Chapman settles the score with one swing
Homer snaps tie after A’s leave eight men on base
OAKLAND >> After the A’s were having trouble finding that elusive clutch hit with runners in scoring position, Matt Chapman decided to take matters into his own hands.
One inning after failing to score with a runner on third and no outs, Chapman took base runners out of the equation by leading off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run off
Jason Adam that proved to be the game-winner in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Royals in front of 15,548 fans at the Coliseum.
The solo blast served as a nice release of frustration that had been built up from the A’s (34-32) offense earlier in the day as they went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base yet still managed to end up taking three of four games against the Royals.
“Runs were tough to come by it seems like this whole series,” Chapman said. “(Blake) Treinen already having the ball on the mound, we were just scratching and clawing to try and get him a run. I was leading the inning off just trying to get on base and luckily I was able to take care of it.”
Treinen got the final five outs to
earn the win, but Marcus Semien should at least get partial credit for a save after his run-saving defensive gem.
After Treinen had taken over for Sean Manaea with a runner on third and one out in the eighth, Semien was playing in near the infield grass and made a phenomenal diving play to his right to stop a ground ball from Salvador Perez, got up on his right knee, and fired a one-hopper to Jonathan Lucroy to nail the speedy Whit Merrifield trying to score and keep the game tied.
“That’s about as good a play I’ve seen him make since he’s been here,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Semien. “To dive like that, get up and have to throw it off balance on the money like that, no legs underneath him … game-winner.”
The ball took a nasty spin on the ground due to Treinen throwing a sinker to initiate the ground ball. Given the situation the team was in, Semien said it definitely has to rank among the best plays he’s ever made in his career. While both the dive and throw appeared to be equally tough, it was the throw that was a little more difficult for Semien with Merrifield trying to score.
“I just tried to get it out. Just get it somewhere in the area and it just happened to be right there,” Semien said “I had a tough grip. I had my whole palm on the ball so I just tried to throw it as hard as I could from there.”
Such an impactful play on defense can sometimes shift the momentum for a team, and that’s what Treinen felt happened for him on the mound and for the offense, with Chapman’s homer in the bottom half of the inning as evidence.
It was an incredible play,” Treinen said. “Chapman made a great swing, but that swing doesn’t get us the win if Marcus doesn’t make that play. High percentage groundball/swing-and miss pitch and (Perez) put a pretty good swing on it. Marcus made a better play. Great overall wherewithal too to know he had time to make the throw home and Lucroy put a good tag down.”
Chapman also sensed a feeling of dejection on the Royals (22-44) side after not scoring in the eighth and agreed that his home run would not have been as impactful if Semien did not make the highlight reel play just minutes before.
“Without that play, we wouldn’t have been in that situation,” Chapman said. “Marcus has made a few really good plays this series... Game-saving play right there,” Chapman said. “My home run ties the game but doesn’t mean as much if it wasn’t for Marcus’ play. That’s why it’s a team game.”
Manaea’s outing Sunday was a strong improvement from his abysmal month of May. He allowed no walks for the first time since May 8, and allowed just two runs on six hits with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of work, which was his longest outing since no-hitting the Boston Red Sox on April 21.
“I thought he threw great today,” Melvin said. “It’s not always about the velocity, but it’s about the location and the life that he has on all his pitches. You were seeing some 92, 93s today. You were seeing some sliders that had a little higher velocity, changeups a little higher velocity. That’s as good as we’ve seen him in a while.”