A’s beat Giants in a thriller, 5-4

Stunned by Matt Duffy’s two-run homer in the first, Gray morphed into a nice impression of himself and silenced every ensuing rally, nailing the corners with his breaking pitches at all the right times.

Facing Ryan Dull, who had just relieved Gray and had yet to allow a run in his brief, eight-outing career, Parker crushed a shot measured at 454 feet (by MLB StatCast) into the second deck in right-center field.

Parker is a soft-spoken sort, not given to boasts or proclamations, but Williamson knows all about the 26-year-old outfielder who has hit three homers since being called up Sept. 11.

“I hit behind that guy (in Triple-A) the last two months,” said Williamson, himself one of the most powerful hitters in the minor leagues.

With Parker manning center field in the Giants’ latest makeshift lineup, Williamson played right field in his first big-league start.

“I felt like I was up to the challenge,” said Williamson, who fouled two pitches straight back with his wicked cut, then barely got under a fastball and popped it up to end the inning.

The Giants didn’t get much of a show from the struggling Mike Leake - four runs in six innings, including home runs by Billy Burns and Billy Butler -- further complicating matters as they consider him as a free-agent option this winter.