A’s do something they’ve never done at Sutter Health Park — against league’s best
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- Athletics secured first Sutter Health Park sweep by beating league-best Tigers.
- Luis Morales tossed seven shutout innings, striking out seven in career-best start.
- Zack Gelof drove in four runs as A’s moved out of last place in AL West standings.
The Athletics did something they haven’t done since coming to West Sacramento and they did it against the best team in the American League.
The A’s swept the Detroit Tigers with a 7-0 victory on Wednesday, giving them their first series sweep on their home field since Independence Day 2024 — and their first sweep at Sutter Health Park since arriving from Oakland this season.
The A’s won all three games against the Tigers despite going against two All-Star starting pitchers including the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and the A’s using three starters who have had varying roles throughout the season while their starting staff has been in flux. On Monday, it was J.T. Ginn and then Osvaldo Bido on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, it was 22-year-old rookie Luis Morales, who came into the game allowing one run or fewer in his last four appearances. He had the best outing of his young career, tossing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits while striking out seven.
“This kid continues to impress, he continues to get better and better,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’s relentless on just perfecting his mechanics and that’s what really I think has taken him to the next level.”
Morales peppered the strike zone with his high-90s fastball and sharp breaking pitches that seemed to keep the Tigers’ potent hitters off-balance throughout the night. They got multiple baserunners on just once in his seven innings, which came on the only two walks he allowed in the third inning.
“I was trying not to get deep in counts with the heater,” Morales said through translator Ramón Hernández, the former A’s catcher and current assistant coach. “I got quick outs and that’s why I could keep going long, seven innings.”
The native of Cuba began the year in Double-A Midland before getting promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas in late May. He got promoted to the Major Leagues on Aug. 1 and has been in the rotation since starter JP Sears was traded to the San Diego Padres at the deadline July 31.
“My focus while starting in Double-A was to finish in the big leagues,” Morales said. “Two months in Double-A, two months in Triple-A, and now I’m here and just blessed. I was just trying to put the best work I can put (forward), and that was my goal in the beginning of the season.”
Gelof clubs first homer
Tyler Soderstrom drove in Nick Kurtz with an opposite-field single to get the A’s scoring started in the first inning. In the second, Zack Gelof clubbed his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center field, and Brent Rooker drove in Kurtz with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-0. Gelof added a two-run double in the eighth inning to give him four RBIs.
Gelof was back at second base after missing most of the first half of the season with a hand and wrist injury stemming from the spring, and later a stress reaction in his ribs during his rehab. He came into Wednesday’s game with just two hits in 35 plate appearances, good for a .063 average.
“It felt great,” Gelof said. “That’s a great team, best team in the AL, so to go out there and going against a really good starter, putting a good swing on it, it felt great. And then getting the W as well was awesome.”
A’s out of last place
The A’s moved percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the standings and out of last place for the first time since May 20. They improved to 63-72 while the Angels dropped to 62-71 with a 20-3 drubbing from the Texas Rangers.
The Tigers fell to 78-57 and moved to percentage points behind the Toronto Blue Jays (78-56) for the best record in the AL.
The A’s have won nine of 11 games and came into Wednesday’s tied for the fourth-best record in the majors since the All-Star break.
The Tigers started right-hander Casey Mize, the second All-Star to start against the A’s in the series after Tarik Skubal, last year’s American League Cy Young Award winner, pitched Monday. Mize and Skubal are one of four sets of teammates with at least 11 wins in MLB. But Mize lasted just 3 1/3 innings and was tagged for five runs on seven hits.
The A’s have Thursday off before a three-game series against the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Park beginning Friday night.
