New York Mets’ Mark Canha, right, celebrates with Daniel Vogelbach after hitting a solo home run against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Apr 15, 2023 (AP News photo)
New York (NL) vs. Oakland
Time: 2:46
Attendance: 12,967
New York (NL) 000 100 200. – 3. 5. 0
Oakland. 020 000 000. – 2. 5. 0
Saturday, April 15, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–It came as no surprise to anyone aware of last night’s events at the Coliseum that the Athletics had optioned Hogan Harris to their triple A farm club in Las Vegas this morning. To replace the shell shocked rookie reliever they recalled the delightfully named left handed pitcher Richard Lovelady from the Aviators. “What,” as WC Fields observed in My Little Chickadee, “euphoneous appellation.”
The results of this afternoon’s Jackie Robinson Day battle between the visiting New York Mets and your For Now Oakland Athletics were surprising, if not completely unexpected. A well played disappointing loss of the east bayers to the visitors from Queens.
The 8-6 (now 9-6) Mets sent righty Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 11.42) to the mound, and his atrocious numbers were matched by Oakand’s starter, Shintaro Fujiinami (0-2, 17.55). It did not promise to be a pitchers’ even though, from a longer perspective, that was a possibility.
Carrasco came to the game with a lifetime record of 104-87, 3.92, and Fujinami was, before his recent troubles with control, a standout in Japan’s Central League, where he had a 57-54, 3.41, even including his less than stellar six years in that circuit. As it turned out, the long view was the right one,
The green and gold took an early lead, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of he second. Ramón Laureano led off with a singe to left and motored around to third when Aledmys Díaz one hopped the left field fence for a double. After Jesús Aguilar flew out to right and Conner Capel grounded out to first , Carrasco plunked catcher Carlos Pérez to put runners on the corners. Esteiury Ruíz then singled Díaz home with Oakland’s second tally.
New York got one of those runs back in the top of the third when Pete Alonso hit the strie counter to the right of the left field foul pole at the bottom of the second deck, The blast came on an 0-1 slider that travelled at 88.5mph. It left Alonso’s bat at 107.3 mph.
Fujinori, whose longest stint on the mound had been 4-1/3 innings pitched himself out of a jam to preserve the A’s 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth. He hit Marte with a pitch to open the frame. The one time Athletic then swiped second and advanced to third on Francisco Lindor’s ground out to second. And he died on third after Díaz fielded Alonso’s sharp grounder on the edge of the infield grass and threw him out at first. McNeil grounded out to first, Fujinami covering, to end the threat.
Carrasco hit Díaz with a pitch to start the bottom of the sixth, his third hit batter of the afternoon. Whether or not it was in retaliation for the Marte HBP, it was Carrasco’s last deli very for the day, Drew Smith replaced him, Carrasco had pitched five innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits (by, not of, batters) and a walk.He threw 88 pitches, 51 for strikes and lowered his ERA to 8.56.
Carrasco got a no decision because Mark Canha, a favorite of Oakland fans when he was with the Athletics, tied the game with a leadoff blast to left in the top of the seventh. It was his fifth round tripper of ’23. When Daniel Vogelbach followed that with a base on balls, skipper Mark Kotsay lifted Fujinami in favor of Trevor May.
Tim Locastro, running for Vogelbach,, stole second and scored on Brandon Nemmo’s two out double into the right field corner. The inning ended with a fine catch by Lauriano against the right centerfield fence of a blast by Marte, but New York now led, 3-2, and Fujinami was charged with both runs.
In spite of that, he had pitched a fine game, going six innings and allowing three runs, all earned but one posthumous, on four hits. He walked two and hit a batter. His pitch count was 92, 53 strikes. He reduced his ERA to 7.94 but was on the hook for the loss.
Zach Jackson set the Mets down to a conga beat in the eighth, one, two, three.
Adam Ottavino wasn’t that efficient when the A’s came up in their half of the frame. He hit a batter and walked another and collaborated in allowing a couple of steals, but Oakland didn’t score on him.
Dany Jiménez pitched a perfect top of the ninth, keeping Oakland’s hopes for a comeback alive.
David Robertson brought his 0-0-2, 0.00 record to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Pérez led off with a solid single to left. The A’s played little ball as Ruíz sacrificed him to second. Kemp hit a nubber in front of the plate,, and Pérez was 90 feet away from scoring the tying run. But New York was only out away from winning the game. Kevin Smith, who had pinch hit for Peterson in the seventh went down swinging, And that was that.
Smith got the win; he’s now 1-0, 2,84. The hard luck loss went to Fujinami, now 0-3. Robertson earned his third save in as many opportunities.
Tomorrow, the A’s will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1973 World Series championship team. JP Sears (0-0, 5.79) will face Max Scherzer (2-1,4.41). That’s Sunday, with game time at 1:07
