OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — First-year manager Mark Kotsay walked up the tunnel after another impressive victory by his Athletics and tried to remember the last winning series at home.
“To be honest, I don’t think I can reflect on it, so it does feel good to get a series win here at home,” Kotsay said.
He couldn’t recall because it had been nearly three months, since the club’s first series at the Coliseum in April against Baltimore.
Stephen Piscotty homered and made a dazzling catch in right field, Adrián Martínez struck out five over five solid innings, and Oakland beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Matt Chapman hit a tying two-run homer in the second against his former club, but the A’s held on to secure a winning series for just the second time in their last 12. They won 5-1 in Monday’s first game, snapping a 12-game skid in series openers that was one shy of the Oakland record accomplished three times previously, most recently in 1994.
In a team meeting of A’s hitters before the July 4 series opener Monday, Kotsay suggested putting the season’s first half in the past and making a fresh start.
The A’s won 5-3 on Fourth of July and again Tuesday.
“Yesterday was awesome, all the energy, July 4th, big crowd, I think some of that energy spilled over to today,” Piscotty said. “We had a meeting, we’re going to kind of put that first half behind us, eliminate it, learn from it so hopefully we have a better record at home as we go forward.”
The A’s loaded the bases with no outs in the third after Yusei Kikuchi allowed Nick Allen’s leadoff walk, and then hit Ramón Laureano and Christian Bethancourt with pitches. Sean Murphy followed with a sacrifice fly.
Four relievers followed Martínez (2-1) and held Toronto in check, with Lou Trivino closing it out for his…