Tommy Milone hasn’t start off the season as well as he would like, so an eight-inning shutout performance has to do wonders for his confidence.
The A’s southpaw received plenty of run support as the offense delivered him eight runs on 12 hits. Meanwhile, Milone was dominant, allowing just two hits, three walks, and no runs on 108 pitches.
Doug Fister, returning from injury, made his first start of the season for the Nationals and probably wished it had gone better. He lasted just 4.1 innings and was charged with seven runs. Back-to-back home runs in the fifth – a two-run blast by Brandon Moss and a solo shot to the opposite field by Yoenis Cespedes – knocked him out of the game. John Jaso had the A’s other home run, another solo homer past the center field wall.
Oakland set the tone early in the first inning, when Moss delivered an RBI single to right field past the shift. After Jaso’s homer in the third to make it 2-0, the A’s score twice more in fourth on a wild pitch that scored the runner from third, and an RBI hit from Eric Sogard on his own “Nerd Power” night at the Coliseum.
But it was Milone who stole the show against his former club. It was a much-needed performance, as he had entered the game with an 0-3 record and a 5.86 ERA on the year. Additionally, the A’s had yet to win in any of Milone’s five starts. Without two of their key starters this season, the A’s need Milone to put up similar stats to his past two seasons, when he won 13 and 12 games, respectively.
Having strung together consecutive wins for the first time this month, the A’s will look to continue their winning ways as the series wraps up over the weekend.
