Canha blasts go-ahead HR in 9th to stun Seattle
SEATTLE >> The A’s offense has the ability to strike at any moment, even when looking bad most of the night. That’s exactly what happened Wednesday night.
A’s hitters were overpowered by Mariners starter James Paxton, striking out a season-high 16 times in seven innings, but Brett Anderson kept the A’s in the game long enough for the offense to finally break through in the eighth.
Jed Lowrie followed up a pinch walk by Matt Joyce by taking Juan Nicasio deep to center field for a two-run shot to tie the game 2-2. Mark Canha then hit the goahead solo shot to left in the ninth off Mariners lights-out closer Edwin Diaz, securing the 3-2 win to snap the A’s three-game losing streak.
“Didn’t look too good for us early on, but that’s why you keep playing,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Paxton had great stuff tonight and was handing it to us. Lost count with the strikeouts on my card. If you keep it close like Brett did, all it takes is a walk and a couple of hits and you’re back in the game.”
It was Canha’s fifth home run of the season, pushing his average up to .339 as he continues to hit well playing every day for the past couple of weeks.
Facing no easy task against Diaz, who had only allowed one run entering the night and was named American League Reliever of the Month earlier in the day, Canha tried to keep a simple approach leading off the ninth.
He saw two power fastballs from Diaz, letting the first go down and away for a ball, and unleashing on the second up in the zone for a laser-like shot that landed beyond the scoreboard in left field.
“Just be short to the ball and hope you run into one,” Canha said. “It’s so hard to square him up. That ball really gets up on you. Just trying to get to it and touch it.”
Like most of his teammates, Canha fell victim to one of Paxton’s 16 strike- outs — a career-high for the Mariners’ left-hander.
With Paxton pumping a fastball around 96-98 mph, Canha said the A’s dugout was relieved to just see a different pitcher when Paxton was pulled after the seventh with 105 pitches, leading to the game-tying homer by Lowrie in the eighth off Nicasio.
“Paxton was just gross today,” Canha said. “I haven’t faced him in a couple of years and trying to hit that heater was just tough. It was kind of like a sigh of relief in the dugout when he got out of there. He was rolling.”
The late-inning comeback did not allow Anderson to get the win, but the left-hander looked sharp in his first work in an A’s uniform since April 24, 2013.
Anderson allowed just two runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings pitched, throwing only 80 pitches before he was pulled for Ryan Dull.
Featuring a fastball sitting around 92-94 mph, Anderson was able to get mostly weak contact from Mariners. The fastball mixed with his slower curve and slider allowed for good variation of speeds as he was able to give Melvin exactly what he was hoping for when they first signed Anderson to a minor league deal near the end of spring.
“I was kind of amped up. Effectively wild,” Anderson said. “After I gave up the couple of runs I settled in and had a nice little run there. Got a little tired at the end, but it was a good mesh with Lucroy.
We got on the same page and worked well together.”
Melvin went to closer Blake Treinen in the eighth looking to keep the game tied, and though he found himself in a dangerous spot with the bases loaded and one out, Treinen reached back for some of his filthiest stuff in his arsenal.
Treinen struck out Nelson Cruz and Mitch Haniger to strand the bases loaded, with the strikeout
to Haniger featuring three consecutive power sinkers down and in.
The Mariners loaded the bases again in the ninth, but Treinen got Jean Segura to ground out for the final out. Melvin was glad to have Treinen for the crucial situations.
“I don’t know that we have anybody else that can strike those two guys out there,” Melvin said of the at-bats to Cruz and Haniger.