AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - OAKLAND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 1 TAMPA BAY 0 2 1 0 1 2 3 5 14 20 0 (TOP 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: OAK - KIKO CALERO TAM - SCOTT KAZMIR DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: J HANNAHAN (.250, 0-FOR-1) N SWISHER (.259, 0-FOR-3) J CUST (.271, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">OAKLAND (2) VS TAMPA BAY (14) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg S Stewart lf 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .290 D Brown lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 M Scutaro ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .258 J Hannahan 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 N Swisher cf 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .259 J Cust rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .271 M Piazza dh 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 .278 M Ellis 2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .262 D Johnson 1b 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 .233 J Furmaniak 3b-ss 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 .167 K Suzuki c 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 .242 Totals 26 2 3 2 0 13 4 BATTING: 2B - M Ellis (26, S Kazmir); M Piazza (13, S Kazmir); J Furmaniak (1, S Kazmir). SF - K Suzuki. RBI - J Furmaniak (1), K Suzuki (20). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Stewart 1, D Johnson 1. Team LOB - 2. FIELDING: E - N Swisher (4, catch). TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg A Iwamura 3b 6 2 3 0 0 2 2 .288 C Crawford lf 4 2 1 1 0 1 2 .313 C Pena 1b 4 2 3 1 1 0 0 .270 B Upton cf 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .307 D Young rf 5 2 2 1 0 1 2 .288 B Harris 2b 4 2 3 2 0 0 1 .291 J Gomes dh 5 2 2 3 0 2 4 .260 J Wilson ss 5 0 2 1 0 0 3 .259 J Paul c 5 0 2 2 0 2 3 .209 Totals 42 14 20 13 2 9 18 BATTING: 2B - C Pena 2 (27, S Casilla, J Blanton); B Harris 2 (29, A Brown, S Casilla); J Paul (2, A Brown); D Young (32, S Casilla); J Wilson (9, K Calero). 3B - A Iwamura (7, J Blanton); J Gomes (2, A Brown). HR - J Gomes (14, 2nd inning off J Blanton 1 on, 2 Out). SF - C Crawford. RBI - J Gomes 3 (38), C Pena (83), C Crawford (67), J Paul 2 (8), B Harris 2 (49), B Upton 2 (62), D Young (66), J Wilson (17). 2-out RBI - J Gomes 2, J Wilson, J Paul. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Crawford 1, J Paul 2, D Young 1, A Iwamura 1. Team LOB - 8. BASERUNNING: SB - B Harris (4, 2nd base off J Blanton/K Suzuki). Picked Off - D Young (1st base, J Blanton). ---------------------------------------------------- OAKLAND - 000 000 02 -- 2 TAMPA BAY - 021 012 35 -- 14 ---------------------------------------------------- OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era J Blanton 5 7 4 4 1 5 1 3.92 A Brown 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 3.46 S Casilla 1 4 3 3 0 2 0 4.54 J Marshall 1/3 4 5 5 1 0 0 6.81 K Calero 2/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 5.75 TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era S Kazmir 8 3 2 2 0 13 0 3.59 WP - J Marshall. HBP - B Harris (by J Blanton); D Johnson (by S Kazmir). Pitches-strikes: J Blanton 102-67; A Brown 24-16; S Casilla 21-14; J Marshall 23-14; K Calero 15-11; S Kazmir 97-69. Ground balls-fly balls: J Blanton 4-5; A Brown 0-2; S Casilla 0-1; J Marshall 0-1; K Calero 0-1; S Kazmir 3-8. Batters faced: J Blanton 23; A Brown 6; S Casilla 7; J Marshall 6; K Calero 4; S Kazmir 28. UMPIRES: HP--Brian Runge. 1B--Bruce Froemming. 2B--Mark Wegner. 3B--Mike Winters. Weather: INDOORS.