A’s top Jays to give Melvin 600 MLB wins
OAKLAND — One night after the Oakland A’s popped a six-liter bottle of champagne to celebrate Edwin Jackson’s 100th win, manager Bob Melvin gave the clubhouse more reason to celebrate.
With a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland Coliseum Tuesday, the A’s earned Melvin’s 600th win as a manager. In doing so, Melvin became just the fourth A’s skipper to reach the 600-win mark, joining Connie Mack (3582), Tony La Russa (798) and Art Howe (600).
The win also moved the A’s to within a game of the Seattle Mariners for the second wildcard spot in the American League. They remain five games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West standings.
The A’s allowed Melvin to record the milestone win by continuing the offensive assault they started with their 10-1 over the Blue Jays Monday.
Khris Davis led the charge at the plate, capping off a remarkable month of baseball by singling in the first, blasting his ninth home run of July in the third and ripping an RBI single in the sixth. Davis’ 29 RBI are the second-most in July during the franchise’s Oakland era behind the 35 runs brought in by Jose
Canseco in 1991.
Matt Olson went 2 for 4 with two RBI, bringing in Nick Martini and Matt Chapman in the first. Mark Canha also went 2 for 4, smacking two doubles, driving in Olson in the third.
During their three-run third, the A’s achieved a pair of uncommon feats on the same play. Marcus Semien and Canha pulled off a double steal, which included a swipe of
home plate. Canha managed to sneak home after Luke Maile attempted to throw out Semien at second, sliding under the catcher’s tag.
Chapman also participated in the 11-hit parade, doubling in the sixth after walking in the first, reaching base in a career-best 17th consecutive game. Chapman, who leads all defensive players in runs saved, also made a remarkable play in the field, chasing down a grounder with the shift on, pivoting and throwing out Aledmys Diaz as his momentum carried him toward foul territory in the eighth.