GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: OAKLAND (47-52) at LA ANGELS (57-41)

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL AT LA ANGELS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: S Shields relieved J Speier.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 4
LA ANGELS 3 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: M Piazza (.280, 0-FOR-3, RBI)</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
OAKLAND 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 11 0
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 6 0 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: OAK - ALAN EMBREE
LAA - SCOT SHIELDS

DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: G ANDERSON (.293, 0-FOR-3)
M NAPOLI (.255, 0-FOR-3)
M IZTURIS (.254, 0-FOR-0, BB)</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">OAKLAND (4) VS LA ANGELS (3) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
T Buck rf 5 2 4 3 0 0 1 .286
N Swisher 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 2 .255
S Stewart lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 5 .307
M Piazza dh 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .286
M Ellis 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .262
M Kotsay cf 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .210
M Scutaro 3b-ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .242
B Crosby ss 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 .226
E Chavez pr-3b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .240
K Suzuki c 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 .217

Totals 36 4 11 4 5 4 20

BATTING: 2B - T Buck (14, K Escobar). HR - T Buck (7, 7th inning off K Escobar
0 on, 0 Out). SF - M Piazza. RBI - M Piazza (14), T Buck 3 (26). 2-out RBI - T
Buck. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Ellis 1, S Stewart 4, M
Kotsay 2, K Suzuki 1, T Buck 1. Team LOB - 12.

BASERUNNING: SB - B Crosby (10, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), S Stewart
(9, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), T Buck (2, 2nd base off J Speier/M
Napoli).


LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 2b-3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .320
O Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .311
V Guerrero rf 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 .327
R Quinlan 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .261
a-C Kotchman ph-1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .289
G Matthews Jr cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .271
G Anderson dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .293
M Napoli c 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .255
B Wood 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .118
b-M Izturis ph-2b 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .254
R Willits lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .302

Totals 29 3 6 3 2 3 8

a-singled to right for R Quinlan in the 8th; b-walked for B Wood in the
8th.

BATTING: 2B - V Guerrero 2 (32, L DiNardo 2); R Willits (14, S Casilla). SF - C
Figgins. RBI - R Quinlan (18), C Figgins (32), C Kotchman (44). 2-out RBI - C
Kotchman. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Quinlan 1, G Anderson 1,
G Matthews Jr 1. Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - R Willits (M Piazza at 2nd base). DP: 1 (R
Willits-M Izturis).


----------------------------------------------------
OAKLAND - 110 000 110 -- 4
LA ANGELS - 000 100 02 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era
L DiNardo 6 2/3 3 1 1 1 2 0 2.41
S Casilla 1 3 2 2 1 1 0 1.35
A Embree 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.83

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
K Escobar 7 9 3 3 2 3 1 2.91
J Speier 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 2.11
S Shields 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.45

HBP - B Crosby (by J Speier). Pitches-strikes: L DiNardo 93-64; S Casilla
30-17; A Embree 2-1; K Escobar 113-71; J Speier 31-16; S Shields 20-11. Ground
balls-fly balls: L DiNardo 11-7; S Casilla 0-2; A Embree 0-1; K Escobar 6-12; J
Speier 1-1; S Shields 0-2. Batters faced: L DiNardo 24; S Casilla 7; A Embree
1; K Escobar 32; J Speier 7; S Shields 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Kellogg. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Andy Fletcher. 3B--Mike
Reilly.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to left.</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
OAKLAND 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 11 0
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 6 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: OAK - LENNY DINARDO, SANTIAGO CASILLA (7TH), ALAN EMBREE (8TH) AND
KURT SUZUKI

LAA - KELVIM ESCOBAR, JUSTIN SPEIER (8TH), SCOT SHIELDS
(9TH) AND MIKE NAPOLI

HOME RUNS: OAK - TRAVIS BUCK (7) OFF KELVIM ESCOBAR IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

LAA - NONE</div>

 

DiNardo pitches well as Athletics hold off Angels

<h3>OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3</h3>ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- After a recent spate of badplay, Lenny DiNardo and the Oakland Athletics have begun to wakeup.


