Mitch Moreland single snaps Athletics’ opening skid with walkoff win over Dodgers.
Jesús Luzardo labored through his first inning Wednesday. Dodgers hitters made him throw 35 pitches. Four reached base. He left the mound with the A’s trailing, teetering on dubious history, and made a decision.
“I think over the past six games we all just got tired of getting our ass kicked, to be honest with you,” Luzardo said. “And after the first, it was just internally, I’m done with it. I’m done getting embarrassed.”
Luzardo bore down, showing resilience the A’s mirrored in a 43 walkoff win and need after an inauspicious start to 2021. Mitch Moreland’s single in the 10th inning snapped a sixgame losing streak that tied the worst start in A’s franchise history. They avoided a hole from which no majorleague team has emerged to reach a postseason.
“Obviously, we’ve been needing that one, kind of waiting on it,” Moreland said. “A
hardfought game today. Kind of take that one into the road trip, carry the momentum over.”
Oakland tied a onerun game in the ninth against closer Kenley Jansen. Matt Chapman singled, Seth Brown walked and Tony Kemp executed a sacrifice. Elvis Andrus lifted a sacrifice fly just deep enough to score Chapman. Yusmeiro Petit retired the Dodgers in the 10th to strand the runner placed on second via MLB rules.
Moreland was 2for20 entering his 10thinning atbat. He waved at two Jimmy Nelson curveballs and took a third for a ball. Nelson threw a fourth and Moreland lined it into rightcenter field to score Mark Canha from third. The A’s mobbed Moreland between first and second base.
“You never want to go through a sixgame losing streak, but to start the season, it’s tough,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Jesús, after having to deal with what he did in the first inning, to get us as far as he did was fantastic. That’s really kind of taking it to another gear.”
Luzardo seemed bound for a short outing. Seven Dodgers reached in the first two innings. Only one scored, on AJ Pollock’s twoout single in the first. Luzardo retired 11 of 12 batters after Chris Taylor’s single with one out in the second. Luzardo finished the fifth inning throwing a 96.5 mph fastball past Will Smith on his 98th pitch.
“It was more attacking, not nibbling around,” Luzardo said. “Obviously, (the Dodgers) deserve respect — but you can’t give them too much respect. I think that was something that also clicked in my head, just kind of attacking guys.”
A second run was charged to Luzardo after he exited with two on in the sixth. Zach McKinstry dropped a twoout bunt against a shifted A’s infield. Matt Chapman fielded it and tagged Austin Barnes out at third — but after Max Muncy crossed the plate. The run counted and broke a 11 tie. Sergio Romo allowed a run in the seventh.
Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer held the A’s to one hit in his first six innings. Ramón Laureano created a run in the fourth; hit by a pitch, he stole second and third and scored when Bauer threw a wild pitch. Brown, called up Tuesday, singled off Bauer and also robbed Barnes of a home run with a catch in left field. Luzardo said Brown’s play “gave me goosebumps.”
For the A’s to ignite, more is needed from key lineup figures who were pivotal in Wednesday’s win. Chapman is 4for23 but also drove a 95 mph fastball from Bauer for a 426foot homer in the seventh inning. Andrus is 1for24. Moreland is seeking his first extrabase hit. A’s catchers are hitless in seven games.
The A’s were outscored 5317 by the Astros and Dodgers. But they did avoid one ominous mark: Only three teams have reached a postseason after starting 06, per the Associated Press None has done so after starting 07.
“This team is really good and I feel like when we get hot, we’re going to win a lot of games,” Moreland said. “I think if you’re going to (have a losing streak), you want to do it early and not late. So get this out of the way and get back to playing ball like we can.”