Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and the Athletics won their third game in a row by defeating the host Baltimore Orioles 6-2 on Saturday.
Aaron Civale (4-1) had his third consecutive strong start, pitching five scoreless innings despite allowing six hits and three walks. He struck out six.
Hogan Harris, Scott Barlow and Joel Kuhnel each pitched one shutout inning while Mark Leiter Jr. was charged with Baltimore’s two runs.
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 33 games, the longest active string in the major leagues, with a double to lead off the game.
Kurtz, who scored three runs in the first five innings, Rooker, Shea Langeliers and Colby Thomas each had two hits as the Athletics put together their second three-game winning streak of the season. They racked up 11 hits and drew four walks.
Samuel Basallo and Gunnar Henderson each had two hits and pinch hitter Colton Cowser provided a two-run single for the Orioles, who stranded 10 runners to lose their third game in a row and eighth in their last 10.
Baltimore starter Shane Baz (1-4) was chased after 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with five runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Langeliers’ single in the first inning drove in Kurtz to open the scoring.
Rooker’s fifth homer of the season came in the third. He has homered twice in a three-game stretch and three times this month.
Langeliers added a sacrifice fly in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.
The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, but they failed to score when Adley Rutschman struck out and Pete Alonso and Basallo flied out.
After Cowser’s eighth-inning hit cut the margin to three runs, Thomas delivered an RBI single in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
