Arizona Diamondbacks’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon, May 15, 2023 (AP News photo)
Arizona (24-28). 022 100 000. – 5 10 1
Oakland (9-34). 001 000 010 – 2. 4. 0
Time: 2:35
Attendance: 2,064
Mon May 15, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–On this day in 1899, the Cleveland Spiders fell to 3-20 after a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The attendance at the game was all of 200.
On this day in 1962, the New York Mets won a 13 inning, four hour and 54 minutes long marathon under the lights at the Polo Grounds against the Chicago Cubs. The winning pitcher was Roger Craig. The attendance was 8,463, but there’s no record of how many of those hung around to the end.
On this day in 2023, the Oakland Athletics fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-2, before an intimate gathering of 2,064 paying customers who saw the team drop to 9-34.
Before game time, the A’s announced that they had reinstated Adrián Martínez from the 15 day injured list and optioned fellow right handed pitcher Zach Neal to their triple AAA farm team in Las Vegas.
It’s easy to make snide remarks about the Athletics; I was tempted to add, “and that’s your A’s highlight for tonight” to that last paragraph, but there are some hopeful signs among the current crop of Athletic players. The team’s game notes point out that going into today Ryan Noda was first among Major League rookies in on-base percentage and walks (27), fourth in OPS , tied for fifth in runs , tied for sixth in doubles and for seventh in three baggers and extra base hits (12), and was eighth in slugging .
That last is a category in which Brent Rooker led all of MLB> He also led the majors in OPS and ws tied for fourth in homers as well as being sixth in OBP. Esteury Ruizis the leader of the pack among rookies ML rookies in hits, doubles, stolen bases, and hit by pitches.
Drew Rucinski took the mound for Oakland with a record of 0-3, 8.16. When he left after 3-2/3 innings,his ERA had risen to 9.00 He’d thrown 89 pitches, 47 for strikes and yielded five runs, all earned, on six hits, two of them home runs, and five walks. He didn’t strike anyone out. The loss left him 0-4.
Nine year MLB and four campaign veteran of the Korean Baseball Organization, Diamondback starter Merrill Kelly, took a 3-3, 3.18 record with him to the mound. He was on his game tonight. His ERA fell to 2.92 over the course of his mound tenure, and at game’s end his won-lost record had improved to 4-3.
At one point, Kelly struck out five consecutive Athletics batters. His strike out total was nine. In his seven innings of work Kelly allowed only four hits, one of them for four bases. Only one of the two runs with which he was charged was earned. He threw 97 pitches, 70 for strikes
The Diamondbacks rattled their sticks early. Number nine hitter, Geraldo Perdomo lifted a hanging slider into the stairs behind the Oakland A’s Community Fund sign in right , bringing in Giant killer Dominic Fletcher from second, which he had reached on a lead off double, to grab an early 2-0 lead.
Lourdes Gurriel doubled the margin on another slider, a 2-2 delivery that carried over the NBC Sports California sign to the right of the 388 foot marker in center field. Corbin Carroll, who had led off the frame with a base on balls, scored before him.
Oakland didn’t get a base runner until there were two away in the bottom of the third. Nick Allen beat out Perdomo’s hurried throw on a grounder to third for a single and advanced to second when throw got past first baseman Pavin Smith. A Texas League single to right center by Ruíz made it 4-1.
But the momentum hadn’t shifted. A lead off walk to Perdomo in the top of the fourth was followed, one out later, by a seeing eye single that shortstop Allen chased down in right field while Perdomo motored to third. A broken bat sac fly to short by Carroll brought Perdomo in with Arizona’s fifth run. A walk to Gurriel, and Sam Long was on the mound for Oakland.
He got the last out on three pitches and remained in the game, somehow surviving a bases loaded game in the top of the fifth without yielding a tally and holding the Rattlers scoreless in the sixth. He gave way to Richard Lovelady, who retired the side in order in the top of the seventh. The newly returned Adrián Martínez performed his version of that feat in the eighth.
Jace Peterson made things interesting in the Oakland half of that frame with a lead off home run, his third homer of the year, a 409 foot no doubter to right center. Arizona now led,5-2 first base umpire then ejected Arizona’s manager, Torey Lovullo for arguing a check swing call, and then a walk to Díaz and a Nick Allen single, his third of the night, signaled the end of Kelly’s up to now successful start. Miguel Castro took over for him. He retired Ruíz , walked Noda, and ended the threat by getting Rooker to fly out to right.
The A’s had one more chance. Lefty Andrew Chafin came in to pitch the ninth. Aldemys Díaz pinch hit for Bleday and flew out to center. Langelieres flew out to left. Laureano skied out to right, and Chafin had earned his sixth save.
The D’backs will stick around the Coliseum for a couple of more days before both teams take to the road, Oakland departing for Houston, and Arizona decamping to Pittsburgh. Tomorrow’s, Tuesday’s, match up will feature Kyle Muller (1-3, 7.34)for the home team and Tommy Henry(1-1,4.43) for the visitors.
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