Field Level Media
Apr 25, 2021
Austin Hays homered twice, and Maikel Franco added another one as the Baltimore Orioles ended the visiting Oakland A's 13-game winning streak with an 8-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.
The A's had not lost since April 8 in Houston's home opener. Oakland began the season at 0-6 before turning everything around, and the 13-game winning streak is the third longest for the team since they moved to Oakland in the late 1960s.
The A's could not find much offense against Baltimore starter John Means and the bullpen. Oakland finished with three hits.
Means (2-0) was solid once again. He gave up one run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out six, walked three and now has a 1.50 ERA.
The Orioles' bullpen then closed it out with 2 2/3 shutout innings. Rookie Zac Lowther finished things with a scoreless ninth in his major league debut.
But Means needed to battle Oakland starter Jesus Luzardo (1-2), who allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out eight with just two walks.
The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Hays hit his first homer of the season. He lined a Luzardo pitch over the wall in left-center with two outs.
Oakland tied the score when Ramon Laureano contributed his own solo homer in the top of the fourth. He took Means deep to left-center for a ball that landed near where Hays' shot had two innings before -- and also with two outs.
Hays then came through once more in the bottom of the fourth with two outs. He belted his second homer of the game, this time a two-run shot to right-center, which gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead.
Franco greeted Oakland reliever Deolis Guerra in the eighth with a lead-off homer that made it 4-1, and that proved to be the start of a five-run inning. Ryan McKenna later walked with the bases loaded, and the Orioles made it 6-1 when Hays scored on shortstop Elvis Andrus' error.
Trey Mancini added a two-run single two batters later.
--Field Level Media