Game #13: A’s Take The Dodgers Out To The (Alex) Woodshed, Win 16-6

***Tonight’s GameThread Here***
The A’s bats came into tonight’s game having scored only 1 run in their last two games. Khris Davis doubled that total after one inning tonight, driving a two-run opposite field home run to right in the 1st inning. A’s Catcher, Jonathan Lucroy tried to get some of Krush’s power to rub off on his at-bat.

It would work for Lucroy, as he would go on to have a multi-hit night. He wasn’t the only one to feed off of Krush’s early homer, as every Oakland starter gathered at least one hit tonight off Dodgers pitching. Yes, I said, EVERY Oakland starter...I am talking about you Daniel Joseph Mengden

The A’s would score two runs in the 1st inning off of Davis’ HR and add 5 runs in the 4th, thanks to a Krush double, a Matt “War Machine” Chapman single, a fielder choice to Lucroy where everyone was safe, Mengden’s previously mentioned single, a Marcus Semien double (which would knock out Dodgers Starter, Alex Wood) and a Matt Olson pitch-hit single.
The Green and Gold would push across two more runs in the top of the 6th inning on a Jed Lowrie RBI single and a wild pitch by Dodgers reliever, Scott Alexander (Sonoma State product).

On the defensive side of the diamond, Daniel Mengden again pitched solidly, without the linescore to necessarily show it. Mengden would throw 5 innings (87 pitches), scattering 7 hits and allowing 4 runs (only 3 of which were earned) and striking out 5. Mengden would allow a run in the first inning and surrender a solo homer to Dodgers Catcher, Yasmani Grandal in the 4th, but had shut down innings in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th innings. He pitched well enough to earn the night’s victory. By the way, did you know Mengden’s Grandfather was a Texas State Senator and that Daniel was homeschooled until high school? (Just thought you should know these things in order to win your next Daniel Mengden trivia night).

A’s reliever Yusmeiro Petit would replace Mengden in the Bottom of the 6th inning and allow his two inherited runners on base to come around and score, adding to Mengden’s line.
Although the Dodgers would score 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th to make it 9-4 at the time, the defensive play of the game for the A’s came in this inning. Here is the play, with play by play from the Warriors, Klay Thompson:

The A’s would add on run #10 in the 7th inning on a Marcus Semien RBI single and add runs #11 and #12 in the 8th inning on a Matt Chapman two-run homer (his 4th HR of the 13 game campaign). Semien would tack on his 4th RBI of the evening in the 9th inning, plating Trayce Thompson (on base after picking up his first Oakland hit) on a fielder’s choice to make it 13 runs for the A’s. Then after an epic 11 pitch battle, Jed Lowrie would slice a 3 run home run down the rightfield line to give him 4 RBI’s on the evening as well and close the scoring for the A’s at 16 runs (on 21 hits!).

The Dodgers would score a meaningless run off A’s lefty, Ryan Buchter, in the 8th and A’s righty, Emilio Pagan, would come in to close the game, but not before surrounding a solo homer to Enrique Hernandez, to make the final 16-6.

A’s hitting coaches, Darren Bush and Mike Aldrete, can sleep well on the plane up to Seattle tonight, knowing the A’s offense went 8-17 with runners in scoring position tonight with multiple hit games for Semien (2-5, 4 RBI’s); Olson (3-4, RBI); Lowrie (3-6, 4 RBI’s); Krush (3-6, HR, 2 RBI’s); Chapman (2-6, HR, 3 RBI’s) and Lucroy (3-5).

The team has an off-day tomorrow (Thursday) and will close out the 8 game inaugural road trip of the season with 3 contests against the M’s and Ichiro in Seattle.

As the A’s depart Dodger Stadium, I can’t help but think of the old words of retired Dodgers announcer, Vin Scully, “Andre Dawson has a bruised knee and is listed as day-to-day. Aren’t we all?”

Have a great night A’s Nation, A’s won!