The Sports Xchange
Aug 11, 2017
OAKLAND -- Baltimore twice hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches and Wade Miley produced his first quality start since June 1 as the Orioles defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Thursday night.
Trey Mancini hit a pair of home runs to reach 20 for the first time in his brief career. Adam Jones hit his 21st home run -- a tape-measure blast -- and Mark Trumbo awoke from a slumber to hit his 18th.
Miley (6-9) allowed one run (unearned) and three hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three while throwing 111 pitches (66 for strikes).
Closer Zach Britton, the fourth Oriole reliever, got the final out with the bases loaded for his 10th save of the season and 58th straight successful conversation over two years.
Miley was cruising even before the Orioles tacked on two unearned runs in the seventh inning. Tim Beckham doubled to right with one out before Jonathan Schoop reached on an infield error. Both scored when Jones bounced a double into the left-field corner.
Oakland rallied for a run in the eighth off reliever Darren O'Day when Jed Lowrie's second double of the game plated Marcus Semien, who led off the frame with a single. But O'Day got out of a two-on, no-out jam with a strikeout and double play.
The Orioles staked Miley to an early lead by scoring in the first inning before getting home runs on back-to-back pitches in the fourth.
The red-hot Beckham hit a ball off the top of the center-field fence for a leadoff triple in the first, and scored when Manny Machado followed with a slow roller to third.
Jones and Mancini belted long homers to left field in the fourth off Athletics starter Chris Smith (0-2) after Oakland tied the game in the first when Lowrie's sacrifice fly to right plated Rajai Davis, who led off with a single.
Baltimore pounded two more long balls in succession with one out in the sixth as Mancini and Trumbo went deep to left off Smith for a 5-1 lead.
Beckham is 20-for-40 with three home runs, six RBIs and 10 runs scored in 10 games since being acquired from Tampa Bay.
NOTES: DH Mark Trumbo was dropped to sixth in the batting order in an effort to get out of a slump. His home run snapped an 0-for-24 drought. ... Oakland's 3B Matt Chapman left the game after two innings with an illness. Ryon Healy moved from first base to third base and Matt Olson took over at first. ... The Orioles have hit nine sets of back-to-back home runs this season. ... Baltimore didn't single until its 10th hit of the game -- an eighth-inning pinch hit safety by Craig Gentry.