Field Level Media
Jul 28, 2019
Khris Davis drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the ninth inning, and the Oakland Athletics posted a 6-5 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon after blowing a two-run lead in the eighth.
Oakland improved to 24-11 since June 17 despite closer Liam Hendriks proving unable to get the final five outs.
The winning rally started when Chris Herrmann lined a single to left off Jose Leclerc (1-3). Marcus Semien, who homered in the third, kept it going by working out a walk on the 10th pitch after fouling off four straight pitches.
Matt Olson got ahead in the count 2-0 and then tied the game with an RBI single up the middle. Texas opted to intentionally walk Mark Canha, and Davis won it by taking a full-count fastball that was slightly high and out of the strike zone.
After Hendriks blew the save, Blake Treinen (4-3) set up Oakland's seventh walk-off win by pitching a scoreless ninth.
The Rangers scored three times in the eighth on an RBI single by Nomar Mazara, a run-scoring double by Willie Calhoun and a run-scoring groundout by Asdrubal Cabrera.
Hendriks allowed an RBI single to Mazara on a ball that just went past the diving attempt of Semien at shortstop.
Three pitches later, Calhoun roped a 2-0 fastball to center field over Canha's head. Oakland opted to load the bases by intentionally walking Rougned Odor. Cabrera then hit an 0-2 fastball up the middle, and the ball was slowed down when Hendriks deflected it with his glove.
The ball went to second baseman Jurickson Profar, who had to make a barehanded off-balance throw from the grass to get Cabrera, but it gave Elvis Andrus enough time to score.
Santana and Mazara hit solo homers in the sixth off Mike Fiers, but Oakland took a 4-2 lead entering the seventh when Chad Pinder roped a two-run double and scored on Santana's error at first base.
Semien drove in the game's first run with his 17th homer.
Fiers allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He remained unbeaten for a 15th straight start, a streak that began with his no-hitter on May 7 against Cincinnati.
In his first career start, Pedro Payano allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
--Field Level Media