PHOENIX — Jed Lowrie hit a tying, three-run homer in the seventh inning, Seth Brown had a solo shot in the next frame and the Oakland Athletics rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks appeared to be cruising to their third win in four games.
Carson Kelly hit a three-run homer in the second inning and Arizona scored two more in the third. Zac Gallen struck out eight in his season debut and gave up one run in four innings, on Stephen Piscotty’s solo homer.
Arizona’s bullpen was sharp before unraveling in the seventh inning.
Mark Canha made it 5-2 win an RBI single and Lowrie followed with a three-run homer off Kevin Ginkel. Brown led off the eighth with his homer off Anthony Swarzak (0-1) and Matt Chapman’s run-scoring triple off the wall in the ninth made it 7-5.
Yusmeiro Petit (3-0) got the final out in the seventh inning and Lou Trevino worked around a walk in the ninth for his first save.
Oakland has won five of six since starting the season 0-6.
Gallen was Arizona’s best pitcher last season, finishing with a 2.75 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 72 innings. The right-hander opened the 2021 season on the injured list after suffering a hairline right forearm fracture during batting practice in spring training.
Arizona optioned right-hander Matt Peacock to the alternate training site to make room for Gallen on the roster and Riley Smith was moved to the bullpen to clear a spot in the rotation.
Gallen escaped a first-and-third jam with one out in the first inning and worked through more traffic until Piscotty hit his first pitch of the fourth out to left. He allowed a run on three hits in four innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: DH/1B Mitch Moreland (hamstring) missed his fourth consecutive game. … 1B Matt Olson was out of the lineup after being hit on the left thumb by a pitch in the seventh inning Monday night.
Diamondbacks: Manager Torey Lovullo said he will use a rotation of Asdrúbal Cabrera, Wyatt Mathisen and Pavin Smith at first base with Christian Walker (oblique) on the injured list. Mathisen started Tuesday’s game and went 0 for 3.
UP NEXT
Oakland: LHP Sean Manaea (0-1, 5.06 ERA) has an eight-game winning streak against AL Central teams leading into Thursday’s game against Detroit.
Arizona: RHP Merrill Kelly (0-2, 8.10) has allowed nine earned runs in 10 innings heading into his first career start against Washington on Thursday.
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