Nick Kurtz and Denzel Clarke hit two-run homers and Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson also drove in two runs apiece as the Athletics drubbed the San Francisco Giants 11-2 on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
JP Sears pitched six scoreless innings for the Athletics, who won for the fourth time in the past six games. Lawrence Butler scored three times and had two hits while Clarke, Rooker and Max Muncy also had two hits apiece for the A’s.
Brett Wisely homered for San Francisco, which has lost eight of its past 11 games.
Sears (7-7) gave up three hits and two walks while striking out six. It was his second straight strong effort, as he blanked the New York Yankees over 5 2/3 innings in a victory on June 28.
Justin Verlander (0-6) is now winless in 14 starts this season for San Francisco. He was roughed up for six runs and seven hits in three innings. Verlander struck out five and walked one.
Rooker stroked an RBI single in the first before the Athletics used four doubles to score four times in the second against Verlander, 42.
Tyler Soderstrom and Muncy began the inning with two-baggers to make it 2-0. Verlander struck out consecutive batters before walking Butler. Wilson followed with a two-run double, and Rooker added an RBI double to make it 5-0.
In the third inning, Verlander hit Soderstrom with a pitch with one out, and Muncy followed with a double. Zack Gelof, playing in his first major league game of the season after recovering from hand and rib injuries, hit a sacrifice fly to score Soderstrom.
The Athletics tacked on three more runs in the sixth off Mason Black.
Clarke led off the inning with a deep triple off the glove of Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee and then scored on Butler’s single. Two outs later, Kurtz lined a homer to right to make it 9-0.
Clarke hit a 471-foot, two-run blast in the seventh to make it an 11-run margin.
Wisely homered in the eighth for the Giants, who added another tally in the ninth.
Jack Perkins allowed two runs and three hits over the final three innings while recording his second save of the season. He fanned five and didn’t issue a walk.
–Field Level Media