Davis caps series with 2nd straight 2-HR game
BALTIMORE -- For a second time in 24 hours, Oakland slugger Khris Davis homered twice at Camden Yards. And for a second time, he was just part of the power show.
Davis smashed a two-run shot in the fourth inning and added a solo blast in the sixth off Orioles starter Dylan Bundy (0-1), and the Athletics went deep five times yet again to win Thursday's series finale, 8-5, and take three out of four in Baltimore.
"We've seen [Davis] go on some runs similar to these, so it's really not a surprise to us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "A lot of times they end up being big home runs for us too. At the end of the day … we needed 'em all."
Davis entered Thursday tied for the MLB lead with seven homers. Now sitting on nine, he’s the first A's player to hit multiple homers in consecutive games since Josh Reddick did it on Aug. 9-10, 2013. It's the 12th time an A's player has done it since the team moved to Oakland.
Josh Phegley also contributed a two-run shot, and Kendrys Morales and Marcus Semien added solo homers as the A's left town having gone deep 14 times in total during their stay.
After finishing second in the AL with 227 homers last season, despite their less-than-hitter friendly home park, they have 32 through 17 games of the 2019 slate.
"That's what we do," said Semien, whose third of the season added a crucial insurance run in the ninth. "So you always want to be a part of it."
Three-timers club
Davis could become only the fifth player in big league history since 1908 to hit multiple home runs in three straight games should he accomplish the feat in Friday's series opener at the Rangers.
There might be no better place than Globe Life Park, where Davis has belted 15 home runs and posted a career-best 1.243 OPS over 120 plate appearances.
”It’s come up, yeah,” Melvin deadpanned. “He’s hit some home runs there, too.”
Said Davis: “I’m not going to change what I’ve done, just continue what’s working right now.”
Over the past 50 years, only one player has had three consecutive multi-HR games: the Angels’ Jeff DaVanon, who did it in 2003.
JB or not JB
With two on and none out in the seventh, J.B. Wendelken relieved starter Aaron Brooks (2-1), walked historically slumping Orioles slugger Chris Davis, then plunked Pedro Severino in the head with a breaking ball.
He made way for Lou Trivino without retiring a batter. By the time Trivino worked out of it, the Orioles had put up four runs to close it to 7-5, and Wendelken had seen his ERA rise more than a point to 3.18.
“I don’t doubt that he would’ve gotten out of it,” Melvin said of Wendelken, “but we had three really fresh guys after that, and Lou’s been pretty good about coming in with guys on base.”