Velarde Helps A’s Remain Red-Hot

One of the top home-run hitting teams in the majors showed Sunday they can win with more than just the long ball.

The Oakland Athletics, who are second in the majors with 181 home runs, saw right fielder Matt Stairs preserve a tie by going to the wall and catching Shawn Green’s one-on, two-out drive in the top of the ninth before Randy Velarde delivered a two-out, run-scoring bloop single off bullpen ace Billy Koch as Oakland defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3.

“He’s one of the hardest throwers in the league and you don’t get runs off him. You have to manufacture them,” said A.J. Hinch, who laid down a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt after Miguel Tejada worked Koch for a leadoff walk.

“We just kind of played little ball from there on in and it worked out great. We got a couple of home runs today but we don’t have to live and die with the home run. We can play fundamental baseball if the situation calls for it.”

With the count 1-and-2, Velarde fought off an inside pitch just enough to get the ball to drop into shallow right field.

“The guy you’re facing throws 95-mph plus,” Velarde said. “You’re just looking for something to hit or get wood on. I was lucky to get my bat around and put the ball in play.”

Koch said he put himself in a no-win position by walking Tejada.

“I came in there and I couldn’t throw strikes,” he said. “There was really something wrong. I couldn’t throw a strike when I needed it. I felt good in the ‘pen but everything went bad when I came in. Every loss for this team is tough. I let the team down today and I’m not happy about it.”

The A’s, who got solo homers from Olmedo Saenz and Ben Grieve, are now a game ahead of Boston and three in front of Toronto in the race for the AL wild-card spot. They improved to 7-3 during an 11-game stretch against Boston and Toronto, their chief competition for the playoff berth.

Boston lost to Texas on Sunday night.

“It certainly feels like a special time of year,” Hinch said. “It all revolves around winning. Every guy in this clubhouse sees the opportunity that we have before us and we’re trying to seize it.”

Doug Jones (4-5) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, Oakland’s 15th in 21 games this month.

Tejada began the ninth by drawing a walk from Koch (0-2). Hinch followed with his team-leading ninth sacrifice and Rich Becker grounded out before Velarde singled, sending Toronto to its eighth loss in nine games.

Oakland’s Gil Heredia, bidding for an eighth consecutive victory, was working with a 3-2 lead in the seventh. He got two quick outs when third baseman Olmedo Saenz snared Shannon Stewart’s liner and then threw to first to double off Mike Matheny.

Homer Bush beat out an infield single and Heredia was relieved by Buddy Groom, who gave up successive singles to Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado that tied the score at 3.