Laureano cashes in after exit of Ohtani
Before the A’s latest matchup with Shohei Ohtani, manager Bob Melvin was posed a question: For a struggling lineup, would facing the AllStar Game starter present a daunting challenge or, possibly, a needed spark?
“I don’t think it really matters right now,” Melvin said. “We just want to put consistent atbats together throughout the lineup. … It’s tough to string a bunch of hits together against him but we just have to be patient and make him throw hopefully a lot of pitches early in the game.”
Melvin’s words proved prophetic. Ohtani, the Angels righthander and twoway star, was tough on A’s hitters for six scoreless innings Monday night. He scattered three hits, recorded eight strikeouts and issued one walk. Only once did
an A’s runner reach third base against him.
Yet his pitch count did rise. At 96 pitches after the sixth, Ohtani moved from the mound to right field. Steve Cishek entered in relief. And a slumbering A’s offense stirred to back a strong outing by Cole Irvin in a 41 win.
Cishek walked Mitch Moreland and third baseman Matt Chapman to open the seventh. Ramón Laureano came to the plate with one hit in his past 18 atbats. On a 22 count, Cishek threw a slider. The ball hung over the plate. Laureano drove it 396 feet for a threerun homer that broke a scoreless tie.
It was the key hit the A’s did not find against Ohtani. Two of their hits against him were oneout doubles. After Moreland’s in the second inning, Ohtani struck out Chapman swinging at a 97 mph fastball and Laureano on a slider. Ohtani stranded two A’s in the third, striking out shortstop Elvis Andrus and inducing a groundout from Matt Olson on a 98 mph delivery.
Ohtani, making his first pitching start since the AllStar Game, drew some of the loudest cheers of the night from the announced crowd of 14,856. He touched 99 mph on the mound and lined a double at 116 mph off his bat in the third inning.
Irvin surpassed him. The A’s lefthander worked seven scoreless innings and returned for the eighth. Adam Eaton singled to open the inning and end Irvin’s night. It did not diminish his performance. Irvin allowed seven hits and a runner in every inning yet one but eluded damage.
David Fletcher doubled on Irvin’s first pitch of the game. Irvin retired Ohtani on a flyball, then induced two groundouts. Angels hitters began the second and fourth innings with singles; both were erased on double plays. Defense also backed Irvin in the third.
Fletcher grounded a twoout single. Ohtani followed with a double that found the centerfield wall on two bounces. Laureano retrieved it and whirled a
throw toward the infield. Andrus made his relay to the plate from 15 feet deep on the outfield grass. Catcher Sean Murphy tagged Fletcher to end the inning.
Andrus also turned an unusual 563 double play to end the fifth, moving to his left to take the throw from Chapman and relaying to first. Irvin exited after 84 pitches. He induced just six swingandmisses but hard contact did not always hurt him. The Angels struck 10 of his pitches at 95 mph or higher off the bat. Five of those resulted in outs.
⏩ Olson hit a towering home run off reliever Alex Claudio in the eighth inning. Half of his 24 homers have come against lefthanders. Olson had just 22 homers against lefthanders in 419 majorleague games before this season.
⏩ Lou Trivino replaced Irvin and secured the final six outs. Brandon Marsh lined an oppositefield RBI double in the ninth, marking just the second earned run Trivino has allowed in his past 27 appearances. Andrus fumbled a twoout grounder from Kurt Suzuki that brought the potential tying run to the plate. Chapman made a running catch of Eaton’s foul ball as he hit the short wall near the A’s bullpen.