Ramon Laureano's first major league hit, a 13th-inning single that one-hopped the fence in right field, drove in Nick Martini with the only run of the game Friday night as the Oakland Athletics outlasted the Detroit Tigers 1-0 in Oakland, Calif., in one of the season's best pitching duels.
Well after left-handers Brett Anderson of the A's and Blaine Hardy of the Tigers had taken no-hitters past the midpoint of the contest and left a scoreless tie, Martini led off the 13th with a walk off the fifth Tigers pitcher, right-hander Buck Farmer (3-4).
Two outs later, Jonathan Lucroy singled Martini to second, from where he coasted home on Laureano's walk-off hit to the opposite field.
The 24-year-old Laureano had been promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day. He'd gone 0-for-4 with two strikeouts before the game-winner.
Emilio Pagan (3-0), who worked a one-hit top half of the inning, was credited with the win.
Neither team had a hit until the Tigers' Jose Iglesias doubled to left field with one out in the sixth, ending Anderson's no-hit bid after 5 1/3 innings. Iglesias got no farther than second base.
The Tigers' best chance to score came in the seventh, when Nick Castellanos singled and Niko Goodrum walked with no outs. Castellanos reached third when John Hicks grounded into a double play, and Anderson escaped the threat when he got Victor Martinez to ground out.
Anderson was pulled after seven innings, having allowed two hits and one walk. He struck out two.
Hardy, who had walked Matt Olson in the second and fifth innings, finally allowed a hit when Jed Lowrie beat out a grounder to shortstop leading off the seventh. But like Olson both times he got aboard, the A's couldn't get Lowrie farther than first base.
Hardy was done after seven innings, having given up just the one hit. He walked two and struck out six.
The first Oakland batter to reach second was Stephen Piscotty, who doubled leading off the eighth against Louis Coleman. But the right-hander got the next three A's in order, retaining the scoreless tie.
Both teams threatened in the ninth, but A's closer Blake Treinen stranded Castellanos at second after a hit and a stolen base, and Tigers right-hander Alex Wilson got Khris Davis to ground into a double play after one-out singles by Matt Chapman and Lowrie had put the potential winning run in scoring position.
Each team finished nine innings with four hits.
Lowrie had two hits for the A's, who won their fourth straight while improving to 5-0 against the Tigers this season.
Castellanos and Iglesias collected two hits apiece for the Tigers, who had won their previous two games.
--Field Level Media
Detroit | Oakland | |
Blaine Hardy | Player | Brett Anderson |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
7.0 | IP | 7.0 |
6 | Strikeouts | 2 |
1 | Hits | 2 |
0.00 | ERA | 0.00 |
Detroit | Oakland | |
Nicholas Castellanos | Player | Jed Lowrie |
2 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 2 |
.400 | Avg | .400 |