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OAKLAND, Calif. -- A day that started with rough news for the Oakland Athletics ended with a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians and a three-game series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum. When the A's arrived at their clubhouse Sunday morning, they learned that veteran relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson had been traded to the Washington Nationals.
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"Just seeing that news kind of put a little fire under everybody," Athletics left-hander Sean Manaea said. "I think they were some of our best relievers."
Manaea (8-5) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs and five hits while striking out eight and walking three. He improved to 3-0 in his career against the Indians and beat them for the second time this year. In the three wins, he allowed a combined three runs and 11 hits in 21 innings.
"Today was the best game I've had with my slider," Manaea said. "I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with it, being able to throw it for strikes, being able to throw it 3-2, getting swinging strikes on it. I don't know if they don't see the ball well or what. It's fun going against a really good team and being able to have some success."
Jed Lowrie hit his 10th home run of the season for the A's, a solo homer in the third inning. A's rookie Matt Chapman, who hit his first two career major league homers on Saturday night, went 1-for-3 with a double that hit high off the left-center field wall. He also walked and scored a run.
Ryon Healy, rookie Jacob Brugman and Matt Joyce each drove in two runs.
Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-8) gave up four runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning, matching his shortest career start. He struck out two, walked three and threw 43 pitches. When Bauer faced the A's on May 30 at Progressive Field, he struck out a career-high 14 in seven innings of a 9-4 victory.
"I had no feel for anything I was throwing, no feel for how my body was moving, where the ball was going," Bauer said.
Francisco Lindor went 4-for-4 with three doubles and scored a run for the Indians. Abraham Almonte hit a solo home run in the ninth, his second of the season.
The A's sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning as they built a 4-0 lead.
"I think the runs early were big for us," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Whenever you say goodbye to a couple of guys like that, there's certainly some sentiment that runs through the clubhouse, so I think that runs early on in the game were really important for us."
Joyce opened the first with a single, and Bauer walked Marcus Semien. With one out, Bauer walked Khris Davis to load the bases. Bauer struck out Lowrie, but Healy lined a two-run single to right.
Bauer walked Chapman, reloading the bases, and Brugman lined an opposite-field, two-run single to left.
"Oh, boy, you walk three, and six of the eight hitters he faced get on base," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Bauer. "It was a shame because he got to two outs and an 0-2, but he just wasn't locating, he didn't know where he was throwing his fastball, and the 0-2, throwing it pretty much down the middle, and then at 40-something pitches you really start to worry that that's too much."
Lowrie made it 5-0 in the third when he launched a leadoff home run into the right field seats off reliever Dan Otero.
Cleveland cut Oakland's lead to 5-2 in the fourth. Brandon Guyer led off with a walk and moved to third on Lindor's double to right center. Michael Brantley followed with a two-run single to center.
In the top of the seventh, the Indians had runners on first and third with two outs, but Melvin left Manaea in the game and he struck out Guyer for the third straight time with his season-high 115th pitch.
"We leaned on him a little bit harder, which we probably will with some of our starters," Melvin said. "He's a guy that's up for that now and has matured into that role where even though it's the tying run and he's got 113 or whatever it is pitches. At that point in time, that was his game. I think he takes away a lot from that, too. He knows we have that kind of confidence in him."
NOTES: The A's traded LHP Sean Doolittle and RHP Ryan Madson to the Washington Nationals as they continued what executive vice president for baseball operations Billy Beane called a complete "rebuild." The A's received RHP Blake Treinen and two highly touted minor-league prospects, SS/3B Sheldon Neuse and LHP Jesus Luzardo. Treinen is expected to report to Oakland on Monday. ... The A's selected RHP Simon Castro from Triple-A Nashville, and he allowed one run and two hits with three strikeouts in the ninth inning. ... A's RHP Jharel Cotton (right thumb blister) will make a rehab appearance Wednesday for Triple-A Nashville. He has been on the disabled list since July 4 but threw a bullpen session with no issues. RHP Chris Smith will fill in again for Cotton on Tuesday against Tampa Bay. ... Indians RHP Danny Salazar (right shoulder soreness) pitched six scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus. He allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked three. ... Indians OF Austin Jackson (strained left quad) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a walk as the DH.
