OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Athletics can't get started.
Mike Fiers (2-1) became the latest starting pitcher to take it on the chin Saturday in a 10-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays before 31,140 fans, the largest home gate of the season.
A's fans at least didn't go home empty handed, with early arrivals receiving a free Matt Chapman bobblehead doll. Other than an appearance by Kendrys Morales to pitch the top of the ninth, that's about all they had to cheer about as the A's fell to 11-12.
Left-hander Brett Anderson (3-0) starts Sunday as the A's hope to avoid a sweep against Toronto's Aaron Sanchez.
Fiers departed after 3 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits, six earned runs and back-to-back home runs in the fourth to Rowdy Tellez (a three-run shot, his fourth) and Brandon Drury, who hit his second home run in two days.
Toronto starter Matt Shoemaker left after three innings when he injured his left knee while stepping awkwardly on a run down in which Chapman was tagged out for the last out of the inning. Right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-0) came on and delivered four perfect innings to get the win, with Elvis Luciano pitching the final two innings.
After two scoreless innings, Toronto got one in the third inning on a run-scoring single by Eric Sogard before breaking it open in the fourth.
Justin Smoak opened with a single, followed by another single by Teoscar Hernandez. Tellez was next, and his three-run home run to center put the Blue Jays up 4-0. Drury followed with a homer of his own to make it 5-0, and with the boo birds out in force, Billy McKinney doubled before Fiers struck out Luke Maile for the first out.
Sogard was next, and he lined a single to the same place he had an inning earlier. That was it for Fiers, who left in favor of Liam Hendricks. Hendricks gave up a run-scoring single to Freddy Galvis and Toronto had a 6-0 lead.
Toronto added a run-scoring double by Drury in the fifth against Hendricks and a two-run home run by Smoak (his fourth) against Ryan Buchter in the sixth.
Fiers' early exit was the third by an A's starter in the last four games, with Marco Estrada and Aaron Brooks both departing with sizable deficits in losses to Houston Tuesday and Toronto Friday.
The A's didn't score until Mark Canha hit a sacrifice fly off Luciano in the ninth inning, drawing a mock cheer from what was left of the crowd.
A's manager Bob Melvin attempted to lighten the mood a little when Morales came off first base to pitch the ninth inning, giving up a sacrifice fly to Billy McKinney to make it 10-0. Morales pitched a scoreless inning last May 20 against the A's as a member of the Blue Jays.
