A’s conclude Spring Training with 3-1 win
Pitching leads the way for the A’s who will now look ahead to the 2024 regular season
The A’s wrapped up their 2024 Spring Training campaign with a 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday at Oracle Park to split the annual preseason Bay Bridge Series, 1-1. The A’s finish Spring Training going 14-14-2 but more importantly, regular season baseball is now on deck.
For the Giants, Tuesday turned into a bullpen game in just the top of the second inning. Nick Allen roped a 103 mph line drive off the back of the throwing arm of Giants starter Spencer Howard, and he was removed immediately. Howard looked alright in the long run but with the regular season just around the corner, San Francisco wouldn’t take the risk.
The A’s took advantage just an inning later off relief pitcher Blayne Enlow thanks to a Carlos Perez walk, Ryan Noda double, and J.D. Davis RBI groundout.
In the fourth, the A’s went right back to work on Enlow on a pair of plays that signify why baseball is a game of inches.
With a runner on first, Allen tapped a perfectly placed swinging bunt on the third base line to set up first and second. A walk then loaded the bases, and an Esteury Ruiz sacrifice fly brought home a second run on a bang-bang play at home where Lawrence Butler slid in just milliseconds before Patrick Bailey slapped the tag.
The A’s tacked on another in the sixth off Giants superstar closer Camilo Doval. Butler started the inning sending a rocket off the right field wall for a triple, and Allen drove him home a little later with a sacrifice fly to grow the lead to 3-0.
On the pitching side, starter Paul Blackburn would fittingly end his masterful Spring Training on Tuesday. Blackburn was in total control yet again as he cruised through 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball while striking out six and walking no one. He finishes Spring Training 4-0 on the mound.
Blackburn also benefitted from some strong A’s defense behind him, including a diving stop and putout off a Matt Chapman laser from Allen in the fourth and a Darell Hernaiz running play on a slow tapper from third base in the sixth.
Austin Adams took over after Blackburn to make his first appearance in green and gold after being acquired just a couple days ago. Adams worked one batter in relief striking out Pablo Sandoval who presumably played his last game of professional baseball tonight.
Tuesday was truly highlighted by the pitching side for the A’s all night. Kyle Muller threw a scoreless seventh inning in relief working around a one-out double, and Tyler Ferguson posted a scoreless eighth inducing a one-out double-play with runners on the corners.
Offensively, the A’s lineup only scratched six hits including none for the last 3.1 frames of the game. Without their arguable four best hitters — Shea Langeliers, JJ Bleday, Zack Gelof, and Brent Rooker — they’ll take the performance with the victory, however.
Vinny Nittoli couldn’t preserve the shutout in the ninth surrendering a one-out RBI single to Joey Bart to cut the lead to 3-1. Nittoli would make things interesting by putting the tying run on base, but he’d buckle down to strike out the side and send the A’s to the regular season with some good pitching ju-ju.
With that, the wait is now over.
The A’s next 162 games will count for real, and it all begins Thursday. The Stephen-Vogt-led Cleveland Guardians come to town for a matchup that begins at 7:07 p.m. PDT. Alex Wood will toe the rubber for the first time in the regular season as an Athletic against righty Shane Bieber.