OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Bradish had eight strikeouts in six dominant innings, Jorge Mateo hit an inside-the-park home run and the Baltimore Orioles beat the last-place Oakland Athletics 12-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Ryan Mountcastle extended his on-base streak to a career-high 26 games with three hits including his 17th home run to pace the Orioles’ 17-hit attack. Gunnar Henderson hit his 21st to go with two doubles and a triple, and Austin Hays added a two-run single as Baltimore won its sixth in eight games and improved to an AL-best 77-47.
It’s the fourth time this season the Orioles have had 17 hits or more. It’s the first time the Orioles hit 30 games over .500 since ending 2014 at 96-66.
Brent Rooker hit his 20th home run for the A’s, who dropped their eighth in nine games and were eliminated from contention in the AL West while being swept for the 17th time this season to match an Oakland-era record (1978).
The A’s fell to 34-90, the first time that they’ve been 56 games under .500 since the franchise was in Philadelphia and finished 49-105 in 1946.
Bradish (8-6) was overpowering all afternoon in his first career start against the A’s, allowing two hits and one walk. He struck out the side in the first on 13 pitches, whiffed seven of the first nine overall and didn’t allow a base runner until Zack Gelof’s one-out single in the fourth.
The Orioles pitcher was still upstaged by teammate Mateo, the former A’s farmhand who spent nearly three years in Oakland’s minor leagues before being traded to San Diego in 2020. Baltimore signed him off waivers in 2021.
Mateo crushed an 0-1 pitch from JP Sears (2-10) that bounced off the wall in left-center between two A’s outfielders then rolled quickly back onto the field. Oakland left fielder Tony Kemp chased the ball down but Mateo was well on his way and slid headfirst into home.
It’s the 26th inside-the-park home run in Orioles history and the first since Trey Mancini did it against Tampa Bay on July 28, 2022.
Mountcastle, whose on-base streak is the longest active in the majors, singled in the first and third innings then homered in the fourth, his second in five days.
Henderson, who barely missed a home run in the fourth, had a no-doubter off Zach Neal in the seventh that clanged off the foul pole in right.
Rooker homered off Nick Vespi leading off the seventh.
Vespi retired six batters while former A’s pitcher Shintaro Fujinami got the final three out to complete the four-hitter.
Sears lost his third straight decision after one of his worst outings of the season. Sears allowed nine hits and a career high-tying seven runs with four strikeouts.
SOLO DOUBLE UP
A’s first baseman Seth Brown made the defensive play of the game in the sixth when he snared Mateo’s line drive then reached over with his glove and tagged the bag to double up Ryan McKenna, who had walked.
ROSTER MOVES
Orioles: RHP Mychal Givens was released, one day after Baltimore placed him on unconditional waivers.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: RF Anthony Santander was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive day because of lower back pain.
Athletics: RHP Austin Pruitt was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained forearm. It’s the 29th time this season that the team has put a player on the IL, breaking the Oakland era record for a non-Covid season. RHP Dany Jiménez was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Manager Brandon Hyde has not named a starter for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.
Athletics: RHP Paul Blackburn (3-3, 4.09) faces the Royals on Monday in Oakland. Blackburn pitched seven scoreless innings in his last start against St. Louis last Wednesday and has allowed one run or fewer in six of his 13 starts overall this season.
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