A's Do It Again: Canha's 3-Run HR In 9th Beats Giants 7-6
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mark Canha hit a go-ahead, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and the Oakland Athletics rallied late for the second straight game, slugging past the San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Saturday night.
A night earlier, Oakland rallied from a 7-2 deficit to win 8-7 in 10 innings after Stephen Piscotty's tying grand slam in the ninth. The A's are an AL-best 15-6 and have a three-game winning streak.
The A's quickly are making a habit of dramatic finishes — they've already had two walk-off grand slams.
Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer and Matt Olson also connected for the A's, who won for the 12th time in 14 games.
Darin Ruf put San Francisco ahead 6-3 with a three-run shot in the seventh before the bullpen squandered it again.
Trevor Gott (1-1) surrendered Sean Murphy's leadoff homer in the ninth that started the latest A's rally and a one-out double to Tony Kemp before walking Matt Olson, bringing up Canha.
T.J. McFarland (2-0) recorded the final out of the eighth for the victory before Liam Hendriks closed it out for the second straight game and his seventh save.
Giants starter Kevin Gausman struck out a career-high 11 over 5 2/3 innings. It marked his fourth double-digit strikeout game and first since April 17, 2019, against Arizona while with the Braves.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run triple in the fourth before scoring on shortstop Semien's wild throw past Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman.
Olson tied it in the sixth. Of his seven hits in 43 at-bats over his last 11 games all of those have cleared the fences.
Left-hander Sean Manaea started a day earlier than scheduled for Oakland but is still searching for his first victory of 2020. He went 4-0 last September upon returning from shoulder surgery before losing the AL wild-card game to Tampa Bay.
SPECIAL MOMENT
A's infield prospect Vimael Machin, the designated hitter as Khris Davis got most of the day off, singled leading off the third for his first major league hit. He scored on Semien's homer.
MANAEA BY THE NUMBERS
Manaea reached five innings for the first time over his initial five starts and his first outing not surrendering four or more runs.
That such streak of not getting through the fifth and giving up at least four runs was the second-longest to begin a season in A's history — with the only longer stretch being five by Rick Langford in 1983.
Manaea has allowed 20 runs so far.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP opening day starter Frankie Montas was scheduled to play catch a day after he woke up with the stiffness in his back and lower neck and was scratched from his scheduled start. While he was better, manager Bob Melvin said it wasn't worth pushing him and Montas would likely throw off a mound before pitching again — "Tuesday at the earliest" in Arizona, Melvin said. ... LHP A.J. Puk, on the injured list and yet to appear this season because of a strained pitching shoulder, threw a 20-pitch bullpen Friday and is set for a 30-pitch session Monday. "They have it all mapped out," Melvin said.
Giants: OF Austin Slater returned to the lineup leading off as the designated hitter after missing the previous two games with a strained right elbow.
UP NEXT
RHP Logan Webb (1-1, 2.81 ERA) pitches the series finale for San Francisco opposite A's RHP Mike Fiers (1-1, 6.86).
