You never want to make the third out of an inning at third base in baseball, and Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler was about commit the cardinal sin in the bottom of the seventh of a tied game.
Then the A’s got a little bit of baseball luck.
Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman’s throw in an attempt to pick off Butler in a rundown was wild, which allowed Butler to score the go-ahead run to help the A’s hold off Colorado 6-4 Friday night at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The A’s (34-35) and Rockies (26-44) continue their three-game series at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark in the second half of the A’s six-game Vegas series.
With the A’s holding a 5-4 lead, Butler gave the A’s an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single to score Max Muncy. Butler finished 2-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and a walk after coming in for Colby Thomas in the fifth.
A’s starter Gage Jump was seeking his third consecutive win. The left-hander breezed through the first five innings, allowing just three hits and no runs.
But Jump ran into trouble in the sixth with the A’s leading 2-0 after Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth to give the A’s the lead.
Jump allowed lead off singles to Willi Castro and Kyle Karros, and then walked TJ Rumfield to load the bases. A’s manager Mark Kotsay pulled Jump with the bases loaded and no outs to bring in Justin Sterner.
Sterner conceded a run on a Troy Johnston sacrifice fly for the second out. Then Cole Carrigg blasted a three-run homer to put the Rockies up 4-2.
A’s second baseman Zack Gelof extended his career-high hit streak to 16 games with a single in the seventh inning. Gelof and Jacob Wilson, who led off the inning with a walk in his return to the A’s, scored on a one-out two-run double from Max Muncy to draw even at 4-4.
Sean Sullivan made his MLB debut for Colorado starting on the mound and pitched three shutout innings as the Rockies used Friday as bullpen game, using five pitchers.
Kurtz and Muncy each finished with two hits for the A’s. Mason Barnett earned the win in 1.2 innings of relief, while Hogan Harris was credited with the save for the A’s.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Up next
Who: Athletics vs. Rockies
When: 7:05 p.m. Saturday
Where: Las Vegas Ballpark
TV: NBC Sports California
Probable starters: COL LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 7.81 ERA) vs. ATH LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.68 ERA)
