Before the A’s 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Saturday, manager Bob Melvin said it wasn’t time to panic despite the team's 3-4 record.
That ended up being the case on this night. There was more life back in the A’s lineup, despite the numbers on the board.
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Oh, and Khris Davis got a hit, his first of the 2020 season.
Here’s what you missed in the A's thrilling win:
He didn’t start a Fiers
Mike Fiers isn’t known for his velocity, but some of his secondary pitches remain the reason he still has a job. He depended on his slider for a good portion of the game -- a pitch Melvin complimented heading into the season after watching a few bullpen sessions.
Oakland Athletics
In the bottom of the third inning, Fiers’ strikeout against Dylan Moore was his first of the season.
Things were relatively smooth sailing for the most part until Fiers gave up two runs in the third inning, but it was nice to see an A's pitcher heading into the sixth. All in all, not a bad outing for Fiers, but it appeared the Mariners were hitting the ball hard off of him.
A new ballgame
Chad Pinder made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh inning with a game-tying two-run home run to center field. Earlier, he had slid into at second base and was attended to by the A's trainer.
Davis’ single to center field in the top of the sixth was a huge sigh of relief for the slugger after starting 0-for-15 heading into the matchup.
On the other side however, Marcus Semien and Matt Olson weren’t productive in the least bit.
Semien struck out three times and Olson went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Extras
Let’s talk first about the pressure Joakim Soria had on him in the ninth. With bases loaded, he managed to get himself out of a really bad situation to send the game into extras.
And you know what that means …
The A’s were subject to the newly implemented extra-inning rule which a runner is placed at second base. Tony Kemp came on to pinch-run for Khris Davis in the top of the 10th.
Robbie Grossman hit a ball to right field and it somehow got lodged under the outfield wall padding. Despite Mariners’ outfielder Kyle Lewis throwing up his hands in an attempt to stop the play, Grossman ran to third. It ended up being a double, but Kemp scored what would be the game-winning run.
Closer Liam Hendriks came on in the bottom of the inning and saved the skid-busting win for the A's.