OAKLAND — Magneuris Sierra called game in extra innings — twice. The first time he knocked in a go-ahead run for the Angels, the A’s responded in the bottom of the 10th inning to keep the game alive. So when Sierra came to the plate again in the top of the 12th inning, he tried again.
The second time was the charm, as Sierra’s RBI double led to a 5-4 win for Los Angeles and a happy plane ride back to Southern California after a three-game sweep of Oakland. Sierra is the first Angel to drive in two go-ahead runs in extra innings since Gary Pettis did so on May 28, 1987, when the California Angels dropped an 8-7 contest to the Orioles in 12 innings.
“Sierra’s two at-bats in extra innings were awesome to see,” interim manager Phil Nevin said. “The aggressiveness in the zone and letting it fly — sometimes he can get a little passive, but we want him to go up there and attack the ball, and it paid off today.”
Sierra’s heroics wouldn’t have been possible without the bullpen’s efforts to keep the game knotted. While Angels relievers were responsible for all four A’s runs, they combined to toss seven innings in the 12-inning marathon.
The late innings have been somewhat of a question mark for the Halos, who dealt closer Raisel Iglesias to the Braves at the Trade Deadline, receiving left-hander Tucker Davidson and veteran righty Jesse Chavez in exchange. Davidson has slotted into the rotation, while Chavez has entered the late-inning relief picture to varying success.
Nevin has not opted to name a new closer upon Iglesias’ departure, instead taking a committee approach and designating Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and José Quijada as his prime late-inning options. None of that trio has a track record of closing out games in the Majors. Tepera and Quijada have two saves each, while Loup is still looking for his first save of the season after three missed opportunities.
Nevin’s ninth-inning decision process may often come down to matchups; That’s why he had Tepera close out Monday’s 1-0 win against the A’s. The 34-year-old righty has held right-handed batters to a .181 average this season, and with three righties up next for the A’s, he seemed like the obvious choice.
“It made sense with Tep against the righties,” Nevin said. “Quijada is going to get a lot of those chances, too. I can see Loup getting a save if there’s a left-handed lane, but [Quijada’s] kind of universal; he gets both out. Probably any one of those three, on given nights.”
While the late-inning arms shone in the Angels’ first two wins in Oakland, the bullpen’s versatility was on display in the series finale, with Jaime Barría closing out the sweep. He tossed the final three innings of the game, allowing one of the automatic runners to score an unearned run but otherwise keeping the A’s in check.
Barría is one of many Angels relievers who can go multiple innings, which has been a plus as the club finishes a tiring stretch of 10 games in nine days. For Nevin, that had to do more with roster configuration than a specific strategy. But despite the ‘pen shouldering the brunt of the innings load on Wednesday, Nevin expects his arms to be fresh when the Angels return home to open a series with the first-place Twins on Friday.
“It’s just the way we’re constructed right now,” Nevin said. “We needed some extra innings of work in Seattle with the doubleheaders. … Our bullpen’s really in good shape. With the off-day tomorrow, there were just some guys I wanted to avoid, give them a couple days off and be ready for this weekend.”
Barría has primarily pitched in relief this season but has been a starter for most of his career, which he said has made him better in high-leverage situations. And perhaps the shift in roles has worked for him, as the 2022 campaign is shaping up to be one of his best so far.
“I think that puts me in a good spot,” Barría said via interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I can do my job, [whether it’s] starting, relieving, closing. It helps me a lot.”
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