To snap prolonged slide, Chapman gives ball ride
HR in 8th off Milwaukee’s Hader helps Oakland rally for victory
Matt Chapman snapped out of a slump in dramatic fashion Thursday afternoon, drilling a tworun, goahead home run off Milwaukee closer Josh Hader to propel the A’s to a 53 victory in front of 17,029 fans at the Coliseum.
Hader, who also got beat with a 10thinning homer by Matt Olson on Tuesday, wasn’t his AllStar self while pitching on the third consecutive day for the first time in his career. Hader walked Robbie Grossman to lead off the eighth inning and then surrendered Chapman’s blast to straightaway center field.
“I had been hitting a few balls hard and not getting any love … but when you come up with an opportunity to help the team, it always comes back around,” Chapman said. “Even when you’re not feeling good, you’ve got a chance to always step up. I just want to always be ready, put all of that stuff behind me, take a good atbat there and luckily, I was able to help.”
Previously mired in a 1for31 skid, Chapman’s shot was his 11th goahead homer of
the season — tying him with Mike Trout for second place in the American League and getting the A’s off to a thrilling start to August.
The A’s went 159 (.625) in July, the thirdbest record in the American League, and continue to thrive in close games. The A’s five most recent victories had come in onerun games, and this tworun decision made a winner of Blake Treinen (63).
“That’s saying something about our club. These guys don’t quit,” said thirdbase coach Matt Williams, who handled Bob Melvin’s postseason news conference as the manager flew home to Scottsdale, Ariz., to take advantage of a rare Friday off. “Regardless of situation of game or score or who we’re facing, they have the same approach. That’s to do whatever they can to score a run.”
Starter Homer Bailey gave up two earned runs in six innings, mitigating the potential damage of five hits and three walks. Jake Diekman, Treinen and Liam Hendricks each threw an inning of relief, with Hendricks earning his 10th save.
Keston Hiura drew a twoout walk in the first inning, and after a bunt single by Mike Moustakas, Hiura scored on Ryan Braun’s jam shot to center field. The Brewers could have extended their lead in the third inning, but with runners on second and third, Bailey got Moustakas to pop to third and struck out Braun.
Chad Pinder’s mammoth home run to leftcenter field on an 02 pitch tied it in the third inning, but Bailey couldn’t keep the score knotted. In his majorleague debut, Trent Grisham picked up his first RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field that gave Milwaukee a 21 lead in the fourth.
Christian Yelich’s seventhinning double extended his hitting streak to 19 games, his career best and the longest in the majors this year. He advanced to third on Yasmani Grandal’s fielder’schoice grounder and scored on Diekman’s wild pitch.
The A’s again made it a onerun game in the bottom of the seventh. Mark Canha led off with a single, moved to second on Nick Martini’s walk, advanced to third on Beau Taylor’s groundout and scored on Junior Guerra’s wild pitch.
After Chapman’s eighthinning homer and Olson’s groundout, Hader was relieved by Jay Jackson, but the A’s didn’t stop hitting. Khris Davis and Canha each singled, and Davis scored on Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly to right.
Even though Canha was 3for3 with a walk, all of the postgame clubhouse talk was about Chapman’s home run, especially because it came against Hader, whom Chapman called “one of the best pitchers in the big leagues.” The third baseman said he felt like he had struck out in his previous four atbats against Hader in TripleA and the majors, so this time, he was ready to connect with the first strike he saw.
“I definitely don’t shy away from those moments,” Chapman said. “… I want to be the guy to help the team.”