The Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers faced off in the rubber match of this three game interleague series. Down 3-0 after 6 1/2 innings, it looked like the A’s offense had finally cooled off in the desert heat. Yet, the team burst to life just in time and then its bullpen shut the door on the Brewers, sealing the A’s 4-3 victory in this tightly-contested series finale.
Brewers Assert Early Dominance
The Brewers struck first for a third straight game. Facing A’s starting pitcher Jack Perkins, Christian Yelich drew a leadoff walk and
later scored on Andrew Vaughn’s two-out RBI single to right field. Perkins responded by striking out the next batter to strand Vaughn at second base.
The Brewers added another run in the second inning. Catcher Gary Sanchez got the inning started with his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Perkins limited further damage, leaving David Hamilton at third after his one-out double.
Meanwhile, Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Sproat was sharp early, holding the A’s scoreless through the first two innings.
The visitors made it three in the third as center fielder Jackson Chourio crushed the first pitch of the inning 440 feet to dead center for his sixth home run of the season and second in as many games. Both home runs came on mistake pitches from Perkins, who has yet to find his rhythm as a starter. Perkins allowed two walks but no further runs, though he needed over 30 pitches to complete the inning.
A’s Threaten but Don’t Score
A’s center fielder Henry Bolte led off the A’s half of the third with an infield single, speeding down the line to beat the throw to first. He then stole second, putting himself in scoring position with no outs.
Sproat walked second baseman Jeff McNeil before the Brewers middle infield turned a slick double play on a ball off the bat of A’s shortstop Alika Williams. The right-hander promptly struck out Kurtz to end the inning. Through three innings, the A’s hit into two rally-killing double plays. Maybe the inning would have gone differently if Williams had bunted to advance the runners rather than swing away.
Game Rolls Along
Perkins tossed his first scoreless inning of the night in the fourth, which also marked the end of his laborious outing. The A’s starter allowed three runs on five hits and three walks. Offensively, the A’s could not take advantage, continuing to struggle against Sproat, who needed just 58 pitches to complete five scoreless innings.
Athletics right-handed reliever Luis Medina replaced Perkins in the fifth and needed just seven pitches to complete a scoreless inning. He remained in the game the next inning; however, the Brewers opened the sixth with back-to-back singles. Medina escaped the jam unscathed, getting Milwaukee’s shortstop Joey Ortiz to ground into an inning-ending double play.
A’s Score At Last
The A’s finally scored off Sproat in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Williams hit his first MLB home run, a solo shot to left field, cutting the hosts’ deficit to two.
A’s relievers Jose Suarez and Scott Barlow combined for a scoreless top of the seventh. The Brewers stranded two runners on base in their latest attempt to extend the lead.
A’s Complete the Comeback
In the last of the seventh, the visitors turned to reliever Chad Patrick after Sproat allowed one run over six innings on just 68 pitches.
A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes welcomed Patrick to the game by hitting his sixth home run of the year, a 461 feet solo shot to right to cut his team’s deficit to one.
A’s third baseman Zack Gelof followed by lining a double to right, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Then, right fielder Lawrence Butler came through with his biggest hit in a while. His fourth home run of the season, a 463 feet two-run rocket to center field, put the hosts up 4-3. The A’s hit 15 home runs this series, tying a franchise record for most home runs in a three-game series.
The Brewers turned to left-hander Aaron Ashby after Patrick failed to record an out. With two outs, Williams singled and then Kurtz walked. The runners advanced 90 feet on a passed ball before Soderstrom grounded out to end the inning.
Chaotic Eighth
In the eighth, Milwaukee collected two straight singles with one out. A’s left-hander Hogan Harris escaped trouble by getting pinch-hitter William Contreras to ground into an inning-ending double play, preserving the hosts’ one-run lead.
Facing new Brewers reliever Trevor Megill, A’s catcher Shea Langeliers led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to the left-center field gap. Megill retired the next three batters as the A’s failed to capitalize on a prime chance to add an insurance run.
Elvis is Back
Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado entered to pitch the ninth. Alvarado was dominant for a second straight night as the Brewers top three hitters were no match for his 100 mph fastball and nasty slider. The hard-throwing reliever struck out two of the three batters he faced, recording his first career save and more importantly securing the series victory for the Athletics against a very good Brewers squad.
The Athletics will have a day off in Las Vegas tomorrow. On Friday, the Colorado Rockies open a three-game series against the A’s at Las Vegas Ballpark. Left-hander Gage Jump will start for the A’s at a ballpark he knows well, having made several starts there during his time in Triple-A. The Rockies have not yet announced their starter for Friday night’s matchup.
