Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer and scored three runs, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-5 road victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon.
Willy Adames had two hits and scored twice, while Garrett Mitchell chipped in with a double, single and two RBIs in Milwaukee’s second straight win in the three-game interleague series.
Down 5-1 after five innings, the A’s got within 5-4 in the seventh when pinch hitter Daz Cameron greeted reliever Jared Koenig with an RBI double.
After Brent Rooker was intentionally walked, putting the potential go-ahead run on base, the Oakland slugger stood near home plate as he handed his elbow guard and batting gloves to the Oakland batboy. The delay caused the pitch clock to expire before JJ Bleday got into the batter’s box, and home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna penalized the hitter with an opening strike.
After A’s manager Mark Kotsay complained to no avail, Bleday, who had homered earlier in the game, struck out in the abbreviated at-bat, leaving Oakland a run short.
The Brewers tacked on a single run in the eighth on Mitchell’s RBI double before blowing the game open in the ninth with three runs. Rhys Hoskins capped the visitors’ scoring with his second hit, an RBI single.
Bleday’s homer, his 18th of the season, came in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Rooker belted his 30th homer, a two-run shot, in the sixth.
Milwaukee scored three in the second despite the ball leaving the infield just once, that on Adames’ inning-opening single. The runs were the product of an infield out by Mitchell, an infield single by Blake Perkins and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Jackson Chourio for a 3-1 advantage.
Bauers belted his 11th homer to make it 5-1 in the fifth.
Colin Rea (12-4) allowed both Oakland homers but recorded the win nonetheless. He gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out five with no walks.
Joe Boyle (3-6) took the loss, charged with five runs on five hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out eight.
Adames walked twice to reach base four times, and Bauers walked twice for the Brewers, who took advantage of seven walks to win despite getting outhit 12-10.
Rooker finished with three RBIs to complement three hits, while Zack Gelof scored twice amid his three hits for the A’s, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games.
–Field Level Media