A's late rally fuels historic win for Melvin

SEATTLE -- The late-inning comeback has been a signature trait of the A’s since Bob Melvin took over as manager in 2011. So it’s only fitting that the historic win to move him to the top of Oakland’s managerial rankings came in such a fashion.

Trailing by two runs after the sixth, an A’s offense that was in search of a spark finally broke through with 10 runs over the game’s final three innings in Tuesday’s 12-6 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. The win was Melvin’s 799th as manager of the A’s, surpassing Tony La Russa for most managerial wins in Oakland history.

Predictably modest about the impressive feat just minutes after the final pitch, Melvin directed the credit to his players and coaches.

“It just means I’ve been around for a while,” Melvin said. “I’ve often said that it’s about the players. They win games for you. My coaches are great and prepare these guys that win all those games. I’ve just been lucky enough to be around for a lot of them.”

Melvin has referred to himself as a “glorified cheerleader” for his club, downplaying the significance of his impact on the A’s success over the years in favor of dishing out the compliments to his players. That’s why the postgame celebration remained low-key, with his players busting out a small bottle of champagne inside the clubhouse in his honor.

But Melvin actually played a bigger role in Tuesday’s win that he might give himself credit for. After the game, second baseman Tony Kemp revealed that the usually even-keeled manager walked through the dugout after the fifth inning and had some “choice words” for the players who were within distance at the time. Shortly after, the A’s exploded for six runs in the seventh, a frame that was highlighted by five RBIs coming on two-out hits.

“Bob really doesn’t say many things. But what he said in the fifth inning will definitely stick in your head,” Kemp said. “I don’t think I can repeat it. Just know that he pumped the boys up.”

Melvin has endeared himself to the many different waves of players to come through the A’s clubhouse during his tenure. Few have developed a closer relationship with the skipper than utility man Chad Pinder, whose two-out walk in the seventh was a key development in that big inning.

“It speaks for itself,” Pinder said of Melvin’s accomplishment. “Wins aside, just what he’s thought of as a manager among the players that have had him, you won’t find a person that speaks poorly about him. He may be my only manager that I’ve had, but he’s an incredible person and great to play for.”

Just as important as the offensive outburst was the valiant effort turned in by Jesús Luzardo. Taking over in the fifth after starter Chris Bassitt allowed four early runs in a laborious four innings at 83 pitches, the 23-year-old lefty was electric. Racking up six strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk over three scoreless innings, Luzardo earned a win that snapped a three-game losing streak for the A’s and kept them atop the American League West standings.

Though Luzardo showed off a power fastball that flashed 99 mph on the stadium radar gun, sitting well above his season average velocity of 95.8 mph, it was the offspeed pitches that made him look nearly unhittable to Mariners batters. Of his six punchouts, each was finished off with his offspeed stuff as the putaway pitch -- four on his curveball and two on the changeup.

“This is what we’ve seen out of him in the bullpen,” Melvin said. “From the first outing he had to this one where he was back in that role again. He gives us three innings of absolute lockdown [stuff]. Six strikeouts and borderline domination in this role. It was good that we were able to get him three innings today.

“I think that does a world of good for his confidence. He definitely has these type of outings in him.”

Kemp helped break the game open in the eighth with a towering two-run blast off Seattle left-hander Daniel Zamora. He continues to enjoy hitting at T-Mobile Park, delivering a three-hit night and a season-high five RBIs on Tuesday. The 17 hits he's accumulated in Seattle are his most in any stadium as a visiting player.

Now 15-for-40 (.375) over his last 17 games, Kemp has upped his batting average to a team-leading .280 and is in line for even more appearances in the starting lineup after Ramón Laureano was placed on the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game.

“He’s been big,” Melvin said. “Sometimes he gets some of the tougher assignments, too, against lefties. Whatever role, he’s been really good for us.”