A’s overcome Blue Jays, 8-7

The A’s locker room appeared divided leading up to Friday’s matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays.

On one side, there was rookie third baseman Ryon Healy, called up from Triple-A just 24 hours prior and swarmed by reporters looking to capture his excitement.

On the other, there were disgruntled veterans who had been informed their playing time would be cut in order to develop the team’s young talent.

A disastrous fourth inning by pitcher Daniel Mengden saw Oakland go down 7-3.

After the A’s survived the top of the inning, they watched referee Mark Wegner toss first baseman Yonder Alonso and manager Bob Melvin over a disputed strike call.

Center fielder Jake Smolinski mitigated the damage with a single RBI, but the A’s limped out of the fourth with a 3-run deficit and without a manager.

Vogt doubled and Reddick took off sprinting, sliding home just as Toronto catcher Russell Martin tagged Reddick’s leg.