Sean Murphy hit a fifth-inning grand slam and finished with five RBIs in the Oakland Athletics’ 10-6 victory over the host Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Murphy’s 17th home run of the season stretched Oakland’s lead to 10-5, helping the Athletics to their first three-game winning streak in a month.
Tony Kemp and Dermis Garcia, who smacked his first career home run, both drove in two runs for the A’s. Murphy and Kemp each had three hits as Oakland posted a double-digit run total for just the fourth time this season.
The Nationals failed to protect a three-run lead they possessed after two innings. Lane Thomas and Luis Garcia hit solo homers for Washington, while rookie Joey Meneses hit three doubles.
Cole Irvin (7-11) picked up the victory despite allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one in his shortest outing in 12 starts.
Athletics reliever Austin Pruitt worked two innings of one-run ball before Kirby Snead and Domingo Acevedo finished.
Nationals starter Erick Fedde (5-9) remained winless since June 21. He surrendered six runs on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.
Murphy got the scoring started with a first-inning RBI single. In the bottom of the inning, Thomas led off with his 14th homer of the season, and Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning for a 2-1 lead.
The Nationals tacked on two runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Thomas and Meneses.
Then came Oakland’s five-run third inning, with Garcia, playing in his 11th major league game, supplying the highlight with a two-run homer. Nick Allen singled home a run, and Kemp added a two-run double.
Menesses, who finished 3-for-5, doubled home a run in the fourth as Washington cut the gap to 6-5.
Murphy’s slam came off reliever Steve Cishek, who was charged with all four runs in the inning.
Garcia’s consolation solo shot came in the eighth off Pruitt.
–Field Level Media