Yanks rally past A's on Beltran's HR
OAKLAND -- Carlos Beltran hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and added an RBI single in the eighth, guiding the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the A's at the Coliseum on Saturday night and putting New York in position to split the four-game series in Sunday's matinee.
Beltran's one-out shot to straightaway center field off A's starter Jesse Hahn was his fourth of the year, and just the third home run allowed by Hahn in 59 2/3 innings.
"It's great. At the end of the day, it's about wins," Beltran said. "It feels good every time we're capable of helping the team to win a ballgame. Today was a good day for me, at the same time it was a good day for the ballclub. We needed this one. Tomorrow we have a chance to leave this place with an even series."
Hahn allowed four runs in six innings, though one was unearned, as the A's defensive lapses in the fifth proved costly.
Video: NYY@OAK: Melvin on Hahn's outing in 5-3 loss
"I thought I was on a roll there," Hahn said. "That one pitch kind of ruined the night for me. Tried to go sinker, down and away there, and it flattened out on me. I got under it, hung it, and it was a good pitch for him to drive."
The A's tallied 12 hits, all singles -- 11 of them coming in four-plus innings against righty Nathan Eovaldi, including two each from Marcus Semien and Josh Reddick, who both drove in runs. But they stranded eight in the loss, as Andrew Miller worked a perfect ninth for his 15th save in as many chances.
Video: NYY@OAK: Miller strikes out Semien to record the save
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Beltran's big swing: The veteran outfielder continued his hot May by slugging his fourth homer of the year, a line-drive two-run shot with Brian McCann aboard. Beltran has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games and has 377 homers, tying Mark Teixeira for fourth-most all time by a switch-hitter. The go-ahead homer took Eovaldi off the hook for the decision after his 4 2/3-inning, 11-hit outing. More >
"It's just hitting, is what it is," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It takes guys sometimes a while to get going, to feel good about their swings, and to mechanically be sound. And that's where he is."
Singles night: The A's had 14 baserunners, but just three runs to show for it. They outhit the Yankees, 12-10, but all 12 hits were singles. The A's had seven singles, but no runs by the time Billy Butler stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs in the third, after Semien was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Reddick's first-inning single. Butler could only manage a sacrifice fly, though. Reddick followed with an RBI base hit, and that's all they would get in the inning.
Video: NYY@OAK: Reddick lines an RBI single to center
"One extra base hit maybe breaks it open a little bit more," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "We were getting good at-bats, we were getting our share of hits, but just not to the point where we're knocking runs in early."
Flores shows flair: Making his Major League debut in left field, Ramon Flores wasted little time introducing himself to his teammates. Flores came up firing on Reddick's first-inning single, throwing home to nab Semien for an assist. Flores then contributed a sharp play in the second, tumbling near the bullpen mound to snare an Eric Sogard pop fly.
Video: NYY@OAK: Flores nabs Semien at the plate in MLB debut
"It was exciting, those two plays that I made," Flores said. "I'm proud to play for the Yankees. Thank you to the Yankees for this opportunity. I'm going to try to play hard every day, every time when the manager puts me in the lineup, just play hard."
Video: NYY@OAK: Flores makes a diving catch in foul ground
Glove story: The A's allowed their Major League-leading 31st unearned run in the fifth, when Jose Pirela reached on a two-out single that second baseman Sogard couldn't handle. Brett Gardner's ensuing line drive went of the glove of third baseman Brett Lawrie, and Chase Headley capitalized on the error by notching an RBI single. It was the A's 52nd error in as many games this season.
Video: NYY@OAK: Headley grounds an RBI single up the middle
"It happens," Girardi said. "The guys are really good at what they do, but sometimes you don't make the plays, and those extra outs -- we've talked about it all year long -- can lead to runs."
WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees: Adam Warren (3-3, 3.91 ERA) draws the start on Sunday as the Yankees wrap up their four-game series at the Coliseum. The right-hander has recorded three straight quality starts, beating the Royals his last time out. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Athletics: Jesse Chavez (1-5, 2.44) takes the mound for the A's on Sunday at the Coliseum at 1:05 p.m. PT. The right-hander allowed just one unearned run in eight innings in the A's 1-0 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday, but was the losing pitcher.
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