DiNardo pitched 6 2/3 outstanding innings as the Athleticsdefeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Rookie Travis Buck had four hits, including a homer, and made adiving catch in the eighth to stop a rally for Oakland, whichcaptured its first series in nearly a month.


The Athletics had lost five straight series, including droppingnine games in a row around the All-Star Break to fall 10 1/2games behind Anaheim in the American League West. However,Oakland has won two straight vs. Anaheim to gain a series winsince taking two of three from the New York Yankees on June29-July 1.


DiNardo (5-6) allowed one run, three hits and a walk to followup his best start of the season. The lefthander went seveninnings, helping throw a 6-0 shutout against the Texas Rangerslast Tuesday. He has also surrendered two earned runs or fewerin five of his last six outings.


After reliever Santiago Casilla allowed two runs and three hitsin the eighth inning to help the Angels cut their deficit to4-3, Alan Embree came on to get Gary Matthews Jr. to hit a hardline drive into right field that Buck made a diving catch tosave a run and end the inning.


Embree also pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 11th save in13 opportunities.


Oakland gave DiNardo an early lead when in the first inning.Buck, Nick Swisher and Shannon Stewart each had base hits,before a sacrifice fly by Mike Piazza gave the A's a 1-0 lead.

With two men on the in the second inning, Buck hit a run-scoringdouble to increase the lead by two.


After the Angels cut the lead in half on an RBI groundout byRobb Quinlan in the fourth inning, Buck made it 3-1 when he tookthe first pitch he saw from Kelvim Escobar over the centerfield fence. It was the seventh homer of the season for Buck,who also added an RBI single in the eighth inning. Buck now hastwo career four-hit games.


Escobar (11-4) went seven innings, allowing three runs, ninehits and two walks, snapping his career-best winning streak atfive. The righthander had been 5-0 with a 2.68 ERA in his lasteight starts and hadn't lost since May 31.


Vladimir Guerrero hit two doubles for the Angels, who have losttwo straight and seven of nine.

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
OAKLAND 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 11 0
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 6 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: OAK - LENNY DINARDO, SANTIAGO CASILLA (7TH), ALAN EMBREE (8TH) AND
KURT SUZUKI

LAA - KELVIM ESCOBAR, JUSTIN SPEIER (8TH), SCOT SHIELDS
(9TH) AND MIKE NAPOLI


WP - LENNY DINARDO (5-6)
LP - KELVIM ESCOBAR (11-4)
SAVE - ALAN EMBREE (11)

HOME RUNS: OAK - TRAVIS BUCK (7) OFF KELVIM ESCOBAR IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

LAA - NONE


TIME: 3:03 ATT: 43,784

PROBABLES: OAK - JOE BLANTON (8-7, 3.53)
LAA - JOHN LACKEY (12-6, 3.21)</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">OAKLAND (4) VS LA ANGELS (3) - FINAL

OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
T Buck rf 5 2 4 3 0 0 1 .286
N Swisher 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 2 .255
S Stewart lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 5 .307
M Piazza dh 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .286
M Ellis 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .262
M Kotsay cf 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .210
M Scutaro 3b-ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .242
B Crosby ss 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 .226
E Chavez pr-3b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .240
K Suzuki c 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 .217

Totals 36 4 11 4 5 4 20

BATTING: 2B - T Buck (14, K Escobar). HR - T Buck (7, 7th inning off K Escobar
0 on, 0 Out). SF - M Piazza. RBI - M Piazza (14), T Buck 3 (26). 2-out RBI - T
Buck. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Ellis 1, S Stewart 4, M
Kotsay 2, K Suzuki 1, T Buck 1. Team LOB - 12.

BASERUNNING: SB - B Crosby (10, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), S Stewart
(9, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), T Buck (2, 2nd base off J Speier/M
Napoli).


LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 2b-3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .320
O Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .311
V Guerrero rf 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 .327
R Quinlan 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .261
a-C Kotchman ph-1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .289
G Matthews Jr cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .271
G Anderson dh 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .292
M Napoli c 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .254
B Wood 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .118
b-M Izturis ph-2b 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 .252
R Willits lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .302

Totals 32 3 6 3 2 3 8

a-singled to right for R Quinlan in the 8th; b-walked for B Wood in the
8th.

