Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY RICK PORCARO
The A’s jumped on Toronto starter Alek Manoah for three first inning runs, and Cole Irvin made them stand up, pitching eight dominant innings in his best start of the year as Oakland returned home with a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays in front of a Fourth of July crowd of 24,403 Monday night at the Coliseum.
Cole Irvin delivers a pitch during the A’s 5-1 win over Toronto Monday evening. Irvin had his best game of the season, limiting the Blue Jays to four hits in eight innings.
Irvin (3-6, 3.35) pitched a career high eight innings, limiting the potent Toronto offense to just four hits without a walk while striking out four batters as the A’s wasted no time trying to erase the memory of their winless last home stand and a 7–28 record in their last 35 games as they returned home for the first of six games against the Blue Jays and division leading Astros.
“The fans tonight were absolutely amazing,” Irvin said. “Electric environment. They were with every pitch. A lot of these young guys got to experience what this place is like when it’s filled out. I was riding off the fans a lot today, too. That really helps. I appreciate everyone coming out.”
Ramon Laureano and Stephen Vogt backed Irvin with solo home runs, but it was the A’s three run first inning against presumptive Blue Jays All-Star Manoah (9-3, 2.33) that would deliver the win.
Oakland loaded the bases when Sean Murphy was hit by a pitch following a walk to Laureano and a Seth Brown single. A sacrifice fly by Vogt got the A’s on the board before a double by Elvis Andrus drove in both Brown and Murphy for a 3-0 lead.
Matt Chapman received a warm welcome in his first game back in Oakland after five seasons with the A’s following his trade to the Blue Jays in March.
Toronto broke thru for their only run of the game in the fourth, after Irvin had retired the first 11 Blue Jays batters, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ripped a double to deep center and was driven in by an Alejandro Kirk single.
The two teams will face off again Tuesday night at 6:40 PM with Adrian Martinez (1-1, 6.30) taking the hill for Oakland against the Blue Jays Yusei Kikuchi (3-4, 4.74).
GAME NOTES:
The Athletics improved to 32-20 on the Fourth of July since arriving in Oakland in 1968.
The A’s snapped a streak of losing the first game of each of their last 12 series, just one short of the longest stretch since moving to Oakland.
Irvin’s win was just the second by an Oakland starting pitcher in their past 14 games.
Matt Chapman went 0–3 but received a nice ovation in his first game back in Oakland after being traded to Toronto in March following five seasons with the A’s during which he earned three Gold Gloves, two Platinum Gloves and an All-Star selection.
