Olson’s walk-off home run vaults Athletics to within one game of Astros in AL West
>> OAKLAND: Matt Olson homered off left-hander Tony Sipp leading off the bottom of the 10th inning on Friday night, completing a comeback that delivered the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the American League West.
Nick Martini lashed a game-tying RBI double in the ninth to force extra innings for the A’s (73-49), who moved within one game of the first-place Astros (74-48).
Olson belted Sipp’s sixth pitch well over the fence in right field for his 23rd home run of the season and Oakland’s eighth walk-off win of the year.
A’s closer Blake Treinen (6-2), who worked the top of the 10th in a tie game, was credited with the win after a three-strikeout effort. Sipp (2-1) took the loss.
Rookie Jack Flaherty continued his mastery over Milwaukee as hosts St Louis claimed a 5-2 victory in the opener of a key three-game series between the two National League Central rivals.
The win was the ninth in the past 10 games for the Cardinals and allowed them to move to within a half-game of the Brewers in the NL wild-card race.
Flaherty (7-6) dominated the Brewers for the third time this season, scattering three hits in six innings while striking out seven and walking three. Flaherty has now struck out 29 Brewers batters in 18 innings over his three appearances against them this season.
Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run and Cole Hamels pitched seven scoreless innings on Friday as the visiting Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for their third win in a row.
Relievers Brandon Kintzler, Jorge De La Rosa, Steve Cishek and Jesse Chavez combined with Hamels on the seven-hit shut-out, with Chavez picking up his second save.
The Cubs had a six-hit shut-out on Thursday.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a long home run in the bottom of the seventh inning as hosts New York overcame an early four-run deficit to defeat Toronto 7-5 in a rain-shortened game.
Stanton capped the comeback from the early hole when he drove a 1-2 fastball from Luis Santos 431 feet into a standing-room section in rightcentre field above New York’s bullpen.
A few minutes after Stanton’s 31st homer, the game was delayed by rain. After the 85-minute delay, the game ended.