Max Schuemann and Lawrence Butler hit two-run homers in the seventh inning and the visiting Oakland A’s held on for a 5-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of their three-game series on Tuesday night.
Zack Gelof added a solo shot in the eighth for Oakland, which has won two straight.
A’s rookie right-hander Mitch Spence allowed one run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three.
Michel Otanez (1-0) got the final two outs of the sixth to earn his first major league victory.
Reds right-hander Jacob Junis came out of the bullpen to make his first start of the season and retired all 12 batters he faced, striking out three.
Cincinnati reliever Tony Santillan (1-2) came back out for the seventh after entering with two outs in the sixth and striking out Shea Langeliers with the bases loaded.
Tyler Stephenson had three hits and scored three runs for the Reds, who have lost four of five.
In the seventh, Santillan gave up a leadoff walk to Seth Brown then retired the next two batters, but Schuemann hit a first-pitch fastball into the seats in right for a 2-1 Oakland lead.
After giving up a single to No. 9 hitter Jacob Wilson, Santillan was replaced by Justin Wilson, who surrendered a 444-foot homer to right-center field by Butler, extending the lead to 4-1.
Casey Legumina struck out the first two Oakland hitters in the eighth, but Gelof took him deep to left-center to extend the lead to 5-1.
Tyler Ferguson walked in a Reds run in the eighth to cut it to 5-2.
TJ Friedl drove in a run with a groundout in the ninth off A’s closer Mason Miller to cut it to 5-3, and Spencer Steer dropped an RBI single into center to make it 5-4.
The Reds had runners on second and third when Miller got the final out for his 22nd save.
Spence walked Stephenson with one out in the fourth and then issued a two-out walk to Steer. Ty France followed with an RBI single to right, scoring Stephenson for a 1-0 lead.
Oakland’s first hit was a leadoff double in the sixth by Schuemann. The A’s would load the bases with two outs on back-to-back walks by Sam Moll, but Santillan came in and got Langeliers to look at strike three.
–Field Level Media
