The Oakland A’s can have no alternative however to maintain Adrián Martínez of their beginning rotation if the rookie right-hander retains pitching like he did Sunday.
Perhaps that’s the A’s plan regardless, with struggling James Kaprielian shifting to the bullpen.
Martínez allowed three hits and struck out 4 over six scoreless innings because the A’s completed a week-long highway journey with a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles (71-62) at Camden Yards.
Shea Langeliers drove in two runs with a third-inning single and Seth Brown had his second two-home run sport of the season because the A’s (50-85) snapped a four-game dropping streak and ended the journey with a 2-4 report.
“We performed an excellent baseball sport at this time, a clear baseball sport,” A’s supervisor Mark Kotsay mentioned. “We speak so much about how taking part in clear provides us the very best likelihood to win and we threw strikes.”
Martínez, hoping to comply with up his spectacular begin from Aug. 28 in opposition to the New York Yankees on the Coliseum, confronted only one batter over the minimal from the second to the sixth innings after he bought out of a first-inning jam.
Within the sixth after strolling rookie Adley Rutschman, Martínez bought Anthony Santander to floor right into a 3-5-1 double play. After he caught the throw from Vimael Machín at first base, a fired-up Martínez pumped his fist and spiked the ball into the infield grass.
“He stored the fastball within the (strike) zone,” Kotsay mentioned, “and had sufficient velocity to make his changeup efficient and maintain it down beneath the zone.”
Martínez’s efficiency matched his effort in opposition to the Yankees final Sunday when he struck out a career-high six strikeouts in 5⅓ innings in a 4-1 A’s victory. The outing gave Martínez an opportunity to stay within the A’s rotation throughout a highway journey during which they began six totally different pitchers.
“Final time, I made certain to deal with the batter,” Martínez mentioned via a Spanish-language translator. “Simply ensuring to proceed to do this. I’m simply focusing extra on that slightly than the adverse end result. I’m simply actually blissful that issues performed out this fashion.”
Now, Martinez will doubtless get one other begin subsequent week when the A’s are at house for six video games.
With a two-game collection with Atlanta Braves upcoming, the A’s have lefty Cole Irvin beginning Tuesday and rookie Ken Waldichuk going Wednesday, taking Kaprielian’s spot within the rotation.
Kaprielian struggled in August, going 1-4 with a 5.59 ERA in six begins. In that stretch, he had 23 strikeouts to go together with 17 walks, as his season report slipped to 3-9.
Maybe this is a chance for Kaprielian to rediscover his mojo after he went 8-5 final season with a 4.07 ERA. Plus, the A’s might use some bullpen reinforcement with Zach Jackson out for no less than one other week or so with proper shoulder irritation.
Oakland had two blown saves Thursday in its 7-5, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals, and had 4 blown saves of their final 14 video games earlier than Sunday. The A’s bullpen earlier than Sunday had the third-highest opponents’ OPS within the American League (.713).
Kaprielian warmed up within the late innings however didn’t enter the sport as A.J. Puk labored a scoreless ninth.
The A’s took a 1-0 lead within the second inning on a Sheldon Neuse single that scored Brown from second base on a head-first slide.
After Langeliers’ two-RBI single within the third inning, Brown hit his first house run within the sixth inning off Orioles starter Spenser Watkins. Brown’s second homer, within the eighth inning off Nick Vespi, traveled 397 ft and wound up on Eutaw Road behind the appropriate area wall.
Brown snapped a 25-game homerless drought and now has a team-high 19 house runs this season. His final homer earlier than Sunday got here Aug. 7 in opposition to the Giants.
“Martinez threw actually, rather well, and (the Orioles) have lots of arms within the bullpen,” Brown mentioned. “Placing an excellent sport collectively in opposition to these guys is unquestionably an excellent feeling.”
LAUREANO UPDATE: It seems outfielder Ramón Laureano will return this week after a brief rehab project with Low-A Stockton.
Laureano, on the injured listing since Aug. 15 with a strained left indirect, was 2-for-8 with two singles in his first two video games with Stockton because the rehab project started Thursday. He performed proper area Saturday after a day without work and went 0-for-4, and was slated to be the Ports’ designated hitter Sunday evening of their sport with San Jose.
Kotsay mentioned the crew will assess how Laureano is feeling after the weekend. Oakland has the day without work Monday and after its collection with the Braves, hosts the Chicago White Sox for a four-game set.
Laureano is hitting .223 with a .695 OPS and 29 RBIs in 84 video games this season. The A’s are 9/11 in his absence.