The Oakland Athletics hit a pair of home runs early against Tyler Glasnow, and never looked back Saturday, pulling away from the Tampa Bay Rays for 6-3 decision at the Oakland Coliseum.
Seth Brown, who hit the walkoff home run Friday night against Jeffrey Springs, got things started in the bottom of the first inning after Mark Canha drew a leadoff walk by blasting a two-run shot to center field.
The Rays saw a possible rally in the second come to an end as Yoshi Tsutsugo struck out and Kevin Kiermaier was thrown out trying to steal second base. Kiermaier would ended up leaving the game with a sprained left wrist with x-rays being negative.
Austin Allen made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second with his first home run of the year.
Tampa Bay had runners on in each inning against Athletics starter Frankie Montas, but could not get a run scross until the sixth when Austin Meadows led off with a double and Brandon Lowe clobbered his sixth home run of the year to right field.
Brown continued his hot hitting in the eighth, singling off reliever Hunter Strickland and scoring Tony Kemp, who reached on a base hit off Cody Reed to start the inning.
Mike Zunino got the Rays back to within a single run again in the eighth, as his base hit off Jake Diekman scored Yandy Diaz, but pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau struck out looking, leaving the tying run in scoring position.
A Throwing error by Brosseau and a RBI double by Elvis Andrus in the bottom of the eighth gave the Athletics some extra breathing room, and after Lou Trivino loaded the bases in the ninth with nobody out, got Diaz to fly out, struck out Lowe, and induced a ground ball from Joey Wendle to end the game.
The loss drops the Rays back to one game over .500 at 18-17 on the year.
Tampa Bay will turn to Shane McClanahan (0-0, 2.25 ERA) to try and salvage the finale of the series. Oakland will counter with left-hander Cole Irvin (3-3, 3.09 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:07.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