</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - SCORING UPDATE SOLO HOME RUN BY JACK HANNAHAN (2) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE 9TH OFF SCOTT KAZMIR. CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3, TAMPA BAY 14 DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: N SWISHER (.259, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - PITCHING CHANGE TAM: SCOTT DOHMANN (2-0, 2.16) IN THE 9TH SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, N SWISHER ON FIRST, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3, TAMPA BAY 14 DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: J CUST (.271, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL AT TAMPA BAY - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: S Dohmann relieved S Kazmir. SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, N SWISHER ON FIRST, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: OAKLAND 3 TAMPA BAY 14 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: J Cust (.271, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - OAKLAND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 6 1 TAMPA BAY 0 2 1 0 1 2 3 5 x 14 20 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: OAK - JOE BLANTON, ANDREW BROWN (6TH), SANTIAGO CASILLA (7TH), JAY MARSHALL (8TH), KIKO CALERO (8TH) AND KURT SUZUKI TAM - SCOTT KAZMIR, SCOTT DOHMANN (9TH) AND JOSH PAUL HOME RUNS: OAK - JACK HANNAHAN (2) OFF SCOTT KAZMIR IN THE 9TH, 0 ON TAM - JONNY GOMES (14) OFF JOE BLANTON IN THE 2ND, 1 ON</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - OAKLAND 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 6 1 TAMPA BAY 0 2 1 0 1 2 3 5 x 14 20 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: OAK - JOE BLANTON, ANDREW BROWN (6TH), SANTIAGO CASILLA (7TH), JAY MARSHALL (8TH), KIKO CALERO (8TH) AND KURT SUZUKI TAM - SCOTT KAZMIR, SCOTT DOHMANN (9TH) AND JOSH PAUL WP - SCOTT KAZMIR (10-8) LP - JOE BLANTON (11-9) SAVE - NONE HOME RUNS: OAK - JACK HANNAHAN (2) OFF SCOTT KAZMIR IN THE 9TH, 0 ON TAM - JONNY GOMES (14) OFF JOE BLANTON IN THE 2ND, 1 ON TIME: 2:58 ATT: 18,163 PROBABLES: OAK - DAN HAREN (14-4, 2.66) TAM - ANDY SONNANSTINE (2-9, 6.53)</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">OAKLAND (3) VS TAMPA BAY (14) - FINAL OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg S Stewart lf 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .290 D Brown lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 M Scutaro ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .258 J Hannahan 3b 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 .270 N Swisher cf 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 .261 J Cust rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .270 M Piazza dh 4 1 1 0 0 2 1 .277 M Ellis 2b 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .263 D Johnson 1b 3 1 0 0 0 1 3 .232 J Furmaniak 3b-ss 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 .167 K Suzuki c 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 .242 Totals 32 3 6 3 0 14 8 BATTING: 2B - M Ellis (26, S Kazmir); M Piazza (13, S Kazmir); J Furmaniak (1, S Kazmir). HR - J Hannahan (2, 9th inning off S Kazmir 0 on, 0 Out). SF - K Suzuki. RBI - J Furmaniak (1), K Suzuki (20), J Hannahan (6). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Stewart 1, D Johnson 2. Team LOB - 4. FIELDING: E - N Swisher (4, catch). TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg A Iwamura 3b 6 2 3 0 0 2 2 .288 C Crawford lf 4 2 1 1 0 1 2 .313 C Pena 1b 4 2 3 1 1 0 0 .270 B Upton cf 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .307 D Young rf 5 2 2 1 0 1 2 .288 B Harris 2b 4 2 3 2 0 0 1 .291 J Gomes dh 5 2 2 3 0 2 4 .260 J Wilson ss 5 0 2 1 0 0 3 .259 J Paul c 5 0 2 2 0 2 3 .209 Totals 42 14 20 13 2 9 18 BATTING: 2B - C Pena 2 (27, S Casilla, J Blanton); B Harris 2 (29, A Brown, S Casilla); J Paul (2, A Brown); D Young (32, S Casilla); J Wilson (9, K Calero). 3B - A Iwamura (7, J Blanton); J Gomes (2, A Brown). HR - J Gomes (14, 2nd inning off J Blanton 1 on, 2 Out). SF - C Crawford. RBI - J Gomes 3 (38), C Pena (83), C Crawford (67), J Paul 2 (8), B Harris 2 (49), B Upton 2 (62), D Young (66), J Wilson (17). 2-out RBI - J Gomes 2, J Wilson, J Paul. