A’s break up no-hit bid in 9th inning
OAKLAND — Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz lost his nohit bid when Matt Olson clobbered a full-count pitch into the elevated right-field seats leading off the ninth inning of the Braves’ 3-1 interleague victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
Trying for just the major leagues’ second no-hitter of the season, Foltynewicz (6-5) struck out eight and walked four while pitching into the ninth for the first time and outdueling Sonny Gray. The Braves have 14 no-hitters, the last by Kent Mercker at the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994.
Foltynewicz, the 19th overall pick in the 2010 draft, capped baseball’s home-run heavy June with a career-best 119pitch gem. He baffled the A’s with fastballs at up to 97 mph.
And there wasn’t even a close defensive play on this night for the 25-year-old righthander, a four-year veteran making his 52nd big league start. Gray (3-4) retired his final 14 batters.
Miami’s Edison Volquez nohit Arizona on June 3.
The A’s avoided being no-hit for the first time since four Baltimore pitchers combined to do so in 1991.
Foltynewicz had only one rocky inning. He plunked Franklin Barreto with one out in the sixth then walked Matt Joyce. Olson struck out and Jed Lowrie was retired on a called third strike.
After Olson’s hit, Jim Johnson entered and finished for his 17th save.
Foltynewicz hadn’t even pitched great on the road, going 1-3 with a 4.62 ERA in eight outings and seven starts before Friday. He retired the first 12 Oakland batters in order before issuing a leadoff walk to Khris Davis in the fifth. Foltynewicz then recorded three straight outs to keep the no-hit bid intact.
Atlanta went ahead 1-0 on Dansby Swanson’s RBI double in the third.
Brandon Phillips and Matt Kemp added RBI singles in the ninth.
Foltynewicz overcame blood clots in his pitching arm two years ago. On Friday, he topped his previous high in pitches of 112 at Colorado on July 21 last year. He had gone a previous best eight innings against the Royals on May 14, 2016.
This marked the Braves’ first
visit to Oakland since franchise’s lone other trip in 2003 to the Coliseum, where a pair of bird-themed kites are flying high above the upper decks in an effort to cut down on the number of seagulls hovering low in the later innings. One is called “Scott Hatte bird” after former A’s first baseman Scott Hatteberg.
Braves manager Brian Snitker watched a special performance visiting the last ballpark he had yet to see.
“I crossed the last one off my list,” he said.
Trainer’s room — Braves: INF Freddie Freeman, who has been out since mid-May with a wrist injury, will make his first rehab appearance Saturday for Triple-A Gwinett at Charlotte — and play his first game at 3B since rookie ball . ... 1B Matt Adams, who exited Thursday’s 6-0 defeat to the Padres with a bruised left foot, sat out but Snitker was hopeful to have him in Saturday’s lineup.
Athletics: Rookie 3B Matt Chapman is back doing baseball activities after being hospitalized with a knee infection. He remains on oral antibiotics after being on bed rest during his hospital stay last Wednesday-Sunday. “I’m feeling back to normal. It’s good to be back, good to be back out on the field and see my teammates again,” he said. “It seems to coming along nicely.” The plan is for him to do two more days before a likely rehab game or two.