Semien’s slam breaks open win over Twins
OAKLAND — Marcus Semien homered twice and broke open a close game with an eighth-inning grand slam to give the Athletics a 7-2 Fourth of July win over the Minnesota Twins.
Semien had tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth when he stepped to the plate in the eighth with the bases loaded and the Athletics leading 3-2. He hit the first pitch he saw from reliever Mike Morin for his 13th home run of the season and fourth career grand slam.
Wei-Chung Wang got his first major league win and a depleted bullpen held up its end as the Athletics took two of three from the American League Central leaders before a crowd of 20,836.
The Athletics are 48-40, exactly where they were a year ago after 88 games en route to a 97-win season Next up is a three-game series in Seattle heading in to the All-Star break.
Semien hit his 12th home run of the season for the Athletics in the fifth inning, a solo shot that tied the game off starter and loser Jose Berrrios (8-5). They added the lead run that inning when Mark Canha grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.
Wang pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Tanner Anderson, and was followed with a scoreless inning by Lou Trivino and another by Joakim Soria.
Anderson didn’t make it through the fifth, trailing 2-1 after Ehire Adrianza’s two-out RBI single, scoring Nelson Cruz.
As Anderson labored through a 27-pitch first inning, it didn’t appear the Athletics would get the 4 2/3 innings they actually got. Anderson gave up nine hits and two runs, just one earned, with two walks and three
strikeouts.
Cruz also scored Minnesota’s first run when Chris Herrmann interfered with Adrianza’s bat with the bases loaded, forcing in the first run of the game.
Herrrman got that run back in the fourth inning by lining a clean RBI single to left center, scoring Khris Davis, who had singled.
Semien’s home run leading off the fifth tied the score for the Athletics, who lost a chance at a bigger inning. A Berrios walk to Matt Chapman, a single to right by Matt Olson and another walk to Davis loaded the bases with no one out.
The Athletics settled for just one more run when Canha hit into a ground ball double play, scoring Chapman.