EditorsNote: Updates Graf 2 with magic number info
Jesus Luzardo combined with three relievers on a six-hitter and Jake Lamb broke open a tight game with a two-run home run Saturday afternoon as the host Oakland Athletics continued their mastery of the rival San Francisco Giants with a 6-0 victory.
The win lowered the magic number for the first-place A's (33-19) to one for clinching the American League West. With second-place Houston's win over Arizona later Saturday, the magic number stayed at one.
The loss was the second straight for the Giants (25-26) as they battle for a wild-card spot in the National League.
Luzardo (3-2) took a no-hitter into the fourth and then caught a break when the Giants pieced together three singles in the inning.
The third of the three hits was an infield single off the bat of Mauricio Dubon, but A's first baseman Matt Olson, after taking a late throw from shortstop Marcus Semien, was able to pick Donovan Solano off third base to end the threat after he'd rounded the bag too far.
The Giants got just two other hits off Luzardo in his six innings. He finished with seven strikeouts and no walks.
Jake Diekman worked a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts, Joakim Soria retired the side in order in the eighth and Lou Trivino pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to record Oakland's second straight shutout and fifth of the season.
Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman (3-3) matched Luzardo nearly pitch-for-pitch, also completing three innings without allowing a hit.
But the A's made the most of their first hit in the fourth, getting on the board first when Mark Canha walked, took second on a wild pitch and scored on an Olson two-out single.
Gausman was pulled after six innings, still having allowed just the one run and one hit. He walked three and struck out six.
Lamb's homer, his second in five games since joining the A's from Arizona, came off Sam Selman after a one-out single by Ramon Laureano to trigger the five-run seventh.
Tommy La Stella, another in-season acquisition by the A's, added a two-run triple and Semien an RBI double before inning's end, opening a 6-0 advantage.
Solano was the only player in the game with multiple hits, finishing with a pair of singles for the Giants.
Each team totaled six hits.
--Field Level Media
