West Sacramento, Calif. — Luis Morales pitched seven sparkling innings, Zack Gelof homered, doubled and drove in four, and the Oakland Athletics cruised past the Detroit Tigers 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep.
Making his fourth career big-league start, Morales (2-0) allowed two hits, walked two and struck out seven. The 22-year-old Cuban rookie lowered his ERA to 1.19 across five major league appearances.
The AL Central-leading Tigers dropped their fourth straight game and fell a half-game behind the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays for the best record in the American League.
Brett Harris and Nick Kurtz each had two hits and scored twice. Harris opened the fourth with a double off Detroit starter Casey Mize and scored when a throwing error by Mize allowed Gelof to reach safely, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Mize (12-5) surrendered five runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Kurtz singled to start the first, moved to second on a Langeliers walk, and scored on Tyler Soderstrom’s RBI single.
Detroit’s offense managed only three hits, with Spencer Torkelson tripling in the second and Dillon Dingler adding a fourth-inning single for the Tigers’ only other baserunners.
Key moment
Harris reached on an infield single in the second, Gelof followed with his homer to left-center on the very next pitch, and Kurtz singled, advanced to third on Langeliers’ double, then scored on Brent Rooker’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
Key stats
Gelof entered the game batting .063 (2-for-32) with one RBI this season, and his big night helped offset a slow start to the year. Harris logged his fourth career multihit game and his first since July 13, 2024.
Up next
Detroit will send Chris Paddack (5-11, 4.98 ERA) to the mound Friday to open a three-game series at Kansas City against Seth Lugo (8-6, 3.99). Oakland has not announced its Friday starter for the trip to Texas, where Jack Leiter (8-7, 3.81) is slated to pitch for the Rangers in the opener.