Oakland Athletics Sweep Pittsburgh Pirates with 4-0 Victory
Ross Stripling finally broke his winless streak dating back to 2022 as he led the Oakland Athletics to a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. Stripling, who had not won a game since his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out two.
The Athletics’ bullpen continued their dominant run, extending their scoreless streak to 27 1/3 innings with strong performances from T.J. McFarland, Austin Adams, Dany Jimenez, Michael Kelly, and Mason Miller.
Offensively, Abraham Toro and Tyler Nevin provided the power for Oakland with home runs in the second and third innings, respectively. Nevin’s blast doubled the lead for the A’s, while Toro’s shot gave them an early advantage they would not relinquish.
Despite a late push from the Pirates, the Oakland bullpen held strong, with Adams striking out Bryan Reynolds with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The Pirates threatened again in the eighth, but a crucial challenge by A’s manager Mark Kotsay overturned a call that would have loaded the bases, ultimately preserving the shutout.
In the end, Miller closed out the game with a stress-free ninth inning to secure his ninth save of the season. Toro, Nevin, and Kyle McCann each collected two hits for the A’s, while Reynolds’ ground-rule double was the lone extra-base hit for the struggling Pirates.
With the win, the Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the Pirates and extended their winning streak to four games. They will look to continue their momentum in upcoming series against the Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners before hitting the road to face the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals.
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