Athletics take down Dodgers 6-5

Ferguson gives up three in ninth, but holds on

The Oakland Athletics hosted their interleague rival Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at the Oakland Coliseum. Getting the start tonight for the A’s was 22-year-old rookie Joey Estes. The rookie matched up against 25-year-old righty Gavin Stone for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers got on the board in the top of the first with a two out, two run homer by Teoscar Hernández. Miguel Andujar and JJ Bleday each singled in the bottom of the first but were stranded when Rooker and Langeliers couldn’t get the job done.

Max Schuemann started off the bottom of the third with a base hit. Andujar followed with a single to centerfield. But Brent Rooker grounded into a force out to end the inning. Gavin Stone continued to bend, but not break. At the end of three, the score remained 2-0 Dodgers.

Shea Langeliers homered to lead off the bottom of the fourth. It was a monster shot into the second deck in left field. Seth Brown wanted a piece of that action and homered to deep right field tying the game at 2-2.

In the meantime, Estes found his groove after the first inning, throwing four consecutive 1-2-3 innings. The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Lawrence Butler walked and then scored easily on an Andujar triple. He didn’t stay there long as the next batter JJ Bleday knocked him home and Stone out of the game with an RBI double.

Brent Rooker kept the party going with a two-run homer to centerfield. It was Rook’s 27^th homer and 78^th & 79^th RBI’s of the season. At the end of five the A’s increased their lead to 6-2.

In the top of the sixth, Estes got into some trouble with two consecutive walks, but then struck out Teoscar Hernández to end the threat. Dave Roberts brought in Evan Phillips to pitch the bottom of the sixth and he struck out the side.

T.J. McFarland replaced Estes, who ended his night having pitched six innings, giving up two hits, two walks, two earned runs while striking out six. Amed Rosario led off the inning with a double. Enrique Hernández walked. Kotsay replaced McFarland with Austin Adams. Adams struck out pinch hitter Andy Pages. A wild pitch moved both runners up ninety feet. Adams plunked pinch hitter James Outman bringing up Shohei Ohtani. Adams got Ohtani to ground out 3-1 to end a super-tense situation for A’s fans.

Michel Otañez replaced Adams in the eighth. Otañez struck out the first two batters but gave up a base hit to Teoscar Hernández. Rosario grounded into a force out to end the inning. Anthony Banda entered the game to pitch the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Tyler Nevin beat out an infield single to third. But Banda slammed the door shut.

Tyler Ferguson entered the ninth inning in a non-save situation. He struck out Cavan Biggio to start the inning. But with two on Shohei Ohtani snapped out of his 0-4 night with a no-doubt homer to right field bringing the score to 6-5. It was Ohtani’s 33^rd homer of the season. Ferguson got Will Smith to ground out to end the game.