OAKLAND — This day was supposed to be about Tim Hudson and Barry Zito. It turned into Jarrett Parker’s coming out party.
Parker hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, his third homer of the day, to carry the Giants to a 14-10 win over the A’s. Hudson and Zito lasted just 51 minutes. The rest of the game was about Parker, who has five homers in his last nine at-bats.
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The outfielder has six homers since getting called up and he became the first rookie since Andrew McCutchen in 2009 to hit three in one game. Parker’s breakout performance helped the Giants push elimination back at least one day. Early on, their chances didn’t look good.
The A’s scored five runs off Ryan Vogelsong in the third inning — one inning after Hudson’s departure. Hudson left with the bases loaded and the Giants holding a 4-3 lead in the second, and Vogelsong — who had not pitched since Sept. 7 — initially got him out of the mess. Vogelsong came back out for the third and the A’s sent 11 hitters to the plate, scoring five runs on four doubles, a single and three walks.
Parker had a fielding blunder during that rally, but he more than made up for that mistake at the plate. He hit a solo shot in the second to become the first Giants rookie since Brandon Belt in 2011 to homer in three straight games. With the Giants trailing 10-7 in the seventh, Parker hit a two-run blast to center.
Kelby Tomlinson led off the eighth with a single — the 11th hit by a Giants rookie — and went to third on Buster Posey’s double to right. Tomlinson tied the game when Marlon Byrd skied a fly ball to left. The Giants loaded the bases and Parker unloaded on the first pitch he saw from Ryan Dull.
San Francisco Giants
Parker drove in seven runs and became the first Giant to hit three homers in a game since Pablo Sandoval in 2013. He's the first Giants rookie to pull it off.
Starting pitching report: Hudson threw just 12 strikes in 1 1/3 innings. He gave up one hit, hit two batters and walked three.
Bullpen report: Matt Cain made his second relief appearance since coming off the DL. He gave up a two-run homer to Billy Butler.
At the plate: Matt Duffy’s RBI double was his 45th extra-base hit, the most by a Giants rookie since Chili Davis had 52 in 1982.
In the field: Parker had some issues in left, but again … dude HIT THREE HOMERS.
Attendance: The A’s announced a sellout crowd of 36,067 human beings who watched Jarrett Parker turn into a superhero.
Up next: Not Zito (Sean Nolin) vs. Not Hudson (Chris Heston).