Oakland A’s JD Davis is fired up after hitting his third home run of the season against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the third as Colorado Rockies catcher Eillas Diaz watches at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue May 21, 2024 (AP News photo)
Colorado (15-32). 200 010 100. 4. 8. 0
Athletics (20-30). 001 001 21x. 5. 6. 1
Time: 2:17
Attendance: 4,005
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–There wasn’t much at stake for either team when the Oakland Athletics defeated the visiting Colorado Rockies, 5-4 in front of a lively gathering of 4,005 die-hard spectators, many of them rooting for the Blake Street Bombers, at the moribund Oakland Coliseum tonight.
The Rox had just been swept in their three game series against the Giants after having enjoyed a seven game winning streak and their hosts had fallen from 17-17 on May 4 to a dismal 19-30 and were coming off an eight game losing streak. Although the results didn’t matter in the league and division standings, individual performances, positive and negative, were noteworthy.
For the Rockies, Ryan McMahon extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 14 and his hitting streak too nine with his first inning, two RBI, 393 foot home run over the 362 foot sign in right. It was his eighth round tripper of the season.
Ezéquier Tovar hit a mammoth blast in the fifth, a 443 foot no doubter to left, his sixth dinger of the year, that upped Colorado’s lead to 3-1. He hit another, just a little to the left of his first shot, with no one on the seventh. It came off Scott Alexander, who had relieved Brooks and left to make way for Austin Adams two batters later. It also gave Colorado a 4-2 advantage. Ezéquiuel Tovar went 2-5 with two solo home runs.
JD Davis redeemed his second inning error with his third homer of the year, a leadoff blast that cut the Rox’s lead to 2-1 in the third. JJ Bleday’s triple to left on a ball that Jordan Beck misplayed in the home sixth led to the Athletics’ second run on a wild pitch to Brent Walker.
The underperforming Seth Brown shook off the lethargy that had him hitting .181 at game time with a two run, game tying 414 two run homer to center in the bottom of the seventh, only his fifth home run of the year. Abraham Toro gave the A’s their first lead and eventual victory with a leadoff four bagger to right that travelled 396 feet off an 89 mph slider from Colorado’s third pitcher of the night, Tyler Kinley, who was charged with the loss.
Finally, there was Mason Miller, who closed the game for the green and gold, striking out the three batters he faced in the ninth on 16 pitches, a dozen of which were over 100 mph, and two of which travelled at 99 mph. That inning of work earned the youngster his ninth save in as many opportunities, an ERA of 0.89, and a WHIP of 0.59.
The A’s starting pitcher was Aaron Brooks, who was promoted from Las Vegas on May 15 and made his season’s debut in the show that same day. He went seven innings in that game, allowing three runs, all earned, and seven hits, while taking the loss.
Here’s the scouting report that Baseball America published after he’d been drafted by Kansas City in the ninth round of 2011: “Cal State Bernardino junior righty Aaron Brooks, a physical 6-foot-4, 220-pound strike-thrower. He pitches with a fringy fastball at 87-90 mph, occasionally bumping 91-92, as well as a fringy slider and changeup. He’s aggressive and durable but lacks upside.”
Tuesday night he lasted six innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on six hits and a walk. Two of those hits went the distance, and they accounted for all three tallies. He escaped with a no decision and an ERA of 4.15
His opponent, Cal Quantrill, is in his fifth big league season and on the downside of a successful if unremarkable career. He spent a good deal of last year on the injured list but came on strong after his second stint on the IL.
The highlight of his career came in 2021 when his ERA of 2.89 was the best in the Guardians’ rotation, although, if you counted only what he achieved as a starter, it was 3.12. He was 3-3, 3.66 at game time and went home at 3-3, 3.59 after tonight’s no decision.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, at 6:40, Mitch Spence(3-2, 3.90) will face the Rockies’ Augtin Gombere(1-2, 3.02)
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