OAKLAND -- Trey Mancini’s health enabled the Orioles to muster a collective smile, despite their 8-3 loss to Oakland on Wednesday that lengthened their losing streak to eight games.

Mancini, Baltimore’s leading hitter and top candidate to represent the club at next month’s All-Star Game, emerged with only a bad bruise after A’s starter Chris Bassitt hit him on the left elbow with a 92-mph fastball during the first inning. X-rays confirmed Mancini’s condition.

“I didn’t think there was anything broken,” Mancini said. “But it’s always good to know that for a fact and get the X-rays just to make sure.”

Being hit, Mancini affirmed, was purely an accident.

“[I knew that Bassitt was] trying to throw an inside fastball off the plate.” Mancini said, “I had been chasing that pitch throughout the series. It got away from him a little bit.”

Bassitt might not have hit Mancini were it not for a small portion of loose skin on the middle finger of his pitching hand that threw off his control.

“I should have called the trainers out to cut [the loose skin] off, because it just felt weird. Unfortunately, I didn’t, and hit him because of it. I really hope he’s OK,” said Bassitt, who subsequently had trainers snip off the patch of skin.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde rated Mancini’s playing status as day to day, adding that the outstanding Oriole is “doubtful” for Thursday’s series opener at Seattle.

Mainly, Hyde felt happy that Mancini’s not headed for the injured list. He admitted that he “expected the worst” when he checked on Mancini, who crumpled to the ground immediately after being hit.

“It didn’t look good when I went out there,” Hyde said. “He was in serious pain. So you’re hopeful, and we got lucky.”

Mancini is batting .304 with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs. Entering Wednesday, he ranked among the AL’s top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, runs, hits and total bases.

This has been a breakout year of sorts for Mancini, who recorded a Major League slash line of .268/.319/.458 from 2016-18.