Field Level Media
Sep 3, 2018
Matt Chapman hit a tiebreaking double in the bottom of the second inning and the Oakland Athletics gained ground in the AL wild-card race with a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in the opener of a three-game series at Oakland Coliseum on Monday.
Chapman gave the A's a 4-3 lead with a double to the gap in right-center field off CC Sabathia (7-6), and the hit helped Oakland move within 3 1/2 games of the Yankees for home-field advantage in next month's wild card game. Chapman also helped the A's remain 2 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.
The A's faced the Yankees for the first time since a 6-2 loss at Yankee Stadium on May 13 and improved to 49-20 since June 16. They also won for the 22nd time in their last 32 games while beating the Yankees for the 17th time in the last 23 home meetings.
Khris Davis and Jed Lowrie hit RBI singles for the A's, while Mark Canha hit a solo homer. Oakland's other runs scored on a throwing error by Yankees rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar and a bases-loaded walk to Matt Olson.
Andrew McCutchen recorded his first hit as a Yankee and scored on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Hicks in the first. Luke Voit hit a two-run homer in the second, but the Yankees did little after the burly first baseman's sixth homer with the team, losing for the fifth time in eight games.
Trevor Cahill (6-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in five innings. He improved to 5-0 at home this season and won for the first time in six career appearances against the Yankees.
Lou Trevino struck out the side in the sixth before Oakland used Yusmeiro Petit and left-hander Ryan Buchter in the seventh.
Petit put two on before striking out Voit, and Buchter entered when switch hitter Neil Walker was announced.
Buchter finished the inning by getting Brett Gardner on a pop-up. Jeurys Familia worked around a pair of two-out walks before striking out to Gary Sanchez in a scoreless eighth.
Blake Treinen pitched a scoreless ninth for his 36th save in 40 opportunities.
Sabathia produced his shortest outing of the season, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Sabathia threw 39 pitches in the first as the A's took a 3-1 lead. A single by Davis tied the game, a bases-loaded walk to Olson made it 2-1 and Davis scored the third run when third baseman Andujar's throwing error pulled Voit off the first base bag.
After Voit lifted a full-count sinker over the right-center field fence, the A's went ahead on Chapman's hit and added their final runs off A.J. Cole on Lowrie's single in the fourth and Canha's 16th homer in the fifth.
--Field Level Media