Tucker Novotny set the tone early and Lansing rode that start to another shutout, blanking Peoria for the second straight game on Sunday.
The left-hander worked five scoreless innings for the Lugnuts, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out six to pick up the win. Novotny needed 78 pitches, 53 of them strikes, and over his last three outings he has allowed only two runs while piling up 19 strikeouts across 16 2/3 innings.
Lansing’s bullpen finished the job without a blemish. Griffin Kirn threw two perfect innings, then Mitch Myers and Luis Carrasco each added a clean frame to lock down the two-hit shutout.
The offense gave Novotny plenty of support. Gunner Gouldsmith powered the lineup with a homer, a double, a walk and two runs scored. Breyson Guedez reached base three times with two singles and a walk, while Rodney Green had a big day of his own, singling, doubling and driving in three runs.
In Triple-A, Las Vegas outlasted Albuquerque 10-8 behind a busy day from several bats. Denzel Clarke went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBI, while Drew Swift finished 1-for-2 with a homer, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base and three RBI.
Cole Conn also chipped in with three hits, a double, three RBI and two runs scored. On the mound, Mason Barnett was tagged for seven runs, five earned, in 3.2 innings, but Jake Garland earned the win after 3.1 scoreless frames, and Geoff Hartlieb picked up the save with a clean ninth.
In Double-A, Corpus Christi topped Midland 3-1. Cameron Leary singled, walked, stole two bases and drove in a run, Brennan Milone doubled, walked and scored, and Jared Sprague-Lott had two hits. Ben Hansen was dominant in relief, striking out nine over 5.1 hitless innings, while Will Johnston took the loss.
Fresno edged Stockton 10-9 in Single-A, with Gavin Turley doing the heavy lifting. Turley went 2-for-5 and blasted a grand slam, finishing with two home runs on the day and four RBI.
Drew Burress went 2-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored, and Ramon Landaeta added two hits, a walk, an RBI and a run. Josiah Romeo worked five innings and allowed one run, while Bjay Cooke and Dominic Mauro both struggled in relief, with Mauro taking the loss.
Monday’s schedule was empty, with no games scheduled.
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A's Twins Series Could Test Whether Oakland's Pitching Surge Is Real
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JT Ginn gives Oakland the cleanest path to feeling better about where its pitching stands, and that alone makes this set worth watching beyond the box score. If the A's can navigate the rest of the rotation innings without getting exposed, it would lend some credibility to the idea that their recent pitching uptick is more than a short-lived bounce, but Minnesota's starters are good enough to make that claim hard to prove in just one series. [Read more 🡒]
