A’s: Graveman allows 3 homers in loss at Detroit

DETROIT — Through the first two weeks or so of the season, Oakland’s pitching was keeping the team above water, with some solid starts to go with spectacular bullpen work.

The past three games, it has been a slog for the A’s staff, which has allowed eight homers in that stretch, including three in a 7-3 loss to the Tigers on Monday. Oakland has lost three straight after a six-game winning streak.

Kendall Graveman, who’d put together three fine starts to open the season, gave up all three of Detroit’s homers Monday and six runs in his 42⁄3 innings, the third Oakland starter in three games to allow six runs.

“Kendall had good stuff for a while and then all of a sudden, they scored in a hurry,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Graveman had allowed only four runs, total, in his first three outings.

The Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera said before Monday’s game that he’s feeling great physically for the first time in two years, but entered the day batting .206. Then he belted a two-out homer to right in the first and smacked a three-run shot to right in the fifth. He went 4for-4.

“This is a bad time for him to get hot,” Oakland outfielder Josh Reddick said. “I was talking to him at first base and asked him how he was doing and he said he was feeling like crap, and I told him he’s Miguel Cabrera, he’ll be just fine, and the second time, I said, ‘Yeah, I told you.’ ”

“He’s got a trophy collection for what he’s done, so you try to make pitches, look at what guys have done early in the year to him, how they’ve gotten him out,” Graveman said of the two-time MVP. “He put together some good at-bats, took some close pitches.”

Victor Martinez made it back-to-back homers in the fifth, following Cabrera’s shot with a drive to right-center.

“Backdoor sinkers that ran over the middle a little bit,” Graveman said. “I’ve just got to execute and not fall behind, and just make more meaningful pitches early in the count.”

Oakland’s rotation has a job opening to go with its recent slippage, because Eric Surkamp, who gave up six runs Sunday, was demoted. Jesse Hahn is the front-runner to come up Friday; it’s his day to pitch, and more important, Hahn was solid in Oakland’s rotation for more than half a season last year, with a 3.35 ERA.

Don’t discount the possibility of left-hander Sean Manaea getting the call, instead, however. The A’s think highly of the 24-year-old, acquired in the Ben Zobrist deal with Kansas City last year. He’s putting up eye-popping numbers in his first season at Triple-A Nashville, allowing 16 hits, three runs and four walks in 18 innings — and striking out 21. Manaea last pitched Friday, so he could be slotted in anywhere if the A’s were to give their top prospect an earlier shot than expected.

Hahn’s numbers have not been quite as overwhelming but are good nonetheless: He has a 2.04 ERA in four starts, allowing 16 hits and nine walks in 172⁄3 innings, with 13 strikeouts.

The A’s did accomplish something Monday no one else had this season: They scored against Detroit starter Jordan Zimmermann. Marcus Semien got a gift double in the sixth when center fielder Tyler Collins lost his high flyball in the lights, then Semien went to third on an error by Justin Upton, who’d come to help Collins but fumbled the ball. Billy Burns singled in Semien.

Oakland added two unearned runs off Zimmermann (4-0) in the seventh when Coco Crisp reached on an error and scored on a double by Yonder Alonso; Mark Canha added a pinch-hit RBI single.