OAKLAND — First came the rain, followed by the thunder.
Flexing their offensive muscle for the first time this season, the Athletics exploded for 10 runs in the third inning in a 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins Saturday at the Coliseum following a rain delay of nearly three and a half hours. Their sixth consecutive win evened the A’s record at 17-17, nine games better than the 8-26 record they held after 34 games a year ago.
Brent Rooker had two home runs — his seventh and eighth of the season — and five RBIs in the third inning as the A’s sent 14 men to the plate in the inning. JJ Bleday added a three-run shot, his fourth, as a paid crowd of 7,809 enjoyed the show.
Brett Harris, called up from Triple-A Friday, had his first career hit with a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning and then added a two-run homer against Darren McCaughan in the sixth.
A bit of history here — Rooker is the first A’s player since Mark McGwire in 1996 to hit two home runs in an inning, and A’s research indicates no player in franchise history has ever hit home runs for his first two big league hits.
Catcher Shea Langeliers got in on the action with a three-run home run in the eighth as the A’s scored four runs against Emmanuel Rivera that inning. It was Langeliers’ seventh home run. The A’s finished with 21 hits including the six home runs.
Miami, which fell to 9-26, appears doomed to the type of season the A’s had a year ago when they lost 112 games. Trevor Rogers (0-5) was the losing pitcher, giving up eight earned runs with three walks and a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings.
Nick Fortes hit a solo home run for Miami, his first, in the sixth inning against winning pitcher Paul Blackburn (3-1), and Bryan De La Cruz hit his sixth home run in the eighth against reliever Dany Jimenez.
Blackburn gave up four hits and one earned run in seven innings with a walk and three strikeouts, throwing 105 pitches, including 64 for strikes. He was coming off his shortest outing of the season, when he went four innings in Baltimore and gave up seven hits and six earned runs.
After a 1-7 start when it appeared the A’s were headed toward another downward spiral, they’ve gone 16-10 since April 6.
“I think with how we felt as a team in spring training, we knew the 1-7 start was uncharacteristic of who we were,” Rooker said. “We knew we were a better team than that start.”
Blackburn, the A’s All-Star representative two seasons ago, felt the same way.
“That’s what’s cool about this game,” Blackburn said. “Whatever outsiders have to say doesn’t matter. It’s whatever the 26 guys in here feel and what they think. If you keep believing, things are going to turn around dfor you. We started off really slow, but we put that behind us very quick.”
Two home runs in one inning 🤯
Brent Rooker is the first A’s player to homer twice in the same inning since Mark McGwire on September 22, 1996! pic.twitter.com/OzkdqUR9hL
— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) May 5, 2024
Throw in Bleday’s three-run blast and a two-run single by Abraham Toro and the A’s had built a 12-0 lead.
It was the third home run in two days for Rooker, the A’s lone All-Star a year ago. Since being reinstated from the injured list on April 19, Rooker has six home runs and 15 RBIs. He also added a single in the seventh.
Rooker’s first home run was a soaring drive that carried 447 feet and left the park at 110.6 miles per hour. The second was a line drive down the left field line that departed at 110.5 and carried 380.
Harris, who made his debut without getting a hit Friday night, thrilled his family with the two solo home runs. The first one drew the silent treatment from his teammates and afterward, was given a “rookie special.”
When Harris went out to see his family, he did so with shaving cream on his legs and ketchup in his hair.
“They’ve made me feel great,” Harris said. “It’s been a great two days.”
Bleday’s blast was no cheapie either, carrying 410 feet to right-center with an exit velocity of 107.1 miles per hour.
The Athletics got two runs in the second against Rogers on run-scoring singles from Darell Hernaiz and Esteury Ruiz, and they could have inflicted more damage.
Langeliers opened the inning with a triple that Jazz Chisolm Jr. couldn’t chase down in right-center field. With the infield in, Hernaiz poked a single through the right side to bring in Langeliers, with Bleday drawing a walk and Harris reaching on an infield error to load the bases.
Ruiz started with an 0-2 count but worked it to 3-2 before singling to center to bring in the second run.
Rooker said the lengthy rain delay was pretty much fun and games.
“It was a lot of killing time. A lot of cards being played, a lot of H-O-R-S-E on the mini-hoop,” Rooker said. “A lot of Kentucky Derby talk. We’ve got a really good group of guys. Delays like that, they’re a lot of fun. We like hanging out with each other.”
It was Kotsay who set a goal of .500 in spring training.
“We needed to have higher expectations for ourselves,” Kotsay said. “We still have a ways to go, but since that first homestand we’ve built some confidence and those are things I felt this group could accomplish. Maybe it’s come together a little sooner, but there are good signs.”
NOTABLE
— Ruiz was removed from the game with a left wrist injury after making a diving catch in the sixth inning off the bat of De La Cruz. He was replaced by Seth Brown and underwent diagnostic tests to determine the severity of the injury.
— Bleday, in addition to his three-run home run, had a single and an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh.
— Jimenez pitched the eighth inning and Kyle Muller the ninth for the A’s. The one-sided nature of the game allowed the A’s to rest back-end relievers Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller. The A’s go for a series sweep Sunday, then have four games in three days at the Coliseum against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, including a Wednesday doubleheader.