Healy’s 2 HRs powers A’s past Yanks
OAKLAND (AP) – Even as Ryon Healy tinkers with his plate approach, teammates think the Oakland third baseman deserves All-Star consideration.
Easy to see why on days like this.
Healy went deep twice for his third multihomer game in two weeks, Matt Joyce also hit a long ball and the Athletics beat the New York Yankees 5-2 on Saturday.
“I think it’s been really impressive, obviously, what he did today, but what he’s done as a whole this season,” Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle said after Healy hit his eighth home run in 14 games. “I don’t think he got off to the start he wanted to, at least in April. You look at the scoreboard now and look where his numbers are at ... you could put him in the All-Star conversation.”
Healy hit a tying solo home run in the second inning, then put the A’s up with his 17th home run leading off the fourth. The slugger also had two home runs against Washington on June 3 and against Toronto on June 5.
It’s the fifth time this season that Healy, who singled in the seventh, has had three hits or more in a game.
“I still think it’s getting there,” Healy said. “I’m not satisfied with the consistency of it. There are things that I’m still not doing well enough on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, I’m still able to go out and compete.”
Joyce reached base five times, Jesse Hahn (3-4) pitched five innings to defeat New York for the first time in his career and Jed Lowrie had an RBI single to keep the A’s rolling at home. Oakland has won six of its last eight at the Coliseum, including three straight against the Yankees.
Joyce homered leading off the game against Masahiro Tanaka (5-7). It was Joyce’s fifth career leadoff homer and first since Sept. 24, 2013 – also against the Yankees.
Austin Romine and Brett Gardner drove in runs for New York, which has lost a season-high five straight. The Yankees entered the day with a one-game lead over Boston in the AL East.
Hahn had an uneven outing but stuck around long enough to win his second straight. The right-hander allowed two runs and three hits and had six strikeouts, including two against home run leader Aaron Judge.
Four relievers pitched one inning apiece to complete the five-hitter. Sean Doolittle retired three batters for his second save.
Tanaka had an up-anddown day while losing to the A’s for the second time this season. Tanaka struck out 10 but allowed five runs and eight hits – including three homers – over four innings.
ROUGH DAY Khris Davis struck out four times for Oakland and got some boos for lack of hustle on another out. Davis sulked out of the batter’s box and back toward the dugout after popping a ball up near home plate in the third inning. Wind appeared to blow the ball back toward fair territory, and third baseman Chase Headley dropped the ball. Romine picked it up and threw to first base to retire Davis.