A's take down Giants in Mengden's first win
SAN FRANCISCO -- Marcus Semien blasted a three-run homer off former trade partner Jeff Samardzija in a five-run second inning and rookie Daniel Mengden posted his first major-league win with 7 2/3 strong innings as the Oakland Athletics blitzed the San Francisco Giants 8-3 in the opener of a four-game interleague series on Monday night.
Semien drove in four runs and Khris Davis two, helping the A's extend the all-time lead over their San Francisco Bay Area rival to 55-52.
The series continues Tuesday night in San Francisco, after which it moves across the San Francisco Bay Bridge to Oakland for games Wednesday and Thursday.
Semien, acquired by the A's in a six-player deal in which Samardzija was sent to the Chicago White Sox in December 2014, came to the plate after Davis doubled home Danny Valencia with the game's first run in the top of the second.
A walk to Yonder Alonso put two aboard for Semien, who smacked his 15th home run of the season over the fence in left-center field.
The home run allowed Semien to match his career-best total set last season. He ranks fourth among shortstops in homers this year, trailing just Trevor Story (19) of the Colorado Rockies, Manny Machado (18) of the Baltimore Orioles and Corey Seager (16) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The A's weren't done with Samardzija (8-5) in the second after Semien's homer. A single by Coco Crisp and RBI double by Jed Lowrie completed a five-run, five-hit inning.
The uprising assured that Samardzija, signed by the Giants as a free agent in December, would allow at least five runs for a fourth time in his last six starts.
The five runs were plenty for Mengden (1-3), who had received just two runs of offensive support in his first three starts.
Facing a first-place Giants team that had averaged 5.0 runs in its last 15 games, the right-hander retired the first 13 batters he faced and took a shutout into the eighth.
Mengden left two outs into the eighth, having allowed a run on a double-play grounder by Giants reliever Chris Stratton.
Right-hander Fernando Rodriguez's wild pitch allowed Conor Gillaspie to score a second Giants run in the eighth before he struck out Brandon Belt to shut the door at 8-2.
Mengden was charged with both of the runs. Pitching his first big-league night game, the 23-year-old allowed four hits and three walks in a season-best 7 2/3 innings, striking out five.
The Giants closed within 8-3 in the ninth on shortstop Ramiro Pena's second hit of the game, a two-out RBI single off Zach Neal.
Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski came on to retire Gillaspie on a grounder to short to end it.
Valencia had three singles and Davis and Lowrie joined Semien in the two-hit club for the A's, who lost the season series 5-1 to the Giants last year.
The A's outhit the Giants 12-7.
The win improved Oakland's record to 3-5 in interleague play this season. The A's have posted a winning record in interleague play in each of the last four seasons.
The loss prevented the Giants from becoming the first 50-win team in the majors. It was just their fourth loss in their last 17 home games.
The Giants' first hit off Mendgen came with one out in the fifth on a single by Angel Pagan. Mengden then walked Gregor Blanco to put two aboard before retiring Ramiro Pena and Conor Gillaspie on fly balls to retain the 5-0 lead.
Samardzija rebounded from his rough second inning to retire the A's in order the next time through the lineup before back-to-back doubles by Alonso and Semien made it 6-0 in the sixth.
Samardzija was pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the inning, having allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two.
NOTES: A's pitchers began the series 29-for-358 (.081) all time in interleague play, worst in the majors. ... Few series in baseball have been more home-team friendly than the A's-Giants. At the start of play Monday, the Giants had won 16 of the last 19 matchups in San Francisco and the A's had won 12 of the last 16 in Oakland. ... The A's hope to have RF Josh Reddick (broken thumb) back from the disabled list for the second game of the series Tuesday. ... The A's claimed RHP Nick Tepesch off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the day, and designated LHP Eric Surkamp for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster. Tepesch was assigned to Triple-A Nashville. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy said before the game that he'd like to see RHP Sergio Romo (strained right flexor) throw one more injury-rehab game in the minors before being considered for reinstatement from the DL. That appearance is expected to take place Tuesday or Wednesday.