BATTING: 2B - V Guerrero 2 (32, L DiNardo 2); R Willits (14, S Casilla). SF - C
Figgins. RBI - R Quinlan (18), C Figgins (32), C Kotchman (44). 2-out RBI - C
Kotchman. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Quinlan 1, G Anderson 1,
G Matthews Jr 1. Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - R Willits (M Piazza at 2nd base). DP: 1 (R
Willits-M Izturis).


----------------------------------------------------
OAKLAND - 110 000 110 -- 4
LA ANGELS - 000 100 020 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era
L DiNardo (W, 5-6) 6 2/3 3 1 1 1 2 0 2.41
S Casilla (H, 4) 1 3 2 2 1 1 0 1.35
A Embree (S, 11) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.74

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
K Escobar (L, 11-4) 7 9 3 3 2 3 1 2.91
J Speier 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 2.11
S Shields 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.45

HBP - B Crosby (by J Speier). Pitches-strikes: L DiNardo 93-64; S Casilla
30-17; A Embree 15-9; K Escobar 113-71; J Speier 31-16; S Shields 20-11. Ground
balls-fly balls: L DiNardo 11-7; S Casilla 0-2; A Embree 1-3; K Escobar 6-12; J
Speier 1-1; S Shields 0-2. Batters faced: L DiNardo 24; S Casilla 7; A Embree
4; K Escobar 32; J Speier 7; S Shields 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Kellogg. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Andy Fletcher. 3B--Mike
Reilly.

T--3:03. Att--43,784.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to
left.</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
OAKLAND 4
LA ANGELS 3 FINAL</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">OAKLAND (4) VS LA ANGELS (3) - FINAL

OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
T Buck rf 5 2 4 3 0 0 1 .286
N Swisher 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 2 .255
S Stewart lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 5 .307
M Piazza dh 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .286
M Ellis 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .262
M Kotsay cf 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .210
M Scutaro 3b-ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .242
B Crosby ss 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 .226
E Chavez pr-3b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .240
K Suzuki c 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 .217

Totals 36 4 11 4 5 4 20

BATTING: 2B - T Buck (14, K Escobar). HR - T Buck (7, 7th inning off K Escobar
0 on, 0 Out). SF - M Piazza. RBI - M Piazza (14), T Buck 3 (26). 2-out RBI - T
Buck. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Ellis 1, S Stewart 4, M
Kotsay 2, K Suzuki 1, T Buck 1. Team LOB - 12.

BASERUNNING: SB - B Crosby (10, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), S Stewart
(9, 2nd base off K Escobar/M Napoli), T Buck (2, 2nd base off J Speier/M
Napoli).


LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 2b-3b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .320
O Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .311
V Guerrero rf 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 .327
R Quinlan 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 .261
a-C Kotchman ph-1b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .289
G Matthews Jr cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .271
G Anderson dh 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .292
M Napoli c 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .254
B Wood 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .118
b-M Izturis ph-2b 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 .252
R Willits lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .302

Totals 32 3 6 3 2 3 8

a-singled to right for R Quinlan in the 8th; b-walked for B Wood in the
8th.

BATTING: 2B - V Guerrero 2 (32, L DiNardo 2); R Willits (14, S Casilla). SF - C
Figgins. RBI - R Quinlan (18), C Figgins (32), C Kotchman (44). 2-out RBI - C
Kotchman. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Quinlan 1, G Anderson 1,
G Matthews Jr 1. Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - R Willits (M Piazza at 2nd base). DP: 1 (R
Willits-M Izturis).


----------------------------------------------------
OAKLAND - 110 000 110 -- 4
LA ANGELS - 000 100 020 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era
L DiNardo (W, 5-6) 6 2/3 3 1 1 1 2 0 2.41
S Casilla (H, 5) 1 3 2 2 1 1 0 1.35
A Embree (S, 11) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.74

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
K Escobar (L, 11-4) 7 9 3 3 2 3 1 2.91
J Speier 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 2.11
S Shields 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.45

HBP - B Crosby (by J Speier). Pitches-strikes: L DiNardo 93-64; S Casilla
30-17; A Embree 15-9; K Escobar 113-71; J Speier 31-16; S Shields 20-11. Ground
balls-fly balls: L DiNardo 11-7; S Casilla 0-2; A Embree 1-3; K Escobar 6-12; J
Speier 1-1; S Shields 0-2. Batters faced: L DiNardo 24; S Casilla 7; A Embree
4; K Escobar 32; J Speier 7; S Shields 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Jeff Kellogg. 1B--Eric Cooper. 2B--Andy Fletcher. 3B--Mike
Reilly.

