A’s 2, Rays 1: Murphy’s homer lifts Oakland; Melvin ejected.
Bob Melvin embodies evenkeeled. Outbursts are rare. His reaction to a nonoverturned replay Monday might not have qualified even as that. But it did result in the A’s manager watching his team finish a 21 win in Tampa Bay from the clubhouse.
With two outs in the seventh, Tony Kemp hit a popup that Rays third baseman Joey Wendle lost against the difficult Tropicana Field ceiling. It fell as Elvis Andrus, sprinting from first base, tried for home. Andrus’ right hand crossed the plate as catcher Mike Zunino applied the tag. Andrus was called out.
The A’s challenged. TV cameras showed Andrus in the dugout, apparently confident he’d been safe. A replay review upheld the call. Melvin broke from the dugout and barked from behind his mask at plate umpire Sean Barber. In seconds, Barber ejected him.
“That he was safe — that was the point I was trying to make,” Melvin said afterward. “It was a terrible call. Enough said there.”
Melvin’s first ejection since June 12, 2019 — also in Tampa Bay and also by Barber, over a nonstrike call — did not affect the outcome as Sean Manaea and the A’s bullpen made catcher Sean Murphy’s tworun fourthinning homer stand.
“When Bob gets upset at something, he usually has a pretty good reason,” Murphy said. “He’s got our backs and when he thinks someone gets something wrong, he’s going to protect us.
“From the replay we saw on TV, (Andrus) looked safe to me. I guess they said there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it. I disagree from what I saw . ... But we didn’t let it hold us back.”
Manaea had last faced Tampa Bay in the 2019 AL wildcard game, surrendering three home runs in two innings. The Rays’ lineup Monday featured a halfdozen holdovers from that game. Manaea held the Rays to one run in five innings, requiring 100 pitches but continuing a strong first month. His ERA in 24 innings over his past four starts is 1.50.
Tampa Bay leadoff hitter Randy Arozarena singled in the first, took second when Yandy Diaz hit a comebacker off Manaea’s right leg, stole third and scored on Austin Meadows’ sacrifice fly. Manaea allowed just one more runner into scoring position. He threw 60 fastballs but used offspeed pitches to effect: Tampa Bay hitters swung at 20 and missed 12. Manaea finished three of six strikeouts on changeups and two on curveballs.
“I trust my stuff and I’m throwing it for strikes and throwing them in good locations,” Manaea said. “Got into a lot of threeball counts, getting behind guys, just stuff like that. But I mean the fact that I went and got five and only gave up one, I’ll take it.”
Arozarena singled in the third but Stephen Piscotty’s diving catch of a Manuel Margot blooper into right field prevented him from scoring with two outs. Manaea said of Piscotty’s catch: “Especially here, it’s a tough roof and it’s just crazy how he did it. He catches that ball and ends that inning; if he doesn’t, things could end up way worse. That was really huge.”
Tampa Bay lefthander Rich Hill, the curveball specialist who spent a halfseason with the A’s in 2016, struck out 10 batters over six innings but lost the lead on one pitch in the fourth. After walking Matt Chapman, Hill threw Murphy a firstpitch 89mph fastball. Murphy hit a soaring drive that landed just beyond the leftfield wall.
Murphy also stood out on defense. He threw out Joey Wendle trying to steal second after a leadoff walk in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Murphy pounced on a bunt attempt from Margot and whipped a throw to first for the out. He guided the A’s bullpen through four scoreless, if eventful, innings. Yusmeiro Petit worked two; Jake Diekman and Lou Trivino each worked an inning in which they stranded two runners.
“He’s got a rocket for an arm which is always nice,” Manaea said of Murphy. “Blocking balls he’s great, framing. He’s an allaround just really good catcher.”