Oakland Athletics Fall To Milwaukee Brewers 7-2; Drew Pomeranz, Philip Humber Hit Hard
By Phil Watson
Mar 5, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Michael Taylor (23) jogs to home plate after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jarrod Parker had his best outing of the spring, but the Oakland Athletics took one on the chin Wednesday, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 at Maryvale Baseball Park.
Parker allowed a run on two hits and two walks in 3.1 innings, striking out one and surrendering a solo homer to Ryan Braun in the fourth inning in his second start of the spring. In his first outing, he was rocked for six runs in 1.1 innings.
But the wheels came off quickly for Drew Pomeranz (0-1), who allowed two runs on three hits in an inning, and Philip Humber, who gave up two runs on two hits and a walk while recording just two outs.
The A’s (5-3) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Michael Taylor rifled his first homer of the spring on a line to left-center field off Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo.
The Brewers bounced back with two in the fourth. Braun homered to left field, his second of the spring, to tie the game leading off the inning, Parker departed one out later in favor of Pomeranz, who gave up a single to Juan Francisco and walked Carlos Maldonado before allowing an RBI single to Jason Rogers.
In the fifth, Carlos Gomez led off for Milwaukee (4-4) with a double and stole third before Humber came on to relieve Pomeranz. Humber immediately gave up a single to pinch-hitter Mitch Haniger which drove in Gomez. After Haniger stole second, Humber hit Mark Reynolds and walked Francisco to load the bases and Maldonado doubled to left to make it a 5-1 Brewer lead.
Taylor led off the top of the sixth with a double off Rob Wooten and scored on a single to center by Stephen Vogt. Wooten then settled down, striking out Addison Russell, Shane Peterson and Jake Elmore in order to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Jeff Bianchi reached on an infield single to third and moved up to second when Alden Carrithers threw the ball away. Bianchi moved up on a grounder and then scored on a wild pitch by Joe Savery.
Haniger drove in Milwaukee’s last run with a one-out single.
Savery worked an inning, allowing an unearned run on a hit and two walks. Fernando Nieve struck out two in a perfect seventh and Jose Flores allowed a run on a hit and two walks in the eighth.
Vogt was 3-for-3 with a double for Oakland, Taylor was 2-for-3 with a homer and a double and Daric Barton also had a double, but the A’s struck out 13 times.
Oakland will visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields on Thursday at 12:10 p.m. Pacific.