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A's slugger Brandon Moss quiets announcer's slump talk with big homer

Mike Oz

When Brandon Moss stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning of Tuesday night's AL wild-card game, TBS' play-by-play guy Ernie Johnson gave the requisite intro about Moss' recent struggles — how he had only hit four homers after the All-Star break, compared to 21 before it, and how since the Oakland Athletics traded slugger Yoenis Cespedes, Moss' production had decreased more than anyone's.

Johnson was in the middle of explaining all this, when Moss swung at a second-pitch changeup from Kansas City Royals starter James Shields and hit it deeeeeep into the right-field bleachers. The homer, Moss' first since Sept. 16, it gave the A's a 2-0 lead. That was one of three deficits the Royals would come back from, as they finally beat the A's in 12 innings. But you couldn't blame the loss on Moss.

Johnson had every right to point out Moss' struggles. They're well-documented, but the timing with which Moss answered the announcers (whom he, of course, couldn't hear) was at least amusing to anyone watching at home. The timing was also great for the A's, who needed this sort of spark early in a do-or-die game.

Their struggles were well-documented too. They were baseball's best team in the first half of the season, then fell out of first place in epic fashion, barely holding on to clinch a wild-card spot on the last day of the season. You can bet skipper Bob Melvin told his Oakland squad a couple times leading into the wild-card game that they needed to score early and let ace Jon Lester go to work.

Brandon Moss did his part — twice, actually.

Later in the game, with the A's behind 3-2 in the sixth, Moss struck again. He launched a three-run go-ahead homer off starter-turned-reliever Yordano Ventura that deflated the Kauffman Stadium crowd.

That lead wouldn't last, of course. The Royals kept clawing back and the A's submitted in the 12th inning. K.C. won 9-8 and advanced to the ALDS to face the Angels.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!