OAKLAND, Calif. — Matt Olson and Mark Canha hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to lead the Athletics over the Yankees, 6-2, on Tuesday night for their fifth win in six games.
“I feel like we’ve been doing that lately,” Olson said. “If we give up a run or two, we find a way to come in and respond. To shut down any momentum is nice to do.”
Olson connected on a two-run shot down the right-field line with two outs in the first off Domingo German (16-3) for his 26th homer, and Canha followed with his 19th on a drive to right-center.
That helped carry the A’s to a win in the first meeting between the teams since the Yankees eliminated Oakland in the wild-card playoff last season. These teams could meet again come the postseason with New York holding the best record in the American League and the A’s moving one percentage point ahead of Tampa Bay in the race for the second wild-card spot.
This was the first of six games in less than two weeks between these teams, with Oakland visiting New York next weekend.
“You’d like to start out well, especially at home, knowing we’re going to play them six times in the next 12 days,” Oakland Manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s nice to get a first-game win.”
The early outburst proved to be more than enough for Homer Bailey (11-8), who shut the Yankees down after allowing a solo homer to Gary Sanchez in the first inning. Bailey allowed one run and seven hits in five and two-thirds innings to improve to 3-0 at home since joining Oakland last month in a trade from Kansas City. He walked none and struck out eight.
The Yankees have lost two straight after starting August with 15 wins in 18 games.
“We got a lot of hits, but we just couldn’t get that hit to kind of put us over the top,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “Been a couple days of that where we’ve had some opportunities and haven’t been able to cash in.”
Marcus Semien added a run-scoring double in the second inning, and Stephen Piscotty hit an R.B.I. single in the sixth
German had his career-best seven-game winning streak snapped after allowing six runs — five earned — and eight hits in five and a third innings.
Aaron Judge added a solo homer in the eighth for the Yankees, a 467-foot drive to left field that was the first long ball he has pulled all season.
“Direction doesn’t matter,” Judge said. “As long as they go over the fence and it adds runs, I’m happy with it. Left or right or center. Just glad to get one.”
On Wednesday night, Mike Fiers (11-3) will look to win his 10th straight decision when the A’s take on J.A. Happ (10-7) and the Yankees in the middle game of the three-game series.