Zack Gelof, A's heating up ahead of rematch vs. Orioles

The Athletics have put together only one stretch of more than two consecutive wins this season, but they'll try for a third straight victory when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon.

More players are starting to make regular contributions for the A's. One of those is outfielder Zack Gelof, who has a seven-game hitting streak after rapping a run-scoring single in the fifth inning of a 4-3 win over Baltimore on Friday.

"For Zack, it's just being consistent and the quality of at-bat really, making sure he's working counts, swinging at the right pitches, staying in the zone," A's manager Mark Kotsay said of Gelof, who raised his batting average to .273. "That's the Zack that we're accustomed to."

The best stretch for the Athletics this season is when they won five games in a row last month -- all in New York, with two victories against the Yankees followed by three vs. the Mets.

Now back on the East Coast, they might be on the verge of excelling again. They won the series finale Thursday in Philadelphia before Friday night's squeaker in Baltimore.

Right-hander Aaron Civale (3-1, 2.95 ERA) will start for the Athletics on Saturday, and he'll look to build off two recent strong outings. He has allowed only one run across 11 innings in home games against Kansas City and Cleveland.

Civale has allowed more than three runs in only one of his seven starts. In five all-time starts vs. Baltimore, he's 2-1 with a 5.81 ERA, with an average of nearly one strikeout per inning.

The Orioles will turn to right-hander Shane Baz (1-3, 4.99 ERA) to make Saturday's start.

Baz has worked at least five innings in his seven starts but has surrendered a home run in four of his last five outings. His season-high five walks were concerning in Monday's 12-1 road loss to the Yankees.

Baz pitched twice last year against the Athletics, with a pair of seven-inning stints, while with Tampa Bay, suffering one loss and being charged for a total of eight runs (seven earned). In his only other career matchup vs. the A's, he blanked them across 7 2/3 innings in August 2024.

Baltimore's bullpen was thin for the series opener on Friday, but by only using one reliever, that might put the Orioles in better position for the weekend.

"Kind of reset the bullpen," manager Craig Albernaz said. "We had not many guys available (Friday)."

The Orioles will have to see about the status of infielder Blaze Alexander, who was scratched from Friday's lineup because of calf tightness.

"During defensive work before the game, he just felt tightness in his calf, so he was a late scratch and he was unavailable," Albernaz said. "But he got treatment all game. It sounds like he should be fine for (Saturday)."

Meanwhile, Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson's batting average slipped back below .200 -- to .198 -- when he went 0-for-3 with a walk.

"The track record speaks for itself, the talent," Albernaz said. "He's just one swing away ... You talk with the hitting coaches, how the work is going, and you feel confident in leaving him in the top of the order."

--Field Level Media