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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Josh Towers is growing into his abilities with each appearance. Growing into his uniform might take a bit longer.
|  | | Josh Towers tosses to first for an out. Making just his second start, Towers gave up six hits in seven shutout innings. |
In his second major league start, Towers allowed six hits in
seven scoreless innings as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland
Athletics 7-0 Saturday.
Towers (2-1), who pitched seven strong innings Monday against Texas in his first career start, showed resourcefulness and remarkable control while mastering an Oakland offense that had scored 29 runs in its last three games.
Towers' baby face and slight build have invited teasing from his teammates, but they also love the rookie's poise and confidence.
"It's pretty amazing for his age," said Jeff Conine, who drove in two runs with a first-inning double. "He looks like a junior high school kid out there in the uniform, but he's got great control, and he gets outs."
With former Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen out with an elbow injury
until after the All-Star break, the 24-year-old Towers has seized
the chance to earn a spot in Baltimore's rotation.
Towers allowed six hits and hit two batters, but he threw 78 of his 109 pitches for strikes. He didn't issue a walk until the eighth inning, changing speeds and showing off pinpoint control.
"These guys haven't seen me before, and they weren't necessarily guessing, but I could pitch my own game and not worry about it," Towers said. "I learned a lot the first time out, and I learned even more this time."
Towers allowed just one runner to reach second base in the first
six innings. Even MVP Jason Giambi, who had four homers in his last
three games, went 0-for-3 with a walk.
"Towers was sharp. He was moving the ball in and out, and his changeup was working," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "We really got no opportunities until the seventh and eighth, but we came up dry."
Brady Anderson also drove in two runs as the Orioles scored five
times in the first two innings against Barry Zito (3-5), then
escaped two late-inning jams for their first shutout of the season.
"I just laugh," Towers said of his scoreless performance. "I didn't think it's possible to shut out teams like that."
David Segui tied his career high with four hits and an RBI,
while Jerry Hairston stole three bases.
Baltimore has followed a four-game losing streak with two straight victories over the A's, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Oakland loaded the bases in the seventh, but Towers got Johnny
Damon to ground into an inning-ending double play. Towers leaped
over the baseline and pumped his fist while leaving the field.
"It says a lot about his ability to focus and gather himself," Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. "It was a good inning, but it took a lot out of him."
After Towers walked Frank Menechino and Giambi to begin the
eighth, Buddy Groom relieved and retired the side on three popups.
Zito, third in the AL with 75 strikeouts, made it through the
fifth inning, but gave up nine hits while striking out just two.
The 23-year-old's curveball had little of its usual movement, and
many of the Orioles' outs came on well-hit balls.
"I'd get up 0-2, 1-2 on someone, and then I'd try to uncork a
nasty curve or something instead of just pitching," Zito said. "I
was trying to be too good."
While fellow starters Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder prospered
during the A's resurgence in May, Zito is 0-4 in his last seven
starts.
Baltimore got three straight hits in the first inning, capped by
Conine's two-run double. Anderson hit a two-run single to right in
the second, and he scored when Damon and Miguel Tejada
miscommunicated on Segui's short fly to right, allowing it to drop
between them.
Melvin Mora had an RBI single in the seventh off A's reliever Chad Bradford.
Game notes
Cal Ripken returned to Baltimore's lineup, going 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a ninth-inning sacrifice fly . ...
Baltimore's Mike Kinkade, who had two hits while giving Delino
DeShields the day off, doubled off the top of the extended
right-center field wall in the third inning, missing a homer by
less than a foot. ... Oakland DH John Jaha took batting practice with the A's, but he won't be ready to return until next week at the earliest. ... Tejada moved to the cleanup spot for Oakland.
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RECAPS
NY Yankees 9
Cleveland 4
Baltimore 7
Oakland 0
Boston 2
Toronto 1
Chi. White Sox 5
Detroit 3
Texas 3
Minnesota 2
Anaheim 3
Kansas City 2
Seattle 7
Tampa Bay 4
St. Louis 8
Cincinnati 5
Colorado 7
San Francisco 5
Houston 2
Los Angeles 1
NY Mets 7
Florida 1
Chicago Cubs 10
Milwaukee 4
Montreal 12
Philadelphia 5
Atlanta 0
Pittsburgh 0
Arizona 2
San Diego 1
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