Brent Rooker hit an RBI double to drive in the go-ahead run in extra innings as the visiting Oakland Athletics rallied past the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 in 10 innings on Friday to open a three-game series.
Rooker finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Shea Langeliers hit a home run and Lawrence Butler added a double for Oakland. Mason Miller pitched a perfect 10th inning and struck out Gunnar Henderson with the tying run on third to secure his seventh save of the season and the Athletics’ second straight win.
Ryan O’Hearn had two singles and an RBI, and Cedric Mullins hit his sixth home run of the season for the Orioles, who led 2-1 entering the ninth inning.
Rooker led off the ninth with a double off Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel. JJ Bleday followed with a walk before Abraham Toro seared a line drive that glanced off Ryan McKenna’s glove in deep right-center for an RBI double to tie the score.
The Athletics nearly took the lead on the next pitch when Kimbrel threw a breaking ball past catcher Adley Rutschman. Bleday dashed in from third and narrowly scored on a headfirst slide ahead of Kimbrel’s tag, but a replay review overturned the initial safe call, leaving Toro on third base with one out.
Kimbrel walked Darell Hernaiz and Butler to load the bases with one out. Keegan Akin entered and retired the next two batters to keep the score tied.
After Mitch Spence (2-1) set down Baltimore in order in the ninth, Rooker came up with two outs in the 10th and hit a sweeper from Jacob Webb (0-1) into left field for a double that scored Langeliers from first. Langeliers had reached on a fielder’s choice after Ryan Noda was tagged out in a rundown between third and home.
Miller fanned Colton Cowser in the bottom of the frame and induced a groundout from Heston Kjerstad before blowing a 101 mph fastball past Henderson to seal the win.
Mullins propelled the Orioles ahead 2-1 with one out in the bottom of the fourth when he hit a hanging changeup from Athletics starter Ross Stripling over the right-field wall. The center fielder’s homer came an inning after O’Hearn tied the score at 1-1 with a two-out RBI single up the middle.
Langeliers opened the scoring in the first inning with a two-out solo shot off Baltimore starter Corbin Burnes, who gave up one run on three hits and three walks in six innings. Burnes struck out six.
