Are you not entertained?!?!
If not, I do not know what else a baseball team can offer.
The Oakland A’s won their tenth game in a row on Tuesday and in the process, they wiped a double header from defending AL Central champion Minnesota Twins. The final score in the Colosseum was 1-0 in seven overs, and combined with their 7-0 win at noon, this is the first time the A’s have thrown exclusions in both halves of a double header. since Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter in 1974.
And to top it all off, Oakland drew for first place in the AL West, just two weeks after diligently avoiding their worst start in franchise history.
*** Click here to visit tonight’s Game Thread again! ***
After stacking on the scoreboard in the first game of today, the A’s scored just one run in the evening ratio. Luckily, that was all they needed, but the most encouraging was how they got it – busy, smart approach and clutch hitting.
The 4th inning leads, Matt Olson given a perfect example of how to beat a defensive move. The pitcher gives him a 1-2 offer that is low and away, and rather than trying to pull it into a stack of eight defenders, he reaches out and turns it around the other way around. With the left side of the field open, it easily turned through for a hit, and then Olson pushed it further by breaking to second base and challenging the left field.
Olson slips safely into a hustle and bustle. He got there despite poor contact in an otherwise not-so-good place to strike because he took everything the opponent gave him and aggressively forced him to make extra plays. The next batter flies out to medium RF, and Olson marks and moves to third, as if he’s Rickey Henderson or something.
Two batsmen later, Seth Brown drilled a 107.4 km / h line in the middle for a single, which Olson brought home. Call it an Oly Run.
It was already Brown’s second hit of the night, as he also doubled the wall in the previous innings. He is now hitting 0.500 through 29 plate appearances and hitting the ball just as hard as anyone in the team, and if he had just gotten a little more under this RBI single, it would have had three runs. We may have just found our new left fielder.
Luzardo turns out lights
After going through the blank Sean Manaea in the opening game, Minnesota were on the lookout for runs they could pick up in the second half of the twins. However, they did Jesús Luzardo at exactly the wrong time.
The young left started slowly this year, with an era of 8.31 through three performances and no quality outings yet. But he was untouchable tonight and allows only three hard-hitting balls, and only one of them in the air.
- Luzardo: 5⅓ ip, 0 runs, 6 Ks, 1 BB, 2 hits, 65 pitches, 86.0 mph EV
The Twins only reached second base until the 6th innings, and that was only because of a successful ball. At one point, he retired 11 straight batsmen, and nearly a quarter of his spots resulted in a swing-and-miss (15-of-65, or 23%).
Another important stat regarding Luzardo, who returned to wears his signature glasses after three matches in contact lenses. Can’t argue math.
Contacts Jesus Luzardo: 13 IP, 12 runs
Bril Jesús Luzardo: 5.1 IP, 0 runs
Draw your own conclusions. # Advanced Analysis
– Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) 21 April 2021
Maybe the southpaw could have worked on the game even longer, but in the 5th inning he was interrupted because he turn on the lights. Or at least, the lights went out while he pitched very well.
Minnesota singled out one by one in the 5th, their first lead since the first innings, and then both teams returned to their dugouts. The problem was literally from the left field, as emanating from the lights in the LF bench.
A few minutes passed, with no one sure how long it would last. We have seen it rise to one and a half hours before., the night of Mike Fiers’ no-hitter in 2019.
But then! One light bulb wakes up!
Come on buddy, you can do it!
I’m the one trying his best
– Megan Ryan (@theothermegryan) 21 April 2021
Success! Not less than 25 minutes later, we were in action again, and Luzardo struck the next batter and then caused a pop-up to end the inning. It was apparently light enough to qualify.
However, I think we all know what really happened here.
I think the Colosseum itself is arguing 7-over doubles games with this slight interruption.
“You can play as many innings as you want, but we’re going to sit here for three hours,” said the predictable old school ball park.
– Alex Hall (@AlexHallAN) 21 April 2021
Although, to be honest, the seven-innings game probably helped the A’s today. If your opponent is not scoring 14 frames, it’s a good thing you did not have to give them four more chances to try, especially not against the bull. We need to think just as far back as Sunday for an example of a team that finally broke through in the 8th and 9th.
Bullpen lock
Luzardo eventually finished in the 6th with one out and a runner on the second base. The bullpen needs five outs to seal it.
In the last few close games we saw Lou Trivino the last shift, but tonight the situation determined that he made more sense before that. The twins had two tough right-handed batsmen, Mitch Garver and Josh Donaldson, and Trivino comes in and knocks both out. Runner stranded in the points standings, and only three out.
It was left Jake Diekman for the 7th, which was effectively the 9th in this shortened double-headed match. A batter reaches its base (HBP) and then a blow. Another batter reaches the base (faulty fault by SS Elvis Andrus), then again a victim. It brought Willians Astudillo, which swung at a 1-2 pitch and launched a mighty ride, 371 feet to the left field. Back, back, back …
… and caught on the wall, at Mark Canha, to end the match. Holy. Toledo.
It wasn’t quite his Joe Rudi catch of last year’s playoff game, but it was enough to clinch this win and take us off the edge of our seat.
It just doesn’t get much better than that. The A’s win, not just every day, but now multiple times a day, and they do so in the most exciting ways possible. Thingers and timely hits on the board, bustling on the base roads, including four steals in the opening game, defending the highlight line and dominant throwing from both their rotation and bullpen. Tuesday was incredible until the final.
Defense from the bench
From the defense of the high-scoring coil, Canha was not the only one to make a nice catch. There was a 373-foot ride to CF by Garver that was tracked Ramon Laureano, and also some grabs by two players from the bench who are better known for their bats.
In the 2nd innings, Brown ran for the dive from RF.
And in the 5th, 2B Vimael Machin exchanged for his own moving gem.
The two catches were at almost the same spot on the field.
These are two players (for now) in Seth Brown and Vimael Machin, both best known for their batsmen, who are doing everything in their power to earn more playing time. pic.twitter.com/XTdQlSafzV
– Alex Hall (@AlexHallAN) 21 April 2021
What more can you say? The A’s get incredible effort from every place on their list. Not just in terms of a hot streak, whatever they are, but things like hitting the base and playing every defense. Hustle can win games, as it absolutely did today, and it never drops when you do not want to.
The A’s are now 11-7 overall and are level with the Mariners for first place. One day they will lose again, but for now they win ten consecutive points and show no signs of slowing down. Ride the wave!