A's Keep Momentum Going Against Baltimore Orioles

Jackson Holliday briefly tied the game up in the top of the fifth with a solo homer off Sears, giving him eight dingers on the year. Not too bad, considering his slow start to the campaign.

In the bottom of that inning, A's slugger Brent Rooker would hit a ball into the gap for an RBI double to score Lawrence Butler, giving the A's a 5-4 lead that they would be able to hold onto thanks to a terrific night from the bullpen.

JP Sears finished with five innings, four earned runs allowed, four hits, three walks, three punch outs, and he allowed two home runs. The A's turned to right-hander Grant Holman, who gave the team a clean inning of work in the sixth. In his first inning coming off the injured list, T.J. McFarland would also give the team another scoreless inning.

We mentioned on Thursday that the A's woes would likely turn around with McFarland back on the roster, and so far the club is 2-0 since his return. This is after a stretch where they went 2-20 without him.

In the eighth, Tyler Ferguson would enter to try and keep the hot Baltimore offense off the board, but he would allow a pair of walks and a hit to load the bases. Mark Kotsay elected to turn to their All-Star closer, Mason Miller, for the five-out save.

Not only would Miller escape a tough bases-loaded jam, but then would also come out for the ninth inning and keep the Orioles off the board to secure the team's 2nd win in as many days. Miller looked terrific, especially when you consider the lack of leverage innings available over the past three weeks.

The A's offense has certainly been hot of late, and the pitching staff has had their struggles recently, so it was great to see the offense stay hot, and the pitching do well enough to earn the win. It's also going to be important going down the stretch for the team to stay healthy, and not let the injuries rack up.

We'll see what the A's decide to do with Clarke on Saturday. He's been a real bright spot for the club since he was called up two weeks ago.

The team will face veteran Charlie Morton on Saturday, with ace Luis Severino taking the mound for the A's. Severino has had his struggles pitching at home in Sutter Health Park, as he currently holds a 6.99 ERA in home games, and he has a 0.87 ERA while pitching on the road.

With Charlie Morton having a rough season, the A's offense will need to have yet another big night if they want to go out extend their winning streak to three.