Hold the bubbly: A’s can’t nail it down for home fans
OAKLAND >> There was no champagne sprayed in the home clubhouse at the Coliseum on Sunday.
The A’s bid to lock up their first postseason berth since 2014 died quietly in the final home game of the season as the Twins jumped in front 2-0 after three batters and went on to claim a 5-1 victory in front of 35,754 hopeful fans.
“It’s disappointing we couldn’t get it done here,” third baseman Matt Chapman said, “but I like our
chances going on the road.”
Oakland’s magic number remains one, and the A’s get the first of six more chances to clinch at least a wild-card spot tonight at Seattle. The Tampa Bay Rays, who have no margin for error, play today at home against the Yankees.
One more victory by the A’s or defeat by the Rays would give Oakland its fourth playoff berth in the past seven seasons.
“We haven’t taken any one game too hard the entire year,” said Matt Olson, whose 28th home run gives him the most of any American League first baseman. “We’ve been looking at the big picture the entire time. We’ll go to Seattle and go get ’em tomorrow.”
Manager Bob Melvin, whose team finished last
in the AL West the previous three seasons, said clinching a postseason bid in front of home fans would have been ideal. But having to wait another day or so won’t diminish the achievement.
“Anytime you have a chance to get to the postseason, especially a team that was not expected to be where we are right now, it will be pretty fulfilling wherever we do it,” he said.
The A’s (94-62) had won four in a row and scored walk-off wins against Minnesota the two previous nights. But the Twins set the tone early when Jake Cave blasted a two-run homer off Trevor Cahill in the top of the first.
Olson cut the margin in half with his homer in the second inning, but the A’s could do little with Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson (9-13). He allowed just three hits after the second inning until being lifted with one out in the eighth after throwing 114 pitches.
“It was just, unfortunately, one of those games. We didn’t play our best and we faced a guy who really pitched well,” Chapman said. “We just got outplayed today.”
Melvin dismissed the suggestion that his young team may have been pressing. “Give their guy credit, he was terrific today,” Melvin said.
Oakland revved up its crowd in the eighth when Stephen Piscotty singled to left to chase Gibson, and Olson beat out an infield hit. The Twins used four pitchers to get through the inning, with Trevor May striking out Ramon Laureano to end the A’s threat.
Cahill (6-4) started for the first time since being sidelined Sept. 9 with an upper-back muscle strain. Armed with a 5-0 record and a 1.49 earned run average in 10 previous starts at home this season, he couldn’t get through the fourth inning.
Melvin liked most of what he saw from Cahill, especially his delivery and his movement on the ball.
“The last time we saw him he was completely
out of whack and was hurting a little bit,” said Melvin, who hasn’t decided whether Cahill will get another start this week. “All things considered, I think it was a step in the right direction for him.”
Cahill said he felt a “little weird” at the start, and lamented, “I just couldn’t get that out when I needed to.”
The Twins used three hits and a throwing error by Chapman to score three
times in the inning for a 5-1 lead. Two of the runs were unearned, and Chapman shouldered the blame.
“I might have rushed the throw because I wanted to turn the double play,” he said. “Then three runs scored and it doesn’t feel good. I kind of took us out of the game right there.”
• Despite winning two of three in the series against the Twins, the A’s were 0 for 20 with runners in scoring position. Melvin didn’t read too much into it. “That does not happen very often with us,” he said. “Usually those things tend to even out.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t even out today,” he concluded.
• Chapman was named winner of the Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award, given to the player best exemplifies the competitive, inspirational and courageous spirit of the A’s. The award is voted on by players and coaches.