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Sweeney's triple in ninth propels A's past Jays

Tue 8th, April 2008

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Ryan Sweeney went 2-for-5 with the game-winning RBI triple to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-8, at Rogers Centre.

Kurt Suzuki finished 3-for-5, had an RBI and scored the go-ahead run for Oakland, which has won three of four overall. Travis Buck and Mark Ellis each had a pair of hits and an RBI in the win. Chad Gaudin surrendered six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in four innings on the hill in his 2008 debut. Alan Embree (1-1) gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth, but still got the win.

Aaron Hill went 4-for-4 with a two-run home run for Toronto, which saw its three-game win streak halted. Vernon Wells was 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, and Frank Thomas hit a two-run homer. David Eckstein was 1-for-5, but accounted for the Jays' other RBI.

A.J. Burnett went 4 2/3 innings, but yielded six runs on 10 hits. Jeremy Accardo (0-1) got the loss after giving up a run on two hits in the ninth.

"You just hate to waste a day when your offense picks you up like they did," Accardo said. "Some days you're not going to pitch as well as you'd like."

Wells crushed a double off the left field wall to start the bottom of the eighth. Thomas then came to the plate and tied the game, 8-8, with a home run to center field.

A two-out Suzuki single proved to be just what Oakland needed, as the next hitter, Sweeney, crushed an RBI triple to right field that put the A's up 9-8. Buck flied out to end the top of the ninth.

"I just tried to catch a gap, pretty much just tried to see the ball and he threw a splitter," Sweeney said. "He just left it up a little bit."

Huston Street came in for the bottom of the ninth and got Eckstein and Matt Stairs to ground out. Alex Rios made it a game, however, by drawing a full- count walk, before Wells struck out on three straight pitches.

Daric Barton smoked a line drive single to center field before a two-out Mike Sweeney double to left scored Barton and made it 1-0 A's in the top of the first inning.

Back-to-back singles from Stairs and Rios set the table for a three-run homer by Wells to left field that gave the Blue Jays a two-run lead in the first.

Oakland answered when Bobby Crosby hit a single to right field, then moved to second when Jack Hannahan worked a walk. Both players moved up a base on a wild pitch by Burnett, and a Suzuki groundout scored Crosby. Consecutive doubles from Ryan Sweeney and Buck followed, plating Hannahan and Sweeney. Ellis continued the rally with a triple that scored Buck, before scoring himself on a sacrifice fly from Barton to make it 6-3.

Lyle Overbay singled to begin the bottom half of the fourth inning, and Hill knocked him home with a blast over the left field wall. The next batter, Marco Scutaro, reached base on a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and remained at third after a groundout from Gregg Zaun. Eckstein stepped to the plate next and finagled a single, which in turn scored Scutaro, and after Stairs hit into a double play, the game was tied at six heading into the fifth.

Buck singled to begin the sixth inning, and consecutive walks from Barton and Mike Sweeney loaded the bases. Jack Cust was the next batter up and he grounded to first baseman Overbay, who relayed the ball to Eckstein at second for the force. Sweeney, though, slid in hard and helped break up the double play. As a result, Buck and Barton scored to give Oakland an 8-6 advantage. Crosby flied out to end the rally.

Game Notes

Oakland was supposed to have Rich Harden on the hill this evening, but he was scratched late Monday night. The team did not specify why he was removed from the start, but he is now expected to pitch Saturday in Cleveland. Harden, of course, has had five stints on the disabled list over the previous three seasons...Attendance was 31,336.

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