CLEVELAND -- The A’s typically reserve their kelly green jerseys for home games. Due to a hot streak that began last week at the Coliseum, they made an exception and brought them along for the first series of a three-city, 10-game road trip. Three games in, the kelly greens will travel on to the next city.

The A’s capped their three-game sweep of the Indians in dominant fashion with a 17-0 rout on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field. The win was their seventh straight and their 11th in the past 13 games, pushing their record to a season-best 19 games over .500 (67-48).

As is often the case with blowouts, you can take your pick when searching for the most impressive highlight. There was Matt Chapman, who matched an Oakland single-game record and became the first A’s player to draw five walks in a game since Mark McGwire in 1997. Starling Marte continued his tear since joining the A's in a July 28 trade with three RBIs and his seventh multihit game in 12 games with the club. Mitch Moreland also broke out with a pair of solo homers.

However, just as impressive as the offensive explosion was the continued dominance by A’s starter Chris Bassitt, who held Cleveland’s lineup scoreless with just three hits allowed and six strikeouts across six sharp innings.

Pulled with only 81 pitches, Bassitt probably could have gone longer had it not been for the lopsided score -- the A’s were already up 12-0 at the time. While a large cushion is the preferred scenario for any pitcher, Bassitt actually had to do most of his battling in the dugout as he tried to maintain focus and keep his arm warm while Oakland's bats kept putting up long innings.

“It’s so hard to judge,” Bassitt said of his performance. “[Manager Bob Melvin] did a great job of evaluating me every inning. I had to basically warm up extra in the second, third, fourth and fifth in the tunnel underneath. It’s hard to say how I felt about every pitch just because our hitters did a great job of making every inning long.”

Becoming the first American League starter to reach 12 wins, Bassitt might be the most underrated ace in baseball. Following Thursday’s stellar outing, the All-Star righty ranks first in wins and innings pitched (150), third in ERA (3.06) and WHIP (1.03), fourth in opponent batting average (.216) and is tied for fifth in strikeouts (153) among AL pitchers.

On track to produce the best season of his seven-year big league career, Bassitt, 32, has also had a big impact off the field, with his leadership providing guidance for an Oakland rotation that entered Thursday ranked third in ERA (3.64) among AL starting staffs.

“He’s meant a lot to us,” Chapman said. “He tries to help all the pitchers around him, and he’s a good guy to learn from. His career trajectory -- he seems to get better and better. He’s gotten smarter and learned what works for him and how to be successful.

“It’s been a lot of fun to watch him have this success, because he definitely deserves it.”

Despite the eye-opening statistics, Bassitt remains in obscurity around the league in comparison to other No. 1 pitchers when it comes to recognition. Inside the A’s clubhouse, though, Bassitt’s teammates are well aware of what he brings to the table.

“He gets it in here,” Melvin said. “I think that’s all he cares about, getting the recognition from his teammates. He just continues to accelerate at a pace that makes him more and more confident and makes us more confident in him. Just continuing to have a terrific season as the team’s ace.”

The icing on the cake for Bassitt’s strong start was that it came in the park he grew up frequenting as a child. A northwest Ohio native, Bassitt grew up a diehard Indians fan who idolized players such as Manny Ramírez and Jim Thome. He estimated that around 100 friends and family members were in attendance to watch him pitch.

“It was pretty sweet,” Bassitt. “A little nerve-wracking. There’s a little more pressure than normal knowing how many people were coming. But I did well and our hitters were pretty ridiculous today.”

With a history of putting together impressive second-half runs, the A's 2021 campaign appears to be following that same pattern. Their 8-1 record in August is the best in the Majors, as they continue to hold the top AL Wild Card spot while closing in on the Astros (68-46), whose lead in the AL West shrunk to 1 1/2 games after Oakland’s win.

“Once August hits, this group seems to hit another gear and turn it on,” Bassitt said. “When a lot of teams get tired, we seem to just find extra energy and go on this run. It’s just the mindset we’ve had as a team for the last couple of years. We just don’t let each other get tired. The dog days of August aren’t really a thing here.”