The Oakland A’s offense took advantage of a last-place Detroit Tigers team en route to a comfortable 9-3 win on Tuesday at Comerica Park.
Matt Chapman and Mark Canha both hit home runs. Chapman had his second multi-home run game of the year with a two-run home run in the third inning off Detroit starter Tarik Skubal and a ninth inning home run. They were his eighth and ninth home runs over his last 14 games. His first home run gave the A’s a lead after Starling Marte and Matt Olson combined for a pair of doubles to tie the game at 1.
Canha’s two-run opposite-field home run was his 500th career hit and his first home run since Aug. 15 in Texas — his second home run over his last 41 games played. The A’s outfielder has been in a slump, batting .191 with a .329 OBP lifted by 20 walks over 37 games since he returned from a hip injury in mid-July.
Cole Irvin’s start was in jeopardy last week after he left his three-inning start against the Seattle Mariners with hip discomfort. He got back on track against the Tigers, though he gave up three solo home runs to former A’s outfielder Robbie Grossman, Derek Hill and former A’s catcher Dustin Garneau.
Irvin departed two outs into the fifth inning with those three runs allowed, seven hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
The A’s added on in the eighth inning with Josh Harrison’s two-run single scoring Chad Pinder and Elvis Andrus, who both collected hits off reliever Derek Holland.
