San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A’s 7, White Sox 6:
Martini’s first hit a game-winner.
CHICAGO — During Nick Martini’s seven long years in the minors, he played a couple of seasons with outfielder Stephen Piscotty in the Cardinals’ system. On Saturday, Martini’s first big-league hit sent Piscotty in with what turned out to be the game-winning run for the A’s.
With two outs in the eighth inning, Piscotty — who had run into the final out of the sixth — sprinted in on Martini’s single to center and got his foot in just ahead of the throw to the plate to give Oakland the lead in an eventual 7-6 win over the White Sox. Piscotty jumped up, pumped his fits and yelled in jubilation.
“Really cool, great moment, great at-bat,” Piscotty said. “The team battled back and he put us over the top.”
Martini, who is from the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake, was called up earlier in the day. Sent up to hit for Chad Pinder against right-hander Juan Minaya, Martini fouled off one two-strike pitch, took ball three, then bounced one up the middle.
“It’s hard to describe,” said Martini, who got the ball after the game and also was rewarded with a beer shower (yes, a beer shower for a Martini). “I was excited but I was just so in the moment. I wish I got a first hit when I was up here the first time, but to get it in my backyard was definitely special.”
In winning for the sixth time in seven games, Oakland had no issues swinging the bat — homers by Piscotty and Matt Olson helped the A’s tie the modern-day record for consecutive road games with home runs, 24 — but the team did run into two outs. In the third inning, Dustin Fowler was safe at second base when shortstop Tim Anderson missed a throw from third baseman Yolmer Sanchez, but Fowler didn’t realize the ball had gotten away from Anderson, started walking back to the dugout and was tagged out.
In the sixth, after Olson put Oakland ahead 6-5 with his opposite-field solo shot, Piscotty walked and Pinder drew a pinch-hit walk. With one out, Franklin Barreto hit a shallow flyball to left — and Piscotty, taking off from second base with the ball in the air, was doubled off easily to end the inning. “I peeked at it and thought for sure it was getting down and wanted to score,” Piscotty said. “Made a decision, didn’t go the way I thought.”
Piscotty, busy, also made the defensive play of the day, racing into the corner in right for a deep foul ball by Avisail Garcia and making a basket catch. “I broke in a little bit and had to go back pretty fast,” he said. “It’s a tricky corner and I just tried to get close to where I could get my glove out there and hoped and prayed it went in.”
The A’s were in a 5-0 hole after the first. Daniel Mengden hit Yoan Moncada, walked one batter and gave up three hits in the inning, including a threerun homer by Anderson.
Oakland chipped back slowly, getting a two-run shot from Piscotty in the second after Dylan Covey walked Olson, and three more in the fifth. Covey walked Matt Joyce, then, in the middle of facing Jonathan Lucroy, Covey departed with a right hip strain. Chris Volstad took over and walked Lucroy (charged to Covey), and Barreto loaded the bases with a single. Fowler provided a sacrifice fly, and with two outs and a 2-2 count, Jed Lowrie doubled to right, tying the game 5-5.
Mengden exited with a right foot sprain after two innings, an injury he said has bothered him for several starts but that he did not want to use as an excuse for his rough June; he’s allowed nine homers and 21 runs in 161⁄3 innings. The team will have a better idea of his status for his next scheduled start Sunday or Monday. Mengden said he does not know if the injury is related to some of his previous foot problems, including a broken sesamoid bone that required surgery before last season.