The Athletics kept rolling Saturday afternoon in Baltimore.
Brent Rooker launched a three-run homer, Aaron Civale delivered five scoreless innings, and the A’s beat the Orioles 6-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The victory pushed the Athletics to 21-18 and extended their winning streak to three games.
The A’s also strengthened their grip on first place in the AL West. They now lead the division by 2.5 games, while every other team in the division sits below .500.
Early pressure pays off
The Athletics jumped on Orioles starter Shane Baz right away.
Nick Kurtz opened the game with a double, then scored on Shea Langeliers’ RBI single to left. That gave the A’s a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Then the lineup broke through again in the third.
Kurtz worked a leadoff walk, and Langeliers followed with another single. One out later, Rooker drove a three-run homer to right field for his fifth homer of the season.
As a result, the Athletics built a 4-0 lead before Baltimore could settle in.
Civale stays in control
Civale gave the Athletics another steady outing.
The right-hander scattered six hits across five scoreless innings. He walked three and struck out six while improving to 4-1 on the season.
Baltimore threatened in the fifth after putting runners on second and third with one out. However, Civale struck out Adley Rutschman before getting Samuel Basallo to fly out and end the inning.
That escape kept the A’s ahead 5-0 after Langeliers drove in Kurtz with a sacrifice fly earlier in the frame.
Bullpen bends late
The bullpen carried the game the rest of the way.
Hogan Harris and Scott Barlow combined for two scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Then Mark Leiter Jr. ran into trouble in the eighth.
Leody Taveras singled, Dylan Beavers doubled, and Colton Cowser delivered a two-run single that cut the lead to 5-2.
Still, the Athletics answered in the ninth.
Langeliers walked, Rooker singled, and Colby Thomas lined an RBI single to center for insurance. Joel Kuhnel followed with a clean ninth inning to finish the win.
Numbers that mattered
Rooker finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a homer.
Meanwhile, Kurtz reached base three times and scored three runs. He also doubled twice and stole third base.
Langeliers went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk, while Thomas added two hits after entering as a pinch-hitter.
The Athletics collected 11 hits and struck out Baltimore hitters 11 times.
Up next
The Athletics will try to complete the three-game sweep Sunday in Baltimore.
Luis Severino is scheduled to start for the A’s against former Athletic Chris Bassitt. Severino enters 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA and 43 strikeouts, while Bassitt is 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA for the Orioles.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
