Jonny Gomes had all sorts of complicating factors during his pinch-hit at-bat in the seventh inning Saturday.
Batting for Seth Smith, Gomes stepped to the plate hitless in his previous 34 pinch-hit at-bats. After one pitch, San Diego manager Bud Black switched relievers, going from left-hander Joe Thatcher to righty Luke Gregerson with a 1-0 count.
Gregerson threw a wild pitch that allowed Cliff Pennington to score the tying run, and then Gomes ended his fruitless string of pinch-hit appearances with a two-run homer to left. That was the decisive blow in Oakland's 6-4 victory over the Padres, and it nailed down the A's season-high fifth win in a row.
"It was a little more than a 180," Gomes said of the changes in the midst of his at-bat. "Start with a left-hander, go to a right-hander. Start with a runner at third and he scores. Start down a run to being tied. That's as many situations as you can have in one at-bat."
Gomes said that he knew that Gregerson would come at him with sliders, so he laid off them, "and that earned me a 3-1 fastball," Gomes said.
Since the A's signed Manny Ramirez to a minor-league deal, there had been concern in the clubhouse that Ramirez's presence might eventually cost Gomes - also a right-handed-hitting designated hitter - a roster spot, or at least significant playing time. Gomes is a team leader, and no one wanted to see him go; with Ramirez's release on Friday, it appears that won't happen.
"What happens with Manny or what doesn't happen with him, that can't make any difference to my approach," Gomes said. "Who knows, maybe they look for someone else now. All I can do is worry about No. 31."
The long hitless stretch as a pinch hitter didn't bother Gomes. "It was starting to get up there a little bit," he said. "You can throw that in the bag of things I can't do."
Gomes recited his other supposed shortcomings, all of which Black was hoping to exploit. "Can't hit right-hander, can't hit sliders," Gomes said. "On their part, it's almost a given. I don't take it personally by any means, but as a competitor, you have to dig in a little more."
Brandon Moss, whose home-run streak ended at four games, said he's done plenty of pinch-hit duty in his time, and it's not easy.
"Off a good set-up man, after they switch pitchers, you Chanel Bags Outlet have to really focus," Moss said. "Just an awesome at-bat."
Moss, an outfielder by trade, has played first base with Oakland, and he made two good plays in the eighth, one a shot by Yonder Alonso down the line.
Moss said he'd been talking to baserunner Mark Kotsay and they'd agreed that if Alonso got a curveball, it would be right at Moss. "I knew I was going to get a pea, and I was ready for it," he said. "I'm glad I got a glove on it or it would have hit me in the chest."
Moss doubled up Kotsay for the final out.
Smith homered in the fourth inning. He started in left field, and manager Bob Melvin said he's taken note that Smith hits better when he's in Chanel Coco Bags the field rather than DHing. Smith is batting .340 with all seven of his homers when he's in the outfield and .178 as a DH.
"And when he's a DH, he stands in my way in the dugout way too much," Melvin said, adding with a smile, "Whether that's intentional or not, I don't know."
Smith will have to resume a mostly DH role, with Gomes, once Yoenis Céspedes returns to the outfield, probably Tuesday.
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