A’s suffer late-inning meltdown in Toronto

The Oakland A’s scored 10 runs but still lost, 11-10, on Marcus Semien’s walk-off, three-run home run off Sergio Romo in the ninth inning on Friday night in Toronto.

The A’s blew a six-run lead in one of their most deflating losses of the season.

The A’s offense kept their momentum pumping to generate a six-run lead late, but the bullpen surrendered six runs in the eighth inning on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s game-tying grand slam. Mark Canha shifted the momentum back to the A’s side with a two-run home run off closer Jordan Romano.

Lou Trivino, in his first outing since he blew consecutive saves and drew a late loss, walked the leadoff batter Breyvic Valera, gave up a hit to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and hit Bo Bichette with a pitch to load the bases and get the hook for Yusmeiro Petit. Petit walked in a run, and Gurriel Jr. launched his first-pitch cutter for the grand slam to make it 8-8 heading into the ninth inning.

The A’s offense got a healthy lead against Alek Manoah despite the Blue Jays starter’s inconsistent control. The A’s struck early, putting up two runs on Matt Chapman’s bases-loaded double in the first inning.

Manoah gave the A’s bench a scare in the fifth inning, throwing 94-mph fastballs up and hitting Starling Marte on the side of his helmet. And much to the cha

grin of the A’s bench, Manoah stayed in the game. Marte stayed in the game, too, taking his base (he would be removed in the bottom half of the inning). He and Josh Harrison, who was also hit on the hand by a pitch, scored on Matt Olson’s RBI double to give the A’s a 4-2 lead.

Canha drew a walk on the wild Manoah and Tony Kemp, after getting a bit of dirt in his eye flying up off a bouncer, hit a two-run home run to extend the A’s lead and knock Manoah out of the game.

Oakland didn’t stop with Manoah out. Chapman struck again in the seventh inning, hitting a two-run single against Nate Pearson.

Sean Manaea answered a troubling August in which he accrued a 9.90 ERA looking like his old self. A tworun home run to Teoscar Hernandez the only mark on his seven-inning outing in which he threw just 86 pitches, struck out nine and walked none.