Athletics hit 3 HRs, beat Blue Jays 10-5

ESPN logo
Friday, May 18, 2018

TORONTO -- Losing starting pitcher Andrew Triggs in the third inning put the Oakland Athletics in a tough spot.

Khris Davis provided enough offense to make up for it.

Matt Olson hit a three-run home run, Davis and Matt Chapman added two-run shots, and the Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 on Thursday night.

Davis matched a career-high with four hits and scored three times as Oakland snapped a six-game losing streak in Toronto and won for the second time in 13 games north of the border.

Davis singled in the first, homered in the third, singled and scored in the fifth, came around to score after being hit by a pitch in the sixth, and singled in the eighth.

"Usually if he touches the ball three times in a game it's a couple of homers," manager Bob Melvin said. "That's impressive. Power hitters usually aren't doing that, mixing in some singles."

The Blue Jays lost for the ninth time in 12 home games. Toronto has gone 8-14 following a 14-8 start.

"A tough night," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "No need to elaborate."

Triggs left in the third inning because of nerve discomfort in his forearm. He allowed one run and one hit in 2 1/3 innings before being replaced by Santiago Casilla.

"We had to use a lot of guys today," Melvin said. "Whenever your starter comes out of the game after two-plus it means you've got some work to do."

Casilla pitched two innings and Yusmeiro Petit (1-0) worked 2 2/3 innings for the win. Ryan Dull got two outs and Lou Trivino pitched the final 1 1/3 innings.

Triggs said he felt tingling in his thumb and first two fingers on his final pitch of the first inning, and again in the second. He threw six consecutive balls before leaving.

"The sensation I was feeling in those three fingers was enough for me to bring it to their attention," Triggs said. "You really don't want to come out before you've given your team everything you've got but that was enough for me to realize I wasn't feeling the ball the way I needed to."

Triggs will return to Oakland on Friday and visit the doctor Saturday.

Toronto's Kendrys Morales opened the scoring with an RBI fielder's choice in the second but the Athletics responded with three in the third. Jed Lowrie drove in a run with a double and Davis followed with a blast to right, his 13th.

Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez (2-4) left after walking Lowrie to begin the fifth, but Seung Hwan Oh struggled in relief, allowing three runs and four hits in 2/3 of an inning, including Olson's homer.

Toronto answered with three in the bottom half, cutting it to 7-4. Justin Smoak hit an RBI double off Casilla, Yangervis Solarte singled home a run off Petit and Kevin Pillar added a sacrifice fly.

Chapman connected off John Axford in the sixth, the first home run off Axford in 19 appearances this season.

"He's always one swing away from three runs," Melvin said of Chapman.

Curtis Granderson drew a bases-loaded walk off Lou Trivino in the eighth, bringing Josh Donaldson to the plate as the tying run, but Donaldson grounded out to end the threat.

Sanchez allowed four runs and five hits in four-plus innings to lose for the second time in three starts. Sanchez walked four and matched a season-high by striking out eight.

"Any time I left the ball up in the zone it was smacked," Sanchez said.

FIVE SPOT

Toronto lost for the first time in 19 games when scoring at least five runs.

FEASTING ON THE EAST

Oakland is 9-4 against AL East opponents.

SO LONG, SOLO

Olson's home run, his seventh, was his first with runners on base.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: Oakland placed C Bruce Maxwell on the restricted list and recalled C Josh Phegley from Triple-A Nashville. Maxwell cannot enter Canada while awaiting sentencing in Arizona on a gun-related charge. Maxwell was arrested in Arizona in October after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her at his Scottsdale home. Maxwell pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in April and is to be sentenced June 4.

Blue Jays: OF Teoscar Hernandez (sore back) was held out of the lineup.

UP NEXT

Athletics: LHP Brett Anderson (0-2, 8.16) is 0-2 with a 12.38 ERA in his past two starts.

Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada (2-3, 5.32) is winless in four starts and has allowed four or more earned runs in five of his past six outings.

---

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Related Video