Tough stretch ends with win at Coors Field
Oakland staggered out of a brutal stretch of the schedule and even came out slightly ahead.
The A’s played 16 games in 13 days and, with Wednesday’s 31 win at Colorado, they wound up with nine victories in that stretch and their magic number to clinch the AL West is down to four, after Houston lost 10 to Texas on Wednesday night. The A’s could clinch the division title this weekend at home against the Giants.
“I’d just like to clinch. I don’t care if it’s at home, on the road, wherever it is,” said closer Liam Hendriks, who recorded five outs to earn his 13th save. “All we have to do is keep winning games and it will come.”
Before Wednesday’s game, manager Bob Melvin had described his team as sluggish the first night in Denver, its third city in three days. The Rockies
had won each of the previous three games against Oakland, so a victory Wednesday was a lift, he said.
“This was a big win for us, probably as big as any we’ve had this year,” Melvin said. “To get through it (above .500), it’s just a big swing with the games left in the season.”
In the early going, the A’s didn’t look terribly inspired, going 0for7 with runners in scoring position through the first three innings. Their only run in that stretch came via a near Matrixlevel move by Tony Kemp, who scored on a groundout despite being caught in a rundown that first erased Marcus Semien, who was trying to go from first to third. With Nolan Arenado’s throw coming in as he approached home, Kemp eluded the tag by first baseman Josh Fuentes, who was covering, then Kemp dove, spinning, and sneaked in his hand on the plate.
“Let’s be honest: That was an unnatural move that 99% of people in the big leagues couldn’t make,” Hendriks said.
Colorado starter German Marquez needed just seven pitches to get through the fourth and nine for the fifth, but in the sixth, the New Kids Who Were on The Block — Tommy La Stella and Jake Lamb — continued to provide the A’s a boost. La Stella led off with a base hit, Matt Olson doubled him to third and La
Stella came in on a groundout by Mark Canha. Lamb, who has five hits in his first three games with Oakland, knocked in Olson with a single to right.
“I think our bullpen is getting a little annoying for other bullpens, because every time Jake gets a hit, we go ‘Baaaaah!’ ” Hendriks said.
Olson made a marvelous play in a key situation in the fifth. After a leadoff double by Tony Wolters, Raimel Tapia hit a grounder to first and Olson, without hesitation, threw across the diamond to get Wolters trying to advance to third, with Lamb making a nice play on the tag. “Play of the game,” Melvin said. “We’ve seen him do it before, but very rarely do you see a first baseman do it that easily. He gets rid of the ball like a middle infielder.”
The next batter, Trevor Story, singled, but Mike Fiers (62) got Charlie Blackmon to pop up and Arenado to ground out. Fiers went six innings and allowed seven hits and a run, walked none and struck out four.
Since returning from five days off following a positive coronavirus test, the A’s played three doubleheaders, dealt with poor airquality conditions in the Bay Area and, especially, Seattle, and to start this week, played four games in three cities over 57 hours.
“It’s just 2020. Something new every day,” outfielder Robbie Grossman said. “It’s a grind — and I’m just looking forward to all the obstacles, all the challenges thrown at us every day. That’s what makes it fun.”