T--3:03. Att--43,784.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to
left.</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OAKLAND (4) AT LA ANGELS (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OAKLAND 1ST: T Buck singled to right. N Swisher singled to center, T Buck
to second. S Stewart singled to left, T Buck to third, N Swisher to second.
M Piazza hit sacrifice fly to left, T Buck scored, N Swisher to third, S Stewart
to second. M Ellis struck out swinging. M Kotsay grounded out to second.
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, LA ANGELS 0.

OAKLAND 2ND: M Scutaro flied out to center. B Crosby walked. K Suzuki
walked, B Crosby to second. T Buck doubled to left, B Crosby scored, K Suzuki
to third. N Swisher struck out swinging. S Stewart flied out to right.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 4TH: O Cabrera singled to left. V Guerrero doubled to center,
O Cabrera to third. R Quinlan grounded out to shortstop, O Cabrera scored.
G Matthews Jr grounded out to second, V Guerrero to third. G Anderson flied out
to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 7TH: T Buck homered to left. N Swisher struck out swinging.
S Stewart singled to center. M Piazza flied out to right. S Stewart stole
second. M Ellis fouled out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3,
LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 8TH: J Speier relieved K Escobar. M Kotsay struck out swinging.
M Scutaro grounded out to second. B Crosby hit by pitch. E Chavez ran for
B Crosby. K Suzuki walked, E Chavez to second. T Buck singled to center,
E Chavez scored, K Suzuki to third. T Buck stole second. N Swisher walked.
S Stewart fouled out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 8TH: M Scutaro at shortstop. E Chavez at third base. M Izturis
hit for B Wood. M Izturis walked. R Willits doubled to shallow left, M Izturis
to third. C Figgins hit sacrifice fly to left, M Izturis scored. O Cabrera
popped out to shortstop. V Guerrero reached on infield single to shortstop,
R Willits to third. C Kotchman hit for R Quinlan. C Kotchman singled to right,
R Willits scored, V Guerrero to third. A Embree relieved S Casilla. G Matthews
Jr flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3.</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OAKLAND (4) AT LA ANGELS (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OAKLAND 1ST: T Buck singled to right. N Swisher singled to center, T Buck
to second. S Stewart singled to left, T Buck to third, N Swisher to second.
M Piazza hit sacrifice fly to left, T Buck scored, N Swisher to third, S Stewart
to second. M Ellis struck out swinging. M Kotsay grounded out to second.
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, LA ANGELS 0.

OAKLAND 2ND: M Scutaro flied out to center. B Crosby walked. K Suzuki
walked, B Crosby to second. T Buck doubled to left, B Crosby scored, K Suzuki
to third. N Swisher struck out swinging. S Stewart flied out to right.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 4TH: O Cabrera singled to left. V Guerrero doubled to center,
O Cabrera to third. R Quinlan grounded out to shortstop, O Cabrera scored.
G Matthews Jr grounded out to second, V Guerrero to third. G Anderson flied out
to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 7TH: T Buck homered to left. N Swisher struck out swinging.
S Stewart singled to center. M Piazza flied out to right. S Stewart stole
second. M Ellis fouled out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3,
LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 8TH: J Speier relieved K Escobar. M Kotsay struck out swinging.
M Scutaro grounded out to second. B Crosby hit by pitch. E Chavez ran for
B Crosby. K Suzuki walked, E Chavez to second. T Buck singled to center,
E Chavez scored, K Suzuki to third. T Buck stole second. N Swisher walked.
S Stewart fouled out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4,
LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 8TH: M Scutaro at shortstop. E Chavez at third base. M Izturis
hit for B Wood. M Izturis walked. R Willits doubled to shallow left, M Izturis
to third. C Figgins hit sacrifice fly to left, M Izturis scored. O Cabrera
popped out to shortstop. V Guerrero reached on infield single to shortstop,
R Willits to third. C Kotchman hit for R Quinlan. C Kotchman singled to right,
R Willits scored, V Guerrero to third. A Embree relieved S Casilla. G Matthews
Jr flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3.</div>

