Athletics 5, Giants 4
OAKLAND, Calif. - Center fielder Billy Burns hit a two-run homer, designated hitter Billy Butler had a solo shot and right-hander Sonny Gray pitched six solid innings, leading the Oakland A's to a 5-4 victory Friday night against the San Francisco Giants at the O.co Coliseum.
The Giants remained eight games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West but were eliminated from contention in the wild-card race. The defending World Series champions' elimination number in the division fell to two.
The A's were swept by San Francisco in a three-game series in July, but they beat the Giants for the sixth straight time in Oakland.
Gray (14-7) had one of his best starts in what has been a rough month of September. Going into the game, he 1-1 with a 7.97 ERA in four starts this month.
He gave up two runs on five hits over six innings Friday, while striking out seven and walking two. Gray left the game with Oakland leading 4-2.
Left-hander Sean Doolittle blanked the Giants over the final 1 1/3 innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth then pitching a perfect ninth for his second save of the season.
Giants right-hander Mike Leake (10-10) gave up four runs on six hits, including two homers, over six innings. He struck out three and walked two. Leake is 1-5 in eight starts since coming to the Giants from Cincinnati in a trade on July 30.
Third baseman Matt Duffy hit a two-run homer for San Francisco, and center fielder Jarrett Parker had a solo home run. Rookie right fielder Mac Williamson had his first two major league hits in first big-league start.
Burns went 2-for-4 with a double. A's left fielder Sam Fuld had two hits in three at-bats and scored twice. Second baseman Eric Sogard went 2-for-4 with a triple.
Burns gave the A's a 3-2 lead with his two-run blast in the third inning off Leake. Butler made it 4-2 with an opposite field solo home run to right in the sixth, his 14th shot of the season.
The Giants cut Oakland's lead to 4-3 in the top of the seventh on Parker's leadoff home run against A's rookie reliever Ryan Dull, who had opened his career with 11 scoreless innings over eight relief appearances. Dull pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits.
The A's responded with a run in the bottom of the seventh, making it 5-3. Fuld grounded a leadoff single to right off reliever Jeremy Affeldt then tagged up and went to second on Burns' flyout to deep center. Right fielder Josh Reddick lined a two-out single to center, driving in Fuld.
San Francisco scored a run in the eighth, cutting Oakland's lead to 5-4. With runners on first and second and two outs, designated hitter Marlon Byrd brought Duffy home with a single off Doolittle. Doolittle walked Parker, loading the bases, but he retired rookie right fielder Mac Williamson on a foul pop up to catcher Stephen Vogt.
Duffy gave the Giants a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first, crushing Gray's 1-0 pitch over the left-center-field fence with one out and second baseman Kelby Tomlinson on first.
Oakland answered with a run in the second inning. Third baseman Danny Valencia grounded a leadoff double down the right-field line, then tagged up and moved to third on catcher Stephen Vogt's fly out to deep right. After Leake walked Butler, Sogard grounded into a force play, driving in Valencia.
NOTES: A's LHP Barry Zito and Giants RHP Tim Hudson, who are former Oakland teammates, will face each other Saturday. They held a joint press conference before Friday night's game. Hudson will retire after this season, and Zito, who played seven seasons for the Giants, likely will, too, although he hasn't made a final decision. "I don't think we could have written a better script," Hudson said. "We had some of our best years here in Oakland." Said Zito: "I'm so grateful I get to end everything on a Bay Area note." ... Giants rookie OF Mac Williamson made his first career major-league start Friday, playing right field and batting eighth. ... Oakland C Stephen Vogt started his first game at catcher since Sept. 6 when he sustained a painful groin injury. "If everything goes well, he'll probably be back there tomorrow," A's manager Bob Melvin said.