Khris Davis’ 2-run homer leads Athletics to sweep of Yankees
OAKLAND, Calif. — Khris Davis hit a go-ahead tworun homer in the third that held up to back rookie Jharel Cotton’s first victory since May 4, and the Oakland Athletics completed a four-game sweep of the slumping New York Yankees with a 4-3 win Sunday.
Davis hit his team-best 18th homer in the third after Chad Pinder tied the game on a two-run double that inning. Davis’ leadoff double in the sixth was wasted.
New York welcomed back flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman but still lost its sixth straight game following a sixgame winning streak, finishing a disappointing 1-6 road trip with a weekend dud against the American League’s worst team.
Cotton (4-7) struck out six over 6 1/3 innings for his second-longest start of the season after going seven innings April 10 at Kansas City. The rookie righthander, who had been 0-4 over a five-start winless stretch since beating the Twins, gave up six hits and three runs with a walk.
The A’s won their fourth straight game, marking the club’s second-longest winning streak of 2017 behind a stretch of five in a row April 18-22. Oakland had gone 26 series without a sweep dating to last Sept. 12-15 at Kansas City.
Matt Holliday hit a towering solo homer in the second that reached the top of the elevated bleachers then Aaron Judge had an RBI single in the third on a scorching Sunday. First-pitch temperature at the Coliseum was 90 degrees — the hottest to start a game since it was 91 degrees on June 20, 2008. The warmest day for baseball ever here was 92.
Chapman came off the disabled list after missing more than a month and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. New York needs him late in games, and manager Joe Girardi was determined to use his flamethrowing closer regardless of the situation to immediately get him back in major league action.
Oakland’s Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his third save and second in as many games after coming off the DL on June 10.
Didi Gregorius homered leading off the fourth for the Yankees, who lost three of the games here by one run. The umpires reviewed the drive to determine whether the ball stayed just inside the right-field foul pole, and their original call of home run was confirmed.
Trainer’s room
Yankees: CF Aaron Hicks missed his third straight day with tightness in his left leg that he experienced during Thursday night’s 10-inning loss . ... LHP Chapman had been out since May 13 with inflammation in the rotator cuff of his pitching shoulder . ... Holliday returned to the lineup at DH after sitting Saturday with an allergic reaction to something he ate.
Athletics: Starting righthander Andrew Triggs, on the 10-day DL with a strained left hip, received a second opinion and was scheduled for a cortisone injection . ... Home plate umpire Ted Barrett took a ball off the left knee in the fifth but was fine to stay in the game.