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Crawford 1, J Paul 2, D Young 1, A Iwamura 1. Team LOB - 8. BASERUNNING: SB - B Harris (4, 2nd base off J Blanton/K Suzuki). Picked Off - D Young (1st base, J Blanton). ---------------------------------------------------- OAKLAND - 000 000 021 -- 3 TAMPA BAY - 021 012 35x -- 14 ---------------------------------------------------- OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era J Blanton (L, 11-9) 5 7 4 4 1 5 1 3.92 A Brown 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 3.46 S Casilla 1 4 3 3 0 2 0 4.54 J Marshall 1/3 4 5 5 1 0 0 6.81 K Calero 2/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 5.75 TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era S Kazmir (W, 10-8) 8 5 3 3 0 13 1 3.64 S Dohmann 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.04 S Kazmir pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. WP - J Marshall. HBP - B Harris (by J Blanton); D Johnson (by S Kazmir). Pitches-strikes: J Blanton 102-67; A Brown 24-16; S Casilla 21-14; J Marshall 23-14; K Calero 15-11; S Kazmir 105-75; S Dohmann 18-11. Ground balls-fly balls: J Blanton 4-5; A Brown 0-2; S Casilla 0-1; J Marshall 0-1; K Calero 0-1; S Kazmir 3-8; S Dohmann 1-1. Batters faced: J Blanton 23; A Brown 6; S Casilla 7; J Marshall 6; K Calero 4; S Kazmir 30; S Dohmann 4. UMPIRES: HP--Brian Runge. 1B--Bruce Froemming. 2B--Mark Wegner. 3B--Mike Winters. T--2:58. Att--18,163. Weather: INDOORS</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OAKLAND (3) AT TAMPA BAY (14) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAMPA BAY 2ND: B Upton flied out to right. D Young lined out to center. B Harris singled to center. J Gomes homered to left center, B Harris scored. J Wilson singled to left center. J Paul struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 2. TAMPA BAY 3RD: A Iwamura singled to center. C Crawford grounded into fielder's choice to first, A Iwamura out at second. C Pena doubled to deep center, C Crawford scored. B Upton struck out looking. D Young struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 3. TAMPA BAY 5TH: A Iwamura tripled to deep right. C Crawford hit sacrifice fly to left, A Iwamura scored. C Pena singled to right. B Upton walked, C Pena to second. D Young grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, B Upton out at second, C Pena to third. D Young picked off first.(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 4. TAMPA BAY 6TH: A Brown relieved J Blanton. B Harris doubled to deep right. J Gomes tripled to center, B Harris scored. J Wilson lined out to center. J Paul doubled to deep right, J Gomes scored. A Iwamura flied out to right, J Paul to third. C Crawford struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 6. TAMPA BAY 7TH: S Casilla relieved A Brown. C Pena doubled to deep left center. B Upton singled to right center, C Pena scored, B Upton to second on error by center fielder N Swisher. D Young doubled to center, B Upton to third. B Harris doubled to left, B Upton and D Young scored. J Gomes struck out swinging. J Wilson flied out to left. J Paul struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 9. OAKLAND 8TH: M Piazza doubled to deep right center. M Ellis grounded out to third. D Johnson hit by pitch. J Furmaniak doubled to deep left, M Piazza scored, D Johnson to third. K Suzuki hit sacrifice fly to right, D Johnson scored. S Stewart struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, TAMPA BAY 9. TAMPA BAY 8TH: J Marshall relieved S Casilla. A Iwamura singled to left. A Iwamura to second on wild pitch by J Marshall. C Crawford reached on infield single to pitcher. C Pena walked, A Iwamura to third, C Crawford to second. B Upton singled to center, A Iwamura and C Crawford scored, C Pena to third. D Young singled to center, C Pena scored, B Upton to second. B Harris flied out to right, B Upton to third. D Brown in left field. K Calero relieved J Marshall. J Gomes popped out to second. J Wilson doubled to left, B Upton scored, D Young to third. J Paul singled to left, D Young scored, J Wilson to third. A Iwamura struck out looking. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, TAMPA BAY 14. OAKLAND 9TH: J Hannahan homered to right. N Swisher singled to left. S Dohmann relieved S Kazmir. J Cust popped out to second. M Piazza struck out swinging. M Ellis singled to center, N Swisher to third. D Johnson grounded out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, TAMPA BAY 14.</div>
