Kyle Schwarber homered on the first pitch of the game, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm also went deep and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Oakland Athletics 6-1 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Oakland lost its third in a row following a season-high, seven-game winning streak. At 19-53, the A’s are just above Kansas City (18-51) for worst record in the major leagues.
A day after Nevada enacted $380 million in public financing for a ballpark for the A’s, the game drew 16,084 to the Oakland Coliseum, the team’s fifth-largest home crowd this season. Oakland is proposing to move to Las Vegas after its Coliseum lease expires at the end of the 2024 season. The A’s entered the day averaging a major league-low 8,363.
Taijuan Walker (7-3) allowed one run and seven hits in a season-high eight innings. He walked none and tied a season high with eight strikeouts as the Phillies won for the 11th time in 13 games.
“When he’s on, there’s just so many ways he can attack hitters and so many pitches he can put guys away with,” Realmuto said.
JP Sears (1-4) gave up four runs and four hits in seven innings, including three home runs. He has allowed 17 home runs this season.
PHOTOS: Schwarber homers on 1st pitch, Phillies beat A's 6-1 and stretch win streak to 4
“Tonight the long ball really beat us early,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “For JP to get through seven, that shows that grit we talk about a lot. He made some mistakes to some good hitters.”
Philadelphia is averaging 5.9 runs over its past 13 games. The Phillies have hit 19 homers in that span, with Schwarber hitting six in 12 games.
Schwarber hit Sears’ first pitch, a high fastball, for his 19th home run.
“A leadoff homer, first pitch of the game, it just kind of stuns people,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Realmuto hit a solo shot leading off the second, and Bohm added a two-run homer in the fourth.
Esteury Ruiz hit an RBI single in the third.
PACHE’S RETURN
Cristian Pache was reinstated from the 10-day IL, started in center field and went 0 for 2 with a walk against the team that traded him in March. He made a terrific catch in the seventh, leaving his feet to rob Aledmys Díaz in left-center, and received high praise from Kotsay.
“You can’t really say anything more, other than he covers center field just about as good as Andruw Jones does,” Kotsay said. “He showed that again tonight.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) was placed on the 15-day IL after he exited Thursday’s game with soreness in the arm. The reliever is 20 months removed from Tommy John surgery. RHP Chad Smith was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. … SS Kevin Smith was scratched from the lineup after feeling tightness in his back while taking pregame swings in the cage. He was replaced by Aledmys Diaz. … OF Ramon Laureano (finger contusion) remained out of the lineup but he pinch-hit in the ninth and struck out.
UP NEXT
LHP Cristopher Sánchez (0-0, 6.23) will be recalled from Triple-A to start Saturday for Philadelphia. RHP James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.89) will try to win his third consecutive start for Oakland.
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