by Jerry Feitelberg

Baltimore- The A’s sent the Orioles down to defeat as they, as the Orioles did Monday night, had a four-homer game and won by a score of 6-4. The A’s Paul Blackburn was pitching very well until the top of the fifth. The O’s Trey Mancini reached when his line shot hit Blackburn on his right wrist. Bob Melvin and trainer Nick Paparesta flew out to the mound to see if there was any damage. Blackburn was in pain and was not able to pitch. The A’s were holding their collective breaths until word came that Blackburn did not fracture his wrist. BoMel said this:”hopefully, we dodged a bullet. (There was ) No, no fracture, no break. So we are calling it a hand/bruise. We’ll see how he’s doing in a couple of days.”

The A’s offense went on the attack in the very first inning. Leadoff hitter, Boog Powell, singled and scored when Jed Lowrie hit his twelfth homer of the season to put the A’s up 2-0. Jiminez retired Matt Joyce and Khris Davis but was victimized by Ryon Healy who hit an opposite field blast to give the A’s a 3-0 lead. It was Healy’s twenty-second tater of the campaign.

The A’s plated two more runs in the top of the fifth. Matt Joyce doubled. Jiminez retired Khris Davis but served up another pitch to Healy that would leave the yard. Healy now has four two-homer games this season, and it was his twenty-third of the season. O’s manager Buck Showalter let Jiminez finish the inning, but he was done for the night. His line was five innings pitched, and he allowed nine hits and five runs as well as three homers. Jiminez has served up twenty-nine gopher-balls so far this year.

Blackburn started the fifth but had to leave when he was hit on the wrist. His line was four plus innings of work, and he recorded ten ground ball outs. He kept the O’s hitters off balance as he was able to move the ball up and down as well as in and out of the zone. After the injury, Simon Castro pitched the fifth and sixth innings. The Orioles scored twice in the sixth. O’s catcher Caleb Joseph singled and scored on Manny Machado’s two-run blast.

Liam Hendriks retired the O’s in order in the seventh, but the O’s rallied to score two more in the eighth. Melvin brought in Daniel Coulombe to pitch to Chris Davis. Davis walked. Melvin brought in Chris Hatcher. Hatcher gave up a single to Tim Beckham. Manny Machado walked to load the bases. Melvin made another pitching change as he summoned Blake Treinen to shut down the O’s. The strategy didn’t work. The O’s Jonathan Schoop, one of the best RBI producer in the AL singled to drive in two. Treinen retired Adam Jones for the final out of the eighth.

The A’s Khris Davis provided the team with an insurance run in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the O’s leadoff hitter, Trey Mancini, reached on a Chad Pinder throwing error. Treinen induced Matt Trumbo to hit into a 5-4-3 double play and then struck out Chris Davis for the final out.

Game Notes- The A’s made a couple of base running blunders in the top of the eighth. Pinder reached on an infield hit, and Matt Chapman doubled to put men on at second and third with no out. Bruce Maxwell ground out to Jonathan Schoop. The O’s infield was drawn in, and Schoop’s throw to Caleb Joseph nailed Pinder for the first out. Chapman went to third on the play. Boog Powell attempted a safety squeeze, but the O’s were up to the challenge. The ball was fielded by the pitcher Bleier. Bleier was able to get Chapman caught in a rundown. He was tagged out. Maxwell advanced to third, and Powell went to second. Lowrie grounded out to end the inning.

Game three of the series will be played at Camden Yards Wednesday afternoon at 12:05 pm. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland and he will be opposed by Dylan Bundy.