Even on days when the offense starts slowly, it never feels like the A’s are out of game in the late innings with their firepower up and down the lineup. As catcher Sean Murphy demonstrated on Sunday, only one swing is needed.
An A attack stunted most of the day by Tigers left-handed Matthew Boyd eventually got off to a flying start with Murphy’s blast at the plate. His match-tying solo shot at Boyd in the eighth – Murphy’s first of the year – led to a late rally for the A’s, which was completed by Mitch Moreland in the ninth. The veteran reached on an error to bring Matt Olson home for a walk-off 3-2 victory.
The win covered Detroit’s four-game sweep and extended Oakland’s best American League winning streak to eight games.