Canha’s home run powers A’s to 4-3 win over Giants
SAN FRANCISCO (TNS) – Mark Canha wanted bragging rights over his childhood friends. By driving in the decisive runs against the team he grew up rooting for, he made sure that he’ll be able to rub the sweet taste of victory in their faces for at least one day.
Canha, who grew up in San Jose, lifted the A’s to their 20th win in 26 games Saturday, blasting a pinch -hit two-run homer in the seventh that clinched a 4-3 victory over the Giants in the second game of the Bay Bridge Series at AT&T Park.
Prior to the series, Canha acknowledged that he loves beating the Giants, his childhood team, because it gives him a chance to gloat to friends and family in the Bay Area who root for the A’s crossbay rivals.
“When my friends talk about the Giants, it makes me cringe. I want nothing more than to win this series,” Canha said. “It’s pretty sweet to go back to my friends and rub it in their faces.”
The shot into the middle of the left field stands continued a trend that’s defined the A’s hot streak: coming from behind in the late innings. Canha’s home run allowed the A’s to snag their 10th comeback win in their last 26 games. It also gave the A’s 173 runs in the seventh inning or later, which ranks second in the Majors.
In addition to Canha’s homer, the A’s manufactured
Bay Area News Group/tns The Oakland A’s Mark Canha, right, celebrates his pinch-hit two-run home run with Josh Phegley during the seventh inning of Saturday night’s 4-3 win over the Giants in San Francisco.
runs in the second and third off sacrifice flies from Josh Phegley and Khris Davis.
The A’s needed Canha’s
heroics because Brett Anderson failed to build off the momentum of his first big league win in more than five years. Anderson surrendered three earned runs off eight hits in 31/3 innings of work before he handed the ball over to the bullpen. In six starts this season, Anderson is 1-2 with a 7.32 ERA.
After Anderson left the game, Yusmeiro Petit, Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen combined to pitch 52/3 innings of scoreless baseball. Treinen earned his 24th save in the process.
Jeff Samardzija only lasted four innings to start the game for the Giants, throwing almost as many balls (26) as strikes (29). He struck out only one, and failed to induce a groundout. His two earned runs allowed and three hits surrendered don’t look catastrophic on the surface, but you could tell something wasn’t right as the righthander struggled to find a rhythm. Derek Holland hit the bullpen mound with no outs in the third, then again with no outs in the fourth before taking over to begin the fifth.
The Giants benefitted from Khris Davis’ lack of arm and ball-tracking prowess in left field. All three Giants runs came on hits to left, and two of those three – definitely one – could’ve been prevented by most other left-fielders in the league.
Despite Andrew Mccutchen and Buster Posey reaching base with two outs in the ninth, Brandon Crawford couldn’t be the hero, striking out as the Bay Bridge series fell even at one.