AL: OAKLAND at TAMPA BAY <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OAKLAND (3) AT TAMPA BAY (14) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oakland Starting Lineups -- S Stewart LF, M Scutaro SS, N Swisher CF, J Cust RF, M Piazza DH, M Ellis 2B, D Johnson 1B, J Furmaniak 3B, K Suzuki C, J Blanton RHP. Tampa Bay Starting Lineups -- A Iwamura 3B, C Crawford LF, C Pena 1B, B Upton CF, D Young RF, B Harris 2B, J Gomes DH, J Wilson SS, J Paul C, S Kazmir LHP. Umpires -- Brian Runge (HP), Bruce Froemming (1B), Mark Wegner (2B), Mike Winters (3B). Gametime Weather: INDOORS. OAKLAND 1ST: S Stewart struck out swinging. M Scutaro struck out swinging. N Swisher struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 0. TAMPA BAY 1ST: A Iwamura struck out looking. C Crawford grounded out to second. C Pena flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 0. OAKLAND 2ND: J Cust struck out swinging. M Piazza struck out looking. M Ellis doubled to deep right. D Johnson struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 0. TAMPA BAY 2ND: B Upton flied out to right. D Young lined out to center. B Harris singled to center. J Gomes homered to left center, B Harris scored. J Wilson singled to left center. J Paul struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 2. OAKLAND 3RD: J Furmaniak lined out to pitcher. K Suzuki flied out to center. S Stewart struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 2. TAMPA BAY 3RD: A Iwamura singled to center. C Crawford grounded into fielder's choice to first, A Iwamura out at second. C Pena doubled to deep center, C Crawford scored. B Upton struck out looking. D Young struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 3. OAKLAND 4TH: M Scutaro struck out looking. N Swisher fouled out to left. J Cust grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 3. TAMPA BAY 4TH: J Hannahan at third base. J Furmaniak at shortstop. B Harris hit by pitch. J Gomes struck out swinging, B Harris stole second. J Wilson grounded out to pitcher. J Paul flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 3. OAKLAND 5TH: M Piazza flied out to right. M Ellis lined out to center. D Johnson lined out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 3. TAMPA BAY 5TH: A Iwamura tripled to deep right. C Crawford hit sacrifice fly to left, A Iwamura scored. C Pena singled to right. B Upton walked, C Pena to second. D Young grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, B Upton out at second, C Pena to third. D Young picked off first.(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 4. OAKLAND 6TH: J Furmaniak struck out swinging. K Suzuki struck out looking. S Stewart popped out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 4. TAMPA BAY 6TH: A Brown relieved J Blanton. B Harris doubled to deep right. J Gomes tripled to center, B Harris scored. J Wilson lined out to center. J Paul doubled to deep right, J Gomes scored. A Iwamura flied out to right, J Paul to third. C Crawford struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 6. OAKLAND 7TH: J Hannahan struck out swinging. N Swisher struck out swinging. J Cust grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 6. TAMPA BAY 7TH: S Casilla relieved A Brown. C Pena doubled to deep left center. B Upton singled to right center, C Pena scored, B Upton to second on error by center fielder N Swisher. D Young doubled to center, B Upton to third. B Harris doubled to left, B Upton and D Young scored. J Gomes struck out swinging. J Wilson flied out to left. J Paul struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, TAMPA BAY 9. OAKLAND 8TH: M Piazza doubled to deep right center. M Ellis grounded out to third. D Johnson hit by pitch. J Furmaniak doubled to deep left, M Piazza scored, D Johnson to third. K Suzuki hit sacrifice fly to right, D Johnson scored. S Stewart struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, TAMPA BAY 9. TAMPA BAY 8TH: J Marshall relieved S Casilla. A Iwamura singled to left. A Iwamura to second on wild pitch by J Marshall. C Crawford reached on infield single to pitcher. C Pena walked, A Iwamura to third, C Crawford to second. B Upton singled to center, A Iwamura and C Crawford scored, C Pena to third. D Young singled to center, C Pena scored, B Upton to second. B Harris flied out to right, B Upton to third. D Brown in left field. K Calero relieved J Marshall. J Gomes popped out to second. J Wilson doubled to left, B Upton scored, D Young to third. J Paul singled to left, D Young scored, J Wilson to third. A Iwamura struck out looking. