Davis’ big blast caps breakout homestand
A’s rally past Red Sox to finish 5-1, build momentum for trip
OAKLAND >> The A’s have reason to feel good about their prospects following a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox Sunday at the Coliseum that finished off a homestand they hope will jumpstart their season.
Khris Davis supplied the power by driving in all four runs — all with two out — with a run-scoring single in the first and a three-run home run off Boston starter David Price in the eighth before an announced crowd of 29,804.
Meanwhile, four pitchers — starter Daniel Mengden and relievers Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter and finally winning pitcher Blake Treinen — shut down a Red Sox team which came into the series with a 17-2 record in large part because of their offensive prowess.
The win got the A’s back to .500 with an 11-11 record after a 5-1 homestand that started with a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox.
“We’ve just got to ride the wave out as long as we can and get timely hits,” Davis said. “The pitching has been fantastic so we want to be putting up runs. Couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Davis, who tends to break hitting down to its most basic fundamentals, explained his three-run home run against Price thusly:
“First pitch, hacking. That’s what happened,” Davis said.
It was the sixth home run of the season for Davis and his 91st since the start of the 2016 season.
“He got a good pitch to hit and he hammered it,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s a three-run homer waiting to happen.”
It’s hardly unprecedented for a team to have a 5-1 homestand, but the manner in which the Athletics accomplished it is noteworthy. They hadn’t won a series since the season began, and now depart on a nine-game trip to Texas, Houston and Seattle with considerable momentum.
In a six-day period, the Athletics won their 50th anniversary game 10-2 against Chicago before a crowd of 46,028 who enjoyed free admission and parking, captured a game that lasted nearly six hours, beating the White Sox in 14 innings, got a no-hitter from left-hander Sean Manaea against the Red Sox, and took two of three from the hottest team in baseball.
“It’s a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence building,” third baseman Matt Chapman said. “I think everybody kind of played a part and that brings everybody together and gives us some good momentum for the road.”
For Mengden, who opened the homestand with eight strong innings in an 8-1 win over the White Sox, it was his second strong outing although he got no decision. Mengden had been 0-10 at the Coliseum before the win.
“What Sean did last night was remarkable,” Mengden said. “I tried to follow up as best I could.”
Mengden echoed Chapman’s thoughts about the effect the homestand has in the clubhouse.
“Team morale is through the roof right now,” Mengden said. “We’re playing well, we’re hitting well, we’re playing good defense, we’re throwing well.”
The best pitching may have come from Petit, the A’s reliever who had his first outing since returning The A’s Chad Pinder comes up just short of this catch on a foul ball during Sunday’s win over the Boston Red Sox.
from Venezuela on an emergency family medical leave.
Mengden cruised into the seventh inning before giving up a single to right center by Mitch Moreland and single to left by Rafael Devers. Blake Swihart hit a chopper in front of the plate that catcher Bruce Maxwell turned into a force at third, but second baseman Brock Holt doubled to right to bring in Boston’s first run.
Melvin called for Petit, who got Ramon Vasquez on a foul pop and then struck out Tzu-Wei Lin for the third out. He had extinguished Boston’s most serious threat.
“That’s no easy task that he had,” Melvin said. “Second and third, he’s got to try and leave them out there. He gets the pop up, gets the out. It’s an acquired taste and he’s been able to do it. His inherited (runners) numbers last year were really good. That’s part of the reason we brought him in.”
• Jed Lowrie went 0-for-4 to snap a sevengame hitting streak, as well has his seven-game streak of having at least one RBI.
• Boston scored just one run in the their last 21 innings against A’s pitching after Moreland’s grand slam Friday night in the sixth inning gave them a 7-3 win in the series opener.
• Treinen evened his record at 1-1 after pitching the last 1 2/3 innings. He did need a quick visit from the trainer in the ninth inning, however.
“(He) tweaked left knee little, caught his spike,” Melvin said. “(They’re) looking at him right now but I think he’s OK.”