Two things went horribly wrong for the A’s today. Marcus Semien struck out looking on a knuckleball from Detroit second baseman Brandon Dixon, and the A’s lost a shutout in the ninth inning after Aaron Brooks allowed a three-run homer. Everything else went right.
Chris Bassitt was fantastic, but he didn’t need to be. The A’s turned in their best offensive performance of the season, completing the rare home run cycle and exploding for 17 runs en route to a 17-3 victory. A series against Detroit may be just what the struggling A’s needed to turn it around as they have now won 13 straight against the Tigers.