Zach Logue tossed seven scoreless innings, Sean Murphy and Kevin Smith drove in two runs apiece, and the visiting Oakland Athletics thumped the slumping Detroit Tigers 9-0 on Wednesday.
Logue (1-0) held the Tigers to five hits and no walks while striking out six. He earned his first major league victory in his second career start and third appearance.
Oakland’s Christian Bethancourt had three hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Ramon Laureano walked twice, doubled, scored twice and drove in a run.
Sam Moll and Justin Grimm each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the shutout for the A’s, who have won three of the first four games in the five-game series that wraps up Thursday.
The Tigers have lost eight of their past nine games, and they have not scored more than two runs in any of those defeats.
Detroit starter Joey Wentz, making his major league debut, surrendered six runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. The left-hander, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo prior to the game, walked two and struck out one.
Miguel Cabrera had three of Detroit’s seven hits.
The first batter to face Wentz, Tony Kemp, worked out a 12-pitch walk. Kemp moved to third on a wild pitch and groundout. Chad Pinder hit into a fielder’s choice, but Kemp stayed in the rundown long enough for Pinder to reach third. Murphy’s bloop single brought in Pinder.
Wentz gloved Laureano’s one-hopper behind his back and threw him out to escape further damage.
Oakland made it 3-0 in the second. Bethancourt led off with a single and advanced to third on Elvis Andrus’ one-out single. Cristian Pache brought in Bethancourt with another single, and Andrus scored on Kemp’s sacrifice fly.
The A’s knocked around Wentz for three more runs in the third before he was removed. Sheldon Neuse led off with a triple and scored on Murphy’s sacrifice fly. Laureano’s walk, Bethancourt’s single and Smith’s two-run double into the left-center-field gap ended Wentz’s night.
Oakland took a 7-0 lead in the fifth against Wily Peralta when Laureano walked, stole second and scored on Bethancourt’s single to center. The A’s added two runs against Gregory Soto in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
