Orioles Use 26-hit Attack To Beat Athletics 18-2
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Adam Jones hit two home runs, Gerardo Parra had five of Baltimore's 26 hits, and the Orioles breezed past the Oakland Athletics 18-2 Sunday.
After winning the first two games of the series with game-ending homers, Baltimore enjoyed a pressure-free blowout at the expense of a free-falling Oakland team that has lost six straight and 16 of 23.
The 26 hits matched a franchise record, set on Aug. 28, 1980, against the Angels.
Homers by Parra and Jones off Kendall Graveman (6-9) helped put Baltimore up 6-1 in the third, and a nine-run, 10-hit fifth inning erased any lingering suspense.
The A's ran through five pitchers before turning to first baseman Ike Davis, who took the mound for the second time this season. He allowed a single and a walk in a scoreless eighth.
Baltimore will try for a sweep on Monday night. The Orioles haven't swept a four-game series from Oakland since 1987 and have never accomplished the feat in Baltimore.
Facing the Athletics, who own the AL's worst record, has greatly enhanced Baltimore's playoff chances. By going 5-1 against Oakland this month, the Orioles have moved within four games of the Yankees in the AL East and are tied for the second wild-card spot, pending the Los Angeles Angels' late game in Kansas City.
In this one, eight different players had multihit games for the Orioles. Jones went 3 for 4, Parra matched his career high in hits and Caleb Joseph homered and had a career-high four RBIs. Steve Clevenger contributed a career-high four hits, and Manny Machado had three hits and three RBIs.
The beneficiary of the relentless attack was Wei-Yin Chen (7-6), who gave up two runs and eight hits in six innings. The Taiwanese left-hander is 5-0 with a 2.30 ERA in seven career starts against Oakland.
Brett Lawrie homered for the A's, who have dropped 10 of 11 on the road, including a season-high seven straight.
Graveman allowed six runs in 3 1-3 innings in his fifth consecutive losing decision. He was followed by Dan Otero, who yielded eight runs in 1 1-3 innings.
Oakland trailed 6-2 before Baltimore sent 13 players to the plate in the fifth. The key blows were a two-run single by Henry Urrutia, a two-run double by Machado and a two-run homer by Jones.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray will start Monday night after being sidelined since Aug. 7 with back spasms. He won't be limited by a pitch count. "If that were the case we probably would give it more time," manager Bob Melvin said.
Orioles: C Matt Wieters missed a fourth straight game with a strained right hamstring. If he doesn't show improvement Monday, Wieters could go on the DL, manager Buck Showalter said.
ON DECK
Athletics: Gray (12-4, 2.06 ERA) has accounted for nearly a fourth of Oakland's 51 wins.
Orioles: Chris Tillman (8-7, 4.66 ERA) enters the series finale having won six straight decisions since May 31.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
