Arizona Drops 15 on Oakland, Five Homers Seal Blowout

Arizona put up 15 runs on five home runs to dismantle the Athletics 15-5 on July 22. The fifth inning alone was a crime scene — seven runs scored, four of them on back-to-back-to-back long balls.

The Athletics actually drew first blood in the third when a Soderstrom groundout plated Heim to make it 1-0. That lead lasted exactly one inning. Carroll tied it with a 375-foot shot to left center in the fourth, and Arenado followed immediately with a 396-foot blast to left to put Arizona ahead 2-1. The game looked competitive. It was not.

The fifth inning is where this one was decided and where it got ugly for Athletics starter Gage Jump, who lasted 4.2 innings and allowed 8 hits, 6 earned runs, and 4 walks. McNeil pulled the Athletics back to 2-2 with a 390-foot homer to right, but Arizona answered with a barrage that turned a tie game into a rout. A wild pitch scored Marte to make it 3-2, then Moreno crushed a 427-foot shot to center — the swing that moved Arizona's win probability from 63% to 84%, a 20-point lurch that effectively ended the contest. Vargas doubled home Arenado, McCann launched a two-run shot 431 feet to left center, and Waldschmidt capped the inning with a 426-foot two-run homer of his own. Arizona scored seven times in the fifth alone and led 9-2 before the sixth inning even started.

The sixth was more of the same. Wild pitches, a McCann single, a Tawa two-run double, and a Waldschmidt sacrifice fly pushed Arizona to 14-2. McCann finished 3-for-4 with a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored — the story of the night was his ability to do damage both with the bat and on the bases. Waldschmidt added 2-for-4, a homer, and 3 RBI of his own. Arenado went 1-for-1 with a homer and crossed the plate three times, and the news context here is worth noting: Arenado recently reached 2,000 career hits, joining an elite group of players who also have 350 home runs and 10 Gold Gloves. Nights like this are a reminder of why he belongs in that conversation. Arizona's Merrill Kelly did his job quietly — 5.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs — and the bullpen handled the rest. The Athletics managed a pair of late cosmetic runs in the ninth to reach five, but this one was over long before that. With the MLB trade deadline set for August 3, Arizona looks like a team that isn't waiting around for reinforcements.