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 2, TAMPA BAY 14. OAKLAND 9TH: J Hannahan homered to right. N Swisher singled to left. S Dohmann relieved S Kazmir. J Cust popped out to second. M Piazza struck out swinging. M Ellis singled to center, N Swisher to third. D Johnson grounded out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, TAMPA BAY 14.</div>
Kazmir sets club strikeout record in dominant effort vs. A's <h3>TAMPA BAY 14, OAKLAND 3</h3>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- After hitting a roadblockin his last start, Scott Kazmir dazzled and etched his name intothe record books. <div class="pre">Kazmir set a career high and a franchise record with 13</div>strikeouts through eight dominant innings and Johnny Gomeshomered and drove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rayscoasted to a 9-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Kazmir (10-8) suffered his worst start since the All-Star breakagainst Boston on Monday, allowing six runs and seven hits andthrowing 105 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-0 loss. However, he kept his pitch count down and allowed just one hitthrough the first seven innings against the A's. The lefthanderpounded the strike zone and needed just 73 pitches to getthrough seven frames. Carlos Pena, Brendan Harris and Akinori Iwamura each had threehits and B.J. Upton had three RBI for Tampa Bay, which saw everystarter except Carl Crawford collected at least two hits enroute to season-high 20. Gomes provided the only offense Kazmir would need with a two-runhomer in the second, his 14th of the season. Gomes also addedan RBI triple in the sixth. Kazmir started strong, striking out Oakland's first five battersbefore Mark Ellis doubled to right field. Following Ellis'double, Kazmir retired the next 16 batters until Mike Piazza ledoff the eighth with a double to right field. Later in the inning, Kazmir lost his shutout bid as J.J.Furmaniak laced an RBI double to left and Kurt Suzuki added atwo-out, sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 9-2. Kazmir got Shannon Stewart on a check-swing third strike for thefinal out in the eighth - his record-breaking 13th strikeout -and walked off to a standing ovation. Kazmir surpassed his previous career high of 11 strikeouts setlast season vs. Florida, and broke the franchise record of 12shared by James Shields vs. Cleveland this season and DanWheeler, who accomplished it against Oakland in 1999. The 22-year-old Kazmir attempted to collect his second careercomplete game, but was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer torookie Jack Hannahan and a single to Nick Swisher. He allowedtwo runs and five hits in eight-plus innings and did not walk abatter. Tampa Bay built its lead to 3-0 in the third and added a singlerun in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh andfive in the eighth for its first back-to-back wins since July29-30. Oakland's Joe Blanton (11-9), who was undefeated in his lastfour starts, allowed seven hits and four earned runs in fiveinnings. He struck out five and walked one.
Kazmir sets club strikeout record in dominant effort vs. A's <h3>TAMPA BAY 14, OAKLAND 3</h3>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- After hitting a roadblockin his last start, Scott Kazmir dazzled and etched his name intothe record books. <div class="pre">Kazmir set a career high and a franchise record with 13</div>strikeouts through eight dominant innings and Johnny Gomeshomered and drove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rayscoasted to a 14-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Kazmir (10-8) suffered his worst start since the All-Star breakagainst Boston on Monday, allowing six runs and seven hits andthrowing 105 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-0 loss. However, he kept his pitch count down