Athletics take game one from the Reds, 5-4

Miller looked human, but still slammed the door.

The Oakland Athletics faced off against the National League Central’s Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Interestingly enough, this was the first A’s trip to Cincy since 2016.

Mitch Spence got the start for the A’s today. He went up against 31-year-old righty Jacob Junis for the Reds. Jacob Wilson returned to the lineup today after a stint on the Injured List (IL) with a strained left hamstring. He made the first put-out of the game for the A’s on a routine ground ball by Jonathan India.

TJ Friedl led off the second for the Reds with a triple into the right field corner. Friedl tested Wilson’s arm at short on a hard grounder by Ty France and Wilson nailed him at the plate. Spence struck out Dom Smith to end the inning with no score.

Junis has pitched four perfect, sitting down the first twelve A’s in a row. Spence walked two in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ty France then blooped a single into the wasteland between Gelof and Butler in right field. That scored Tyler Stephenson for the first run of the game. Steer went first to third on the play. But Dominic Smith grounded out to end the threat.

Buck Farmer replaced Jacob Junis in the top of the fifth. Farmer gave up the first baserunner for the A’s, a walk to Seth Brown, with one out. Daz Cameron struck out and Gelof grounded out to end the inning. Jonathan India singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. He stole second, but Elly De La Cruz grounded out to first to end the fifth.

Max Schuemann led off the sixth with a double to left field. It was the first hit of the game for the A’s. Lawrence Butler grounded out to second, which moved Schuemann over to third. Brent Rooker was intentionally walked with two outs, bringing up JJ Bleday. Bleday walked to load the bases. This brought up Shea Langeliers. Langeliers was called out on strikes with an 86 MPH slider down the middle.

Spence continued to live on the edge with putting a runner on each inning after the first inning. Stephenson led off with a single and Steer followed that with a one-out walk. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay had seen enough and brought in Michel Otañez to replace Spence. Ty France fouled out to Langeliers. Dom Smith struck out to end the inning.

Seth Brown walked on four pitches to lead off the top of the seventh. Cameron grounded out, moving Brown to second with one out. Zack Gelof struck out looking. Max Schuemann gave the A’s a 2-1 lead with his seventh homer of the season, an opposite field shot off Tony Santillan.

Wilson singled and that ran Santillan. Lawrence Butler homered, driving in Wilson, and building the A’s lead to 4-1. That 444-foot rocket was Butler’s fifteenth of the year. Rooker reached on an error. JJ Bleday singled to left field. Rook went first-to-third on the play. Langeliers grounded into a force out to end the inning.

Grant Holman entered the game to pitch the seventh for the Kelly Green & Gold. After a Noelvi Marte base hit, Holman got two ground outs to end the inning. With two down in the top of the eighth, Zack Gelof homered to deep left field. Schuemann followed with a base hit, bringing up Jacob Wilson. Wilson grounded out to end the inning, but not before the A’s took a 5-1 lead.

Tyler Ferguson took the mound for the bottom of the eighth. He gave up a base hit to Stephenson, and then walked Spencer Steer. A flyout to Butler moved Stephenson to third. Then two more consecutive walks brought in Stephenson from third. Ross Stripling induced a ground ball out to end the inning and hold the Reds to just one run.

Butler led off with a single to left field. Rooker struck out for the third time in the game. JJ Bleday walked, moving Butler to second. Langeliers popped out to right field, topping off his 0-5 night. Brown flied out to end the inning.

That brought in Mason Miller to close out the game. Miller served India quite the dose of 100+ pitches and the first K of the inning. Elly De La Cruz followed with his first hit of the night. Tyler Stephenson singled for his third hit of the night. That moved De La Cruz to third with one out. Friedl grounded out, but that still drove in the speedy De La Cruz. Steer blooped a single in front of Bleday to score Stephenson and bring the score to 5-4. That brought up Tyler France who has seen Miller before in his Seatle days. France doubled sending Steer to third. Amed Rosario pinch hit for Will Benson. Rosario struck out to end the game on a 101.4 fastball. Save number 22 was a rough one for Miller, but the A’s still took the first game of the series.