A’s complete sweep as four-run first chases Indians starter Trevor Bauer

OAKLAND - Hours after learning that teammates Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson had been traded, the Athletics finished off their three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 7-3 win coming out of the All-Star break.

“Maybe the break was good for everyone,” said A’s starter Sean Manaea. “A well-needed rest. Hearing the (trade) news put a fire under everybody.”

The trade, which sent needed relief pitching depth to the Washington Nationals, brought back right-hander Blake Treinen and two prospects, left-hander Jesus Luzardo and infielder Sheldon Neuse.

Treinen was 0-2 with three saves in 37 appearances with the Nationals. He struck out 32 batters in 372/3 innings. Neuse, 22, plays shortstop and third base and was a second-round draft choice in 2016. He’s hitting .291 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs at Class A Hagerstown. Luzardo, 19, is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

Manea struck out eight in seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits and Oakland’s shuffled bullpen finished the job to hand the Indians their first four-game losing streak since the 2015 season.

“It’s discouraging for a number of reasons,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “You’re trying to salvage a game out of the series and you’re down four before you can even look up. That’s a hard way to play, and then you go through your whole bullpen. That wasn’t our goal for today.”

Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer got just two outs in a four-run first inning and matched the shortest start of his big league career.

Bauer (7-8) allowed four runs, three hits and two walks while throwing just 24 of 43 pitches for strikes in facing seven batters. Cleveland has lost four in a row for the first time since 2015.

“I had no feel for anything I was throwing, no feel for how my body was moving, where the ball was going,” Bauer said. “When things started going south I couldn’t figure out how to get out of it.”

Ryon Healy and Jaycob Brugman hit two-run singles in the first. Jed Lowrie homered against Dan Otero for a 5-0 lead in the third, and Matt Joyce had three hits and two RBIs.

Francisco Lindor matched his career high with four hits, including three doubles. Michael Brantley hit a two-run single in the fourth, and Abraham Almonte homered with two outs in the ninth against Simon Castro.

Cleveland had leadoff doubles in the sixth, seventh and eighth but failed to score.

NOTES

The Indians last lost four in a row July 23-28, 2015, when they lost six consecutive game. Cleveland had gone 312 games since then without a four-game losing streak - the third-longest stretch in major league history behind the 1931-33 New York Yankees (346) and the 1917-19 Indians (316).

A’s right-hander Jharel Cotton will join fellow righty Kendall Graveman on Wednesday at Triple-A Nashville in injury rehabilitation assignments. Cotton, who has been hindered by a blister, is expected to throw 65 pitches.

Oakland utilityman Chad Pinder rested his sore left hamstring Sunday but will run the bases and do additional baseball activities today.

Daniel Gossett is scheduled to start tonight for the A’s. He has allowed eight home runs in six starts but has walked only five.