Martini’s first hit powers A’s to win over White Sox
Bay Area News Group/tns The Oakland A’s Nick Martini watches his RBI single during the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. Martini’s hit proved to be the difference as the A’s won 7-6.
CHICAGO (TNS) – Nick Martini picked the perfect moment for his first major league hit.
A 27-year-old minor league journeyman called up from Triple-a Nashville earlier Saturday, Martini entered as an eighth inning pinch hitter and singled home Stephen Piscotty for a go-ahead run as the A’s claimed a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
“He put together a pretty solid at-bat, didn’t try to do too much and gets a 3-2 pitch and hits it up the middle for what ended up being the game-winner,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “A pretty significant day in his life.”
The left-handed hitting Martini, from nearby Crystal Lake, Illinois, played more than seven years in the minors before being called up to the big leagues the first time on June 6.
“I was excited,” said Martini, who snapped an 0-for-9 hitless streak. “I was just so in the moment. I wish I had gotten my first hit when I was up there the first time, but to get it in my back yard is definitely special. I was super excited.”
Piscotty and Matt Olson each homered as the A’s tied a big league record with their 24th consecutive road game with home runs. They share the record with the 1996 Baltimore Orioles.
It was a short, difficult afternoon for A’s right-handed starter Daniel Mengden. He allowed five firstinning runs and departed with a right foot sprain after two innings, his shortest outing of the year.
Jose Abreu’s RBI single with none out in the first brought home Yoan Moncada for a 1-0 White Sox lead while Kevan Smith’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Avisail Garcia from third.
Tim Anderson capped the inning with a three-run homer that just cleared the right field fence and brought home Smith and Yolmer Sanchez.
Piscotty got two runs back with his sixth homer of the season, driving in Olson in the second.
Mengden was pulled for righthander Emilio Pagan, who had worked one scoreless inning in Friday’s doubleheader. Mengden allowed five runs (all earned) on four hits, struck out one and walked another.
Chicago starter Dylan Covey unexpectedly departed with right hip soreness with none out and one on in the top of the fifth. Reliever Chris Volstad gave up a walk and single to load the bases, setting the stage for Dustin Fowler’s run-scoring sacrifice to right to bring in Matt Joyce and make it a 5-3 game.
Jed Lowrie’s double to right brought home Jonathan Lucroy and Franklin Barreto for a 5-5 tie. Olson’s 17th homer, a solo shot to lead off the sixth, gave the A’s a 6-5 edge.
A’s reliever Santiago Casilla loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, leaving it up to Lou Trivino to stifle a White Sox rally.
Moncada drove in Anderson with a groundout for a 6-6 tie, but Trivino prevented more damage with an inning-ending strike out of Garcia.
Trivino, now 5-1, worked 12/3 innings for the win. Right handed reliever Blake Treinen pitched the last 12/3 innings for his 17th save.
The four-game series concludes today as right-hander Paul Blackburn (1-1, 8.03 ERA) makes his fourth start and first ever against the White Sox.
Blackburn came off the 60-day disabled list on June 7 and had no decision in his last start, a 4-2 A’s victory in 10-innings over the Padres on Tuesday.