Jonny Gomes was hitless in his last 34 pinch-hit appearances. He got over that in a big way, crushing a go ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning as the A’s rallied to win their fifth straight, 6-4 over the San Diego Padres.
Gomes’ home run capped a three-run rally as the A’s recaptured a lead they lost in the top of the inning. Sean Doolittle got his first major league victory in spite of allowing two runs in the seventh inning, and Ryan Cook converted his third save with a perfect ninth inning.
Tyson Ross was brilliant in a spot start for Oakland. With a breaking ball looking as sharp as it has been in 2012, Ross did not allow a hit for 5.2 innings. His only hit of the game was a two-run home run to San Diego’s Carlos Quentin in the sixth inning. Other than that, he was fantastic throughout.
The A’s offense continued its recent success, notching two runs in the fourth inning to take the lead. Seth Smith opened the scoring with a solo home run off Padres starter Ross Ohlendorf. Then, Collin Cowgill singled in Brandon Moss after he doubled to make it 3-0. The Padres took the lead in the seventh on a two-run double by Will Venable off Doolittle.
But the A’s were able to respond with the three-run at the bottom of the seventh. The tying run was scored on a wild pitch by Luke Gregerson, plating Cliff Pennington.
Good: Jonny Gomes
Gotta be happy for a guy who, by all accounts, is an awesome teammate and great clubhouse guy. His chances have diminished simply because the A’s don’t face many lefties. But he came up in a big spot and delivered—big time.
His home run looked like it was headed to his hometown of Petaluma. That’s the kind of clutch hitting the A’s will continue to need if they want to push for .500 before the All-Star break.
Bad: Sean Doolittle
Yes, he got the win, but he put himself in a bad situation with bad pitch location and a crucial walk. His stuff is electric, but the consistency is clearly not there yet. Thankfully, it did not cost the A’s today. I have a feeling there will be plenty of good things to say about him before it’s all said and done.
Ugly: N/A
Nothing ugly about a five-game winning streak. Tomorrow’s game is big with the Giants and Dodgers coming to town. You want to be riding a big wave instead of coming down when quality opponents venture in.
Now 31-35, the A’s look for their second straight sweep as Bartolo Colon takes the bump against San Diego’s Clayton Richard. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
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