Oakland, CA – Travis Blackley picked up his first win in nearly eight years, and the Oakland Athletics continued to pound out runs in a 10-2 thrashing of the San Diego Padres.
Just before the opener of the three-game series, the A's granted Manny Ramirez his request to be released from their minor league affiliate in Sacramento. They certainly have not needed the slugger lately, totaling 36 runs during their four-game winning streak.
Josh Reddick hit a two-run triple, Brandon Moss added a two-run homer and Cliff Pennington went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI in the rout.
The offensive explosion backed Blackley (1-2), who had not won since his big- league debut on July 1, 2004. The left-hander lasted six innings Friday and allowed two runs on five hits to pick up the victory.
Anthony Bass (2-7) yielded nine runs -- seven earned -- on eight hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings to remain winless over his last six starts.
Carlos Quentin went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Padres, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the Mariners in Seattle.
Oakland, fresh off a sweep of the Rockies, pushed five across in the first inning, two coming on Reddick's three-bagger into the right-field corner. Reddick later scored on Brandon Inge's base hit, and Moss followed with a home run to right -- the fourth straight game he has gone deep.
The Padres scored in their first at-bat on Quentin's RBI single, then again in the second when Alexi Amarista tripled and trotted home on Chris Denorfia's base hit.
Oakland, though, continued to pad the lead. Pennington doubled off the wall in left-center to plate Collin Cowgill in the fourth inning, then scored on Coco Crisp's sharp ground ball that went off Amarista's glove at second.
Brad Boxberger relieved Bass with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth and promptly threw away a pickoff attempt. The errant throw allowed Kurt Suzuki to cross the plate, while Cowgill moved to third and scored on Pennington' single.
Jemile Weeks' sacrifice fly in the eighth capped the scoring, and Evan Scribner picked up a rare three-inning save -- the first of his career.
Game Notes
Ramirez hit .302 with three doubles, no home runs, 14 RBI, 17 strikeouts and five walks in 17 games with Sacramento...Since being called up from Sacramento earlier this month, eight of Moss' first nine hits have been either home runs (six) or doubles (two)...Pennington turned 28 on Friday...Bass is 0-3 with an 8.89 ERA over his last five starts.
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