OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Oakland A's took two from the Arizona Diamondbacks, splitting the four-game away-home series, with a 5-1 win Thursday night.
Matt Chapman has been working on laying off bad pitches, not expanding the zone when he's feeling untouchable. It's been an issue that's contributed to his high strikeout numbers.
In the first inning, Chapman took a high fastball deep into left field for his seventh home run of the year. It came off the bat at 110 mph and traveled 434 feet. He added another monster home run in the eighth, a two-run blast at 111 mph that landed 428 feet into the left field's upper deck.
Matt Olson's two-run home run in the fourth inning scored Mark Canha, who had walked and stolen a base. It was Olson's ninth home run of the season and his third against a left handed pitcher in Diamondbacks' starter Alex Young.
It was the 16th time Chapman and Olson have homered in the same game. They also both homered in the series sweeper against the Houston Astros on Aug. 9.
With a left-hander on the mound, Khris Davis returned to the lineup for the first time since Aug. 16 and collected a two-hit night. He promptly singled in his first at bat, a knock that left his bat at 106 mph. He waited back on a changeup and drove a double into the left-center gap for his second hit.
Sean Manaea built off his five-inning, three-run start against the San Francisco Giants Sunday with a 5 1/3-inning, one-run outing Thursday. Manaea lowered his team-worst 7.65 ERA to 6.39.
His fastball velocity registered at 91 mph in the first inning, but quickly ticked down, averaging at 89 mph. He was locating his slider well and his changeup generated three whiffs _ Manaea accrued four strikeouts. Eduardo Escobar's home run in the fifth the only run against him.
