Seth Brown delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning for the host Oakland Athletics, who edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Saturday in the opener of a two-game interleague series between the Bay Area rivals.
Jordan Diaz hit a solo homer for the Athletics, who ended a four-game losing streak. Joc Pederson lofted a sacrifice fly for the Giants, who entered Saturday atop the National League wild-card standings but had their three-game winning streak snapped.
The Giants scored the game-tying run in the top of the eighth against Angel Felipe and Trevor May (3-4) before the Athletics answered in the bottom half of the inning against Ryan Walker (4-1) and Scott Alexander.
Walker gave up a leadoff pinch-hit single to Aledmys Diaz before walking Tony Kemp. Both runners advanced on a bunt by Esteury Ruiz before Alexander retired Jonah Bride on a lineout. Brown then singled to right as Aledmys Diaz trotted home.
May retired all five batters he faced.
The Giants’ Wilmer Flores was the only player on either team with two hits.
Each team got just one runner beyond first base before Jordan Diaz led off the bottom of the fifth by homering to left off Ross Stripling on a 1-2 pitch.
The Giants, who were limited to two hits in a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in their most recent game on Thursday, recorded just two hits over the first seven innings against Paul Blackburn and Austin Pruitt before mounting the game-tying rally in the eighth.
In the eighth, Felipe struck out LaMonte Wade Jr. before walking Thairo Estrada, who went to third on a single by Flores. Pederson followed by hitting a sacrifice fly off May.
Blackburn gave up two hits and walked three while whiffing seven over six scoreless innings. Stripling allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven over 5 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media