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Forgive me for the tardy recap, but I don't get wins very often, so I was savoring this one. As AlAbAmA_As_Fan informed me in the first comment of the recap thread, the last time the A's had won five of seven games was August 10th. Let that sink in. The A's have been very bad for a very long time, and it's nice to see an actual winning week, capped off by just about everything going right for them today.
Almost everything. Playing the part of Rube Baker in the dreadful sequel to Major League is Marcus Semien, who is literally physically incapable of throwing the ball to first base. Only a spectacular game at first by Stephen Vogt, who caught everything Semien threw at him, no matter how many times it bounced, saved Semien from adding to his Major League leading (I didn't look it up, but it must be true) error total. And here I thought that a catcher who can't throw the ball back to the pitcher was a cheap Hollywood stunt. Turns out, it's not. For your viewing pleasure. There was a reason Andy Parrino came in for late-inning defense.
The A's did absolutely everything else right tonight. Not only was Stephen Vogt brilliant on defense, but he also went 2-3 with 2 RBI in the game. Not to cut short the Vogt love-fest, because he remains such an awesome part of a largely disappointing 2015 season, but I've got to share the credit tonight. With the exception of Sonny Gray, there was no more important player in tonight's game than Brett Lawrie, who not only made the game-saving play on a sure-fire double down the line that would have sparked a Yankees' comeback, but he hit a two-run home run in the eighth--his second in as many days--to give the A's the much-needed insurance run to secure the win.
An unreal snag and an unbelievable throw all in one play from @blawrie13. http://t.co/JQByHNThuC pic.twitter.com/Fj7dITrR1I
— #VoteGreenCollar (@Athletics) May 30, 2015
The A's loaded the bases in the second inning on two walks and a Phegley single with two outs (we apparently don't send Billy Butler home, ever), but would strand all three baserunners in what looked like an early game teAse. They wouldn't leave the fans hanging for long; the A's put up a quick four runs in the third inning on a Burns double, a Semien single, an error by the Yankees, a Butler double, and a Vogt double. Vogt would be stranded on base, but everyone felt good about a four-run lead.
Meanwhile, Sonny Gray didn't give up his first hit until an 0-2 count in the fifth. Unfortunately, that first hit was a solo home run, cutting the lead to 4-1. The Yankees would tack another run on in the sixth on a double, wild pitch and ground out, creeping closer at 4-2. The eighth got a little dicey; Sonny Gray stranded two in his final inning, but it took a spectacular play by Lawrie to help Gray out. "Chris Young grounds out; Lawrie to Vogt" is a very inelegant way of describing the play; it was a doozy; be sure catch the highlight. Lawrie's subsequent home run vaulted the A's to a 6-2 lead and after Fernando Rodriguez got two outs, but also put two on, Clippard came in for a three-pitch save. Thank you, Stephen Drew! All in a day's work.
The A's try once again to make it three in a row--and three in a row against the Yankees--tomorrow as Jesse Hahn takes the mound. Same time, same place; we'll have all your action right here!
