Umpire Tim Timmons just checking to make sure that Oakland A’s starter Frankie Montas didn’t have any foreign substances on his shirt, glove or cap in the first inning, he passed inspection at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jun 26, 2021 (AP News photo)
Oakland 5 – 6 – 0
San Francisco 6 – 9 – 1
By Lewis Rubman
Saturday June 26, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO–The Athletics’ past week was bookended by frustrating loses, with a disappointing split of a four game series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington occupying the time between them.
On Sunday the 20th, Oakland was trailing the Yankees 2-1 in the top of the ninth at the Stadium, when they put runners on first and second with none down against the usually impregnable Arnoldis Chapman.
The Cuban fireballer was having trouble with a finger on his pitching hand, and it seemed inevitable that, with Sean Murphy, Elvis Andrus, and Mark Canha coming to bat, the come from behind specialists from the East Bay would push at least one, very possibly more, runs across the plate.
Murphy drove Chapman’s second pitch down the third base line, and, the next thing you knew, the Yanks had pulled off a triple play, hanging Oakland out to dry. You have to hit the ball pretty hard to ground into a triple play like that.
Last night, Sean Manaea pitched a masterful five innings against the Giants at Oracle Park. He held the MLB leading home team to one run on only three hits over six innings and even went two for two himself, including a double up triples alley. But he was up against the equally masterful Johnny Cueto, aided by strong relief from Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee, who combined to shut out Oakland, 2-0.
Today, seeking to even the series against their cross bay rivals, Oakland sent Frankie Montás (7-7, 4.79) to the mound against Alex Wood (6-3, 4.09), who looked awful in his start last Sunday against Philadelphia, which ended with Phillies routing the home squad by the ignominious score of 11-2.
Montás, too, had performed poorly in his previous start, eight earned runs on nine hits in 5-2/3 frames the day after deflating triple play defeat in the Bronx.
This encounter of two starting pitchers with a lot to prove ended up being a tight pitchers´duel decided in ten innings, with both starters long gone, and the Giants winning 6-5 in a nail biter.
Montás dug himself a hole early. He loaded the bases with one out in the home second with two walks, separated by a single and a wild pitch. But he climbed out of it by fanning San Fran’s number eight hitter, Curt Casali, subbing for Buster. Posey, who was resting his aching back, and getting Wood to ground out to Matt Chapman.
But it was the A’s who opened the scoring. Elvis Andrus led off the top of the third with a single to right center and kept on running when center fielder Steve Duggar dropped the ball. Tony Kemp moved Andrus to third with a ground out to second, a text book productive out, if you can call it that when it brings the pitcher to the plate. Montás, not unexpectedly struck out looking. Ramón Laureano upheld the tradition of this year´s A’s lead off men by getting hit by a pitch, a bit of wildness that Wood extended by walking Chapman, in the process of which he unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Andrus to score and Laureano to advance to second, where he was stranded. The run was unearned, but Wood contributed mightily to it.
The lead changed hands in the bottom of the fifth, with Duggar on base, LaMonte Wade, Jr. launched a 399 foot blast into the right field seats for the Giants’ second hit of the game and his fifth home run of tthe season, driving in his 12th and 13th RBI. This was Wade’s 28th game of 2021.
TheWhite Elephants came roaring back in the top of the sixth, chasing Wood from the box with singles by Olson and Lowrie.
Wood’s replacement, Dominic Leone, wild pitched Lowrie to second (Olson had gone to third on Lowrie’s base knock) with Mitch Moreland, pinch hitting for Pinder, at the plate. Moreland’s single to right drove in Olson with the tying run. Leone got Andrus out on a grounder to third after an eight pitch battle.
Wood had accquitted himseelf admirably. He was charged with two runs, and his earned one, which came in the sixth was facilitated by Olson’s single, which came on a ground ball to second, and Leone’s failure to bar the door.
The Giants’ starter gave up four hits in his 5-1/3 innings of work and had struck out eight, while conceding only one passport. He threw 92 pitches, 57 for strikes.
Montás didn’t come out for the sixth. He left, relieved by Yusmeiro Petit, after hurling five full frames and yielding the two runs he’d allowed on Wade’s round tripper. San Francisco managed to get two hits and three walks off him. 62 of his 96 offerings were considered strikes.
It took a grand falling grab by Lowrie of Duggars bounder towards right to enable Petit to escape the home sixth unscathed, Dickerson having singled and Solano walked before the A’s second sacker saved Petit’s bacon.
Jarlin García opened the seventh for the Jints. He disposed of the first two Athletics he faced but, after walking Laureano, was lifted in favor of Zach Littell. And then Matt Chapman lofted a 358 foot blast into the right field night. Olson’s inning ending pop up was anticlimactic.
It now was up to Sergio Romo to do what Petiit had done in the previous inning, stave off his erstwhile teammates. He, like García, got his first two men, but walked Wade, the third third batter he faced, Wade.At this point, the A’s called on Jake Diekman to retire Yaztremski.
Diekman hit him with the first pitch he threw. Wilmer Flores lined a single to left on the next pitch, driving in Wade and narrowing the score to 4-3. Diekman proceded to close the inning by striking out Darin Ruf, pinch hitting for Dickerson.
José Alvarez set the A’s down in order in the eighth, and Diekman stayed on to face the Giants in their half of the frame. He got Crawford to line out to center, but Solano took a 3-2 95 mph four seamer deep to left enter to tie the game up again.
Diekman walked Duggar on another full count, ball three of which brought about Bob Melvin’s ejection from the game by home plate umpire Lance Barrett. Diekman followed his manager to the club house, and Lou Trivino retired Casali and pinch hitter Austin Slater to preserve the tie.
Tyler Rogers, whose submarine deliveries had torpedoed the A’s in the eighth on Friday night, pitched the ninth and continued his lethal attacks on the A’s batters, sending them down in order
Wade led off the bottom of the ninth against Trivino by sneaking a grounder past Chapman for a single to left. Trivino retired Yaztremski and Flores but walked Darin Ruf, putting the potential winning run in scoring position with Crawford at the plate.
Crawford came through with a single to left, but the game remained tied with a perfect throw from Kemp to Chapman, a perfect relay from Chapman to Murphy, and a perfect tag by Murphy to tag Wade at the plate. It wasn’t even close.
Brown, having made the last out in the A’s ninth, started the tenth at second base, and Jake McGeestarted it on the mound. Laureano’s ground out to short moved Brown to third. Chapman flew out to left, a sacrifice fly that put Oakland up, 5-4. Olson popped to short to end the frame.
The bottom of the tenth began with Crawford on second and Solano facing Burch Smith. Solano flew out to center, and Crawford thought it unwise to try advancing to third against Laureano’s arm. Duggar brought him home with a game tying single to center.
Curt Cas. who had struck out in all four of his previous plate appearances drove him home with a double to left. The highly partisan crowd went wild.
The win went to McGee, who now stands at 3-2, 3.06. Burch Smith got charged with the loss. He’s now 1-1, 5.82.
The teams will wrap up the series at 1:05 Sunday afternoon, with Cole Irvin (5-7,3.98) hoping to put the A’s back on track against Sammy Long (1-0, 4.20). After a well earned day off on Monday, the green and gold return to the Coliseum to do battle with the Rangers at 6:40 Tuesday evening.
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