WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Leody Taveras broke out of an 0-for-12 slump with two doubles and three RBIs in the Baltimore Orioles’ 5-3 victory over the Athletics on Saturday night.
Colton Cowser hit his 13th home run of the season in the fifth inning while Coby Mayo had a base hit and scored twice for the Orioles.
Shane Baz (5-14) went 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. He struck out four and walked three. Baz had previously lost all
five decisions in August, with eight losses overall since June 18. The right-hander’s last win was 7-3 against the San Diego Padres on June 12.
The Orioles got on the board in the third inning when Taveras hit a ground-rule double off pitcher Jack Perkins (3-10) to bring in Mayo.
Cowser homered over the center field wall in the fifth inning, and Taveras’ second double off reliever Luis Suárez in the sixth inning drove in two more runs to give Baltimore a 4-0 lead.
Lawrence Butler drew a bases-loaded walk and Donovan Walton was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning to pull the A's within 4-2.
Carlos Cortes hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to get the A’s within one run.
But Cowser scored from third base on a passed ball by Athletics catcher Jonah Heim in the ninth inning. Andrew Kittredge pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Baltimore as a team has hit at least one homer in 16 of its last 17 games.
A’s rookie Henry Bolte’s base hit in the third inning and double in the seventh gave him 33 in August, which leads major league rookies for the month.
Orioles RHP Chris Bassitt (5-4, 4.74 ERA) is set to start Sunday’s series finale. The A’s had not announced a starter.
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