A's Get Back on Track in Walk-Off Win

After Monday night’s 12-11 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in extra innings, A’s manager Mark Kotsay rated his frustration level at a ten.

On Tuesday night JP Sears and the A’s bullpen kept the Guardians hitters off-balance, and came away with a walk-off win. Ryan Noda started the ninth with a walk, and Tony Kemp singled him home two batters later.

Noda said after the game “When I was on second and Tony was up, he’s one of our leaders and he’s made for those moments.”

The big hit by Kemp came after a sleepless night due to his costly error in Monday’s game. “You just gotta stay in the saddle. Today is a new day. You just continue to grind it out with your teammates. We’ve got a great group here.”

JUST. TK. THINGS. pic.twitter.com/S92XOWpjKc
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 5, 2023

Kemp also gave kudos to the young guys that have been at the bottom of the order. “I can’t say enough about what the bottom of the lineup has been doing. They’ve been creating some havoc on the base-paths.”

The 7-8-9 hitters (Noda, Carlos Pérez, Esteury Ruiz) went a combined 2-for-9, but also drew three walks on Tuesday night, including an rbi double from Esteury Ruiz in the A’s two-run third inning. Noda led off that inning with a walk, followed by a single from Pérez and Ruiz’s double. Jace Peterson brought home the second run that inning on a sac-fly.

𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺? pic.twitter.com/UFFtgYdXuf
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 5, 2023

The Guardians came back with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning. Oscar Gonzalez hit a one out triple and was brought home on a Josh Naylor ground out. The next batter, rookie Gabriel Arias, hit his second career home run off Sears, and his first of the young season.

Sears said he got a little slider happy with the home run. Per StatCast, Sears threw four straight before Arias connected.

Kotsay said of his starter’s performance, “I thought Sears did a great job. I liked his velo. I liked everything about his outing.” Sears final line: 4.2 innings, 8 hits, 3 ER, BB, 5 K. The bullpen worked the final 4.1 innings and the combination of Zach Jackson, Dany Jiménez, Sam Moll, and Trevor May combined for 4.1 no-hit innings, allowing just two walks and striking out five.

The A’s are a team still finding their identity, but after two blowout losses against the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, to go toe-to-toe against a team that made the playoffs last season on back-to-back nights, and to come from behind in both games is a glimpse into some of the resolve this mix of veterans and younger players have.

Kemp summed up the A's spirit this season after the game.

“I think the biggest thing is the resiliency and the fight. I feel like that’s what an Oakland A is, is a never give up attitude and always grind it out. The younger guys that are new to this team are figuring that out fast.”

Notes: Tony Kemp said he’d be in the training room after a near collision with Esteury Ruiz. “It’s bruised for sure.” Ruiz’s glove appeared to hit Kemp on the back of the head as Ruiz came in and Kemp drifted out on a pop fly.

Paul Blackburn will be making a rehab start with the Stockton Ports on Friday. Mark Kotsay said he would have a pitch limit of 35, which would hopefully be enough to get him through two innings.

Jason Burke is the Managing Editor or Inside the A’s and the host of the Locked on A’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @ByJasonB