A’s win 8-6 off late-inning heroics from Susac

The A’s top catching prospect showed why he’s worth the price of admission with two big flys including one in walk-off fashion

The A’s entered Friday's showdown with the Cincinnati Reds as the Cactus League’s second-best offense with a combined .279 team average. Eight more runs and nine hits including some timely knocks from one of their top prospects, Daniel Susac, gifted the A’s the walk-off 8-6 victory as the offense led the way again in a back-and-forth affair.

Early runs

Even on their outs, the A’s had some strong contact off Reds starter Graham Ashcraft right out of the gate. In the first inning, a two-out Brent Rooker walk came around to score after back-to-back singles by Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown. Brown has shined all Spring with 11 hits in just 28 at-bats even while dealing with injury.

In the second, they tacked on another after Abraham Toro and JJ Bleday exchanged places on two ground-rule doubles to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

The Reds would get one back off A’s starter Alex Wood in the next half inning thanks to a walk and a Will Benson sun-aided RBI double. Wood would impress otherwise, especially after a rough spring with four strikeouts, two hits, and one walk over three innings of work.

Wood’s next start will be in six days on Opening Day against the Cleveland Guardians, and Friday was a nice boost in the right direction.

A momentum-shifting sixth-inning

Relieving Wood, Zach Jackson and Dany Jimenez would both work scoreless innings to hold the Reds to just one run, but Cincinnati’s fortunes would shift in the sixth starting against flamethrower Mason Miller.

After a lead-off single, former Athletic Nick Martini swatted a two-run blast to right to give the Reds a 3-2 lead. Miller would strike out the next batter, Stuart Fairchild, then surrender a walk to end his day after getting just two outs.

Manager Mark Kotsay would opt for Michael Kelly in relief after Miller, and the Reds would hit the bases running off the lengthy righty. A stolen base and walk set up first and second for Cincinnati, and a big double steal gifted the Reds runners on second and third. Reds shortstop Erik Gonzalez would cash in immediately with a two-run RBI single to put them ahead 5-2.

The Reds would send nine batters to the plate in the sixth while collecting four hits, stealing three total bases, and benefiting from two walks. Meanwhile, after the A’s hot start, Ashcraft was able to find his groove. The righty worked 5.2 innings while striking out six and retiring seven straight in a row at one point.

Susac, the late-inning hero

The Reds would add a sixth run in the seventh inning thanks to a Jacob Hurtubise sacrifice fly, but the A’s got that run back and then some in the bottom half.

After a leadoff Jeisson Rosario single, the A’s sixth overall prospect and former first-round pick, Susac, cut the lead in half with a booming two-run home run to right center. It wouldn’t be the last the Reds heard of Susac on Friday, however.

Then in the eighth, the A’s cut it to 6-5 after a one-out Cameron Mastermind triple and Jonny Butler RBI groundout.

With the A’s facing their final three outs in the ninth down one, they’d only make one more out for the rest of the game en route to an epic victory. A Rosario walk and Jack Winkler hit by pitch set the scene for Susac again, and on the first pitch, he sent everyone home with a walk-off three-run bomb.

Tomorrow will be the A’s last Cactus League game before leaving for the Bay Area in next week's two-game Bay Bridge series on Monday and Tuesday. First pitch tomorrow is set for 12:05 p.m. PDT against the Los Angeles Angels at Hohokam Stadium.