Field Level Media
Apr 7, 2021
Mitch Moreland lined a walk-off single to center field with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday afternoon, allowing the Oakland Athletics to end a historic season-opening losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of their three-game interleague series.
The A's overcame a 3-1 deficit and the strong pitching of Trevor Bauer en route to their first win of the year after they had matched the 1916 Philadelphia A's for the longest season-opening losing streak in franchise history at six games.
Starting with a runner at second in the 10th, Mark Canha reached third on Ramon Laureano's fly ball to deep center off Jimmy Nelson (0-1) before jogging home on Moreland's two-strike liner just to the left of Los Angeles center fielder Chris Taylor.
Yusmeiro Petit (1-0), who worked a 1-2-3 top of the 10th with a runner at second, was credited with the win.
Bauer was one out from a second straight win when Elvis Andrus' sacrifice fly off Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen scored Matt Chapman with the tying run in the bottom of the ninth.
Jansen, who allowed a hit and two walks in his only inning, recovered to get Canha on a grounder to shortstop, stranding the potential winning run at second base and sending the game to extra innings.
Bauer and A's starter Jesus Luzardo both pitched effectively, but neither got a decision.
Bauer struck out 10 in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with two runs on three hits with one walk.
Luzardo went 5 1/3 innings during which he allowed two runs and five hits. He walked four and struck out six.
After A.J. Pollock's RBI single in the first inning was offset by a Bauer wild pitch that scored Laureano in the fourth, the Dodgers took a second lead on Zach McKinstry's two-out bunt that scored Max Muncy in the sixth on a fielder's choice, with Austin Barnes tagged out at third after the run had scored.
Justin Turner gave Bauer a bit of cushion with a run-scoring double in the seventh, which became critical after Chapman led off the last of the inning with his first home run of the season.
Chapman finished with two hits and Laureano two stolen bases for the A's, who had been outscored 50-13 during their losing streak.
Taylor had a double and a single, while Corey Seager added two singles for the Dodgers, who out-hit the A's 8-5.
--Field Level Media