Oakland, CA - Bobby Crosby homered and drove in two runs as Oakland topped Texas, 6-0, in the finale of a three-game set from McAfee Coliseum.
Mark Ellis was 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Athletics, who snapped a nine-game losing streak by salvaging a game in the series. Marco Scutaro, Mark Kotsay, Travis Buck and Shannon Stewart knocked in a run each.
Lenny DiNardo (4-6) scattered three hits over seven shutout innings, needing only 84 pitches to complete his longest outing of the season.
“It was a solid all around baseball game today,” said A’s manager Bob Geren. “Lenny pitched really well, and it was a good offensive day for us as well. It was a needed win for the team. I couldn’t be happier with the entire performance.”
Kevin Millwood (6-8) allowed three hits and four runs — one earned — over six innings, with four strikeouts and three walks. Brad Wilkerson and Travis Metcalf doubled for the Rangers, whose three-game win streak was halted.
Oakland got all the support they needed for DiNardo with four runs in the second. Nick Swisher led off with a walk and advanced on Ellis’ base hit. Kotsay reached to load the bases on Millwood’s bad throw to second on a potential double-play ball, then Scutaro’s RBI single and Crosby’s bases- loaded walk made it 2-0. After Kurt Suzuki struck out, Buck’s sac fly and Stewart’s single pushed the lead to 4-0.
“I tell you, if we make that double play, instead of the score being 4-0 after that inning was over it probably would have been 2-0,” noted Rangers manager Ron Washington. “We still felt good about the game. Even after that inning, (Millwood) threw up five zeros its just that their pitcher threw up seven.”
Crosby’s eighth homer of the season, a lead-off shot, put Oakland up 5-0 in the seventh off Willie Eyre, and a Kotsay fielder’s choice ground out in the eighth made it 6-0.
Game Notes
Texas has won five of the nine meetings this season with Oakland…The nine- game slide was the A’s longest since 1998…Catcher Adam Melhuse, traded from Oakland to Texas on June 9, got the start for the Rangers and went 0- for-3…Oakland hosts Baltimore for a three-game series on Friday, while Texas returns home to welcome Cleveland for a four-game set on Friday.
