Adames, Brosseau hit HRs as Rays beat A’s 4-3, avoid sweep

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Rays and A’s played a pair of tough series in a span of two weeks, splitting four games in Florida before three more nail-biters in the Bay Area.

Willy Adames hit a three-run homer in the fifth, Mike Brosseau added a tiebreaking drive the following inning and Tampa Bay held off Oakland 4-3 on Sunday to avoid a sweep.

“Home runs can make a lot of questions go away,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

These two AL pennant contenders know this might not be the last time they see each other this season, either — all their games were close until the end and decided by two or fewer runs aside from Oakland’s three-run victory Saturday.

“It was just a really good seven games that we played against them in the past two weeks,” Oakland starter Cole Irvin said. “Hats off to them — they’re the reigning AL champions. They’ve got a good ballclub to begin with. If we have similarities with them, that’s a good sign for us.”

Oakland squandered a chance in the eighth when Matt Olson hesitated on Andrew Kittredge’s passed ball and was thrown out at third by catcher Mike Zunino.

Jeffrey Springs (3-1) struck out two in the fifth for the win. Kittredge got five outs for his second save.

Irvin (3-4) was looking to build on a career-high nine strikeouts his last time out that gave him 29 Ks over his past four starts while going 3-1.

But he couldn’t hold a 3-0 lead and wasn’t as dominant as in recent outings. Irvin allowed four runs — three earned — and four hits over six innings, with three strikeouts and a walk.

The Rays wrapped up a 5-2 visit to California.

“It was tough. Irvin had us off balance, we hit some balls hard ... but he pitched really well, made it tough,” Cash said. “That was a big hit by Willy, big hit by Bross. Good to see the guys bounce back after getting down 3-0, really salvage a road trip.”

Rays lefty Shane McClanahan gave up three runs on four hits in four innings, struck out five and walked two. He has pitched four innings in each of his four starts.