By Morris Phillips

Thought the A’s were off to a merely respectable start of the season after a tough weather week at the Coliseum? Well, after a near perfect, second week—all on the road–the A’s are boasting the American League’s best record following Sunday’s 3-0 shutout win at Seattle’s Safeco Field.

Scott Kazmir was flawless for six innings before being struck with tightness in his triceps, discomfort he also experienced once during spring training. A cautious Bob Melvin then removed his starter, who allowed just two hits and struck out nine.

As the A’s oldest starter in a rotation that’s been lights out thus far, Kazmir showed his veteran wizardry while he was around on Sunday, baffling the Mariners with breaking balls—often outside the zone—as his out pitch. The 30-year old Kazmir started 15 of the 20 hitters he faced with a strike, and threw just 21 balls in the outing. But when he needed an out, the Mariners often chased his breaking pitches outside the zone with no success.

“He was making guys chase his slider and throwing the heater at 95,” Seattle’s Robinson Cano said of Kazmir.

Unfortunately, Kazmir didn’t last long enough to pick up a win as Chris Young matched him in his first Major League start in more than a year by shutting down the A’s for six innings on four hits. Amazingly, Young was released in spring training by Washington and signed by Seattle just a week before the start of the regular season, and now he’s thrown eight scoreless innings as a Mariner.

“I think he is close,” Mariners’ manager Lloyd McClendon said of Young. “I saw his breaking ball coming today. When that pitch comes for him, he’s going to be pretty tough.”

Still good major league hitters can’t tip their batting helmets all day, and Yoenis Cespedes was the first to break up the order of things in the eighth when he launched Charlie Furbush’s elevated offering into the left field seats to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

Josh Donaldson connected in the ninth on an opposite field shot to provide insurance for the A’s. For Cespedes it was his second homer of the season, Donaldson, his third.

The A’s bullpen did the rest with Fernando Abad, Dan Otero, Luke Gregerson and Sean Doolittle combining on three innings of one-hit relief. In a bullpen in flux with the demotion of closer Jim Johnson, the A’s haven’t missed a beat with all four relievers that saw action on Sunday sporting ERA’s under 1.50.

The A’s completed their first week of the season on the road with a 5-1 record, sweeping the Twins and winning two of three in Seattle. Only King Felix’s strong outing on Friday kept Oakland from a perfect start to the road trip that continues Monday night in Anaheim.

The A’s will hand the ball to Jesse Chavez at Angels Stadium with the Oakland rotation looking to post a 12^th quality start in 13 outings thus far. The Angels turn to 26-year old Hector Santiago making his 30^th career major league start after dropping his first two decisions—both to Seattle—in 2014.