OAKLAND – It’s not often there’s a game in late May between two last place teams that can be considered a classic, but that’s what happened Wednesday at the Coliseum when the Athletics scored five times in the 11th inning for an improbable 10-9 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Held scoreless through six innings, the A’s scored their runs in the seventh through 11th and literally walked it off when pinch hitter Tyler Soderstrom took four straight pitches out of the strike zone from reliever Peter Lambert with the bases loaded and two out.
That prompted an on-field celebration on the field and in the stands from what was left of a crowd that was announced at 6,886. It gave the Athletics a series win over Colorado and improved their record to 21-31, with Colorado falling to 16-33.
The A’s got a home run from J.D. Davis, his third, in the eighth inning to bring them within 4-3. Then a game-tying shot from newcomer Daz Cameron, who led off the ninth with a home run. In the 11th, JJ Bleday launched a two-run shot against Matt Koch, his seventh of the season.
Oakland won despite closer Mason Miller showing he wasn’t invincible after all, getting touched up for three hits and five runs – three of them earned – with a walk and one strikeout.
“Man, that was just crazy,” Bleday said. “It was exhausting going back and forth. I’m just glad we came out on top. We showed fight this whole series and it shows our character, that we’re never going to give up and we’re going to do our best not go give away at-bats.”
Colorado had sent many of the remaining fans to the exits by scoring four times in the top of the 11th against Miller and Brandon Bialek, who got the win by getting the last hitter out.
The A’s erased not one, but two four-run deficits. The most dramatic came in the 11th, when Colorado plated four in the top half to go up 9-5.
But leadoff batter Max Schuemann doubled in free runner Cameron against Koch to make it 9-6. Abraham Toro grounded a single to right to score Schuemann, and claw within two. Bleday followed with a two-run shot to right center and the A’s had tied it 9-9 without making an out.
Lambert (2-3) replaced Koch and got Brent Rooker to fly out for the first out, with Seth Brown following with a single. J.D. Davis struck out while Brown was stealing second, and Zack Gelof hit a single that was knocked down by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.
Kyle McCann was intentionally walked to load the bases, Soderstrom was sent up to hit for Cameron, and he drew the walk on four pitches.
Ballgame.
“These guys in there, they don’t quit,” Kotsay said. “Today’s an example of that. They’ve stuck together, created teamwork, and the culture today came out.”
Cameron’s eventful debut
Cameron, 27, left Seattle at 5:30 after getting the word he’d been promoted from Triple-A and gave Kotsay a “blank stare” when informed he was starting.
His first two at-bats, Cameron left five runners on base with shallow fly balls. He later had a chance at diving catch and it ticked off his glove. But he did have an infield single preceding Davis’ home run, and then the game-tying shot in the ninth.
“Things like that happen during the course of the game and you move on to the next one,” Cameron said.
As for his home run, Cameron said, “Ever hear of snap, crackle, pop? That’s what it felt like, the ball off the wood on that part of the bat. It was a good feeling.”
Picking up Miller
Miller hadn’t been scored on in 15 appearances and has mostly made big-league hitters look foolish. It was inevitable that even with his fastball breaking 100 miles per hour he’d hit a rough spot. Yes, he came in with free runners in both innings, but he also gave up some legitimately hard contact including a line drive double play that Davis caught at first base at 101 miles per hour.
“He left a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate,” Kotsay said. “Even though he’s got dominant stuff, there’s going to be days when hitters hit fastballs that are center cut and sliders that are up. You’re going to have days like that. Now it’s all about bouncing back.”
Estes pounds the zone
A’s starter Joey Estes pitched seven innings and did better than four earned runs would suggest. He was let down by his defense on a couple of pop-ups that fell for hits and ended up throwing 73 strikes in 93 pitches.
In the fourth and fifth innings he threw 17 pitches combined. He had no walks and six strikeouts. He gave up two runs and three doubles in the first inning, but settled in nicely.
Estes had given up eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his last outing in Houston.
“That was the plan coming out of the chute, attack the hitters, make them feel uncomfortable so I can put them away,” Estes said.
Houston is next
The A’s host the Astros in a three-game series after being outscored 22-4 in a four-game sweep on the recently completed 1-9 road trip.
“We’re going to enjoy this one. This one feels too good,” Kotsay said. “We want another opportunity to play this team. They’ve had our number for a little while.”
Notable
— McCann was 3-for-4 with two doubles, the first three-hit game of his career, and his hitting .440 (11-for-25) at home).
— Schuemann (3-for-6) also had the first three-hit game of his career.
— Brown was 3-for-6 with a double and his hitting .411 (7-for-17) over his last five games.