OAKLAND, Calif. _ A game that started with a protest, then had another protest midway through, ended in a 2-1 loss for the Oakland A's Tuesday when George Springer's 10th-inning single through a drawn-in infield did Oakland in.
With reliever Sean Doolittle pitching in relief to start the 10th, Tony Kemp doubled to right-center, then took third on a bunt by Jake Marisnick before the A's drew the infield in in an attempt to convert any ground ball into an out at the plate.
No such luck. Springer took advantage of the reduced range second baseman Joey Wendle could cover to shoot a single into right-center to bring the game-winner home.
Oakland would load the bases against Houston closer Ken Giles on two walks and a Brett Eibner single in the bottom of the inning. But after just missing a double down the left field line on a first-pitch foul ball, Jake Smolinski popped out and Wendle struck out to end it.
The A's, who averaged almost 12 hits per game on a 6-1 road trip, have come home to get just six hits in 19 innings against Houston, just three of them Tuesday night.
Before the game started, some of the members of the Oakland Unified School District Honor Band, playing the national anthem, took a knee during its rendition, echoing national protests during the anthem.
And then the A's played the game under protest after a confusing third inning mess at first base. The decision to protest came from manager Bob Melvin.
Teoscar Hernandez opened with a hit, then Jake Marisnick pushed a bunt in the air toward first base. Because it wasn't clear whether or not A's first baseman Yonder Alonso would catch the ball, Hernandez didn't break toward second base.
The ball hit the ground, Alonso grabbed it and tagged Marisnick. However, first base umpire Clint Fagan ruled that Marisnick's dive toward first base eluded the tag. Hernandez then stepped off first base, Alonso tagged him and Fagan ruled that Hernandez was out.
Melvin appealed the play, and after a review by the replay official, the umpiring crew said Marisnick was out, but that Hernandez was safe, even though the one clear thing about the play is that Hernandez was off the base when Alonso tagged him.
The replay official apparently told the umpiring crew that the runner reacted to the incorrect call, and thereby awarded him first base.
At that point, with the game scoreless, Melvin told the umpires the A's would play the game under protest. A possibility of the game being replayed from that point in the top of the third inning exists if the A's were to go on and lose and the Commissioner's Office decides that the A's had been adversely affected from winning the game. It's not clear if that's a possibility.
Once the protest was in the books, the game went along without either offense making much noise until back-to-back hits from Smolinski and Wendle, the first two A's hits of the game, and a walk to Marcus Semien loaded the bases with one out. Stephen Vogt got a run home with a grounder
Oakland's lead was gone once starter Sean Manaea was out of the game after six shutout innings. Reliever John Axford, pitching with two out and a man on first, saw Marwin Gonzalez steal second. Axford still could have been out of the inning, but pinch-hitter Kemp's grounder up the middle deflected off Axford's glove. Wendle, who'd been moving to his right to get to the ball, slipped as he reversed field and the ball trickled by him as Gonzalez scored.
Notes:
_Stephen Vogt was named winner of the A's Dave Stewart Community Service Award, recognition that goes annually to a player who's done significant charitable work locally and nationally. Vogt, who together with his wife Alyssa devotes lots of time to Dublin's School of Imagination to help special needs children, is the first player to win it twice, and will get the award before Wednesday's game from Stewart, now the Arizona Diamondbacks' GM.
_Henderson Alvarez underwent should surgery Tuesday with Dr. James Andrews at the helm. The surgery was described as a bicep tenodesis procedure as well as an excision of a boney exostosis in the shoulder. There is no timetable for his return, but it's not likely to be quick.
_Danny Valencia was ejected by ump Marty Foster after striking out to end the bottom of the ninth. Valencia thought he'd walked on a 3-1 pitch from Chris Devenski, but Foster thought otherwise.
_Khris Davis was in the original starting lineup for the A's but was scratched after battling what manager Bob Melvin called "a stomach bug" for most of the day. In his place, Valencia started in right field and Smolinski, who was originally down to start in right, moved to left.
_Astros manager A.J. Hinch saw enough of rookie Jharel Cotton Monday with his six innings of two-hit pitching that he'd like to fill out Melvin's lineup card the final weekend of the season. The A's finish up with four games in Seattle and the Astros are trying to run down the Mariners in the American League wild card chase and Hinch would love to see Cotton, currently with a 1.50 ERA in three Major League games, face Seattle. "He's got a good changeup that would do well against those Mariner left-handed hitters," Hinch said.
