A’s hold off Abreu, White Sox, force series to Game 3
OAKLAND » Oakland’s long-reliable regulars Marcus Semien and Khris Davis powered a couple of home runs, Mark Canha made a game-saving catch against the wall and redhot right-hander Chris Bassitt delivered the start of his life.
Now, the slugging A’s are right back in a familiar fall position: one winner-take-all postseason game with the season on the line.
Semien and Davis connected early and Oakland’s bullpen barely held off José Abreu and the Chicago White Sox late for a 5-3 win Wednesday that sent the AL playoff series to a deciding Game 3.
The A’s lost in the AL wild-card game each of the past two seasons, providing added motivation to win the division and earn a longer series.
Game 3 is Thursday at the Coliseum.
“It feels good. We’re hungry for more wins,” Semien said. “Tomorrow, anything can happen. It’s just like Game 7.”
A’s reliever Jake Diekman walked home a run in the ninth, then retired the big-hitting Abreu on a sharp grounder to end it and even the bestof-three wild-card matchup at 1-all.
The White Sox went 14-0 in the regular season against left-handed starters and beat southpaw Jesús Luzardo in the playoff opener. A’s manager Bob Melvin acknowledged it might make him reconsider who to start with the season on the line — perhaps righty Mike Fiers over lefty Sean Manaea.
“I’m pretty sure we’re pretty dang confident in anyone we throw against the White Sox,” Bassitt said. “The numbers don’t mean anything. It’s the postseason. I thought they put absurd at-bats against me, and I’m a righty.”
Bassitt allowed one run on six hits in seven-plus innings during an impressive postseason debut as the AL West champion A’s snapped a six-game postseason losing streak dating to 2013.
ASTROS 3, TWINS 1 » Carlos Correa hit a two-out, tiebreaking home run off Cody Stashak in the seventh inning for a two-game sweep that sent AL Central champion Minnesota to a record 18th straight postseason loss.
Nine months after Houston’s rules-breaking, sign-stealing system was revealed, the defending AL champion Astros advanced to the Division Series.
Rookie Cristian Javier worked three hitless innings for the victory in his postseason debut and Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth against his former team, giving the Houston bullpen a total of 9.2 scoreless innings in this wild card series with three hits allowed.
RAYS 8, BLUE JAYS 2 » Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam and top-seeded Tampa Bay completed a two-game sweep to win a postseason series for the first time in 12 years.
The East champion Rays advanced to an AL Division Series against the New York Yankees or Cleveland Indians beginning Monday in San Diego.
Renfroe launched the first playoff grand slam in franchise history during a six-run second inning off Hyun Jin Ryu that also included a two-run homer by No. 9 hitter Mike Zunino. Ryu was rocked for a season-high seven runs in 1.2 innings, the lefty’s shortest outing of the season for the wild-card Blue Jays.