PHOENIX (AP) — Brandon Pfaadt pitched six innings of one-run ball and Blaze Alexander hit a two-run single during Arizona's three-run seventh inning, helping the Diamondbacks beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1 on Sunday.
Alexander, batting for Joc Pederson, drove in Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll with a bases-loaded grounder into left field off Austin Adams. Carroll was batting .196 with 23 strikeouts in 97 at-bats against left-handers before hitting a one-out double off T.J. McFarland (1-1).
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PHOENIX (AP) — Brandon Pfaadt pitched six innings of one-run ball and Blaze Alexander hit a two-run single during Arizona's three-run seventh inning, helping the Diamondbacks beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1 on Sunday.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) fields the ball against Oakland Athletics' Tyler Nevin (26) during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Oakland Athletics' Zack Gelof smiles after crossing home plate after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte (4) is greeted by bench coach Jeff Banister, left, and head coach Torey Lovullo, right, after scoring a run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald throws against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
During a pitching change, Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte (4) congratulates Corbin Carroll, right, after Carroll hit a double against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
“You find out a lot about guys when you're in the trench,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "I hear what's going on. I hear the evaluations. I hear the self-awareness. I hear the support. I hear the coaching between players, the advice, the sharing of knowledge. That's what stands out most to me about today.
“These guys fought. It wasn't an easy win. We're not playing our absolute best baseball. We made some mistakes. But we overcame them, and we won a game that I felt was one of those midseason must-win type of categories.”
Christian Walker followed Alexander's clutch swing with a single that drove in Ketel Marte for a 4-1 lead.
“Two groundballs,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “That's the game. If (Alexander's grounder) is hit directly at us, it's a double play and still a 1-1 game.”
Joe Mantiply (3-1), Ryan Thompson and Paul Sewald held Oakland hitless over the final three innings
Oakland has lost 12 of its last 13 road games. The A's went 7-20 in June for their 11th consecutive month with a losing record — longest in franchise history.
Oakland starter Luis Medina pitched six innings of four-hit ball, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. A's starters posted an 8.31 ERA over their previous seven games prior to Medina's start.
Zack Gelof hit the 9,000th home run in Oakland history, a tying solo drive in the fifth that grazed the extended glove of right fielder Jake McCarthy before clearing the fence.
The homer came off Pfaadt, who struck out eight and limited Oakland to no hits in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“You look over the last year, the offense has had my back plenty, so it was my turn to step up a little bit and have their back in those situations,” Pfaadt said.
Despite Monday's day off, Arizona ace Zac Gallen will stay on four days' rest and pitch Thursday against the Dodgers.
“He was pounding the table to get as many starts as he could before the All-Star break,” Lovullo said of Gallen, who missed one month due to a hamstring strain before pitching six innings Saturday in a win over the Athletics.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks C Gabriel Moreno (left thumb sprain) could be activated as soon as Tuesday. ... OF Alek Thomas (left hamstring strain) will play another rehab game Monday for Triple-A Reno with the expectation he could be activated on Tuesday as well.
NEXT UP
Athletics: RHP Mitch Spence (4-4, 4.35 ERA) is scheduled to face Los Angeles Angels RHP Jose Soriano (4-5, 3.48 ERA) on Tuesday in a series opener at the Coliseum.
Diamondbacks: RHP Ryne Nelson (5-6, 5.69 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller (1-1, 6.75 ERA) on Tuesday in a series opener at Dodger Stadium.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Oakland Athletics' Zack Gelof (20) gets the out on Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll to start a double play during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) fields the ball against Oakland Athletics' Tyler Nevin (26) during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Oakland Athletics' Zack Gelof smiles after crossing home plate after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte (4) is greeted by bench coach Jeff Banister, left, and head coach Torey Lovullo, right, after scoring a run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald throws against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
During a pitching change, Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte (4) congratulates Corbin Carroll, right, after Carroll hit a double against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — A first-minute goal and a stellar save in the final seconds helped send Turkey into the quarterfinals of Euro 2024.
Merih Demiral scored twice, including the opener after just 57 seconds, and goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulled off one of the saves of tournament deep into injury time as Turkey beat Austria 2-1 in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
“Our team spirit showed until the last minute,” Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella said.
Gunok showed great reflexes and agility, diving to his right to palm away a close-range header from Christoph Baumgartner four minutes into added time.
That save set up a quarterfinal on Saturday against the Netherlands, a team Montella said "fight like lions.”
“We will gather our mental and physical strength and keep following our path," he said.
Austria had 21 attempts compared with Turkey’s six, regularly testing Gunok.
“I'm sure that if Baumi had scored to take the game to extra time, we would have gone on to win the match,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. “The only thing we could be accused of is that we didn't score enough goals from the chances we had, and that we didn't work well twice for set pieces."
The game got off to a ferocious start. Both teams had chances inside the first 30 seconds before Demiral scored when the Austrian defense failed to deal with a corner.
Baumgartner’s attempted clearance rebounded back off teammate Stefan Posch to goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, who scooped it off the line only for Demiral to pounce on the rebound and score.
It was the second-fastest goal ever at the Euros — Albania scored after 23 seconds against Italy in the group stage.
Demiral’s goal set off wild celebrations among the majority of fans in the stadium – and plenty outside it, too. Germany is home to some 3 million Turks or people with Turkish roots, making them the country’s largest ethnic minority, and the team has been enjoying fevered support at Euro 2024.
Austria almost responded but Demiral somehow did enough to keep Baumgartner from scoring on the line.
The Austrians emerged with renewed vigor after the break, but a corner gave Turkey respite. A shower of beer cups failed to put off Arda Guler as he delivered a perfect cross for Demiral to head in his second goal in the 59th.
Austria's corner-taker, Marcel Sabitzer, was also pelted with beer cups at the other end and at one point went down on the ground clutching his head to indicate he had been hit. But was quickly back on his feet.
Stefan Posch headed on Sabitzer's delivery for the unmarked Gregoritsch to volley home at the back post.
Neither team could add any more despite a flurry of chances in the rain, with Gunok coming up with his biggest save in the final seconds.
Both teams were without regular captains. Turkey's Hakan Calhanoglu was suspended and Austria's David Alaba, arguably the country's best player, is still recovering from a knee injury that kept him from playing in the tournament.,
Alaba was there to support the team as it surprisingly topped a group with France and the Netherlands, and he shared a warm embrace with Guler, his Real Madrid teammate, before kickoff.
The Netherlands earlier defeated Romania 3-0 to progress.
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
Austria's goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, left, fails to save a shot on goal by Turkey's Merih Demiral during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Turkey's fans cheer in the fan zone at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, July 2, 2024 during the screening of a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)
Austria's head coach Ralf Rangnick follows the round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)
Turkey's goalkeeper Mert Gunok safes the ball during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Austria's Christoph Baumgartner lays on the pitch after his team lose a round of sixteen match against Turkey 1-2 at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Austria's Michael Gregoritsch comforts Austria's Alexander Prass after a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Austria's goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, left, fails to safe a shot on goal by Turkey's Merih Demiral during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Turkey's Merih Demiral, right, celebrates with Salih Ozcan after scoring his side's second goal during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Turkey's Merih Demiral, top, heads the ball to scores his side's second goal during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. Austria's goalkeeper Patrick Pentz is at left. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Turkey's Merih Demiral, left, scores the opening goal during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
APTOPIX Turkey's Merih Demiral, right, celebrates his side's second goal during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Turkey fans cheer before a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A Turkish fan celebrates prior to a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Turkey fans cheer before a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Turkey's Merih Demiral celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Austria during a round of sixteen match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