 

AL: OAKLAND at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OAKLAND (4) AT LA ANGELS (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oakland Starting Lineups -- T Buck RF, N Swisher 1B, S Stewart LF, M Piazza DH,
M Ellis 2B, M Kotsay CF, M Scutaro 3B, B Crosby SS, K Suzuki C, L DiNardo LHP.

La Angels Starting Lineups -- C Figgins 2B, O Cabrera SS, V Guerrero RF,
R Quinlan 1B, G Matthews Jr CF, G Anderson DH, M Napoli C, B Wood 3B, R Willits
LF, K Escobar RHP.

Umpires -- Jeff Kellogg (HP), Eric Cooper (1B), Andy Fletcher (2B), Mike Reilly (3B).

Gametime Weather: 81 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to left at 8 mph.


OAKLAND 1ST: T Buck singled to right. N Swisher singled to center, T Buck
to second. S Stewart singled to left, T Buck to third, N Swisher to second.
M Piazza hit sacrifice fly to left, T Buck scored, N Swisher to third, S Stewart
to second. M Ellis struck out swinging. M Kotsay grounded out to second.
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 1, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 1ST: C Figgins grounded out to first. O Cabrera grounded out to
third. V Guerrero grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
OAKLAND 1, LA ANGELS 0.

OAKLAND 2ND: M Scutaro flied out to center. B Crosby walked. K Suzuki
walked, B Crosby to second. T Buck doubled to left, B Crosby scored, K Suzuki
to third. N Swisher struck out swinging. S Stewart flied out to right.
(1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 2ND: R Quinlan flied out to right. G Matthews Jr struck out
swinging. G Anderson grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

OAKLAND 3RD: M Piazza grounded out to shortstop. M Ellis grounded out to
third. M Kotsay flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2,
LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 3RD: M Napoli flied out to center. B Wood flied out to center.
R Willits walked. C Figgins grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

OAKLAND 4TH: M Scutaro flied out to left. B Crosby reached on bunt single
to third. K Suzuki popped out to shortstop. B Crosby stole second. T Buck
grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 4TH: O Cabrera singled to left. V Guerrero doubled to center,
O Cabrera to third. R Quinlan grounded out to shortstop, O Cabrera scored.
G Matthews Jr grounded out to second, V Guerrero to third. G Anderson flied out
to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 5TH: N Swisher popped out to second. S Stewart grounded out to
shortstop. M Piazza grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 5TH: M Napoli grounded out to third. B Wood flied out to left.
R Willits grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2,
LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 6TH: M Ellis flied out to center. M Kotsay flied out to right.
M Scutaro singled to center. B Crosby singled to left, M Scutaro to second.
K Suzuki flied out to right. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 6TH: C Figgins grounded out to shortstop. O Cabrera grounded out
to pitcher. V Guerrero doubled to left. R Quinlan flied out to left. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 7TH: T Buck homered to left. N Swisher struck out swinging.
S Stewart singled to center. M Piazza flied out to right. S Stewart stole
second. M Ellis fouled out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3,
LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 7TH: G Matthews Jr struck out swinging. G Anderson flied out to
right. S Casilla relieved L DiNardo. M Napoli struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, LA ANGELS 1.

OAKLAND 8TH: J Speier relieved K Escobar. M Kotsay struck out swinging.
M Scutaro grounded out to second. B Crosby hit by pitch. E Chavez ran for
B Crosby. K Suzuki walked, E Chavez to second. T Buck singled to center,
E Chavez scored, K Suzuki to third. T Buck stole second. N Swisher walked.
S Stewart fouled out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 8TH: M Scutaro at shortstop. E Chavez at third base. M Izturis
hit for B Wood. M Izturis walked. R Willits doubled to shallow left, M Izturis
to third. C Figgins hit sacrifice fly to left, M Izturis scored. O Cabrera
popped out to shortstop. V Guerrero reached on infield single to shortstop,
R Willits to third. C Kotchman hit for R Quinlan. C Kotchman singled to right,
R Willits scored, V Guerrero to third. A Embree relieved S Casilla. G Matthews
Jr flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3.

