Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER
Seven shut out innings from Frankie Montas set the tone as the Athletics ended their six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees Saturday afternoon on a 90° day at the Coliseum.
The A’s have been on a death spiral the past week, falling out of the AL playoff picture for the first time all season but Montas (10-9, 3.66) strong effort, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out six, helped stop the bleeding for at least a day and enable Oakland to remain 3.5 games behind the Red Sox for the final AL wild card slot.
Sergio Romo looks to the sky to celebrate his first save in an Oakland uniform after retiring Joey Gallo for the final out in a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees.
“It felt good just to give high-fives again,” Montas said. “We all did our part to win this ballgame. After today, we all have to bring this same mentality to the next game and keep it rolling.”
The win also snapped the Yankees 13-game winning streak, their longest since September 1961. The run that enabled New York to blow past both the A’s and Red Sox in the standings while moving into the top wild card position.
The A’s got on the board early thanks to a Chad Pinder double and Sean Murphy walk in the second. Tony Kemp’s single drove in Pinder, and a balk by Yankees starter and loser Nester Cortes (2-2, 2.77) allowed Murphy to score and give Oakland a 2-0 lead.
“It felt good just to get the monkey off our back,” Kemp said. “This team doesn’t give up. We’re always fighting and moving on to tomorrow. We have a good short-term memory. That’s the best part about this team. We’re able to flush the bad.”
Matt Chapman’s 21st home run of the year leading off the fourth extended the lead to 3–0.
Matt Chapman connects for a fourth inning home run to give the A’s a 3-0 lead over the Yankees Saturday afternoon.
A 399-foot blast by Aaron Judge with a man on in the top of the ninth closed the gap to 3–2, but Sergio Romo, unaccustomed to being in the closers role in an Oakland uniform, settled down to get the final two outs and record his first save since joining the A’s.
“Against that lineup, with a win streak going and the way they’re swinging the bats, I don’t know how you can pitch any better than that,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “It looked like he had an edge from the very beginning. Had all three of his pitches working. A much-needed outing for us. Fantastic.”
Anthony Rizzo reacts to striking out in the sixth inning against Frankie Montas during the Yankees 3-2 loss to the A’s Saturday afternoon.
The Athletics will try to salvage a split of the four-game series tomorrow afternoon with Paul Blackburn (0-1, 4.09) taking the mound against the Yankees Jordan Montgomery (5-5, 3.69) in a game that will start at 4:05 PM to accommodate a national television audience on ESPN.
GAME NOTES:
Starling Marte stole another two bases on Saturday, increasing his MLB-leading total to 42. After stealing 22 bases with the Marlins before being traded to the A’s on July 28, he now has 20 with the A’s in just 27 games. He’s the first player in MLB history with at least 20 stolen bases in both the National League and American League in the same season.
The Yankees 13-game streak equaled the A’s April run as the longest in the Majors this season. New York is also a MLB Best 35-12 since the Fourth of July.
