Smolinski homers to lead Athletics past Giants
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jake Smolinski smacked a three-run, pinch-hit home run in a five-run eighth inning Tuesday night, rallying the Oakland Athletics to a 13-11 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the second game of their interleague series.
Marcus Semien and Jed Lowrie also drove in runs in the game-swinging eighth for the A's, who recorded a two-game sweep of the San Francisco portion of the four-game set between San Francisco Bay Area rivals.
The two-site series moves to Oakland for games Wednesday and Thursday.
The Giants led the seesaw affair 8-5 before Khris Davis, who had earlier homered, and Stephen Vogt led off the eighth with consecutive walks off the fifth San Francisco pitcher, right-hander Cory Gearrin.
Semien's RBI single made it 8-6 and ended Gearrin's night in favor of left-hander Javier Lopez (0-2), who retired pinch-hitter Josh Phegley on a sensational catch by center fielder Denard Span before serving up Smolinski's homer that put the A's on top 9-8.
The pinch-hit homer was the first of the 27-year-old's career. He had been just 4-for-21 (.190) in previous pinch-hitting efforts.
The A's weren't done in the inning. Coco Crisp doubled and Lowrie singled to cap the five-run uprising.
The Giants got the potential tying run into scoring position in the bottom of the eighth after Ramiro Pena had singled in Brandon Crawford to close the gap to 10-9.
But right-hander Ryan Madson induced Conor Gillaspie, who had been 4-for-4, to pop out to second base, retaining the A's one-run lead.
The A's made Madson's job easier in the ninth by adding three runs in the ninth, two on a double by Phegley and the last on an RBI single by Crisp.
The tack-on runs proved critical when Jarrett Parker and Span connected for back-to-back solo homers to lead off the bottom of the ninth. The home run was the fourth of the season for each.
Madson walked Angel Pagan to bring the tying run to the plate with no one out, but then got Brandon Belt on a flyball and Buster Posey and Crawford on strikeouts to end the 3-hour, 53-minute marathon and earn his 15th save.
Right-hander Zach Neal (1-1), the A's fifth pitcher, pitched a two-hit, no-run seventh inning to get the win.
Earlier, Crawford highlighted a 51-minute sixth inning with a bases-loaded triple as the Giants countered a four-run top of the sixth by the A's with a four spot of their own in the bottom of the inning.
After the A's, who opened the series with an 8-3 win Monday night, had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the inning, the Giants responded immediately against the Oakland bullpen.
Gillaspie greeted right-hander John Axford with a single and, after a walk to Parker, scored the tying run on a double by Span.
Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski entered the game and got two outs before intentionally walking Posey to load the bases.
Crawford then lashed his triple to left-center field, clearing the bases and producing an 8-5 lead.
The three-run triple was Crawford's second of the season, tying him with Ketel Marte of the Seattle Mariners for most in the majors.
Crawford finished the game with a season-high-tying five RBIs.
Before the Giants exhausted 26 minutes to retake the lead, the A's spent 25 minutes erasing a 4-1 deficit in the top of the sixth.
Stephen Vogt's two-run double off right-hander George Kontos, who had just been summoned to replace starter Albert Suarez, got the A's within 4-3.
After a two-out error by Gillaspie at third base kept the inning alive, pinch-hitter Billy Butler cracked a two-run single to put the A's ahead 5-4 and end Kontos' night.
Seeking a fourth win as veteran starter Matt Cain's injury replacement, Suarez allowed three runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Right-hander Kendall Graveman, who left the game with the lead, was pulled after allowing four runs and nine hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Davis, Vogt and Semien all scored three runs for the A's, who have won five of their last six.
The win allowed Oakland to increase its all-time lead of San Francisco in the interleague series to 56-52.
Davis, Vogt and Crisp collected two hits apiece for the A's, who improved to 4-5 in interleague play this season.
Gillaspie had four hits and Crawford three for the Giants (49-30), who for the second night in a row failed to win a 50th game.
The loss was just San Francisco's fourth in their last 17 games. The Giants fell to 5-5 in interleague play this season.
Parker, Span, Pagan and Pena added two hits apiece for the Giants, who out-hit the A's 18-12.
Pagan got the Giants' two-run third rolling with a one-out single.
Graveman retired Brandon Belt on a flyball for the second out, but Buster Posey then singled and Crawford smacked his two-RBI double to the fence in center field to open the game's scoring.
The A's sliced the deficit in half on Davis' home run, his 19th of the season, in the top of the fourth.
But the Giants came right back with two in the bottom of the inning, with Pagan's two-run single scoring Ramiro Pena and Conor Gillespie, who had set the stage with back-to-back singles.
NOTES: The Giants scratched 2B Joe Panik (concussion symptoms) from Tuesday's original starting lineup after he complained of head issues before the game. Panik was hit by a pitch in the helmet June 18 in a game at Tampa Bay. ... In order to create a roster spot for RF Josh Reddick, the Athletics optioned 3B/OF Max Muncy to Triple-A Nashville. ... Tuesday was the first day since May 9 that Oakland had fewer than 10 players on the disabled list. ... A's manager Bob Melvin announced before the game that LHP Sean Manaea (strained left pronator) will be reinstated from the DL to pitch Wednesday's game against the Giants, and LHP Rich Hill (strained left groin) will be activated from the DL on Saturday and pitch that day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. ... Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that Giants RHP Phil Bickford and LHP Adalberto Mejia, and A's INF Ryon Healy have been selected to play in the Futures Game on July 10, two days before the All-Star Game, in San Diego.