Stephen Piscotty’s grand slam propels Oakland A’s to victory

While Jesus Luzardo was the center of attention on Tuesday night, it was Stephen Piscotty who pushed the Oakland A’s to victory.

All eyes were on rookie Jesus Luzardo on Tuesday night. The star left-hander made his first major league start and showed the Oakland faithful exactly why they have been excited since his major league debut in 2019.

The A’s again struggled offensively. Luckily, Luzardo and the Athletics’ bullpen were able to keep the game low scoring and allow for some classic late inning magic in a 5-1 win over the Rangers.

Luzardo was the star of the night, for obvious reasons. In his first start, Luzardo was able to throw five scoreless innings while only allowing two hits.

The lefty nicknamed “Baby Jesus” added five strikeouts and did so with an arsenal that includes a 98 MPH fastball and a devastating slider that makes his heater even more impactful.

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Because Luzardo is still working on increasing his pitch count, his inaugural start was limited to five innings and 76 pitches.

After Luzardo left the game, the Oakland relievers picked off where they left off in Seattle and dominated with four innings of work. Aside from Yusmeiro Petit allowing one run in the sixth inning on a Todd Frazier double,

Before the “Late Inning A’s” decided to make their dramatic entrance, Matt Chapman provided Oakland with their only run of the evening in the form of a solo shot to right center field.

Lance Lynn had his way with the Athletics, as has been the norm for most starting pitchers facing the A’s. His only blemish was the home run by Chapman.

After loading the bases in the ninth inning, the Rangers brought in former Oakland Athletic Jesse Chavez to face Stephen Piscotty. Although Piscotty has struggled so far in 2020, there was little struggle as he hit a walk-off grand slam to dead center field.

The A’s continue to win close games supported by their bullpen and in a unique season have found unique ways to win.

The A’s continue to rely on the longball to win games, although for the time being they have been able to escape with some close wins.

Oakland holds their lead in the AL West as they improve to 7-4. The Texas Rangers fall to 3-6 and are three games back in the division.

Sean Manaea will take the mound Wednesday night and will face off against Texas starter Kyle Gibson.