Oakland Athletics’ Stephen Piscotty, right, swings for a three-run home run off San Francisco Giants’ Dereck Rodriguez in the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO-Well, the Oakland A’s did not have to come back on the San Francisco Giants in the series finale of the Bay Bridge Series.
Chad Pinder hit a pinch-hit two-run home run off of Wandy Peralta on the first pitch that Peralta threw in the top of the fifth inning, as the A’s completed a three-game series sweep with a 15-3 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park.
The 15 runs are the most scored by the A’s at Oracle Park and the second most ever scored against the Giants, following the 16 runs that they scored on June 26, 2005 in a 16-0 shutout by the A’s over the Giants, who got only one hit on that afternoon, when Deivi Cruz singled off of Rich Harden in the fifth inning.
The Pinder home run, his third pinch-hit home run of his career landed more than three-quarters up the left-field bleachers that gave the A’s the lead for good.
Sean Murphy walked to lead off the inning with a walk, and Marcus Semien popped out for the first out of the inning, Gabe Kapler decided that it was enough for Logan Webb and he was replaced by Peralta, who promptly gave up the long home run to Pinder.
Both Matt Chapman and Matt Olson both singled, and then Saturdays hero, Mark Canha drove in both Chapman and Olson, as he tripled into the right-center gap.
Peralta was then replaced by Dereck Rodriguez, who got Khris Davis to pop out to Brandon Belt at first base for the second out of the inning, but Stephen Piscotty hit a three-run home run that landed at the base of the Coca-Cola bottle, clearing the bleachers.
The hit parade continued, as Murphy, who led off the inning with a walk, doubled in his second at bat of the inning and Semien made it a nine-run inning, when he launched a two-run home run of his own. Pinder then made it two hits in the inning, as he singled and then the inning finally came to a screeching halt, as Chapman was robbed of a hit by Alex Dickerson in left field.
Webb was tagged with the loss, as he went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on three hits, while walking five and striking out five.
Peralta did not retire a batter, as he gave up five runs on four hits and walked one before giving way to Rodriguez, who gave up three runs (two home runs) on four hits in his first two-thirds work on the afternoon.
Mike Fiers went six innings, as he went gave up two runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out four on his way to his second win of the season.
Davis gave the A’s an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as he grounded into a double play against Webb that scored Olson from third base. Olson picked up his first single of the season, as he singled in front of Mauricio Dubon in center field, Canha and Robbie Grossman then walked to load the bases prior to the Davis double play.
Brandon Belt tied up the game in the bottom of the second inning, as he lined his second home run of the season onto the arcade in right field.
Chapman gave the A’s the lead once again in the top of the third inning, as he doubled into the gap in right-center field to score Tony Kemp from first base and Chapman moved up an extra 90 feet, when Dubons throw went awry for an error.
Mike Yastrzemski tied up the game in the bottom of the third, as his blooper landed just beyond the reach of Chapman at third base that scored Brandon Crawford and that would be the score until the A’s broke the game wide open with a nine-run fifth inning.
Piscotty drove in two more runs in the top of the sixth inning, as he doubled to score Olson and Davis.
The five runs batted in for Piscotty tied a career high set versus the Boston Red Sox on April 4, 2019 at the Coliseum.
Crawford led off the bottom of the seventh inning by his hitting his first home run of the season, against A’s reliever James Kaprielian, who was making his major-league debut for the As.
Donovan Solano saw his 17-game hitting streak come to a halt, as he took the collar on the afternoon, as he went 0-for-5; however, he still hitting .408 on the season.
With one last chance to get a hit to extend the streak, Solano grounded out to end the game.
NOTES: This is the first time that the A’s have swept the Giants in San Francisco since June 13-15, 2008 and the first sweep over the Giants since June 17-19, 2011.
With three more home runs allowed on the afternoon, the Giants have allowed 39 home runs on the season, and at least one in 19 consecutive games, extending their team record. The Diamondbacks have given up a major league high 46 on the season.
UP NEXT: Neither the Giants nor the Los Angeles Angels have announced their starters for the beginning of their two-game series that begins on Monday night at Anaheim Stadium.
