Right-hander Shintaro Fujinami was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league left-hander Easton Lucas, the Oakland Athletics announced Wednesday.
In his first MLB season, the 29-year-old Fujinami struggled with his control early on and lost four straight decisions as part of the A's starting rotation. The flamethrower was moved to the bullpen in late April and has had strong outings in recent weeks, with a 2.55 ERA over seven games in July.
The lanky former Hanshin Tiger has pitched in 34 games overall so far, going 5-8 with an 8.57 ERA.
The Orioles lead the American League East with a 58-37 record, five-and-a-half games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.
