Game Thread (2) #76: A’s vs. Orioles

The A’s are smelling a three game sweep facing a reeling Baltimore team that has lost seven in a room and a MLB leading fifty two losses overall.

Game Preview + Game Thread #1

A’s starter, Chris Bassitt wanting to shake the dust off back to back losses in his previous two starts was dealing early in this one, not allowing a hit in his first 5 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

Bassitt’s only blemish through the first five innings was a two out fifth inning walk to Hanser Alberto and hitting Baltimore’s Trey Mancini with a 3-1 fastball with two outs in the first inning. The pitch would unfortunately take Mancini out of the game.

The Offensive side of the baseball for the A’s wasn’t any more exciting thru the first four innings. Marcus Semien reached on an error leading off in the first and moved to second on a Matt Chapman single, but neither runner advanced from there. The A’s batters would go 1-2-3 in innings two thru four as Orioles “opener” Jimmy Yacabonis and “follower” Josh Rodgers both threw two innings of scoreless baseball.

Phegley Time!
However in the fifth, the A’s would draw first blood off Rodgers. Stephen Piscotty doubled with two outs and Chad Pinder got on base via the hit by pitch before Josh Phegley stepped up and delivered his ninth round tripper of the season.

Phegley’s blast moved his RBI total for the season to 41, only four behind the RBI leader for catchers, the Yankees, Gary Sanchez (45). Let’s get vote Phegley to the All- Star team!! (And Chapman too!). The home run put the A’s on the board and gave them a 3-0 lead after five innings.

In the sixth inning, the O’s put together a string of good at-bats. With one out in the sixth, Jonathan Villar singled to break up Bassitt’s no-hitter and after Anthony Santander lined out, both the other Chris Davis and Chance Sisco walked to load the bases with two out. Renato Nunez then came up and singled to put the Orioles on the board and bring Bob Melvin out of the dugout to bring in Lefty Ryan Buchter. Buchter promptly walked in a run on five pitches to give the O’s a second run and forcing Melvin to come out a second time to bring in Yusmeiro Petit. Petit struck out Alberto to end the threat and preserve the A’s lead, 3-2.

The A’s bats answered in the bottom half of the sixth inning with back to back two out doubles from Mark Canha and Piscotty to give the A’s a 4-2 lead after six.

The O’s added a run in the seventh inning, but the A’s still lead 4-3, A’s plus relievers are in...Sweep Time!!!!