The Oakland Athletics hot streak that has lasted all summer long continued on Friday night, as they stayed ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the American League Wild Card race, and are now within 4.5 games of the New York Yankees for the top Wild Card spot. Their most recent victory came in thrilling fashion, as rookie Ramon Laureano ended his major league debut with a walk-off RBI single to right field in the 13th inning for a 1-0 A's win over the Detroit Tigers.
The game lasted just three hours, 32 minutes, which is not bad at all for 13 innings, as pitching dominated this one for most of the night. Both starters, Blaine Hardy and Brett Anderson, were dealing on the mound, but got no run support, which forced extras. Anderson went seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits, while Hardy gave up just one hit in seven shutout innings himself. He did strike out six, while Anderson recorded two punch-outs.
Reliever Buck Farmer surrendered the game-winning hit to Laureano, suffering his fourth loss, while Emilio Pagan earned his third win after stranding Jose Iglesias' one-out single in the top of the 13th. He was helped out by Iglesias getting throw out at third while trying to advance on an errant throw from catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a stolen base attempt.
Other impressive relief performances saw Yusemeiro Petit pitch two perfect innings in extras, while Blake Treinen struck out four over two innings.
The Athletics did not get their first hit against Hardy until a leadoff, infield single from Jed Lowrie in the seventh inning. The reliever-turned-starter-back-to-reliever-now-starter threw a career-high 106 pitches, 13 of which came in one at-bat that resulted in a Matt Olson walk in the second. Olson walked twice for the only other two baserunners for the Athletics against the Tigers' starter.
The win for Oakland, combined with the Seattle Mariners' 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, gives the A's a 1.5-game lead for the final American League playoff spot. The Athletics will host the Tigers two more times this weekend.
The game lasted just three hours, 32 minutes, which is not bad at all for 13 innings, as pitching dominated this one for most of the night. Both starters, Blaine Hardy and Brett Anderson, were dealing on the mound, but got no run support, which forced extras. Anderson went seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits, while Hardy gave up just one hit in seven shutout innings himself. He did strike out six, while Anderson recorded two punch-outs.
Reliever Buck Farmer surrendered the game-winning hit to Laureano, suffering his fourth loss, while Emilio Pagan earned his third win after stranding Jose Iglesias' one-out single in the top of the 13th. He was helped out by Iglesias getting throw out at third while trying to advance on an errant throw from catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a stolen base attempt.
Other impressive relief performances saw Yusemeiro Petit pitch two perfect innings in extras, while Blake Treinen struck out four over two innings.
The Athletics did not get their first hit against Hardy until a leadoff, infield single from Jed Lowrie in the seventh inning. The reliever-turned-starter-back-to-reliever-now-starter threw a career-high 106 pitches, 13 of which came in one at-bat that resulted in a Matt Olson walk in the second. Olson walked twice for the only other two baserunners for the Athletics against the Tigers' starter.
The win for Oakland, combined with the Seattle Mariners' 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, gives the A's a 1.5-game lead for the final American League playoff spot. The Athletics will host the Tigers two more times this weekend.
