What juiced ball? Both teams relied on the long ball, with Oakland and Chicago hitting a combined 6 home runs in today’s 4th of July spectacular. Indeed, after a disappointing top of the 9th by Santiago Casilla, it would be Franklin Barreto setting off fireworks with a walk-off home run to snap Oakland’s losing streak after a half dozen games.
Runs Aplenty off Gossett and Big Game James
Neither starting pitcher had it today. James Shields did what we’ve seen him do a lot of, giving up 3 home runs in his 42⁄3 innings, while Daniel Gossett yielded a couple of his own.