Jace Peterson homered twice in a five-hit night and drove in five runs, and the Oakland A’s ended a 15-game losing streak on the road with an 11-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
The A’s, the worst in the majors (13-50), opened the game late behind Peterson’s 500th major league hit, an RBI single off Pirates ace Mitch Keller that put Oakland up 3-2. in the sixth. Peterson gave Oakland a five-run lead with a two-run homer off Chase De Jong in the eighth, then added another two-run homer off De Jong in the ninth.
Batting eighth, Peterson finished 5-for-5, raising his batting average from .194 to .218.
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Jace Peterson #6 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates his two-run home run with James Kaprielian #32 during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 6, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
«Over the last week and a half, I feel like I’ve had some good at-bats. Technically it’s not the results I wanted, but I feel like it’s gotten better,» Peterson said. «It’s baseball, a crazy game and a tough game. You never know what’s going to happen. It worked out tonight.»
James Kaprielian (1-6) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings for his first win since Oct. 2. The A’s hadn’t won outside of Oakland since beating the Los Angeles Angels 11-10 on April 24.
«It’s competition, man. You’ve got to beat guys any way you can,» Kaprielian said. «I beat Keller to start playing ball. I found ways to beat the guys… I was here, I was dressed five hours before the game. The guys were looking at me like I was a psycho because I probably am. But we I want to win.»
Keller (7-2) allowed five runs, eight hits and four walks with one strikeout in 5 1-3 innings. Pittsburgh’s six-game winning streak was snapped.
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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher James Kaprielian throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
«I just didn’t execute,» Keller said. «It all comes down to execution. I threw too many shots up the middle and they took advantage, free passes. It wasn’t a good night.»
Keller has allowed 15 runs in his last three starts after allowing 17 in his first 10 this season.
«Tonight, his breaks weren’t very sharp, so he didn’t swing much and he missed,» Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. «Also, the command of the fastball was really inconsistent.»
The A’s hit four home runs, three off De Jong, who also allowed Brent Rooker’s two-run home run in the eighth. Shea Langeliers hit Keller’s fastball 423 feet into the center field bushes in the second.
«This kid, Keller, has pitched very well all season,» Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. «We knew what we were up against. The at-bats started off great. We had a great plan. The offense executed their plan … You shake hands with the guys in that room for executing the plan.»
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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller walks into the dugout after pitching in the top of the first inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen is stuck at 1,997 hits in the majors, with two flyouts and two walks. He is 0-for-7 with five walks in his last three games.
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START
Peterson began his night with a costly error at second base at first. Jack Suwinski hit a routine groundout, potentially setting up an inning-ending double play, but the ball went through Peterson’s legs, allowing Tucupita Marcano to score.
«When I came in, I said (to Kaprielian), ‘I’m going to give you four hits tonight,'» Peterson said. «It really made me mad.»
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Oakland Athletics’ Shea Langeliers (23) rounds out the third to greetings from third base coach Eric Martins after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
LIST MOVEMENTS
Athletics: INF Kevin Smith was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and INF Nick Allen was sent to Las Vegas.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
LHP Hogan Harris (0-0, 6.97 ERA) is set to make his first major league start for the A’s, closing out the three-game series on Wednesday against Pirates RHP Roansy Contreras (3-4, 4.82). Harris, a 26-year-old rookie, has allowed eight runs in 10 1/3 innings in three relief appearances this season.