A's use error to plate eventual winning run

CLEVELAND -- The A's were on the other end of the type of play that has cost them several games this season, and it just so happened to be the difference-maker in a 5-4 victory over the Indians.

Having already plated two runs on a two-out double against righty Bryan Shaw to put the A's ahead in the eighth inning, Billy Butler felt the ball hit his back as he was cruising into second base. Josh Reddick, having just reached third, took notice of former teammate Brandon Moss' errant throw from right field and headed home.

At the time, it simply extended a two-run lead into a three-run lead. By game's end, after Edward Mujica had given up a two-run homer to Carlos Santana in the bottom half of the inning, it had halted a three-game losing streak.

"I was trying to score from the get-go," Reddick said. "I got held up, so I just turned to see what was happening behind me, and as soon as I saw it hit Billy, I just took off. I'm just happy I looked back. Thank God it happened, because we needed that run."

"We've seen so many little things show up big against us or for us over the course of the season, and that was one of them," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "You put your head down for one second, you're not aware enough to score, so kudos."

Dating back to the third inning of Thursday's loss to the Yankees, the A's had scored just three times in 23 frames heading into the eighth on Saturday. That's when Stephen Vogt collected his second hit of the night, a base hit off Zach McAllister that jumpstarted the three-run rally.

Ben Zobrist also singled, his coming off Marc Rzepczynski, and Reddick drew a walk against the left-hander, setting the stage for Butler's double down the right-field line against Shaw.

"His ball is moving so much, you're just trying to see it out there and put the barrel on it," Butler said. "I thought I was going to hit it on the barrel and it cut and hit off the end of the bat. I just stayed inside of it. It cut probably a foot, and I was just lucky to find a hole down the line.

"I had no idea where that ball was at. I was just looking over my shoulder to see if there was a play. I didn't think Moss was going to be throwing there, but I think he might've been trying to throw it to the cutoff man and threw it over him. Right spot there."

Said Eric Sogard: "To come out of a one-run game and to kind of take advantage of their little mistakes and score that extra run that ended up being the winning run, it was nice to be on the other end of that."

• Right-hander Chris Bassitt did not earn a decision despite limiting the Indians to two runs in a season-high 6 1/3 innings, but he was plenty happy to showcase such a performance in front of at least 50 friends and family members.

The Ohio native said after the game he's been an Indians fan "since birth" and called it an "unreal experience" to be pitching in the same park where he had attended so many games as a fan.

"Besides my debut, that's probably the coolest start I'll have for a long, long time," said Bassitt, who could hear his mom Dawn yelling in the stands.