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Athletic’s beat Mariners on Series Finale
Manaea throws Complete Game for 2nd Shutout this season.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea, left gets congratulated by team mates finishing a “Complete Game” and a shutout against the Seattle Mariners on a baseball game Wednesday, June 2, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
2021.06.02 – Sean Manaea pitched a Complete Game with a four-hitter, eight strikeouts – his second shutout this season. The Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 6-0 on the series finale.
Oakland remain a half-game in front of the Houston Astros in the American League West with a 33-25 record.
Mitch Moreland’s two-run homer capped a five-run third inning, giving the A’s their third straight win and manager Bob Melvin his 800th with Oakland.
“The breaking ball was good, the changeup was good,” Melvin said of Manaea. “When he’s got three pitches working together like that, he’s a tough cat to beat.”
Mark Canha opened the scoring with a two-run double off starter Chris Flexen (5-3), then scored on Matt Olson’s RBI single. Moreland followed with his fifth home run of the season.
“This team, it seems like we’re good at building those big innings,” Moreland said. “Seems like we win a lot of games that way.”
2021.06.02 (Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners) See video
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea throws to a Seattle Mariners batter during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 2, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
2021.06.02 (Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners) See video
2021.06.02 (Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners) See video
Manaea (4-2) faced the minimum through the fourth with the help of a double play, one of three he got in the game. He loaded the bases with a two-out walk to Jake Fraley in the fifth, but ended Seattle’s only serious threat by retiring J.P. Crawford on a weak grounder.
Manaea was so comfortable on the mound, the animated pitcher even sang along to songs playing over the public-address system.
“That’s kind of me being more comfortable with myself and who I am,” Manaea said in a postgame video conference. “I’m a little goofy, a little weird. If there’s a song I like or a vibe with I’m bouncing my head, and I kind of took that out to the mound with me tonight.”
The left-hander threw 72 of 111 pitches for strikes and walked two batters in his third career complete game — all shutouts. He snapped a string of three straight no-decisions and has given up five runs over his last 26 2/3 innings.
Manaea threw a six-hitter in a seven-inning game for a 7-0 win over Minnesota in the opener of a doubleheader April 20. His other shutout came in 2018.
Melvin said Manaea’s fastball velocity started around 96 mph and stayed up throughout the game. He thought about pulling his starter after the eighth, but wanted to give him the chance at a rare complete game in this era.
With off days coming up Thursday and next Monday, A’s manager Melvin wanted to reward Manaea so long as he retained his efficiency.
“You don’t see complete game shutouts very often anymore and when you have a chance to do it and your pitch count is under control, everybody is pulling hard for that,” Melvin said.
“To me that’s a huge accomplishment,” Manaea said. “I wanted to stay in the game. When I came out in the eighth, I didn’t even know how many pitches I’d thrown.”
Olson finished with three hits, and Canha added an RBI grounder in the ninth.
13 PITCHES
Everyone gave Oakland shortstop Elvis Andrus credit for that five-run third inning, though he didn’t drive in a run. Andrus made Flexen throw 13 pitches during his at-bat before doubling, putting runners at second and third for Canha.
“When you can battle a guy like that, 13 pitches — that’s a crazy amount,” Manaea said. “I think Elvis was saying that’s his career high in pitches in an A.B. He was 3-2 for a long time. Just being able to keep fighting off, keep fighting off, that’s insane. That really swings the momentum towards our way. That’s huge.”
Moreland, who played with Andrus with the Texas Rangers, thought Andrus’ impact was felt throughout the inning.
“When you can battle it kind of sets up the rest of the guys to have hittable pitches throughout the inning and that was definitely the case for us,” Moreland said. “Elvis grinded that at-bat and then hit the double. It definitely set the table, set the tone.”
The A’s tacked on one last run in the ninth inning when Canha’s ground out brought home Tony Kemp against Robert Dugger.
Seattle manager Scott Servais agreed.
“That 13-pitch at-bat by Elvis Andrus, I think that really turned the game in their favor,” Servais said.
2021.06.02 ( Making sense of the A’s, MLB ) See video
Oakland Athletics’ Mitch Moreland hits a two-run home run during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
2021.06.02 ( Making sense of the A’s, MLB ) See video
2021.06.02 ( Making sense of the A’s, MLB ) See video
GEHRIG AWARD
Oakland outfielder Stephen Piscotty was chosen the 2021 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award winner for his work fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease that killed the New York Yankees’ Hall of Fame player the award is named for. ALS also claimed the life of Piscotty’s mother, Gretchen, in 2018. Piscotty and his family started the ALS CURE Project to help fight the disease. Piscotty will receive the award next Tuesday in Oakland.
“What an honor, and deservedly so,” Melvin said. “He’s done so much for it, obviously his history and what’s transpired since he’s been here revolving around his mom, and we’re all touched by it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: RHP Justin Dunn (right shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Dunn is the fourth pitcher from Seattle’s season-opening rotation to go to the IL, and the sixth overall. He was scheduled to pitch Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. Seattle called up RHP Robert Dugger from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the roster spot. … CF Kyle Lewis is seeking a second opinion before deciding what to do about the torn meniscus in his right knee. Servais said the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year’s decision could come in the next day or two. … Servais also said utility player Dylan Moore (left calf strain) is a few days from starting a rehab assignment at Tacoma.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Oakland has Thursday off before RHP Frankie Montas (5-5, 4.45 ERA) opens a series at Colorado. He’s trying to stop a career-worst three-game losing streak.
Mariners: LHP Justus Sheffield (4-4, 4.96) looks for his second straight win as Seattle starts a trip at the Los Angeles Angels.
RELATED: See below- 2021.04.03 (A’s vs. Houston Astros)
Read more at: Oakland Athletics Media Services / More AP MLB
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Oakland Athletics, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Yordan Álvarez hits 3-run homer as Astros beat A’s again
Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates with Yuli Gurriel, center, after hitting a three-run home run that also scored Chas McCormick (6) and Aledmys Diaz (16) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, April 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
2021.04.03 – Yordan Álvarez hit a three-run homer and the Astros earned a third straight win against the rival Oakland Athletics, 9-1 on Saturday.