A one-run third and a three-run ninth gave the Athletics<\/a> a 4\u20130 road win over the New York Mets<\/a> Friday night at Citi Field.<\/p>\n Five Athletics pitchers \u2014 J.T. Ginn<\/a><\/strong>, Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a><\/strong>, Jack Perkins<\/a><\/strong>, Scott Barlow<\/a><\/strong>, and Elvis Alvarado<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 tossed a combined six-hit shutout, pacing the Green and Gold to their third straight win and fifth out of their past seven games.<\/p>\n With the runners on the corners and two outs in the third, a Shea Langeliers<\/a><\/strong> single to right off Mets starter Clay Holmes<\/a><\/strong> made the score 1\u20130.<\/p>\n In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets threatened to tie the game against Perkins. Francisco Lindor<\/a><\/strong> and Bo Bichette<\/a><\/strong> led off with consecutive singles, Lindor going from first to third on the latter. With the Athletics infield in on the corners, Jared Young<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 up next \u2014 hit a sharp one-hopper to first baseman Nick Kurtz<\/a><\/strong>. Kurtz looked at Lindor, who had taken five strides towards home and stopped. Kurtz stared at Lindor, shuffling toward third while holding the ball. Lindor remained frozen, so Kurtz fired to third. Lindor scrambled to get back but could not, putting runners on first and second with one out. Perkins escaped the jam when the next batter, Luis Robert Jr<\/strong><\/a>, grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.<\/p>\n The Mets also stranded a runner in scoring position in the eighth, as Barlow struck Bichette out with two outs and Carson Benge<\/a><\/strong> on second.<\/p>\n In the ninth, the Athletics put the game away. They scored three in the top half. These runs came from a Jeff McNeil<\/a><\/strong> RBI single, a Max Muncy<\/a><\/strong> double, and a two-run Denzel Clarke<\/a><\/strong> single. In the bottom half, Elvis Alvarado pitched around a one-out single by Robert Jr. to cement the win.<\/p>\n The Athletics controlled the pace from the first inning through the last, keeping the Mets from building anything. Ginn set the tone with four innings. He allowed one hit and a walk, facing two more than the minimum. Leiter Jr. pitched around a two-out single, rendering it harmless. Perkins deftly handled the highest\u2011leverage moment of the night, escaping with the shutout intact. Barlow and Alvarado closed it out without allowing the Mets\u2019 two singles to matter. Five pitchers, six hits, no runs \u2014 and the Athletics pitching staff has now collectively pitched 26 consecutive scoreless innings.<\/p>\n Kurtz\u2019s decision in the sixth to freeze Lindor and take the out at third changed the inning. Wilson and McNeil turned a double play behind Perkins to end the threat. Clarke fought off the wind to corral a fifth-inning fly that seemed to lurch on him right before he caught it. Nothing flashy, but everything handled the way a professional baseball team should handle it. The defense never gave the Mets a free base.<\/p>\n Wilson reached on a single and an error. McNeil drove him in. Muncy followed with a double. Clarke brought both runners home. Four hitters, three runs, and a much steeper hill for the Mets to climb in the ninth.<\/p>\n The Athletics had runners on in the first and third but came away with only one run. They stranded two in the third and one in the fourth. Two of those runners were in scoring position.<\/p>\n The first four hitters combined for one hit. They reached base three times, but most of the traffic came from the lower half of the lineup. The ninth inning masked what had been a quiet night for the top group.<\/p>\n Holmes retired the side in order in the fifth and seventh, and Myers did the same in the eighth. Those innings kept the margin at one run longer than the Athletics would have preferred.<\/p>\n Perkins earned the win in relief after 2 1\/3 scoreless innings, and Holmes took the loss. There was no save.<\/p>\n The Athletics (6\u20137, third in AL West) and Mets (7\u20137, third in NL East) will square off again Saturday. Lefty Jacob Lopez<\/a><\/strong> (7\u20137, 4.08 ERA in 2025) will start for the Athletics against Mets right-hander Kodai Senga<\/a><\/strong> (7\u20136, 3.02 ERA in 2025). First pitch will be at 4:10 pm Eastern\/1:10 pm Pacific.<\/p>\n Tuesday, April 7 \u2014 Yankees 5, Athletics 3<\/a>Athletics \u2013 Mets Game Summary<\/h3>\n
What Went Right for the Athletics<\/h3>\n
Pitching<\/h4>\n
Defense<\/h4>\n
Insurance and Then Some in the Top of the Ninth<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Athletics<\/h3>\n
Missed Chances Early<\/h4>\n
Limited Top-of-Order Production<\/h4>\n
Some Quick Innings Kept the Mets Close<\/h4>\n
Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n
Coverage by the Author from the Previous Series:<\/h4>\n
\nWednesday, April 8 \u2014 Athletics 3, Yankees 2<\/a>
\nThursday, April 9 \u2014 Athletics 1, Yankees 0<\/a><\/p>\nMain Photo:<\/h4>\n