The Oakland A’s Esteury Ruiz swings for a two RBI single in the top sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wed Jul 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Wow, the A’s, after beating the Tigers 1-0 on Tuesday, routed the Tigers 12-3 on Wednesday. The A’s offense came to life, and the A’s pitching was outstanding. The team that could muster two hits on Tuesday had 14 hits, including three home runs, that produced 12 runs.

The A’s opener Austin Pruitt worked three innings and retired all nine hitters. Lefty Ken Waldichuk had one of his best outings of the year. Waldichuk took over in the fourth and held the Tigers scoreless until the eighth.

The A’s scored three in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth, four in the sixth, and three in the eighth. In the first, the big blow was Ryan Noda’s ninth home run with a man onboard to give the A’s an early 3-0. In the third, Jordan Diaz singled with one out.

Aledmys Diaz doubled to drive in Jordan with the A’s fourth run. The A’s were pounding Tigers’ starter Eduardo Rodriguez. The onslaught continued when Shea Langeliers blasted a solo home run in the fourth to make it 5-0. Tigers’ skipper A.J. Hinch removed Rodriguez from the game.

The A’s made the game a runaway in the top of the sixth as they put four more runs on the board. With one out, She Langeliers singled and went to second on a throwing error by the Tigers’ third baseman Zack McKinstry. JJ Bleday singled, and Langeliers stopped at third.

Nick Allen walked to load the bases. Tony Kemp singled to drive in Langeliers and Bleday, and Allen went to third on the play. Kemp then stole second. Leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz singled to drive in Allen and Kemp. The A’s led 9-0 after six.

In the eighth, the A’s put more icing on the cake as they scored three times. With one out, Nick Allen and Tony Kemp singled. Tyler Wade was inserted into the game after Ruiz had to leave with an injury. Wade’s fielder’s choice allowed Allen to score.

Kemp was out at second. Jordan Diaz, who had two singles in the game, blasted a two-run home run into the seats in right field to finish the A’s scoring. The A’s led 12-0 midway through the eighth.

The Tigers finally put some runs on the board in the eighth. Waldichuk had allowed the Tigers just one hit in the first four innings of work. In the eighth, Waldichuk walked the first two hitters. He could not keep his fastball down in the strike zone. Waldichuk regained his composure and retired catcher Jake Rogers for the first out. Waldichuk now had to face Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera, a sure bet for baseball’s Hall of Fame, doubled to drive in the Tigers’ first run. Jake Marisnick, a former Oakland Athletic, drove in the Tigers’ second run with a sacrifice fly to right field. The Tigers added a run in the ninth.

Game Notes- The A’s won for the fourth time in the last five games and the 13th in the last 26 games. Their record improved to 25-63. This team wants the New York Mets to keep their record of 120 losses in a season. Their record over the last 26 games indicates that the team will continue to improve. The Tigers are now 37-48.

Waldichuk was the winning pitcher. He earned his second win. The losing pitcher was Eduardo Rodriguez.

The A’s line score was 12 runs, 14 hits, and no errors. The hitting stars for Oakland were Jordan Diaz, Esteury Ruiz, Shea Langeliers, Tony Kemp, and Ryan Noda. Diaz had two singles and a home run, Ruiz had two singles and stole his 43rd base, Langeliers had a single and a home run, Kemp had two singles and a stolen base, and Ryan Noda had a two-run blast.

The A’s will be going for a sweep on Thursday. A’s manager Mark Kotsay will send lefty Hogan Harris (2-2 5.17) to the hill for Oakland. Harris will be seeking his third win of the campaign. The Tigers will counter with Michael Lorenzen (2-6 ERA 4.28). The game will start at 10:10 am.