A's Win Dog Fight, Take Series vs. Marlins

It was a series of "firsts" and plenty of celebration in Miami for the A's, as they head back West with two series wins under their belt, an AL-best road record of 13-7, and a little bit of swagger.

In the first game, JJ Bleday broke out going 2-for-4 with a home run, and to add a bit of intrigue, it was the trade with the Miami Marlins that brought Bleday to the organization. The big story of the day was the debut and performance of the No. 14 right-handed pitching prospect, Gunnar Hoglund, who was called up for the start.

The bright lights didn't seem to phase him, as the former Ole Miss star threw six strong innings with seven strikeouts. He grew up in Dunedin, Florida just a four-hour drive from loanDepot park. His family was in attendance behind the A's dugout cheering him on.

On his outing, Hoglund said, "It was just surreal. And, you know, I just couldn't wait to just get on the mound and toe the rubber. I was just hoping tonight to show what I was capable of doing, and think I did that.”

In the second game, the long ball was the theme of the afternoon. Brent Rooker, Luis Urias and JJ Bleday all had home runs for the A's and Jacob Wilson also went 2-for 3 with a walk.

For the Marlins, right fielder Kyle Stowers had a 2-home run day, with his second being the difference maker, a walk-off grand slam off Mason Miller. Miller has been stellar up to this point, but it was the Marlins who had the comeback determination that day.

The A's shook off the heartbreaking loss on Saturday to head into Sunday's matchup. JP Sears took the mound, and allowed two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. His consistency in the rotation has been key, and was able to keep the Marlins offense from surging ahead of them.

In the batter's box, Gio Urshela provided a big 2-run double early, but their third and winning run didn't come until the 9th inning. Who else but the rookie Nick Kurtz to lift the team to a series win? The first extra-base hit of his career, a triple and a pinch-hit knock from Tyler Soderstrom which put the A's up 3-2. Mitch Spence and Tyler Ferguson shut the door and secured the victory.

This was a huge win for the A's, to come back from a crushing defeat less then 24 hours before to focus on the task of getting their series win. Kotsay mentioned that about his ballclub, saying, "they came out and fought today", and praised their resiliency as they head into a tough stretch of the schedule, with the Mariner, Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants ahead.

Kotsay is right. The A's will have their work cut out for them against two power American League teams, their rival Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. It's sure to be an exciting week at Sutter Health Park, and the road warriors will now need to prove they can win at home.

RHP Luis Severino (1-3, 3.30) starts Monday in the first of three against Seattle and RHP Bryce Miller (2-3, 3.52). First pitch is at 7:05 PDT.