A’s snap a streak, but lose in extras
BALTIMORE — Oakland played catch-up most of the day at Camden Yards on Wednesday, right into the ninth inning.
That’s when the A’s, facing a man who had converted 60 consecutive saves, ended that string for a moral victory of sorts, before falling 8-7 on Manny Machado’s walk-off homer off Simon Castro in the 12th inning.
Jed Lowrie led off the ninth with a single off Zach Britton, Boog Powell clipped a double down the third-base line and Marcus Semien provided an RBI single. Matt Joyce’s sacrifice fly tied the game, ending Britton’s string of saves, an American League record and the second-longest streak in majorleague history.
“Down 6-1 at one point and to get within shouting distance, then to do what we did off him, one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, shows a lot of heart,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.
The A’s have given Britton more trouble than most. Ten days earlier at the Coliseum, Matt Olson hit the first homer by a left-handed hitter off Britton since April 11, 2016.
“It’s nice to know you can come back against a closer like that, but it’s a tough one to swallow, to be honest with you,” rookie Matt Chapman said.
Early on, Daniel Gossett’s return to Oakland’s rotation didn’t quite match the gem he threw against the Giants before being demoted this month. Gossett, recalled Wednesday, allowed five runs, three on a homer by Trey Mancini, the 12th home run Gossett has given up in 11 outings with Oakland. “The home run came back to get me again,” he said.
His previous start with the A’s was at San Francisco on Aug. 2, when he worked seven innings and allowed just three hits and one run. After being sent down to Nashville, he went 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA, but his last two times out, he worked 12 innings and gave up four runs while striking out 16 and walking just two.
“And the direction we’re going with the youth, it’s time for him to come up here and get some starts,” Melvin said. “At this point, it’s more about seeing the younger guys.”
Gossett, 24, is certain to be in the mix for a rotation spot next year. Looking ahead, the rotation is likely to include Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Paul Blackburn, and the final two will probably come from some combination of Jharel Cotton, Gossett, Daniel Mengden, Chris Bassitt ... and maybe in the second half, fast-rising prospect A.J. Puk.
There’s also an increasingly good chance the A’s will look for a reasonably priced veteran starter, something the team wouldn’t be contemplating had several young starters not struggled so much this year.
Chris Smith, 36, was relegated to the bullpen with Gossett’s return, although there is a chance Smith will be needed as a spot starter should Blackburn not be able to go as scheduled Monday at Anaheim. Blackburn took a line drive off his right hand and had to leave in the fifth inning Tuesday; he said Wednesday morning that his hand is still stiff and sore.
In addition to Smith’s move to the bullpen, the A’s pushed Manaea back. He had been scheduled to start Wednesday, but he’ll now go Saturday against the Angels. Manaea pitched well his last time out, at Houston, allowing six hits and three runs, but he’d given up 11 earned runs the two starts before that, and his velocity has been down 2 or 3 mph much of the past month, which Melvin said was a factor in giving the left-hander a mini-break.
Joyce belted his 19th homer for Oakland, a two-run shot in the eighth. Powell singled and scored on Semien’s double in the sixth, and in the seventh, Khris Davis doubled and scored on a base hit by Ryon Healy. Healy eventually came around on a single by Bruce Maxwell. Healy has an 11-game hitting streak, matching the A’s season high.