Jed Lowrie hit a two-out run-scoring double in the 10th inning Tuesday night and the Athletics bullpen bailed out starter Sean Manaea in a 4-3 road win at Cleveland.
Lowrie, hitting .367 with runners in scoring position, sliced the game-winner to left field against Cleveland reliever Nick Wittgren as the Athletics won their fifth straight game.
The Athletics improved to 65-48, having begun the day two games behind Houston in the A.L. West, while Cleveland fell to 55-56.
Andrew Chafin, the last of seven A’s pitchers, finished off Cleveland on a night when the bullpen put the game in lockdown after an early 3-1 deficit with Manaea on the mound.
Starling Marte got the Athletics’ game-tying rally in the eighth inning started with a single to right against reliever James Karinchak, then stole his MLB-leading 30th base with Matt Olson at the plate. Olson lined a single to right, with Marte holding at third, but he came home on Lowrie’s infield out to tie the game 3-3.
Triston McKenzie, who came in with one of the highest walk rates in the major leagues, gave up two runs and four hits in six innings while walking one and striking out five.
Burch Smith came to the rescue after Manaea got the hook, stifling Cleveland by pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, no runs and recorded outs on 10 batters while throwing only 40 pitches — 27 of them strikes.
He was followed initially with scoreless innings from A.J. Puk, recalled from Las Vegas Tuesday, and veteran Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Romo and Lou Trivino.
Seth Brown hit his 14th home run with two outs in the fourth inning to bring the Athletics within 3-2. Oakland also scored in the second on back-to-back doubles from Sean Murphy and Josh Harrison.
Manaea, coming off a 4 1/3 inning game against San Diego in which he gave up five runs and took the loss, looked lost from the outset.
In getting five outs, it was Manaea’s shortest outing of the season, with his previous quick exit coming on May 14 against Boston when he gave up 10 hits in two innings before getting the hook.
Pitching in temperatures in the high 80s with high humidity, Manaea walked three batters and continually sailed pitches high and outside to right-handed batters. He gave up a run-scoring single to Harold Ramirez in the first inning and then appeared to get a break in the second.
After giving up a single to Owen Miller and walking Austin Hedges, Ernie Clement hit a grounder to short which turned into an unusual 6-4-5 double play, with Elvis Andrus getting the force at second and Harrison cutting down Miller at third.
However, Myles Straw drove in a run with a double and Amed Rosario hit a single to left that was misplayed by Mark Canha, with Cleveland’s third run scoring on an error.
After Manaea walked Jose Ramirez, his day was done, having thrown 69 pitches to get five outs — 39 of them strikes.
