Cahill continues strong run of A’s pitching to sweep Tigers

OAKLAND – The A’s keep winning with the same formula they’ve been using most of the season – home runs and a lights out bullpen. But this new wrinkle they’ve been throwing in lately with their starting pitching could make them even tougher to beat.

Trevor Cahill’s home dominance continued at the Coliseum Sunday as he shut the Tigers down for six innings before handing it off to the bullpen for a 6-0 victory in front of 19,559 fans at the Coliseum, making it six-straight A’s wins and a three-game sweep.

The A’s (67-46) remain unbeaten on their current home stand, which continues Tuesday for the start of a two-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and all six games have featured stellar outing by starting rotation members. A’s starters have allowed just three earned runs in 37 innings (0.76 ERA) through the six games, giving up zero earned runs in four of those six.

Though a lot of fuss was made about the A’s not making a move for a starter at the trade deadline, here stands the current rotation just as responsible as the offense and bullpen, if not more, for the success over the past week.

“Our guys are pitching better,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We have (Frankie) Montas and (Daniel) Mengden in the minors pitching well, so we’re kind of six guys for five spots right now. Unless someone blows you away with a deal where you don’t have to give up too much, you have to figure that we have some confi- Oakland Athletics’ starting pitcher Trevor Cahill throws against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning at the Coliseum in Oakland on Sunday.