Pinch hitter Austin Wynns drove in Colby Thomas with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as the visiting Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Tuesday.
Thomas, the Athletics’ second-ranked prospect who was called up Monday, collected his first major league hit and his first run.
Michael Kelly (2-0) threw a scoreless ninth inning for the A’s, and Mason Miller pitched a shutout 10th for his 17th save.
Mason Montgomery (1-2) gave up the decisive run in the top of the 10th. Denzel Clarke bunted automatic runner Thomas to third. After Max Schuemann walked, Wynns drove home Thomas with his fly ball to left.
A’s starter Jeffrey Springs allowed four hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings and left with a 3-2 lead. The former Rays pitcher walked three and struck out four on 96 pitches.
Shane Baz went seven innings for the Rays, permitting up seven hits and three runs. The right-hander walked one and matched his career high with 11 strikeouts in a 90-pitch outing. He left with the game tied 3-3.
The Rays jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with solo home runs by Christopher Morel in the second inning, his seventh, and Brandon Lowe in the third, his 19th.
Lowe extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
The A’s tied it in the fourth when Shea Langeliers reached on a one-out double and Max Muncy hit a two-out home run, his sixth of the season.
Langeliers put the A’s ahead in the sixth with a leadoff home run to left field, his 12th. However, Danny Jansen tied it 3-3 in the seventh with a one-out home run, his ninth.
The Rays had a chance to score in the eighth after Taylor Walls led off with a single. Walls stole second and Junior Caminero was intentionally walked with one out.
Morel hit a long fly ball to center, but Clarke tracked it down at the fence. Sean Newcomb then struck out Josh Lowe to end the threat.
The Tampa Bay ninth started out promisingly when Jose Caballero singled to right. The major league leader in stolen bases took off on the first pitch, but Langeliers threw him out.
The inning wasn’t over, however. Chandler Simpson singled to left with two outs and advanced on a wild pitch by Kelly. The A’s intentionally walked Yandy Diaz, and Kelly was able to induce Walls to ground out to first to force extra innings.
The A’s will look to complete a three-game series sweep on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
