Tigers fall to Athletics in extra innings battle
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal allowed two runs on nine hits in five-plus innings as the Athletics topped Detroit in a 13-inning battle Friday night.
Seth Brown hit a walk-off RBI single in the 13th inning to give Oakland a 7-6 win Friday night after tying the game in the 11th with a two-run homer.
The teams went back-and-forth in extras. Both scored their automatic runner in the 10th and then put up two runs each in the 11th. Parker Meadows hit a two-out, two-run double but Brown responded with a two-run homer. In the 12th, Riley Greene drove in a run with a single for the Tigers and Brent Rooker evened it with a sacrifice fly.
It was the A's third walk-off win of the week, and manager Mark Kotsay joked that his beard was getting whiter.
"Tonight was a team effort, and we went down to just about everybody on the roster," Kotsay said.
Grant Holman (1-1) recorded his first career win after pitching the last two innings, striking out Meadows with the bases loaded.
Brown, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 11th, drove in automatic runner JJ Bleday with a hit down the right field line off Beau Brieske (2-4). It was Brown's second walk-off hit of the homestand.
The 32-year-old had a stint in Triple-A Las Vegas after struggling earlier this season, but entered the game batting .424 over his last nine games.
"On a night like tonight, everybody's out there, everybody's doing their best to win the game and do their part," Brown said. "So when your number is called, you've got to be ready to go and give your 100%."
The loss was a setback for the Tigers' playoff hopes as they fell five and a half games back of the final American League wild-card spot.
"(Facing) a team like that, who's in the race, it's huge for us," Brown said. "It's a confidence builder for us."
Skubal's start was likely sentimental for the native of nearby Hayward who grew up going to games at the Coliseum.
"Obviously a tough loss," Skubal said. "You want to win the games you play in. I got 'baseball-ed' a little bit, but that's part of the game. You move on."
A's starter Mitch Spence scattered eight hits in four-plus innings, giving up one run.
Daz Cameron had an RBI single in the sixth to give Oakland a 2-1 lead. The Tigers evened the score in the seventh when Greene scored on a wild pitch.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on three consecutive one-out singles by Meadows, Jace Jung and Greene.
"That was a winnable game. we kind of did it to ourselves in a couple of situations," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "Games get a little bit crazy here, and with extra innings and all the extra runners and things like that — it was a tough loss."
Oakland answered in the bottom half of the fifth on a two-out RBI triple by Jacob Wilson.
A's leadoff hitter Lawrence Butler had three hits to extend his hit streak to 16 games.
The A's, who will play their games in Sacramento next season ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, drew 14,669 in the opener of the final series of their penultimate homestand. Kotsay didn't want to speculate about the atmosphere in Sacramento, but he noted that the fans in Oakland were heard on Friday.
"There's something about this place that's special when they come out and they get behind us, and tonight was one of those nights you just felt the energy continue to build," Kotsay said. "They didn't leave when we went down two in extra innings. They kept believing. This is one of the better wins for us this year."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Reese Olson (right shoulder strain) pitched two scoreless innings in a rehab game with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, and is expected to throw a bullpen soon, manager AJ Hinch said.
UP NEXT
LHP Brant Hurter (1-3, 3.25 ERA) is scheduled to start the second game of the series for the Tigers, opposite LHP Brady Basso (0-0, 5.40 ERA)