For the second consecutive day, a young Athletics pitcher breezed through the Detroit Tigers' lineup. And for the second consecutive day, the A’s exited Comerica Park with a win.
On Wednesday night, 26-year-old left-hander Zach Logue dazzled the Tigers for seven scoreless innings. Logue allowed just five hits and didn’t walk a batter while whiffing six in his second career start.
It was the encore to another standout performance by A's right-hander Adrian Martinez in the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Tigers. Making his MLB debut, Martinez logged 5 1/3 scoreless innings and also didn’t walk a single hitter.
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SIGN UP HERE “It’s great to see some of the young kids come up and pitch well,” manager Mark Kotsay said to reporters after Wednesday’s victory.
Oakland acquired both pitchers in trades for established veteran players this offseason. The A’s received Logue in the Matt Chapman blockbuster with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Martinez arrived in Oakland after Sean Manaea was flipped to the San Diego Padres during spring training.
“Obviously, they’re going to have their times when things don’t go well for them,” Kotsay said. “But to see two young kids in our organization come in and throw strikes back-to-back days and give this club an opportunity to win baseball games, it’s a good sign.”
Logue, listed as the A's 19th-ranked prospect by MLB.com, doesn't have overpowering stuff. His fastball maxed out at 91.3 mph against the Tigers on Wednesday. But he threw 64 of his 97 pitches for strikes and kept Tigers hitters off balance with a combination of breaking balls.
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"I can’t explain them," Kotsay said of Logue's off-speed pitches. "Some fall down, some break across. It’s good to see the kid. He's getting more confident."
The performance from Logue was needed considering the A’s are in a jam-packed stretch of 15 games in a span of 13 days. Fresh off a doubleheader Tuesday, Oakland is treated to another two-game set Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Just a great performance from him,” Kotsay said of Logue. “He helped the bullpen out. ... He couldn’t have done more for our club than he did.”
The A's return to the field at 10:10 a.m. Thursday to wrap up their series against the Tigers. The game will be televised on NBC Sports California.