Four things the Athletics can carry with them after significant win over Arizona
The Athletics are a long way from relevance, but had reason to feel good about their 9-8, 12-inning win over Arizona Tuesday night.
OAKLAND — Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was bleary-eyed as he attempted to sort through a 9-8 win Tuesday night over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 12 innings.
It almost took questions from the assembled media to remind him exactly of what had just transpired.
“I’m exhausted,” Kotsay said. “As I’m sure all of you are.”
By the time the game ended after four hours and nine minutes, probably less than a third of the paid attendance of 3,261 were still there and many of them were howling like wolves for the duration of extra innings.
Seriously.
It ended when rookie Estuery Ruiz singled off the glove of Arizona shortstop Nick Ahmed with the bases loaded, driving in the winning run in the 12th inning.
With the Athletics 24 games under .500 at 10-34, no single win is going to vault them into relevance. Which doesn’t mean there wasn’t some good stuff worth reviewing in what could be one of their most memorable wins of a forgettable season.
Here are four:
Austin Pruitt’s lockdown performance
Yes, there was a game-tying grand slam we’ll get to soon. But in the current rules environment when teams start with a runner on second base in each extra inning, what Austin Pruitt did was, as Kotsay put it, “remarkable.”
Pruitt put up three zeroes and needed only 23 pitches to do it, throwing 19 strikes. Spin rate? Velocity? Forget it. Fill up the zone and go after hitters.
“They were pretty aggressive. I was fortunate to make a couple of good pitches in good spots and got some weak contact to the infielders,” Pruitt said.
It’s not like Pruitt was the plan all along. He’s a 5-foot-10, 185-pound right-hander who’s been up and down between Triple-A Las Vegas and Oakland since 2022.
“I knew I was kind of the last one in the bullpen right there, so it was going to be win or lose with me,” Pruitt said.
RYAN NODA PINCH-HIT GRAND SLAM
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— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 17, 2023
Ryan Noda’s clutch slam
The A’s were enamored with Noda’s ability to work counts and know the strike zone, so much so that general manager David Forst on A’s Cast compared him to Jason Giambi in that regard.
Noda came in with four homers, but his minor league numbers showed power potential. He delivered with a grand slam to tie the game in the seventh inning — and did it against the left-handed Kyle Nelson no less.
Keep it up, and Noda’s platooning days could be over. He didn’t start the game, but entered as a pinch-hitter for Jesus Aguilar, striking out in his first at-bat. Noda delivered in the biggest way possible his next time up.
“We needed four runs and one swing got us four,” Noda said. “Definitely grinding to get that power back and it’s slowly coming back. Once it fully clicks for me in the box it will be fun. I’ll keep grinding until it happens.”
The Spin Cycle as made famous by the real slick Nick
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— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 17, 2023
Nick Allen’s resurgence
The A’s have put Allen at shortstop rather than alternate him between second and short. But the defensive part doesn’t matter — they know he’s an elite defender.
Allen did his usual magic with the glove and arm against the Diamondbacks, including one of highlight reel quality off a ball that originally hit off the glove of the pitcher.
But Allen has struggled at the plate and his last option to Triple-A stung. Against Arizona he homered down the left field line and ended up 3-for-5 with a walk and his first home run of the season. An infield single to the right side contributed to the A’s 12th inning rally.
Allen in the last three games is hitting .545 (6-for-11) with two runs, a home run and a walk during that span.
“I think starting to see some balls fall, that’s always big,” Allen said. “You can feel confident all you want but sometimes you’ve got to see some hits go down.”
Keeping the faith
Hard to believe, but with all the losing, the A’s seem to be together and resolute. That doesn’t mean they’re going suddenly explode and get back into contention, but it sure beats the alternative of being “miserable,” as G.M. David Forst told A’s Cast.
Muller, who hasn’t pitched into the seventh this season after being named the A’s Opening Day starter, wasn’t about to sulk after lasting just four-plus innings after a significant win.
“Shoutout to Austin Pruitt, that was unbelievable watching him pitch toward the end,” Muller said. “Noda with a huge grand slam. It stinks to be the guy that put the team in a spot like that, but they picked me up. A walkoff win. Everybody played fantastic.”
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