Athletics fall to the Cardinals 3-2

McCann shows why he made the Opening Day roster

The St. Louis Cardinals visited the Oakland Athletics tonight at the Coliseum for the second game of the interleague three-game set.

Tyler Nevin was the first A’s baserunner, after a single and E-6 on Masyn Winn. Lawrence Butler put a charge into one, but Lars Nootbaar ran it down in the left-center gap for just a loud out. But Kyle McCann found a hole and singled into centerfield to drive in Nevin from second, giving the A’s a 1-0 lead. Sears walked the first two batters in the top of the third inning. After a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up, Brendan Donovan ripped a one-hopper to third, but Toro only had a play at first, and Winn scored to tie the game at 1-1.

Sears put two runners on again in the top of the fourth but wiggled out of it without allowing a runner past second base. Seth Brown doubled down the third base line to collect the third hit of the night against Lance Lynn. Nevin struck out leaving the inning to Lawrence Butler who popped out to end the inning. Kyle McCann hit his first major league homer off Lance Lynn to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. The McCann bomb gave JP Sears (and the A’s) a 2-1 lead. Sears did not come out in the sixth, handing the ball over to Dany Jiménez. Birthday Boy Nolan Arenado led off the inning with a base hit, and Iván Herrera, he with the incredibly awkward right-handed stance, drew a walk. Lars Nootbaar also walked to load the bases. A sac-fly by Masyn Winn drove home Arenado to tie the game once again. A Jordan Walker sac-fly drove in Herrera to give the Cards the lead once again, 3-2. T.J. McFarland replaced Jiménez with two outs in the inning. Centerfielder Mike Siani made the last out of the inning when he lost a footrace to first with McFarland on a grounder to Ryan Noda.

Righty Mitch Spence came in to shut down the Cards in the top of the seventh; but started the inning with a walk to Brendan Donovan. Then, a strike-em out, throw-em out double play cleared the bases and sent future Hall-of-famer Paul Goldschmidt packing. Lynn did not return for the eighth, but the Cards did not lose a step with lefty JoJo Romero who sent the A’s down in order.

Spence made quick work of the Cards in the top of the ninth. Cardinals fire balling closer Ryan Helsley entered in the ninth to attempt to shut down the A’s for the second night in a row. He notched his seventh save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Tonight’s final was 3-2 for the visiting NL Central Cardinals.