ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kendall Graveman's latest start was an upgrade over his previous three outings. It still wasn't good enough to get a win.
Graveman (1-5) didn't get much help in Oakland's 6-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night, the A's sixth loss in seven games.
Matt Andriese pitched a two-hitter for his first career shutout — and complete game — and Brad Miller hit a two-run home run for the Rays.
"I threw a really good changeup tonight, kept some guys off balance," said Graveman, who gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. "Hats off to the guy on the other side. He did a good job keeping us off balance also."
Andriese (2-0) won for the second time this week in helping the Rays end a four-game losing streak. He beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 on Sunday in his first start since being called up from Triple-A Durham. The right-hander struck out five and walked none, and retired 11 straight between singles by Matt McBride in the third inning and Danny Valencia in the seventh.
"It's always nice to get a complete game shutout, but that wasn't in my thought process at all," said Andriese, who also had never pitched a complete game in the minors. "I wanted to give us a chance to win. Then when I went to the seventh inning and it was a close game, they kept going with me."
The A's got only one man in scoring position all night.
"When you don't get anything but two hits on the other side," said manager Bob Melvin, indicating Graveman didn't have much of a chance. "They got some hits when they needed to, balls snuck through on the ground. I thought he was better than his last several times out, for sure."
Miller's fifth home run of the season came after Brandon Guyer's double in the third, giving the Rays the only runs they needed.
"Miller did a good job going down, hitting the home run," Graveman said. "The pitch was down, out of the zone. Good piece of hitting."
Steve Pearce and Kevin Kiermaier drove in runs in the sixth to push Tampa Bay's lead to 4-0. Guyer added a two-run single in the eighth off reliever Marc Rzepczynski.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP John Axford has not pitched since being struck on the left foot by a line drive Monday in Boston, but manager Bob Melvin expects to use him son, possibly Sunday. "As far as the bullpen goes, we're as close to full strength as we've been in a while," Melvin said.
Rays: 2B Logan Forsythe was put on the 15-day disabled list when an MRI taken Saturday morning revealed a hairline fracture of his left shoulder blade. The shoulder will be re-evaluated on May 31, three weeks after Forsythe was hit by a pitch from Seattle's Felix Hernandez. "There won't be much to the recovery, just to let it heal," Forsythe said. ... RHP Brad Boxberger (adductor surgery) will make his first rehab appearance for Class A Charlotte on Sunday.
RAYS ROSTER MOVE
The Rays announced after the game that RHP Danny Farquhar, who has appeared in six games, has been designated for assignment. Utilityman Taylor Motter was called up from Triple-A Durham.
UP NEXT
RHP Sonny Gray (3-4) will start the series finale for the A's against LHP Matt Moore (1-3). Both starters have lost their last three decisions.