DENVER (AP) — Sean Murphy and Mark Canha homered off Jon Gray before the Rockies right-hander left with elbow soreness, and the Oakland Athletics beat Colorado 9-5 Friday night.
Murphy had three hits and three RBIs for Oakland, which has won seven of 10 road games and improved to 17-8 away from home.
Gray (4-6) left in the third inning with right elbow discomfort and tightness in his forearm, manager Bud Black said after the game. A potential trade chip for the Rockies, Gray allowed five runs on four hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings.
“When I spoke to Jon, he indicated that his soreness impacted his pitching,” Black said. “He didn’t feel it on every pitch, it started to tighten as the game went on.”
Alan Trejo hit his first big league homer for Colorado. The Rockies had won six straight at home and four in a row overall.
The A’s scored in the first, got another on Murphy’s homer leading off the second — his sixth of the season — and scored four times in the third. Canha led off with his 11th home run, and Gray then gave up a single and a walk with one out before leaving.
Canha had two hits, two walks, two RBIs and scored twice while setting the tone from the leadoff spot.
“When I have a great day it can look like that,” Canha said. “It’s one of my better games, all things considered, walks, on base, slugging. When it goes well it usually goes something like that.”
Jed Lowrie and Murphy each had an RBI single off of Chi Chi González, and Matt Chapman’s sacrifice fly made it 5-0.
“He gave us some needed innings, for sure. That’s what a long man is supposed to do,” Black said of González. “We’ll see where this goes the next couple of days with Jon but we always have Chi Chi right there to take Jon’s spot if Jon misses a turn or two.”
Colorado scored twice in the third and once in the fourth off Frankie Montas (6-5). Oakland got single runs in the sixth and seventh and Trejo’s first major league homer in a two-run seventh got the Rockies within 8-5.
“This is a place where you can have big innings,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “You never feel comfortable here.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: CF Ramon Laureano (right hip strain) received a cortisone injection in his hip and a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his adductor muscle in Vail, Colorado. Oakland trainer Nick Paparesta said Laureano will have a follow-up tele-visit Tuesday and could begin running by Wednesday but will not be activated off the IL when he is eligible. ... RHP J.B. Wendelken (oblique) will throw a bullpen session Saturday.
Rockies: SS Trevor Story (right elbow inflammation) began throwing to first base Friday and is on track to return Tuesday at Miami. ... INF Ryan McMahon (minor groin tightness) was out of the lineup but pinch hit in the eighth.
EARLY FATHER’S DAY
Trejo didn’t take for granted that his shot in the eighth was going out until it cleared the fence.
“I didn’t hit it to that part of the field here before so I wasn’t sure,” he said.
Trejo’s home run went into the bleachers in left field, but the Rockies were able to retrieve the ball and give it to him. Trejo said he planned on giving the ball to his father, Ray.
UP NEXT
Oakland LHP Cole Irvin (3-7, 4.12) will start the second game of the series on Saturday against LHP Kyle Freeland (0-0, 4.50), who will be making his third start of the season.
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