In his 16th season with his 13th different team, Edwin Jackson has secured his 100th career win.
Click here to revisit tonight’s game thread.
He did so in seriously clutch fashion, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings of 3-hit ball on 101 pitches. He struck out five and walked three along the way. Here’s some extreme cuteness for your viewing pleasure:
Here’s elated Edwin Jackson (@EJ36) and 6-year-old son, Exavier, with a huge bottle of champagne and the souvenir 100 ball after the pitcher’s 100th career victory - with his 13th big league team. What will the boy do with the special ball? “Put it in my room.” pic.twitter.com/ONPjSt43iL
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) July 31, 2018
Jackson’s wife Erika is said to have traveled around with that bottle for the past month.
Mark Canha got the hitting started early with a second-inning solo home run, and the team never looked back. In general, the lineup did a great job of manufacturing runs (though of course, because they are the 2018 Oakland A’s, there were also ample dingers)
Score: 1-0 Oakland
Nick Martini hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the third, then Matt Chapman walked. After a Jed Lowrie line-out that advanced Martini, Khris Davis flied out to left field, scoring Martini.
Score: 3-0 Oakland
An inning later, Stephen Piscotty led off with a single, then advanced to third on a Marcus Semien single. Piscotty scored on a Jonathon Lucroy sacrifice fly. Martini then doubled, scoring Semien.
Score: 5-0 Oakland.
Marco Estrada left the game after four innings, giving up four runs in five hits, walking three and striking out zero.
A’s bats were quiet in the fifth through seventh innings, save a Semien double.
Ryan Dull got the final out of the 6th inning on three pitches. Lou Trivino, whose ERA is now 1.25, pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning on 12 pitches – classic. Jeurys Familia took the top of the eighth, allowing a walk and a single, but escaping unscathed.
Right on cue, your typical eighth-inning A’s did their thing in the bottom half. The first four batters reached base consecutively: Piscotty led off with a solo home run, and Canha followed with a single. Semien, who had a big night, reached base on a fielding error, which also advanced Canha and Semien. Lucroy then doubled, scoring Canha and Semien.
Franklin Barreto came in as a pinch hitter for Martini and struck out. Chapman followed with a walk, which Lowrie followed with a double. Dustin Fowler replaced Lowrie on base, then Davis singled him home. Olson then followed with a double of his own. Piscotty worked a walk in his second at-bat of the inning, necessitating a pitching change. But Canha ground in to a double play to finally end the inning.
Score: 10-0 Oakland
With recent exploits in mind, I’m not sure we’ll ever count a team down 10 runs in the ninth inning out. Alas, Ryan Buchter took the mound for the A’s in the ninth, giving up a first-pitch solo shot. He came back to recover the final three batters in order, and that was that.
Final score: 10-1 Oakland
The A’s remain two games back on the Mariners for a wild card spot, and only five games behind the Astros in the division.
We’ll do this again tomorrow at 7:05!