Shea Langeliers highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a three-run double as the Oakland Athletics stunned the visiting Tampa Bay Rays for a sixth straight win Monday night, 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series.
Ken Waldichuk struck out Randy Arozarena to kill a Tampa Bay threat in the seventh, helping the A’s hang on.
Coming off a trip that ended with two straight wins at Pittsburgh and three more at Milwaukee, the A’s did all their scoring in the fifth after they’d been shut out by Zach Eflin on two hits over four innings.
Walks to Brent Rooker and Jonah Bride opened the door for the A’s, who loaded the bases on Jace Peterson’s single.
After a forceout at the plate, Langeliers lashed a two-strike pitch to the fence in left-center field, plating all three baserunners for the first scoring of a game between teams with the best record (Rays) and worst record (A’s) in the major leagues.
Langeliers came home with the eventual difference-making run on Ryan Noda’s two-out RBI single.
A’s starter James Kaprielian (2-6) lost his shutout bid in the sixth when Jose Siri followed a bunt single by Luke Raley and a two-out walk to Josh Lowe with a three-run homer, his 12th long ball of the season.
Kaprielian turned the ball over to Waldichuk in the seventh, and the left-hander got himself in trouble via a one-out single by Vidal Brujan and a two-out hit by Harold Ramirez.
However, Waldichuk recorded the biggest out of the game by striking out Arozarena to preserve the 4-3 lead, then pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings for his first career save.
Kaprielian got the win after allowing three runs and five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Eflin (8-2) was charged with all four A’s runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Peterson had two hits for the A’s, who got just one extra-base hit in the game — Langeliers’ double.
Raley had a pair of singles for the Rays, who out-hit the A’s 7-6.
–Field Level Media
