Oakland

Athletics Use 10-Run Third Inning to Beat Orioles 10-0

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.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us