Mancini Homers Twice, Miley Goes 7 As Orioles Top A's 7-2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Trey Mancini wasn't assured a spot on the Baltimore Orioles' roster in spring training. He's making his opportunity count.
Mancini homered twice, Wade Miley pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and the Orioles slugged four home runs in a 7-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.
Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo each added solo blasts.
The Orioles have won nine of their last 13 games.
Mancini had three hits and now has 20 home runs for the season.
"I don't know if it's unexpected," Mancini said. "Not knowing where I was going to be this year, I just really try not to take any time for granted here and trying to help this team win some games."
Miley (6-9) struck out seven, walked three and allowed one unearned run.
The left-hander said he's leaning on a curveball he started "spiking," on the recommendation of Orioles reliever Chris Tillman.
"I'm trying to get a pitch that I can use to get ahead with and I'm actually able to put away guys with," Miley said. "It's something I really haven't done much in my career with a curveball, but it's good hopefully I can keep it going."
A's starter Chris Smith (0-2) went six innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, including all four home runs.
The 36-year-old, who last month became the oldest player in franchise history to make his first career start, has given up at least one home run in six outings, including five starts.
"All my starts are tough, but that lineup is deadly," Smith said.
"Man, they just kept on attacking. They made the adjustment on my mistakes, and they hit them. They hit them hard and far."
The Orioles broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth when Jones and Mancini hit back-to-back home runs leading off the inning.
Mancini and Trumbo homered with nobody aboard in consecutive at-bats in the sixth.
Jones' home run was his 21st. Trumbo's 18th snapped a 0-for-24 slump.
Tim Beckham had two hits, including a triple, extending his hitting streak to all 10 games since the Orioles acquired him in a July 31 deadline trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. He's batting .500 (20 for 40) with his new team.
Orioles catcher Wellington Castillo had a double in the fourth inning that extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Jed Lowrie had two hits and two RBIs for Oakland, which has lost five of its last seven games.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter summoned closer Zach Britton to face Lowrie after Oakland loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth.
Joey Rickard made a running catch in right field to retire Lowrie as Britton notched his 10th save.
EXTRA, EXTRA
The Orioles had nine straight extra-base hits to start the game, a streak that ended with pinch-hitter Craig Gentry's single in the top of the eighth inning. The Orioles' record for hits in a game without a single going into Thursday was six.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: OF Joey Rickard was in the starting lineup Thursday a day after being hit in the helmet by a pitch. Rickard left Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels after being hit by an 89 mph fastball from Troy Scribner. He said he felt fine shortly afterward. "Yesterday was more of a shock, just a weird experience and it was more of a precautionary thing that they took me out," Rickard said. "Today I'm fine, good to go." OF Seth Smith was in the starting lineup Thursday, a day after Showalter sat him with a sore hamstring.
Athletics: Third baseman Matt Chapman left Thursday's game in the third inning due to illness. Catcher Josh Phegley (left oblique strain) is ramping up baseball activities ahead of a rehab assignment he's expected to take soon. Phegley, who has been on the disabled list since July 25, did some catching and hitting drills on Thursday, manager Bob Melvin said. OF Jake Smolinski (right shoulder surgery) is also expected to take a rehab assignment as a DH sometime this month, Melvin said. Smolinski has been out all season.
UP NEXT
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-7, 3.61 ERA) is 4-1 with a 4.66 ERA in seven career starts against the A's. He's 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his last three starts. Rookie RHP Paul Blackburn (3-1, 2.60) will make his eighth career start.
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