Field Level Media
Sep 5, 2020
The Oakland Athletics relocated their hitting groove Saturday afternoon, riding Matt Olson's two-run triple and Ramon Laureano's two-run homer to an 8-4 victory over the San Diego Padres.
One day after the Padres had roughed up Oakland pitching in a 7-0 win in the opener of a three-game interleague series, left-hander Sean Manaea (3-2) limited San Diego to one run and four hits in five innings.
The A's jumped on Padres starter Chris Paddack (3-4) early, with Olson belting his two-run triple with two outs in the first inning after Tommy La Stella had singled and Mark Canha walked.
The triple was a career-first for Olson. It came in his 1,602nd plate appearance.
La Stella then capped a two-run second with an RBI double, before Oakland busted the game open on Laureano's two-run homer off reliever Luis Patino in a three-run sixth for a 7-1 lead.
The homer was Laureano's fifth of the season and second in his last three games.
The Padres' only run in the first seven innings came on an Eric Hosmer infield out in the third.
San Diego made a bit of a rally late, getting a solo homer by Austin Nola, his first of the season, and an RBI infield hit by Jake Cronenworth in the eighth, then a sacrifice fly from Manny Machado in the ninth.
Paddack was pulled two outs into the fifth inning, charged with four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.
In winning his third straight start, Manaea walked one and struck out five. He left with a 4-1 lead, having thrown 64 pitches.
Jonah Heim had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice for the A's, who had lost three in a row bridging a five-day quarantine after pitcher Daniel Mengden registered a positive test for the coronavirus.
Olson finished with three hits, while La Stella and Piscotty had two apiece in an 11-hit A's attack. Canha and Piscotty scored twice each.
Trent Grisham collected three hits, while Nola and Machado had two apiece for the Padres, who lost for just the second time in their last six games.
San Diego matched Oakland with 11 hits.
--Field Level Media