OAKLAND 9TH: C Figgins at third base. C Kotchman at first base. M Izturis
at second base. S Shields relieved J Speier. M Piazza singled to deep right.
M Ellis flied out to center. M Kotsay walked, M Piazza to second. M Scutaro
lined into double play, left to second, M Piazza doubled off second.(0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3.

LA ANGELS 9TH: G Anderson flied out to center. M Napoli grounded out to
first. M Izturis flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 4,
LA ANGELS 3.</div>

 

DiNardo pitches well as Athletics hold off Angels

<h3>OAKLAND 4, LA ANGELS 3</h3>ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- After a recent spate of badplay, Lenny DiNardo and the Oakland Athletics have begun to wakeup.


DiNardo pitched 6 2/3 outstanding innings as the Athleticsdefeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Rookie Travis Buck had four hits, including a homer, and made adiving catch in the eighth to stop a rally for Oakland, whichcaptured its first series in nearly a month.


"Buck was definitely the star of the game," A's manager BobGeren said.


The Athletics had lost five straight series, including droppingnine games in a row around the All-Star Break to fall 10 1/2games behind Anaheim in the American League West. However,Oakland has won two straight vs. Anaheim to gain a series winsince taking two of three from the New York Yankees on June29-July 1.


"It's good to come in here and get two big wins in the first twogames," A's closer Alan Embree said. "It's a big boost for ourball club."


DiNardo (5-6) allowed one run, three hits and a walk to followup his best start of the season. The lefthander went seveninnings, helping throw a 6-0 shutout against the Texas Rangerslast Tuesday. He has also surrendered two earned runs or fewerin five of his last six outings.


"My cutter to the righties tonight worked well and I kept theball down in the zone," DiNardo said. "We gained a game in thestandings and it was a big win for the team."


After reliever Santiago Casilla allowed two runs and three hitsin the eighth inning to help the Angels cut their deficit to4-3, Embree came on to get Gary Matthews Jr. to hit a hard linedrive into right field that Buck made a diving catch to save arun and end the inning.


"He (Buck) keeps getting better and better in the outfield,"Geren said. "That was a huge catch at that point in the gameand it ended up saving us from possibly going extra innings."

Embree also pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 11th save in13 opportunities.


"I knew I had to come in and throw strikes and be careful withtheir hitters," Embree said. "I just tried to get quick outsand not make a lot of pitches and I did that tonight."

Oakland gave DiNardo an early lead when in the first inning.Buck, Nick Swisher and Shannon Stewart each had base hits,before a sacrifice fly by Mike Piazza gave the A's a 1-0 lead.

"It's always good when your team goes out and puts runs on theboard early because it let's me settle down and just pitch mygame," DiNardo said.


With two men on the in the second inning, Buck hit a run-scoringdouble to increase the lead by two.


"Buck was the big hero for us tonight with his bat and glove,"A's second baseman Mark Ellis said. "He's showing everyone howgood he is."


After the Angels cut the lead in half on an RBI groundout byRobb Quinlan in the fourth inning, Buck made it 3-1 when he tookthe first pitch he saw from Kelvim Escobar over the centerfield fence. It was the seventh homer of the season for Buck,who also added an RBI single in the eighth inning. Buck now hastwo career four-hit games.


"Travis did an excellent job hitting the ball the opposite waytonight," Geren added.


Escobar (11-4) went seven innings, allowing three runs, ninehits and two walks, snapping his career-best winning streak atfive.


"I just left pitches up in the zone early and they tookadvantage of them," Escobar said. "I ended up settling downlater on in the game and that's when I kept the ball down, butthey already got to me."


The righthander had been 5-0 with a 2.68 ERA in his last eightstarts and hadn't lost since May 31.


Vladimir Guerrero hit two doubles for the Angels, who have losttwo straight and seven of nine.