Alonso home run caps A’s comeback from five runs down.
Last-place A’s rally from 5-0 deficit for second straight walk-off win on Alonso blast in 12th
The A’s might have one of the worst records in baseball, but they have still managed to be one of league’s most exciting teams.
For the second day in a row, the A’s produced late-inning heroics.
This time Yonder Alonso delivered the goods. After Oakland overcame an early 5-0 deficit to force extra innings, Alonso launched a first-pitch fastball from Twins reliever Tyler Duffey over the right field wall in the 12th, giving the A’s a 6-5 victory Sunday. It was their second walk-off win on a home run in as many days.
Alonso’s blast clinched the A’s ninth walk-off victory this season, and the seventh that ended with a home run, tying a franchise record. It’s a feat that Alonso doesn’t necessarily set out for, but the dramatic win does show the team’s resiliency.
“It’s definitely not something we want to do,” Alonso said. “We want to have the lead a lot earlier, but it says a lot about the young guys as well. As veterans, we have to lead these guys and let them know that sometimes we have to play more than nine innings. You have to fight, compete and grind through every inning and continue to battle.”
Once the game went into extras, manager Bob Melvin knew every batter had one thing in mind: Home run.
“Usually when it gets going like that into extra innings, there’s some anxiety and everyone’s trying to hit a homer,” Melvin said. “You don’t see a lot of great at-bats because everyone is trying to end it with one swing. Luckily that one swing came from us.”
Matt Chapman made the comeback possible in the eighth inning. After Rajai Davis, Saturday’s hero, delivered a two-out pinchhit single to put runners on first and second, Chapman smashed a double over Eddie Rosario that brought home both Davis and Ryon Healy to tie the score at 5-5.
Heads-up play
Chapman also made a heads-up play to help preserve the tie in the ninth. With Max Kepler on second base with one out, Miguel Sano hit a chopping grounder to the third baseman. Instead of getting the out at first, Chapman watched Kepler break for third and opted to tag him out instead.
“Out of the corner of my eye I saw him start to move and then I heard Marcus (Semien) start yelling, ‘Tag! Tag! Tag!,’” Chapman said. “So that was good communication by Marcus over there and I was able to beat (Kepler) to the base.”
The A’s began to cut into the deficit in the fourth with an RBI double by Alonso and a sacrifice fly from Bruce Maxwell, and again in the fifth with a solo home run by Jaycob Brugman.
“At least this year, once you get a few walk-offs you kind have a good feeling about it happening again,” Melvin said.
It was not the return Jharel Cotton was looking for.
The A’s rookie was rocked for five runs and issued a career-high five walks in just 3 2/3 innings, marking Cotton’s shortest outing of his career.
In his first start since July 3 after being sidelined with a blister issue, Cotton was welcomed back with a home run by Brian Dozier to lead off the game. Later in the inning, Cotton gave up a two-run shot to right by Eduardo Escobar to leave the A’s in a 3-0 hole.
“Today was just a bad day for me,” Cotton said. “My command wasn’t there. I’ll come in tomorrow and watch the video to see what I could do better.”
After the Twins added a run in the third, the fourth inning was the final straw for Cotton.
He walked the first three batters and eventually walked in a run to put the Twins ahead 5-0. Melvin had seen enough, and pulled Cotton with only 78 pitches thrown.
“He couldn’t get into a rhythm and got a little frustrated with the walks,” Melvin said. “I thought his stuff was pretty good, but it just didn’t translate to outs.”
Reliever Simon Castro finished the inning and touched off another brilliant performance by the A’s bullpen. Using every arm the team had available, Oakland’s relievers combined for 8 1/3 shutout innings with only three hits allowed.
“That was amazing,” Melvin said. “Every one of them went out there knowing they had to keep the damage to a minimum, don’t give up any more runs, and they did it.”
Twins starter was an A’s old friend, Bartolo Colon. No longer able to throw with the velocity he once had, the 44-year-old relied on off-speed pitches and his defense to keep hitters off balance. He turned in 6 2/3 quality innings, allowing just three runs on eight hits.
“Bartolo was Bartolo,” Melvin said. “You don’t expect him to get into the seventh inning nowadays but he did. He still had that great movement.”
• Melvin, who earned win No. 1,001 on Sunday, has been around more than a few trade deadlines.
But Melvin admitted that there is a nervous feeling as he awaits the destiny of his ace pitcher, Sonny Gray.
“It’s like getting down to the eighth or ninth inning and hoping to hang on,” Melvin said. “As far as the Sonny situation, he’s been a guy I’ve been really close to over the years and he’s pitched some great games for us. The fan base loves him. I’d be happy as heck to keep him, but I also understand if there’s something we can’t pass up, the front office has to take a look at it.”
Trade talks
The New York Yankees were reportedly in heavy discussions for Gray with the A’s on Saturday night. Although the Yankees announced a trade for Twins starter Jaime Garcia on Sunday morning, the club is still believed to be interested in the Gray with less 24 hours until the nonwaiver trade deadline.
Regardless of who stays and who goes, Melvin will be glad when the process ends.
“When you get down to the last day or so, you just want to get past it,” Melvin said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow afternoon.”
• Opening day starter Kendall Graveman threw 80 pitches for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday. Now with three rehab starts under his belt, Melvin believes Graveman could be back as soon as next week.
“He felt as good as he’s felt,” Melvin said. “We haven’t made a definitive decision yet, but I think there’s at least a decent chance his next start will be here with us.”