A's pull away as Bassitt silences Orioles
OAKLAND -- Chris Bassitt tossed seven shutout innings and the A's finally scored some runs for him, pulling away for a 5-0 win over the Orioles at the Coliseum on Tuesday night, giving the right-hander his first victory of the season.
Bassitt had received just five total runs of support in his five previous starts, but Billy Burns singled home Eric Sogard in the fifth, Brett Lawrie tripled home Billy Butler against Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez in the sixth and Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer later that inning off reliever Chaz Roe.
"When he's out there, he's not worried about the run support," A's manager Bob Melvin said of Bassitt. "He's really focused on what he needs to do in the inning, and he's been terrific. It's nice to get him a win and it's certainly nice to get him some runs."
Gonzalez gave up three earned runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking three and throwing 94 pitches. The O's mustered only five hits and struck out seven times against Bassitt.
"I thought the game was how well they pitched, and that's the kind of guy you get for a guy like Samardzija," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Bassitt, who was acquired by the A's as part of a December trade that sent right-hander Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Still rolling: Bassitt has yielded three runs or fewer in all six of his starts with the A's. On Tuesday, he made it through seven frames for the second straight outing and extended his scoreless streak to 13 innings while finally picking up his first A's win.
"I don't care about ERA, I don't care about hits. I just care about winning," Bassitt said. "I don't care about anything else. I don't look at any stats. I can tell you what my record is pretty much every single time. Besides that, I don't care." More >
Video: BAL@OAK: Melvin on Bassitt's strong performance, win
Thanks for the support: Semien's three-run shot hit the top of the wall and bounced over the fence in left-center. The home run plated Lawrie and Sogard (who was intentionally walked with two outs) and was Semien's 10th of the year. The A's had scored five or more runs in only two of their last 13 games, and they scored only one run in each of Bassitt's previous two starts.
"He's been pitching great every time out," said Semien, who was acquired by the A's in the same trade that brought Bassitt from the White Sox. "He deserves that. As an offensive unit, we had a slow start today. He still stuck with it, pitched great, and we had a big inning. It helped him a lot."
Video: BAL@OAK: Semien breaks game open with three-run homer
Another short start for Gonzalez : The righty has lasted longer than 5 1/3 innings only twice in his last nine starts, and Tuesday was his latest short outing. After escaping some trouble in the fifth inning, allowing just one run, Gonzalez found himself in another jam in the sixth. This time, he didn't recover, exiting after Lawrie's one-out triple.
"I thought my offspeeds were good; everything was really where I wanted it," Gonzalez said. "I understand that falling behind hitters is going to make me work a little, but more so I just need to stay aggressive and try to throw strikes as quick as possible so my defense can be on their toes and we can make some plays." More >
Video: BAL@OAK: Lawrie hits a run-scoring triple to center
QUOTABLE
"Yeah, got me mad. Make a better throw. Make a better throw, he's out by a lot. As soon as I saw that throw, I said, 'Oh man.' Couple inches shorter, couple inches longer, he's out." -- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, on his throw that bounced off the mound and allowed Sogard to score in the fifth inning
"Relief. Simple as that." -- Bassitt, on how he felt after finally getting a win with the A's
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The A's recorded their 14th shutout of the season, tops in the American League.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Burns attempted to steal second after drawing a walk in the A's four-run sixth inning. He was called safe on the field, but the play was reviewed and overturned.
Video: BAL@OAK: Wieters catches Burns stealing second base
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Wei-Yin Chen (5-6, 3.24 ERA) will start for the O's in Wednesday's series finale. He will try to bounce back after giving up a season-high six earned runs over 3 1/3 innings against Detroit on Friday. After establishing himself as the O's ace in the first half, he's struggled to find his footing since the All-Star break.
A's: Kendall Graveman (6-7, 3.84) takes the mound for the A's, fresh off giving up one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings in a loss to the Indians on Friday. The rookie right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.63 ERA and .313 opponents' batting average over his last four starts.
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