BALTIMORE — The Athletics put on a power display Saturday, riding a massive three-run homer from Brent Rooker and a gutsy escape act from starter Aaron Civale to a 6-2 victory over the reeling Baltimore Orioles.

Rooker's fifth home run of the season in the third inning gave the A's a commanding 4-0 lead, and Civale (4-1) made sure it held up, tossing five scoreless innings despite a high-pressure jam in the fifth. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Civale faced the heart of Baltimore's order and came up clutch—striking out Adley Rutschman before getting Pete Alonso and Samuel Basallo to pop out on shallow fly balls. It was the kind of shutdown moment that defines a winning pitcher.

Baltimore's Shane Baz (1-4) struggled through 4⅔ innings, allowing five runs as the Orioles dropped their eighth game in 10 tries. The home crowd let their frustration be heard with boos, especially after Baz was hit with a pitch clock violation for ball four to Rooker in the fifth. It's been a tough start for Baz, Baltimore's big offseason signing on a $68 million, five-year deal—he now carries a 5.48 ERA through eight starts.

Nick Kurtz continued his remarkable streak, doubling twice and extending his on-base run to 33 consecutive games. He led off the first with a two-base hit and scored on Shea Langeliers' single, then doubled again in the fifth, stole third, and scored on a Langeliers sacrifice fly. The rookie is making a strong case as one of the A's most consistent offensive threats.

Colby Thomas added an insurance run with a ninth-inning single, and pinch-hitter Colton Cowser finally broke up the shutout for Baltimore with a two-run single in the eighth. The A's also had an interesting subplot: shortstop Jacob Wilson unsuccessfully challenged called third strikes in both the second and third innings, burning the team's ABS review opportunities for the game.

Now the A's have a chance to complete the sweep Sunday, sending Luis Severino (2-3, 4.15 ERA) to the mound against former Athletic Chris Bassitt (2-2, 5.91 ERA), who pitched for Oakland from 2015-21. For the Orioles, it's a chance to stop the slide—but they'll need to find answers quickly against a confident A's squad.