Triggs exits early, but A’s power past Jays
TORONTO — Losing starter Andrew Triggs to a forearm injury put the A’s in a precarious spot early in Thursday’s game.
To counter that, Oakland’s offense, led by Khris Davis, just kept spinning out runs in a 10-5 victory over the Blue Jays, the A’s third win in four games.
Triggs left with one out, one on and a 2-0 count on Justin Smoak in the third inning after experiencing numbness in his right thumb and index and middle fingers much of the evening. He is being sent back to the Bay Area to be examined, and the A’s, their bullpen a little tattered after picking up 62⁄3 innings Thursday, are likely to recall reliever Emilio Pagan from the minors Friday.
“The sensation I was feeling in those three fingers was enough for me to bring it to their attention,” said Triggs, who first experienced the issue on the last pitch of the first inning and who finished his evening by throwing six consecutive balls in the third. “You really don’t want to come out before you’ve given your team everything you’ve got, but that was enough for me to realize I wasn’t feeling the ball the way I needed to. The tingling was foreign enough for me to say something.”
Nerve discomfort can have a wide range of causes in pitchers, from simple fatigue all the way to ligament trouble. Triggs had Tommy John surgery in high school and he said he doesn’t believe the symptoms are similar.
“I’m optimistic it’s nothing like that,” he said.
Davis was 4-for-4, reaching base five times and scoring three times.
“With only one homer!” manager Bob Melvin said. “Usually if he touches the ball three times, it’s a couple of homers . ... That’s an impressive day.”
Melvin noted that Davis had an excellent batting practice Thursday and was working on hitting the ball to the opposite field. “I was working on my timing, getting (my foot) down early, and any time I’m early, it gives me a chance to see the ball longer,” Davis said.
Davis hit a two-run oppositefield homer off Aaron Sanchez in the third and one of his singles was to right center. He also had base hits to center and to left.
“It felt amazing to have a breakout day and contribute and put together good ABs,” Davis said. “I’m going to just enjoy it today and build off it.”
Matt Olson plopped a threerun drive into Oakland’s bullpen in the fifth, off Seunghwan Oh, and Matt Chapman drilled a two-run blast to left in the sixth off former A’s reliever John Axford.
In all seven games on their trip, the A’s have homered, and they’ve belted a major-league leading 44 homers on the road overall. Oakland is 20-13 when homering, 2-9 when homerfree.
Davis has hit four homers on the trip, Olson three in the past four games. Chapman also singled and doubled Thursday and he’s 7 for his past 15.
Jed Lowrie chipped in an RBI double in the third, Dustin Fowler an RBI single in the fifth and Matt Joyce an RBI single in the ninth.
Santiago Casilla held the Blue Jays at bay through the fourth inning after Triggs’ exit. But in the fifth, Casilla allowed a single to Richard Ureña, walked Curtis Granderson and, with one out, gave up a low liner to center by Smoak that got past Fowler’s diving attempt, sending in a run.
Yusmeiro Petit then took over and Yangervis Solarte singled in Granderson, and Kevin Pillar drove in Smoak with a sacrifice fly, cutting Oakland’s lead to 7-4. Petit went 22⁄3 innings, Ryan Dull worked two-thirds of an inning, and Lou Trivino came on in the eighth with two on and two outs. After Ureña singled to load the bases, Trivino appeared to strike out Granderson — but the 3-2 pitch down the middle was ruled a ball and a run scored. Trivino then got Josh Donaldson to ground out to end the inning. Trivino also worked the ninth.
Melvin praised the bullpen’s effort and said Casilla especially stood out after coming in so early and throwing 41 pitches. “He’s not used to doing that,” Melvin said. “He’s probably never been called on to do that his whole career . ... He continues to post up for us.”