Game #76: A’s Sweep the Birds

Baltimore came into today’s game losers of seven straight games and owners of the worst record in the major leagues. A’s starter, Chris Bassitt entered today’s game with two straight losses to his name and fits of wildness costing him in his previous starts...
Something had to give on this sunny afternoon from the Oakland Coliseum.

Fortunately for the A’s it was Bassitt who reversed course and led the A’s to a 8-3 victory and three game sweep of the visiting Orioles.

Game Preview + Game Thread #1
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Bassitt was locked in from the beginning, throwing pitches like this one:

He would go on to throw 5 ¹⁄₃ no hit innings, eventually leaving with a line score of 5 ²⁄₃ innings, two runs, three walks and six strikeouts.

Phegley Mania!
On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s Josh Phegley continued his breakout season, skying a deep home run to left field (on a 0-2 pitch!) in the fifth inning with two on and two out to give the A’s a 3-0 lead after five innings.

The home run gave Phegley 41 RBI on the season, good for second best in the Major Leagues among catchers (Yankees Gary Sanchez leads with 45 RBI).

Yusmeiro Petit - Today’s Unsung Hero
The Orioles got to Bassitt and reliever Ryan Buchter (walked in a run on five pitches) in the sixth inning to cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Credit the second reliever of the inning, Yusmeiro Petit, for getting out of the jam with a key strikeout to end the frame and leave the bases loaded. Petit’s line of 2/3rds of an inning, allowing one run (in the seventh inning) won’t stand out in the box score, but his strikeout in the sixth was perhaps the biggest moment of today’s game.

Double-Double
The A’s answered back with another run in the bottom of the sixth on back to back two out doubles from Mark Canha and Stephen Piscotty.

O’s Feathers Sent Flying in the 7th
Leading 4-3 after Petit alloed an earned run in the top of the inning, the A’s offense broke out for four insurance runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning. Josh Phegley was once again in the middle of everything, doubling to lead-off the inning. Marcus Semien advanced Phegley to third with a single and in the process extended his hitting streak to sixteen games. With runners on the corners, Matt Chapman grounded into a fielders choice to plate Phegley. After a Matt Olsen line-out failed to advance the runners, Khris Davis stepped up and delivered an RBI base hit, followed by a RBI double from Ramon Laureano. A wild pitch scored Khris Davis with the fourth run of the inning and gave the A’s a comfortable 8-3 advantage.

A’s Bullpen Closes the Door
Liam Hendriks pitched a clean eighth inning and Joakim Soria, despite giving up two hits, pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the A’s win and put them three games over .500 and back to single digits (nine games) behind the AL West leading Astros.

Rays Coming to Oakland
The A’s can enjoy the sweep today but tomorrow night the red hot Tampa Bay Rays come into town for a four game weekend series. Frankie Montas will get the baseball for the A’s to begin the series looking for his 10th win of the season and the ballclub will also be celebrating African American Heritage Night by giving away the epic Oakland Larks Cap to all fans and having the players wear the hat during the game.

Now is our time!
Pay attention my fellow A’s brothers and sisters, there is something special going on with this team, the offensive is heating up, the starting pitching is on quite a run and the Baby A’s are rehabbing and almost ready to go...

Let’s Go Oak-land!!