BALTIMORE _ Take care of business. With 12 of their final 18 games against teams under .500, that's what the A's need do as they look to cement their position as a playoff team.
So when facing a team like the Baltimore Orioles, who are on pace to finish as one of the worst clubs in baseball history, taking care of business is a must. The A's (88-57) did that in Tuesday's 3-2 victory to remain with a firm hold on the second American League wild-card spot and three games back of the Houston Astros for first place in the division and 2 { back of the New York Yankees for the first wild card with 17 remaining.
The Orioles (41-103) entered the night the worst-hitting team (.240) in baseball. That's a recipe for A's success, especially with Mike Fiers on the mound.
The right-hander has been excellent since he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers last month, and he continued that trend with six strong innings in which his only blemish was a solo home run surrendered to Jonathan Villar.
You make a trade midseason with the expectations of providing a boost to your ballclub, and Fiers has done just that. The A's are 7-0 in games he's started for them, and Fiers is now 5-0 with a 2.72 ERA in his time with Oakland. Overall, he's now 12-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 28 starts.
The strikeout totals continue to be a nice surprise. His seven strikeouts Tuesday night now give him 42 as opposed to just seven walks over 39 2/3 with Oakland. Going back to May 30, Fiers has allowed three earned runs or less in 17 of his last 19 appearances.
The run support for Fiers all came in the third inning when the A's picked up a trio of RBI hits from Matt Chapman, Khris Davis, and Stephen Piscotty.
Piscotty's RBI single was part of a three-hit day, as he continues to have a monster bounce-back year in his debut season with the A's. He's upped his average to .269 for the year and now batting .367 over his past 21 games. Piscotty also picked up his 39th double of the season in the eighth.
With the Orioles having cut the deficit to a run and threatening for more in the eighth against Lou Trivino, rookie sensation Ramon Laureano came through again with yet another highlight reel play. The center fielder laid out for an inning-ending diving catch to rob Trey Mancini of extra bases and perhaps the game-tying run as Jonathan Villar was on first base.
Even with Monday's off day, Jeurys Familia came on for the ninth instead of All-Star closer. Familia turned in a perfect inning to record his 18th save of the year and first with the A's.
