SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Crawford received Monday off because of "general soreness," according to Giants manager Bruce Bochy. And the added 24 hours of rest appeared to pay off perfectly one night later, as Crawford went 3-for-5 with five runs batted in, including a bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning of the Giants' 13-11 loss to the A's at AT&T Park on Tuesday.
On a day in which the Giants' infield was dealt another blow with the news of Joe Panik's concussion-like symptoms, Crawford continued to provide the muscle for the offense with runners in scoring position.
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He's now 21-for-his-last-46 with runners in scoring position, and his five-RBI night gave him a team-leading 49 on the year. The only National League shortstop with more is Colorado's Trevor Story (50).
His power increased as the game wore on Tuesday. He singled in the second and followed that with a two-run double in the third. Then after grounding out to first in the fifth, he crushed a liner into left-center field that cleared the bases in the sixth.
The triple came after the A's elected to walk Buster Posey with runners on second and third and two outs. The decision backfired quickly, as Crawford connected on a 1-0 pitch from Marc Rzepczynski, giving the Giants an 8-5 lead and Crawford, who ranks fourth among National League shortstops in All-Star balloting, 16 RBIs in his last 14 games.
The A's bats were just as hot as Crawford's, though, and produced eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings against the Giants bullpen. The result was just the sixth Giants loss this season when they've scored more than five runs.