Athletics win a slug-fest in Colorado 8-5
Sears is solid but it’s the bats that come alive for the victory
The Oakland Athletics (28-76) hit the road to take on the Colorado Rockies (40-62) at Coors Field tonight. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay sent lefty J.P. Sears to the mound for the A’s. Sears is 1-7 on the season with a 4.19 ERA in his twenty starts in 2023. Lefty Kyle Freeland took the mound for the Rockies. The 30-yerar-old Freeland is 4-10 with a 4.72 ERA this year.
The A’s jumped to an early lead in the first Brent Rooker and Jordan Diaz singled with two outs against Freeland. Ramon Laureano drove in his 18th run of the season with a base hit to right field scoring Rooker. Aledmys Diaz led off the second inning reaching on an error to third. Shea Langeliers tripled off the wall in right field to score Diaz. Nick Allen singled but Langeliers was unable to score. But Kemp dropped down a beautiful squeeze bunt to get him in and keep the rally going. Rooker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jordan Diaz hit a routine ball to second that was mishandled allowing everyone to be safe and Allen to score. Laureano grounded into a double play to end the inning, but not before the A’s scored three to take a 4-0 lead.
Shea Langeliers knocked his second rocket off the wall, this time for a double. Nick Allen tripled to left field driving in Langeliers making the score 5-0. The A’s were back at it in the top of the fourth. Rooker and Diaz each singled, and Laureano reached on an error to load the bases once again. But Freeland was able to slam the door, keeping the A’s off the board for the first inning of this game.
The Rockies got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a Randal Grichuk solo homer off JP Sears, the twenty-fifth he has given up this season. Sears only trails just-traded Lance Lynn of the Dodgers who has given up twenty-eight this season.
Tony Kemp doubled to right field off the new Rockies pitcher Gavin Hollowell. Zack Gelof followed with his second career homer to bring the score to 7-1 in favor of the A’s. Sears threw five complete innings giving up four hits, one earned run and striking out five Rockies before giving way to Austin Pruitt. Pruitt loaded the bases and gave way to Sam Moll who got the final out of the inning, keeping the Rockies off the board again.
The Rockies scored another run in the seventh but really threatened the A’s lead in the eighth. With one out, Elehuris Montero singled on a line drive to right field. Nolan Jones singled, and pinch hitter Michael Toglia singled to drive in Montero. Jurickson Profar doubled to drive in Jones and Toglia bringing the score to 7-5.
Ramon Laureano led off the ninth with a solo homer, his sixth of the season to extend the lead to 8-5. Trevor May entered the game in the ninth to close out the win. He induced a pop out to Randal Grichuk and struck out C.J. Cron looking. He walked All-Star MVP Elias Diaz. But Elehuris Montero grounded out to Nick Allen to bring the game to a close for the victorious A’s tonight. J.P. Sears earned his second victory and Trevor May notched his tenth save of the season.