OAKLAND, Calif. – Albert Suárez struck out six in six straight innings and won consecutive games for the first time this season, pitching the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
The right-hander (5-2) surrendered Miguel Andujar’s first-inning home run but settled in to hold down an A’s lineup after back-to-back 5-0 losses and a series of sweeps over the Los Angeles Angels.
Coming off his first quality start of the season, Suárez allowed two runs on four hits and walked one as the Orioles won for the seventh time in nine games following a five-game losing streak. Baltimore is now 56-32 and has joined four previous Orioles teams to win at least 56 of their starting 88 games and is the first to do so since 1979.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two outs for his 22nd save to end the 2-hour, 28-minute game before an announced crowd of 9,654.
Austin Hays hit an RBI double in the second and Adley Rutschman drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning.
Baltimore took the lead in the first after Gunnar Henderson’s leadoff single. He advanced on a groundout and then stole third before scoring an unearned run when catcher Shea Langeliers made a low throw trying to catch him and got past third baseman Brett Harris on an error.
Andujar tied the bottom half with a solo homer and Langeliers hit his 16th home run in the seventh.
Oakland pitchers have now gone six straight games without giving up a home run. The Orioles lead the majors with 142.
A’s left-hander Hogan Harris (1-3) was scored for three runs – two earned – on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle returned to the lineup after playing in Sunday’s final in Seattle. He was sidelined with illness for a few days last week.
Athletics: RHP Ross Stripling (strained throwing elbow) and RHP Paul Blackburn, dealing with a stress reaction in his right foot, will throw bullpen sessions on Saturday and then report to Class A Stockton to pitch on Tuesday. If all goes well, they will join Triple-A Las Vegas next Sunday.
NEXT
LHP Cade Povich (1-2, 4.05 ERA) pitches Saturday for the Orioles against A’s RHP Luis Medina (1-3, 4.80).
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