Trey Sweeney had four hits, including a home run, Ty Madden struck out seven and the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 9-1 on Sunday.
The Tigers, looking to make a late rally in the AL Wild Card race, took two out of three in Oakland and are two games above .500.
The A’s, who will play their home games in Sacramento next season ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028, drew 11,250 fans.
Madden (1-0) and Beau Brieske combined to take a no-hit bid into the fifth, with Madden recording his first career win after Brieske served as an opener in the first. The 24-year-old struck out seven in five innings and held the A’s to one run in his third major league appearance.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Madden was “calm” and a “huge competitor,” delivering when the bullpen was taxed from a 13-inning game earlier in the series.
“He came in and was pounding the strike zone. ... It's nice when he could step up and put up zeros while we were sort of sorting our way through the day,” Hinch said.
Madden's splitter, which he said was a new pitch for him that he developed in spring training, was zipping Sunday.
“I have a lot of confidence in it right now,” Madden said.
Lawrence Butler’s fifth-inning single was the A’s first hit, and it also extended his career-best hit streak to 18 games. Zack Gelof drove in Oakland’s lone run with a sixth inning single.
Sweeney, who went 4 for 4 with a walk, hit a leadoff homer in the third off A’s starter J.T. Ginn (0-1). Kerry Carpenter drove in Jace Jung later in the inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, Sweeney singled home Spencer Torkelson. Detroit tacked on six runs in the eighth charged to Ross Stripling, who gave up four consecutive RBI hits.
Sweeney, who made his major league debut on Aug. 16, said he's always had confidence at the plate but having four hits certainly helps.
“I was still confident in myself even when I was 0 for 6 the other day,” Sweeney said. “It’s just the way the game goes. I feels good. It was nice to have some fall for me today.”
Ginn, in his second big league start, allowed three runs in five innings, giving up seven hits.
“I definitely didn’t have my best stuff out there today but made some competitive pitches when I had to, left some pitches up in the zone I got hurt on,” Ginn said. “Some days you’re going to have those days, just try to compete and stay in the game as long as you can.”
The A’s have six games remaining at the Coliseum after wrapping up the final game of their second-to-last homestand.
“The closer it gets, the more it comes to realization,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said, adding that the last homestand — from Sept. 20 to 26 — will be “tough.”
Hinch, who made his big league debut with the A’s in 1998, walked up to Mt. Davis — the tarped-off third deck — before the game and called his final moments managing at the Coliseum “bittersweet.” There are no plans so far to open up Mt. Davis for the last game, which is sold out.
“There’s a lot of energy in this ballpark,” Hinch said. “There’s a lot of pride in this ballpark. There’s a lot of history with or without me, but it’s a special place because it was the first time I ever called myself a big leaguer. And there’s only one place that I’ll ever feel that way.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Shortstop Javier Báez, who underwent season-ending hip surgery last week, will rehab in Detroit but plans to spend time around the team the remainder of the season.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41 ERA) is scheduled to start the first game of a three-game series at Houston.
Tigers: After a day off, RHP Keider Montero (4-6, 5.47) is scheduled to start on Tuesday at home against the Rockies, who counter with Bradley Blalock (1-2, 5.40).
