Paul Blackburn threw 6 2/3 strong innings to improve to 4-0 as the Oakland A beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Monday night to break a season-high nine-game losing streak.
Tony Kemp hit a single home run in the third and Chad Pinder added an RBI single in the fourth, which was all the offense needed for the A to end his streak.
Blackburn dropped four hits and scored three before going into the seventh inning. Despite running two batters, rookie Danny Jimenez escaped damage and made his fifth save to end the four-hitter.
The Tigers, who managed just four hits and were out in two consecutive games, lost six in a row and 13 of their last 15.
Michael Pineda (1-2) lost 6 2/3 innings despite conceding only two runs on six hits.
Xavier Baez and manager AJ Hinch were kicked out in the ninth after an argument over balls and strike, when Baez was called on strike.
The A’s losing streak was their eighth of at least nine games since 1978 and their longest since the club dropped 10 in a row from May 30 to June 9, 2011, under manager Mark Cootsey’s predecessor Bob Melvin. Was.
Oakland’s previous two victories also came in shutouts as the A defeated the Rangers 2–0 on April 24 and the Giants 1–0 on April 27 for a leadoff home run from Pindar. The key to victory against the Giants was another stellar effort from Blackburn as the right-handed batsman bowled five innings of three hitting balls. Blackburn needed three early double plays to keep the Giants off the board in that game, but got enough help from his bullpen as five relievers caught San Francisco without hitting them in the final four innings of that game at Oracle Park. .
Since defeating the Orioles 6–4 at the Coliseum on April 21, 11 of the A’s last 15 matches have been held on two runs or less.
Oakland finished with only six hits in Monday’s series-opener, but three were up for extra base as third baseman Kevin Smith hit a two-out triple in the second inning before Kemp scored his own of the season on a 0-1 change. Launched the first home run. Third innings. Catcher Sean Murphy took the lead with a double and later scored on Pinder’s RBI single.
Another strong start from Blackburn, who is rapidly emerging as the A’s leading All-Star candidate, was crucial for the A as the team only had one hit after the fourth inning. That lone hit was the single from Luis Barrera, who made his 2022 debut in Detroit after Oakland named Billy McKinney for the assignment on Monday.
Barrera, who started in right field, also walked against Detroit.
Rookie Christian Pache, who made the finals in a 4-3 loss to the Twins on Sunday, had a day off, while Ramon Loreno, who returned from an 80-game PED suspension against Minnesota, started in center field.
The A will have two chances to break out of their offensive funk on Tuesday as they play a doubleheader against the Tigers. Oakland will turn to right-hander Frankie Montas (2-2, 3.44 in Game 1 against Hayward, Calif. native Tariq Scoble). Montas is 4-2 with a 5.01 ERA in seven career appearances, including six starts against Detroit. He was 2-0 last year in two starts with 2.13 ERA.
In Game 2, right-hander Adrian Martinez (0-0, 0.00) is expected to make his debut in the league. With Triple-A Las Vegas, Martinez is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA in five starts.
A’s bullpen should be fresh as right-hander Jack Jackson recorded a seventh inning final and all three outs in the eighth were bowled by Cotsey to Jimenez for the ninth. The rookie right-hander has been impressive in limited opportunities in a close role this season, as he has yet to allow a run this season, while he has made 14 strikes—including three against the Tigers on Monday—12 shifts are included.