Sports: Chapman’s clutch hits lead A’s.
Matt Chapman spent most of April trying to shake some bad habits he picked up last year compensating for a hip injury that ultimately required surgery. Thursday’s performance that included a go-ahead double in the ninth inning and fourth-inning home run were good indications that Chapman could trending upward at the plate.
Chapman’s two RBIs made the difference in the Oakland A’s 3-2 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. The win secured a series split with Oakland’s American League rival. This potential playoff preview was close throughout: Thursday was the third onerun game of the four-game series — the largest margin of victory was the Rays’ two-run win on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The A’s moved to 6-1 in one-run games this year.
Their only loss was Tuesday at The Trop.
“It’s pretty typical playing here,” manager Bob Melvin said of the series. “Both teams aren’t swinging great. Both teams play well in one-run games. So it’s kind of expected.”
The A’s entered the series finale without first baseman Matt Olson, who was
a late scratch after a freak accident in the batting cage that resulted in a bruised left eye. The X-ray revealed no broken bones, Melvin said, but he’s got a good shiner.
Chapman entered the game scuffling, with a .169 average, .627 OPS and 34% strikeout rate. But the A’s know all about his game-changing bat, and it figured to be just a matter of time before Chapman started rounding back into the landed him a spot on the AL All-Star team.
At the very least, he raised his average 15 points to .184.
“You’re happy for him, but I’m beyond impressed with Chappy and how he’s handled the first month of this year,” A’s starter Chris Bassitt said. “If you talk to him one-on-one, he would be disappointed in his offense. But how he’s brought it every day, how he’s been positive every day and not allowed his offense to leak into his defense is massive. He’s truly growing into a leader and it’s very exciting to see. Everyone knows offense will come and hopefully today’s game sparks that, but he couldn’t handle the lack of success for the first month better. He’s maturing very quickly.”
Chapman’s production at the plate against some tough Tampa pitchers could be a sign of an upward trend. Consistent at-bats have eluded him so far this season, and the Rays’ starter on Thursday, hard-throwing rookie Shane McClanahan, was a challenge.
Chapman said he’s convinced there is nothing wrong with his mechanics, so he’s been trying to find rhythm in his timing. He’d been landing hard with his front foot, making it difficult to stay back behind the ball, but Thursday he found opportunities to stay more fluid while swinging at some of McClanahan’s nasty off-speed offerings.
“It’s nice to have some success when you make some adjustments and I think I have some good games here to build on,” Chapman said. “And I think if I can continue to work on what I have the last few games, I can correct some of the bad habits I created earlier in the year.”
McClanahan struck out Chapman on a slider in their first at-bat, but in his next at-bat Chapman hit his twostrike changeup for a solo home run that gave the A’s a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. His go-ahead double in the ninth off closer Diego Castillo, a familiar foe, came off his sinker.
BASSITT SHINES >> McClanahan’s regular-season debut received significant attention, but Bassitt more than held up his part of the duel, allowing two earned runs and four his in six innings. He struck out nine.
The Rays struck first in the first inning in a sequence that saw Brandon Lowe hit by a pitch and eventually score from first on a broken-bat double from Austin Meadows. Lowe erased the A’s lead gained on Chapman’s home run with a loud solo blast of his own off Bassitt’s cutter hit with a 110 mph exit velocity 431 feet into left field.
Like the A’s pitching staff has done throughout this Tampa trip, Bassitt didn’t let the game slip. His slider — a new pitch he’s incorporating more into his mix — came in handy.
“It’s turning into a real weapon for me, no doubt,” Bassitt said. “Lefties. were trying to figure out how it plays to lefties, but for righties it is no-doubt a weapon for me.”
Bullpen does its job: Yusmeiro Petit made his 13th appearance — tied for third-most in baseball — and pitched a hitless seventh inning with a strikeout and a walk. Jake Diekman retired all three batters he faced in the eighth.
The Rays didn’t get a hit after Lowe’s home run until Brett Phillips singled off closer Lou Trivino with two outs in the ninth.
BEEN HERE BEFORE? >> Thursday was the regular-season debut for McClanahan, but he had already pitched in major league games. How’s that work? McClanahan, the 31st overall pick in the 2018 draft, made his first appearance last Oct. 5 in the Division Series against the Yankees and got into four postseason games, including World Series Game 3.
He joined A’s infielder Mark Kiger (2006), Kansas City infielder Adalberto Mondesi (2015) and Minnesota outfielder Alex Kirilloff (last Sept. 30) as playing in the postseason before the regular season. Kiger never made it back to the majors after appearing in the ALCS against the Yankees because injuries sidelined Mark Ellis, Bobby Crosby and Antonio Perez.