⏩ A’s 4, Mariners 3: First-inning runs, bullpen lift Oakland.
Thursday didn’t set up so well for Oakland. Felix Hernandez was on the mound for Seattle, and he has owned the A’s like he has owned no other team in his long career.
Oakland, on the other hand, had a reliever making a spot start, with the rest of the bullpen at the ready.
Add to that the A’s offensive difficulties at home and their tough time against the AL West, and things looked dim for Oakland when the Mariners jumped to an early lead at the Coliseum. The A’s responded quickly and firmly, though, with four runs in the bottom of the first off Hernandez and the all-reliever pitching crew held down the Mariners just enough in a 4-3 Oakland win.
“Everyone pitched in and did their part,” A’s third baseman Matt Chapman said. “It was a group effort, a win by committee.”
Jed Lowrie provided a sacrifice fly in the first off Hernandez and, with two outs, Stephen Piscotty whacked a tworun double. Dustin Fowler sent in Piscotty with a single, and that was the sum total of the A’s scoring Thursday. Hernandez lost for just the second time in 19 starts at the Coliseum; the other time was July 4, 2015.
The A’s bullpen is getting used to this drill; after all, in two wins at Toronto last week, the bullpen had to cover six innings or more. On Thursday, Yusmeiro Petit got the win after working three scoreless innings.
Petit said pitching coach Scott Emerson told him, “‘Be ready, it’s a bullpen day,’ ” Petit said. “We’re working hard. We’re working hard every day.”
Lucas, in his first career big-league start, worked two innings — three walks drove up his pitch count too much to go more, but he also got two double-play balls, including a key bouncer to third by Nelson Cruz in the first, scoring Seattle’s first run but wiping out Mitch Haniger at second.
Lucas’ last start came in the minors, July 1, 2013. “I tried to keep it as much of a relief feel as I could,” he said.
A’s pitchers induced five double plays, one shy of the Oakland record for double plays and matching the record for groundball double plays.
“I was kind of spraying it everywhere but when I was able to get it down, they were beating it into the ground,” Lucas said.
“I would like to say you
change the way you pitch when it’s a bullpen day, but you don’t,” said Chris Hatcher, who worked two innings and got one double-play ball. “It’s more about being aggressive to conserve pitches when you know you’re going multiple innings.”
The A’s didn’t homer Thursday, which is par for the course at the Coliseum this year. Oakland has 47 homers, a majorleague high, on the road, and just 14 at home, none in the past seven games. Its opponents have homered 21 times this year at the Coliseum.
Last year, utilityman Chad Pinder hit one of the longest homers in the history of the building, a 460-shot against Boston on May 20. That game was during the day, and it was sunny. The difference this year, Pinder said, might be just that simple.
“The Coliseum is a pretty notorious pitchers’ park, but last year we hit a lot of homers here,” Pinder said. “Obviously, during day games, the ball flies a lot better here. And we’ve noticed that a lot of our day games so far have been overcast. There’s been a lot of that marine layer.
“If you get it, it’s going to go out here. Just chalk it up to the Coliseum being the Coliseum, and hope the weather warms up here soon.”