A's Score 10 Runs In Monster 3rd Inning To Bag Sixth Straight Win Vs. Orioles
BALTIMORE (AP) — Matt Olson homered during a 10-run third inning in which the first 11 batters reached base, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-0 Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory.
Oakland totaled 10 hits and two walks in its biggest inning of the year. Olson provided the big blow — a three-run shot off Andrew Cashner (4-15) — and three different players had two hits.
That was more than enough offense to enable the A's to match their longest winning streak of the season. Oakland trails first-place Houston by three games in the AL West and owns a comfortable lead for the second AL wild card.
Daniel Mengden (7-6) pitched five innings of no-hit relief after entering in the second for starter Liam Hendriks, who went one inning by design.
Baltimore's lone hit was a clean single to left field in the first by Trey Mancini.
The A's have already clinched their 10th series win in the last 13 (10-1-2) and will go for a three-game sweep of the woeful Orioles on Thursday night. After going a major league-best 34-15 since the All-Star break, Oakland is 32 games over .500 (89-57) for the first time since September 2003.
Baltimore has lost six in a row to fall to 41-104, the worst record in the majors. It's the eighth time this season the Orioles have been mired in a skid of at least six games.
After breezing through the first two innings, Cashner never got another out. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Matt Chapman, who hit a two-run double.
Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis followed with singles before Olson hit his 26th home run. Three singles and a walk followed before the crowd of 10,480 offered a mock cheer when Cody Carroll got Ramon Laureano to hit a popup for the first out.
Laureano singled in the first inning, doubled in the fifth and hit his first career triple in the seventh. Needing a home run to complete the cycle, the rookie looked at a called third strike in the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: Oakland has used the disabled list 26 times this season, compared to 23 last year. The club record is 27, set in 2016.
Orioles: DH Mark Trumbo (knee surgery) and LHP Richard Bleier (lat surgery) dropped by the clubhouse, even though both are done for the year. The hope is that both will be available at the start of the 2019 season. "We like where it's headed. Everything's been fine," manager Buck Showalter said. "I wouldn't commit that they're both going to be there on opening day, but there's a chance."
YOUTH IS SERVED
Left fielder DJ Stewart became the 14th player to make his major league debut with Baltimore this season, tying the Orioles record set in 1955.
The Orioles will start a pair of rookie pitchers in the upcoming series against the White Sox. Luis Ortiz — part of the haul in the July trade for Jonathan Schoop — makes his first major league start Friday night, and Yefry Ramirez will go Saturday.
UP NEXT
Athletics: LHP Brett Anderson (3-4, 4.02 ERA), who has a 6.55 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore, gets the ball in the series finale Thursday night.
Orioles: Dylan Bundy (7-14, 5.58 ERA) looks for his first victory since July 29. He's 0-5 in his last seven starts with 11 home runs allowed.
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