OAKLAND, Calif. — A two-run home run off A.J. Puk in the eighth inning wasted a stellar start for A’s Frankie Montas and led to the Oakland A’s 2-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon. With the Houston Astros’ loss, the A’s lost an opportunity to gain ground in the American League West and lost the Bay Bridge Series, 4-2.
With their ace of the staff facing surgery next week, the Oakland A’s needed a dominant start from a member of the rotation. Not just to help preserve the bullpen, but to right the ship as it started to veer.
Frankie Montas delivered seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants in a tense pitchers’ duel. Montas threw 105 pitches and gave up three hard hits total, according to Statcast, to a Giants team best equipped to produce against right-handed pitching.
After an inconsistent first few months, Montas has settled in, posting a 2.45 ERA with 69 strikeouts over his last nine starts.
Tony Kemp and Mark Canha combined for back-to-back hits — Kemp a double down the third base line and Canha a single — for the A’s only run of support. Starling Marte nearly helped create another. He hit a sharp ground ball to shortstop Brandon Crawford, but Mark Canha made contact with the ball and was called out.
Marte stole two bases, his 16th and 17th with the A’s. The second came in the sixth inning, but he was stranded.
Puk got two quick outs in the eighth inning, but walked pinch hitter Austin Slater and gave up a first-pitch, two-run home run to pinch hitter Donovan Solano. Both right-handed hitters switching in to face the left-hander.
The A’s had the go-ahead runner at second base when Mark Canha reached with two outs and Marte moved him to third on a double. But Matt Olson grounded out to end the inning against Tyler Rogers.
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