WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jacob Lopez struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Colby Thomas and Lawrence Butler each drove in a pair of runs as the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Tuesday night.
Lopez (5-6) allowed four hits and did not walk a batter. The 27-year-old left-hander retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. Tyler Ferguson (2-2) pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his second save.
Thomas had an RBI double in the second inning and knocked in another run with a sacrifice
fly in the fourth. Also in the fourth, Butler hit an RBI double and added an RBI single in the eighth. The Athletics scored two more runs on an error and a wild pitch.
Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz (8-9) matched Lopez early before allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks.
The Rays, who were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, got two hits apiece from Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe, and finished with four total hits.
Oakland’s three-run fourth inning, fueled by four straight hits off Baz, broke the game open.
The Athletics posted their MLB-leading eighth shutout of the season.
RHP J.T. Ginn (2-4, 4.39 ERA) starts for the Athletics against Tampa Bay RHP Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 2.66) on Wednesday.
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