On a night Chad Pinder and Ramón Laureano led a much-needed offensive breakout for the A’s, the two made just as big of an impact with their gloves.
Pinder and Laureano did it all in Friday’s 8-4 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium. Aside from combining for seven hits and contributing a pair of long balls in a four-homer performance that pushed the A’s back into first place in the American League West, the duo put on a defensive clinic with two of the most spectacular plays you’ll see this season.
The most eye-catching of the two may have belonged to Pinder. With two outs in the fifth, Pinder raced out from his spot at second base on a shallow popup hit by José Iglesias that appeared to be ticketed for no-man’s land in right-center field. Sensing there was no chance for Laureano or right fielder Stephen Piscotty to get to it as he ran out with his back to home plate, Pinder went into a half-slide for an incredible over-the-shoulder basket catch to end the inning and preserve a tie ballgame.
According to Statcast, Pinder covered 68 feet in his dash to the outfield at a speed of 23.5 feet per second to make the circus catch.
The highlight-reel effort aided what was another solid outing for rookie James Kaprielian, who took a no-decision after allowing two runs with nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings while pitching about 20 minutes away from his hometown of Laguna Hills, with over 100 friends and family in attendance.
“That was Willie Mays at second base right there,” Kaprielian said of Pinder’s catch. “The ball was over the shoulder. From my angle, it looked like he just tucked his hands together and bodied it up. Unbelievable catch. I wasn’t sure he was going to get there, and then, of course.”
With the A’s trailing by a run a couple of innings later, Pinder stepped to the plate and flashed his power by launching a clutch go-ahead three-run homer off Angels right-hander Mike Mayers with two outs in the seventh.
That three-inning sequence by Pinder provided an excellent example of the value he brings to the A’s as a super-utility player who is prone to making such plays as both an infielder and outfielder. It’s a presence the club missed for over a month due to a sprained left knee, with Friday’s contest marking his sixth game back from the injured list.
Laureano’s defensive gem, however, might have edged Pinder’s in terms of importance. On what looked to be a game-tying two-run homer by Anthony Rendon, he raced back in deep center to cover 84 feet before perfectly timing a leap above the center-field wall to snag a ball that was crushed 395 feet. The robbery ended the seventh and kept the A’s ahead, 6-4, at the time.
It’s no longer a surprise for Laureano’s teammates to see him make such a spectacular grab. He’s made several over the past few years at Angel Stadium alone, with Friday’s bearing a striking resemblance to a catch he made there last August to rob Brian Goodwin of a home run.
“I feel like every time I look up, Ramón is at the wall saving a home run,” Kaprielian said. “We have so many weapons out there on defense, and it makes our jobs as pitchers a little easier. We just want to make pitches and let these guys work.”
Laureano later provided some insurance with a solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth — his 11th homer of the year — to cap a 4-for-4 night at the plate.
Mark Canha and Jed Lowrie were the other A’s to flex their muscle with solo shots, but this night highlighted what the A’s pride themselves on being: a good defensive team. It hasn’t shown in the overall numbers — Oakland entered the day with a team UZR (-2.8) that ranked 18th in MLB — though manager Bob Melvin said he expects those advanced metrics to improve as the year goes along.
The A’s Gold Glovers at the corners even got in on the defensive fun late in Friday’s game, with Matt Olson reaching into the seats down the right-field line to pull a foul ball from the stands for the second out of the eighth and Matt Chapman showing off his slick glovework at third base to initiate an game-ending 5-4-3 double play.
“You can be solid and make all the routine plays, but we also have the ability to make the great plays,” Melvin said. “That’s really what sets you apart, defensively. They’re proud of making those. Maybe the numbers are not there, to this point in time, but we’re a really good defensive team.”