Field Level Media
Aug 15, 2020
Behind by two runs and down to their last strike, the visiting Oakland Athletics got a three-run, go-ahead home run from Mark Canha to cap a four-run ninth inning that lifted the American League West leaders to a second straight improbable win, 7-6 over the rival San Francisco Giants.
After blowing a five-run lead on a solo homer by Matt Olson and a grand slam by Stephen Piscotty in what turned into a 10-inning defeat in the series opener, Giants closer Trevor Gott (1-1) once again was tagged for a pair of homers in the ninth, including a leadoff shot by Sean Murphy that got Oakland within 6-4.
A one-out double by Tony Kemp and a two-out walk to Olson set the stage for Canha, who drove a full-count pitch into the bleachers in left-center field, sending the A's into the lead.
The homers were the second of the season for both Canha and Murphy.
A's closer Liam Hendriks worked around a two-out walk in the last of the ninth for his seventh save.
T.J. McFarlane (2-0), who got the final out of the eighth inning, was credited with the win.
Earlier, Darin Ruf hit his first home run since returning to Major League Baseball from Korea, a three-run, tie-breaking shot in the seventh inning that propelled the Giants into a 6-3 lead.
After an Olson home run, his eighth of the year, had drawn the A's even at 3-3 in the sixth, Evan Longoria led off the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a single by Wilmer Flores.
After Hunter Pence struck out, Ruf bombed his first homer of the season off Oakland reliever Burch Smith, giving the Giants the three-run advantage they took into the ninth.
Ruf, who totaled 35 homers in five seasons for Philadelphia before accepting an offer to play abroad, smacked 86 homers in 404 games for Samsung of the Korean league.
Marcus Semien's two-run homer, his second of the season, opened the game's scoring in the third inning.
The Giants rebounded into the lead in the fourth when Mike Yastrzemski crushed a two-run triple to right field and continued home on a Semien throwing error.
A's starter Sean Manaea was charged with three runs (two earned) on three hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five.
The Giants' Kevin Gausman struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, five hits and three walks.
Canha and Kemp finished with three hits apiece for Oakland, which won its third straight.
Flores, who had four hits in the series opener, added two more for the Giants, who have lost three in a row.
--Field Level Media