[August 21, 2014]Mets 8, Athletics 5: Lucas Duda
clubbed a three-run homer and visiting New York scored seven of its
eight runs with two outs to earn a split of the two-game series.
Zack Wheeler (9-8) won his sixth consecutive decision, giving up
four runs - two earned - in 5 2/3 innings to remain unbeaten since
June 25 and move above .500 for the first time this season. Eric
Campbell homered and joined Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy with
two hits and an RBI as the Mets halted a three-game losing streak.
Coco Crisp and John Jaso registered RBI doubles for Oakland, which
lost for the eighth time in 10 games to drop 1 1/2 games behind the
first-place Los Angeles Angels in the American League West. Jeff
Samardzija (5-10) lasted only 3 2/3 innings and was tagged for seven
runs and seven hits.
Campbell ignited the five-run third inning with a solo homer and,
after Samardizja uncorked a wild pitch to plate another run, Duda
crushed a hanging slider to straightaway center for his 23rd blast.
The Athletics answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on
back-to-back RBI doubles from Crisp and Jaso to pull within 5-2.
New York chased Samardzija with two outs in the fourth on
consecutive run-scoring singles by Granderson and Murphy, but the
Athletics got both of those back in their next at-bat when Murphy
booted a two-out grounder. Trailing 8-4, Oakland parlayed three
walks and an error by Duda into one run in the eighth before Jeurys
Familia wriggled out of the one-out, bases-loaded jam and finished
up to nail down his fourth save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wheeler joined Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers
and Oakland's Jon Lester as the only pitchers in the majors with
10-start unbeaten streaks. ... Athletics LHP Fernando Abad, who worked
two scoreless innings, escaped a bases-loaded situation in the sixth and
has stranded all 26 runners he has inherited this season. ... The
Athletics will skip RHP Jason Hammel's scheduled start for the
three-game showdown against the visiting Angels beginning on Friday,
while OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (neck) was a late scratch for New York, which
opens a three-game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
