Peterson's big bat boosts A's vibes: 'It just felt different today'

PITTSBURGH -- After Jace Peterson booted what was likely an inning-ending double-play ball for an error that gave the Pirates a one-run lead in the first inning on Tuesday night, the A’s second baseman quickly sought out starting pitcher James Kaprielian upon returning to the dugout and vowed to make amends for his mistake.

Boy, did he ever.

A game that began in frustration for Peterson ended as arguably the best night of his 10-year big league career. In an 11-2 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park that snapped the A’s 15-game road losing streak, Peterson finished 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs in what was a much-needed outburst.

“He’s a professional,” Kaprielian, who allowed two runs (one earned) across six innings, said of Peterson. “He came up to me and was embarrassed and felt horrible about it. … Jace told me, ‘I’m going to get four hits for you tonight.’ He ended up getting five with two big home runs. Sometimes it takes an error to get five hits, I guess. It was impressive.”

Not only did Peterson match a career-best five hits in what was his first multihomer game, but it also was a historic feat. He became just the second second baseman in franchise history to go 5-for-5 with two homers, joining Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie on Aug. 9, 1901.

“Pretty remarkable night for Jace,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “A 5-for-5 night is special in itself. To have two homers included in that 5-for-5, it’s pretty memorable.”

In the midst of his prolific night at the plate was Peterson’s 500th career hit, which he notched on an RBI single in the sixth before launching consecutive two-run homers in the eighth and ninth.

“To get the 500th career hit, I’m very thankful,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of crazy how baseball works. Just happy it happened and happy we won.”

Here’s a breakdown of what Peterson accomplished on the night:

• Peterson became the first A’s player to go 5-for-5 since Hideki Matsui on July 24, 2011, and the first Oakland second baseman to do it since Mark Ellis on Aug. 10, 2009.

• Peterson is the first A’s player to go 5-for-5 with two home runs since Eric Chavez on June 12, 2005.

After signing a two-year deal this offseason with the expectation of producing as an everyday contributor and providing leadership inside a young clubhouse, Peterson has not had an ideal start. He entered Tuesday hitting .194, and he was just 9-for-57 (.158) over his past 20 games.

But despite the slump, Peterson noted he’d been feeling an improvement in his at-bats over the past week or so, and that finally showed at the plate.

“We’ve been texting a little bit back and forth about how it’s coming and [how] it’s going to happen,” Kotsay said. “It’s a point in the season where you know where you’re at, but when you’re starting to feel good, there’s light at the end of the tunnel -- especially for guys with a track record, which he has. Tonight was a result of his prep. … Hopefully, this game can really lead to something special.”

Although the A’s entered Tuesday grinding through the longest road losing streak in Oakland history, you wouldn’t know it based on the vibes they displayed.

The good vibrations began about three hours before first pitch, when a heavy dose of ‘90s/early 2000s hip-hop hits emanated from inside the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park courtesy of Kaprielian’s gameday playlist. Among the songs in rotation were “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre, “Represent” by Nas and “Tha Mobb” by Lil Wayne.

Later, the A’s scored a pregame victory when reliever Austin Pruitt outlasted Pirates reliever Jose Hernandez in a national anthem standoff. Pruitt was assisted by fellow bullpen mate Ken Waldichuk, who brought over a cup of coffee as the battle of wills lasted several minutes.

“It just felt different today,” Kaprielian said. “We know we’ve been struggling. … We want to win. Pruitt [showed it] out there standing for the national anthem. There’s no lack of fight in these guys. If it takes blasting music, I’m going to keep blasting music. The energy was there, and we’re going to continue to feed off that to keep this thing rolling.”