Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker both homered and drove in four runs to help the visiting Oakland A’s outslug the Atlanta Braves 11-9 on Saturday and even the three-game series.
Andujar was 4-for-5, scored three runs and hit his second homer, and Rooker was 2-for-5 with his 12th homer. Max Schuemann ended an 0-for-12 slide by going 4-for-4 and the A’s recorded 16 hits.
The winning pitcher was Michael Kelly (3-2) and Dany Jimenez pitched the ninth to earn his first save. Jimmy Herget (0-1) took the loss.
Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. He has reached base in 25 straight games and now leads the N.L. with 17 homers and 53 RBI.
Atlanta starter Chris Sale pitched only four innings and allowed season highs in runs (eight) and hits (nine), walked one and struck out four.
Oakland starter Aaron Brooks pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits, one walk and one strikeout.
The A’s scored two runs in the first inning off Sale, who allowed only two runs in five starts in May, when Daz Cameron lined a two-run double off the wall.
Atlanta answered in the bottom of the inning when Ozuna tied the game with a two-run homer.
The A’s scored four times in the second inning. Schuemann singled home a run and Andujar lined a three-run homer for a 6-2 lead.
The Braves got a run in the third inning on Ozuna’s infield grounder.
Oakland upped the lead to 8-3 in the fourth when Rooker hit a two-run shot to left.
The Braves scored six runs in the fifth and took a 9-8 lead on a two-run single from Austin Riley, an RBI single from Ozuna, a two-run homer from Matt Olson, his ninth, and a run-scoring single from Adam Duvall.
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing balls and strikes and the A’s responded by regaining the lead 10-9 on Rooker’s two-run double. Andujar drove in an insurance run with a single in the eighth.
–Field Level Media