An infusion of youth helped the Athletics earn a victory in Tampa on Monday.
Now the A’s will have two shots to win the three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, starting with the middle contest on Tuesday night.
The last-place A’s wasted a four-run lead and appeared to be headed to their first deficit in the eighth inning. However, Athletics left fielder Colby Thomas, in his major league debut, fielded Josh Lowe’s single on a short hop and threw out Brandon Lowe at the plate to end the frame and keep the game tied.
“That’s the play of the game,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of the effort by Thomas, who is known more for his offense. “If you look at the momentum in the eighth inning there, if they go ahead, it puts a lot more pressure on (our) hitters. It changes the whole dynamic of the ninth inning.”
Lawrence Butler won it for the visitors with a two-run triple in the ninth as the a’s prevailed 6-4.
Thomas, 24, entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth, popping out to first, but made his presence felt with the glove.
Added Kotsay: “For that young man to make that play in his very first game, stay under control and throw a strike says a lot about him and his preparation.”
The Rays took a few positives from the defeat. Leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz went 1-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 24 games, and Chandler Simpson stole Tampa Bay’s major-league-leading 109th base.
However, despite erasing a 4-0 deficit, the Rays took a loss after closer Pete Fairbanks allowed two runs in the ninth
“Frustrating to not finish it off tonight, but you know, that happens,” Fairbanks said. “You’re going to give up the hits. You’re going to take the loss every now and then. But we’ll be right back at it and continue to throw the ball over the plate.”
The Tuesday matchup will feature the Athletics’ Jeffrey Springs (6-6, 4.30 ERA) and the Rays’ Shane Baz (8-3, 4.37).
A member of the Rays from 2021-24, Springs moved to the rotation permanently in 2022 and produced immediately, going 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 135 1/3 innings.
However, a promising start in 2023 ended abruptly when Springs needed Tommy John surgery, and he did not return until the second half of 2024. The Rays then traded him to the A’s last December.
The 32-year-old left-hander is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in five career appearances against Tampa Bay, all in relief.
As Springs began his final campaign in St. Petersburg, Baz, who had returned from his own 2022 Tommy John surgery, made 14 starts in 2024 and posted encouraging numbers — 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA.
Victorious in his past three starts, the 26-year-old Houston native went 4-0 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in June. The right-hander allowed just 18 hits in 30 1/3 innings. He won his lone career start against the A’s, throwing 7 2/3 scoreless innings last August.
Help could be getting closer for the Rays, as left-handed ace Shane McClanahan (triceps nerve issue) is slated to throw a full bullpen session on Tuesday after being shut down since early June. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since having Tommy John surgery in August 2023.
–Field Level Media
