Jace Peterson homered twice in a five-hit, five-RBI night, and Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker also went deep on Tuesday as the visiting Oakland Athletics smacked the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-2 to snap a five-game losing skid.
Seth Brown added an RBI double while Jonah Bride and Ryan Noda each had an RBI single for the A’s, who avoided their 16th straight road loss, which would have been an Oakland-era franchise record.
A’s starter James Kaprielian (1-6) went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and four hits with one strikeout and five walks.
The Pirates had won six in a row.
Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller (7-2) gave up five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, with one strikeout and four walks. He had won four consecutive decisions and had logged at least eight strikeouts in each of his previous seven starts.
The Athletics grabbed the lead for good with a three-run sixth. Aledmys Diaz singled to center, JJ Bleday walked, and Langeliers advanced both runners with a groundout. Peterson singled home Diaz to make it 3-2 and chase Keller for Yohan Ramirez.
Bride singled to center to drive in Bleday. Pirates first baseman Connor Joe made an error on Esteury Ruiz’s grounder to load the bases, and Noda’s infield hit brought Peterson home to make it 5-2.
In the eighth, Peterson hit a two-run shot to right, and Rooker added another two-run homer, to center, his 12th.
Peterson hit another two-run dinger in the ninth, giving him five long balls on the year.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first after Tucupita Marcano doubled to left and Bryan Reynolds walked. An out later, Jack Suwinski grounded into what might have been an inning-ending double play, but Peterson misplayed the ball at second for an error, allowing Marcano to score.
With one out in the second, Langeliers homered to center, his eighth, to tie the game.
Oakland took a 2-1 lead in the third. Noda doubled to left and scored on Brown’s one-out double to center.
The Pirates tied it in the fifth. Reynolds hit an infield single and Andrew McCutchen walked. An out later, Joe walked to load the bases. Josh Palacios grounded into a forceout, with Reynolds scoring.
–Field Level Media
