Pregame fun, then Oakland’s Powell gets it going
BALTIMORE — It was a Boog-fest, a Boogapalooza, a Boogaloo on Tuesday at Camden Yards, and the event carried into the game.
Oakland rookie Boog Powell met his nickname-sake, 1970 American League MVP Boog Powell, over some of the elder’s famous barbecue during the afternoon, then the A’s Boog recorded two hits in his team’s 6-4 win over the Orioles. A’s designated hitter Ryon Healy homered twice, and second baseman Jed Lowrie hit his second homer in two games.
The Boogs chatted for nearly an hour Tuesday afternoon, first at Boog’s BBQ beyond the right-field fence and then in a conference room, where they FaceTimed 12-year-old Little Leaguer Jeffrey “Boog” Powell at his school in Tennessee.
“It was awesome,” the A’s Boog said. “He was actually in study hall. … He was a little
shy, but it was good to meet him.”
In the series opener Monday, the younger Boog — middle Boog? — hit his first bigleague homer, and it landed about 20 yards south of Boog’s BBQ.
“I thought he had a real nice swing, didn’t overswing,” said the elder Boog, a fourtime All-Star. “Goes to show you what kind of distance you get when you do that.”
The younger Boog, 24, knew he’d hit it near Boog’s BBQ. “I was trying not to smile and laugh,” Boog 2 said. “As soon as I hit it, I thought, ‘I wonder if (the older Powell) got it?’ ”
A’s manager Bob Melvin also marveled at where Powell’s homer wound up.
“His timing for his home run yesterday was pretty good, headed over to that direction where (the other’s) stand is,” Melvin said. “You see a lot of cool, unique things in this game; that was a little bit of a surprise, his first home run and the direction it went.”
The two Boogs discussed how people constantly ask them if they’re related — the A’s Powell, when asked if he’s the “real” Boog Powell, says,
“Hey, I’m real, too!” — and they continued with this conversation.
A’s Boog: “Did it bring back old memories when you heard my name announced last night?”
O’s Boog: “It was great. Oh, just really great. It’s too cool. I love it.” A’s Boog: “I was in center field and I turned around a couple of times (toward the barbecue stand), like ‘Can I see him?’ ”
O’s Boog: “I had to root for you. You’re the opposition, but I still have to root for you.”
The Powells were a main attraction Tuesday, but the A’s also got nice work from Lowrie, who followed Powell’s game-opening single with a homer to right-center, and from Healy, who clobbered homers No. 22 and 23. Healy hit a solo shot to right-center with two outs in the first to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and a two-run shot to left with one out in the fifth. He’s batting .410 during his streak.
A’s left fielder Khris Davis ended an 0-for-20 streak with a solo homer in the ninth, his 500th career hit.
“It’s easy to forget how good you are sometimes when things aren’t going your way,” Davis said.
Healy had given Davis some words of encouragement when he was in the on-deck circle. “He was just there to tap me on the shoulder and tell me it was all right,” Davis said.
Simon Castro, who earned his first win with the A’s, allowed a two-run homer to Manny Machado in the sixth. The Orioles added two in the eighth on Jonathan Schoop’s two-out, bases-loaded single off Blake Treinen. Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser