alejandro Kirk singled and Ernie Clement later moved him to third with two outs. Basso ended the threat by striking out Brandon Valenzuela, preserving a scoreless game and handing the offense a chance to move first. Basso had worked as both an opener and reliever throughout the season, making this another short-start assignment rather than a traditional turn through the rotation.

Bolte did exactly that in the bottom of the third. Facing Michael Lorenzen, the 22-year-old drove a fly ball over the wall in left-center for his 10th home run of the season. The blast continued a September surge that had already seen Bolte bat .367 with three homers, six RBI, eight walks and five stolen bases through his first eight games of the month. He also began the day with 19 steals, the most by an A’s player age 22 or younger since Rickey Henderson stole 56 in 1981.

The Athletics added their second run without needing another extra-base hit. White singled to right in the fourth and Max Muncy followed with a single to left, moving White to third. Lorenzen then bounced a wild pitch that brought White home and moved Muncy to second. Donovan Walton sent a fly ball to right that pushed Muncy to third, but Toronto kept the margin at 2-0.

That small cushion turned into a bullpen assignment, and Scott Blewett handled the most dangerous part of it. Brett Bateman doubled with one out in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes followed with an infield single that put runners at the corners. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then hit a grounder back to Blewett, who started a 1-4-3 double play with Walton and White to end the inning. In the sixth, Kirk drew a leadoff walk before Kazuma Okamoto bounced into another double play, this one started by Zack Gelof at third.

Luis Medina took the seventh and struck out Valenzuela and pinch-hitter Josh Smith after retiring Clement on a ground ball. Hogan Harris followed with a perfect eighth, getting Bateman, George Springer and Guerrero in order. Elvis Alvarado finished the ninth, striking out Kirk and Okamoto before Andrés Giménez singled. Clement then flied out to right, ending Toronto’s final chance.

The A’s offense produced only four hits, with Muncy collecting two of them, but it was enough because Toronto never crossed the plate. That made the result even more striking considering the Athletics had batted only .167 through their first five games against the Blue Jays this season. They finished the season series 2-4 against Toronto, but both victories were in this three-game set.

The pitching performance also extended a better stretch for an Athletics bullpen that had allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of its previous 19 games. Blewett, Medina, Harris and Alvarado combined for five scoreless innings after Basso’s four, giving the A’s nine consecutive scoreless innings against a Toronto lineup that had scored four times the previous game.

After Thursday’s off day, the A’s turn to Jeffrey Springs (4-13, 6.02 ERA, 104 K) against Seattle, which is expected to counter with George Kirby (9-11, 4.18 ERA, 133 K), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Pacific.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.