OAKLAND, Calif. — JJ Bleday hit a two-run homer, Joe Boyle pitched six effective innings and the Oakland A’s beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on Monday night.
Bleday got his 16th home run in the first inning and Lawrence Butler added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to account for all of the offense. “If I get this job done, we get a run on the board,” Butler said. “I’m really in the box focused up, trying to do the job for my team.”
Boyle (3-5) limited the Rays to just two hits and three walks while striking out six. Grant Holman, Tyler Ferguson and Mason Miller each followed with hitless innings while combining for five more strikeouts, with Miller getting his 19th save.
“Throwing with conviction and trusting my stuff is probably the biggest thing,” Boyle said after his outing. “It’s worked for me in the past, and it’s what I want to continue to do.”
The A’s jumped out to an early lead in the first that they never relinquished. Butler singled to open the inning and, after Brent Rooker struck out, Bleday smashed a fastball to the right field bleachers.
“I love setting the tone for the team,” Butler said. “I’m trying to bring the energy, just trying to get the boys going, so I enjoy hitting first.”
Zack Gelof had two of Oakland’s six hits, with a single in the second and double in the fifth. He scored on Butler’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Tampa Bay had runners on in all but three innings but could not convert. The Rays were hitless until the fifth when Yandy Díaz singled with two outs but was left stranded. Díaz has reached base on the road in 31 straight games.
Boyle threw 104 pitches and his six strikeouts tied a career high.
“I definitely think he pushed through those six innings. It wasn’t necessarily pretty,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “He really showed a little bit of fight and some bounce-back, too.”
Rays starter Taj Bradley (6-8) gave up the three runs and five hits with three walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: RHP Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day injured list and ruled out for two to four weeks after an MRI revealed a right lat strain, the same type of injury he sustained in 2022 that benched the closer for nearly half the season. Fairbanks struck out 44 in just over 45 innings and posted a 3.57 ERA while earning 23 saves this season. Athletics: RHP Austin Adams was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right forearm tendinitis but expected to return in the near future. … INF Tyler Soderstrom continues to make progress after being sidelined with a left wrist injury in July but still does not have a timetable for his return. UP NEXT
Rays RHP Shane Baz (0-2, 4.21 ERA) starts against Athletics RHP Joey Estes (5-5, 4.72).
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