Oakland Athletics humiliate Tampa Bay Rays 13-4 for third straight win – MLB Update
Oakland Athletics put in a brilliant batting performance as they comprehensively beat Tampa Bay Rays 13-4 at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland on Wednesday, July 27.
As the A’s starter Trevor Cahill landed at the mound, their batting gave full back up with ballistic punches. The Japanese native hitter, Hideki Matsui doubled to deep-centre off the Rays’ starter James Shields in the bottom of the fourth inning to start
the hitting.
Then in fourth inning, Scott Sizemore tripled to deep-right-centre for two runs to cement a foundation for a nine run fourth inning. Second baseman Jemile Weeks singled, Hideki Matsui launched a crushing three-run homer, Conor Jackson singled and Ryan Sweeney
hammered 408-feet lengthy, two-run homer to conclude 10-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Rays’ manager Joe Maddon changed Shields, who despite allowing twelve hits and ten runs went to fourth place in ERA in the Majors. The A’s bat, however was in full swing as Weeks and Matsui joined again to insert two more runs for a 10-0 lead in the fifth
inning. Weeks added another run in the sixth to settle it to 13-0 until the end of the sixth inning.
Cahill in contrast kept the Rays’ batting camp under extreme pressure and completed his seven innings, allowing only four no-score hits and four walks along with six strike-outs to grab his ninth win in 2011 regular season. With this win, he moved closer
to ten wins and his record jump to 9-9 with 3.58 ERA after his first win since June 25.
The A’s won eight of their 12 games after entering into second half. It was their first three-straight games win since the start of the second round in 2011. Their maximum number of back-to-back wins in this season is six.
"It's about believing and starting over in the second half and trying to put the first half behind you," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "We've kept preaching as a staff that we feel like we're a good offensive team, no matter what the numbers looked like
in first half."
Rays manager Joe Maddon was not impressed at all with the way his batters keep on swinging without even touching a ball.
"We just don't hit anything," Maddon said. "We're flat. And when you don't hit, it gives a team a flatness. The last two nights for us have not been good games for us. The hitting is just not there."
Rays made all four runs in the ninth inning against the A’s closer Fautino De Los Santos. Matt Joyce homered for two runs, Desmond Jennings and Johnny Damon each added a single.
While the A’s will try to grab series sweep, the Rays will be looking to make at least one positive win before entering into three-game series against their rivals, Seattle Mariners from July 29 to 31.
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