MacIver, Davidson get first MLB hits together ... and help A's win

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Despite being teammates for a limited time, Logan Davidson and Willie MacIver share a relatable tale of persistence.

Davidson, a first-round Draft pick by the Athletics in 2019, and MacIver, a ninth-round selection by the Rockies in 2018, both had to grind through the Minors with a combined 13 seasons and 1,088 Minor League games played before both received their first call to the big leagues on Friday.

“We both have very similar stories,” Davidson said. “Having some success the past couple of years and not being able to make it up here.”

Both received their first Major League starting assignments on Sunday afternoon, and it was fitting that both collected their first big league hits and were key contributors for the A’s in a 5-4 victory over the Phillies at Sutter Health Park to snap an 11-game losing streak.

Davidson’s first knock came in the first inning. Shortly after Jacob Wilson’s leadoff home run off Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo, Davidson golfed a 1-0 fastball inside from the left-hander that bounced off the left-field wall for a two-run double.

MacIver, who got the start behind the plate, contributed with big plays on both sides. First came the hit, a clutch go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning that followed Lawrence Butler’s game-tying triple one batter earlier. Davidson, who drew a one-out walk, scored on Butler’s hit.

In the ninth, MacIver ended the game by nabbing Johan Rojas attempting to steal second base -- the catcher’s first caught stealing in the big leagues -- for the final out.

“Both in the same game, to have a good day and get our first hits to help win the game, that was huge,” said Davidson, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Athletics' No. 30 prospect. “[MacIver] is an awesome dude, and he deserves every bit of it.”

Said MacIver, an unranked prospect: “Logan is a great guy. Getting to know him over these last few months, we have had a similar path. It makes me so happy to see him have success up here, and it kind of makes the transition for me a little easier with familiarity.”

Davidson and MacIver are not exactly the first two players you would have picked to play hero for the A’s during a game in late May back in Spring Training. But amid an A’s losing streak that was one loss away from matching their longest in nearly three decades (12 in a row from Sept. 22, 1995-April 4, 1996), the two were called up from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this week. Also arriving were A’s No. 5 prospect Denzel Clarke, CJ Alexander and Jacob Lopez, part of sweeping changes the A’s made in an effort to steer the ship back in the right direction.

Despite losing the first two games in the immediate aftermath of all five getting called up, that group has provided a spark, from Clarke making spectacular catches in center field to Lopez firing seven impressive innings of one-run ball against Philadelphia on Friday.

“That’s what we wanted to come up here and do,” said Davidson, who started at first base. “Make an impact. We weren’t here [for the whole losing streak], but it’s one of those things where you could definitely feel it. … We finally turned the tide and got a win.”

You could feel the collective sigh of relief throughout the A’s dugout as soon as the final out was recorded, which required extra time due to a replay review that eventually confirmed MacIver’s caught stealing.

It was the Athletics’ first win since May 13, and a lot has happened over that time. Before the streak began, the A’s were in second place in the American League West, only 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners. After Sunday, they now sit in last place, seven games back.

The A’s entered this season with serious goals of contending for the playoffs. That’s what made this losing stretch so difficult to digest for manager Mark Kotsay, who was ejected from the game along with Miguel Andujar in the seventh after expressing his frustration over some called strikes by home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz.

It reached a point where the A’s felt like they needed to just win one. Now, they can enjoy an off-day on Monday before beginning a six-game road trip at Houston and Toronto.

“Obviously, a great win after last night and 11 [consecutive losses],” Kotsay said. “I couldn’t be more proud of that group in that room right now.”