A's Slug Their Way to Victory Late

Jason Burke | Aug 28, 2024

Aug 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) reacts after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Through the first five innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, the Oakland Athletics had accumulated a total of one walk in the best hitter's park outside of Coors Field. Then, in the sixth, the A's found their bats, trailing 1-0.

Max Schuemann led off the sixth inning with a double, followed by a rare Jacob Wilson strikeout, and a Lawrence Butler ground out against old friend Sam Moll to advance the runner. With two down, the Reds decided to intentionally walk Brent Rooker (always a smart decision), and then not-so-intentionally walked JJ Bleday, loading the bases.

The Reds decided to go with a righty, Tony Santillan, to face Moll's old battery-mate Shea Langeliers. It proved to be the right decision, as Langeliers struck out looking on a slider up in the zone.

With the A's having amassed one hit, it was looking like that could have been the best chance the team would get on Tuesday to at least tie the game, if not take the lead.

The power was on full display in the final three frames. In the seventh, Schuemann put the A's up 2-1 with a two-run shot, his seventh of the season. A returning Jacob Wilson blooped a single into right, and Lawrence Butler crushed a no-doubter on a slider in, putting the A's up 4-1.

Law crushed that ball 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MFRTAcLbBK

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 28, 2024

With the score holding into the eighth, Zack Gelof stroked a two out solo homer, which would prove to be crucial. The homer gave the A's a four-run lead heading to the bottom of the eighth.

In the bottom half of the inning, setup man Tyler Ferguson gave up a single and walked three, leading to a run, and also forced manager Mark Kotsay to use veteran and long man in the bullpen Ross Stripling to record the final out in a bases loaded jam.

The score remained 5-2 headed to the ninth, and with Mason Miller lurking, it felt like this game, much like seemingly every other game Miller has appeared in, was over. The Reds made things interesting, collecting three singles and a double to plate two in the bottom of the ninth, but Miller was still able to record his 22nd save of the season.

Miller has had 24 save opportunities and has not closed out two of those. One of those was a game against the Twins in Minnesota when he entered a bases loaded situation with one out in the eighth and the A's up by a run. He walked the first batter, tying the game, then induced a groundout and a fly out to get out of trouble before working an uneventful ninth. The A's would ultimately lose in extras.

The other opportunity came against the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of May. Miller gave up a game-tying solo homer to Jose Siri, and the A's lost in extras. He also struck out four batters across two innings in an otherwise solid performance.

The four hits allowed to the Reds are a season high, and the two runs allowed broke an 11 appearance scoreless streak the rookie was working with, which had dropped his ERA on the season to 1.80 entering the game.

With the win, the A's move to 57-75 on the season, and are now 3.5 games back of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers for third place in the AL West.