and allowed just one hitthrough the first seven innings against the A's. The lefthanderpounded the strike zone and needed just 73 pitches to getthrough seven frames. Carlos Pena, Brendan Harris and Akinori Iwamura each had threehits and B.J. Upton had three RBI for Tampa Bay, which saw everystarter except Carl Crawford collected at least two hits enroute to season-high 20. Gomes provided the only offense Kazmir would need with a two-runhomer in the second, his 14th of the season. Gomes also addedan RBI triple in the sixth. Kazmir started strong, striking out Oakland's first five battersbefore Mark Ellis doubled to right field. Following Ellis'double, Kazmir retired the next 16 batters until Mike Piazza ledoff the eighth with a double to right field. Later in the inning, Kazmir lost his shutout bid as J.J.Furmaniak laced an RBI double to left and Kurt Suzuki added atwo-out, sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 9-2. Kazmir got Shannon Stewart on a check-swing third strike for thefinal out in the eighth - his record-breaking 13th strikeout -and walked off to a standing ovation. Kazmir surpassed his previous career high of 11 strikeouts setlast season vs. Florida, and broke the franchise record of 12shared by James Shields vs. Cleveland this season and DanWheeler, who accomplished it against Oakland in 1999. The 22-year-old Kazmir attempted to collect his second careercomplete game, but was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer torookie Jack Hannahan and a single to Nick Swisher. He allowedtwo runs and five hits in eight-plus innings and did not walk abatter. Tampa Bay built its lead to 3-0 in the third and added a singlerun in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh andfive in the eighth for its first back-to-back wins since July29-30. Oakland's Joe Blanton (11-9), who was undefeated in his lastfour starts, allowed seven hits and four earned runs in fiveinnings. He struck out five and walked one.
Kazmir sets club strikeout record in dominant effort vs. A's <h3>TAMPA BAY 14, OAKLAND 3</h3>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- After hitting a roadblockin his last start, Scott Kazmir dazzled and etched his name intothe record books. <div class="pre">Kazmir set a career high and a franchise record with 13</div>strikeouts through eight dominant innings and Jonny Gomeshomered and drove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rayscoasted to a 14-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics onSaturday. Kazmir (10-8) suffered his worst start since the All-Star breakagainst Boston on Monday, allowing six runs and seven hits andthrowing 105 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-0 loss. However, he kept his pitch count down and allowed just one hitthrough the first seven innings against the A's. The lefthanderpounded the strike zone and needed just 73 pitches to getthrough seven frames. Carlos Pena, Brendan Harris and Akinori Iwamura each had threehits and B.J. Upton had three RBI for Tampa Bay, which saw everystarter except Carl Crawford collected at least two hits enroute to season-high 20. Gomes provided the only offense Kazmir would need with a two-runhomer in the second, his 14th of the season. Gomes also addedan RBI triple in the sixth. Kazmir started strong, striking out Oakland's first five battersbefore Mark Ellis doubled to right field. Following Ellis'double, Kazmir retired the next 16 batters until Mike Piazza ledoff the eighth with a double to right field. Later in the inning, Kazmir lost his shutout bid as J.J.Furmaniak laced an RBI double to left and Kurt Suzuki added atwo-out, sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 9-2. Kazmir got Shannon Stewart on a check-swing third strike for thefinal out in the eighth - his record-breaking 13th strikeout -and walked off to a standing ovation. Kazmir surpassed his previous career high of 11 strikeouts setlast season vs. Florida, and broke the franchise record of 12shared by James Shields vs. Cleveland this season and DanWheeler, who accomplished it against Oakland in 1999. The 22-year-old Kazmir attempted to collect his second careercomplete game, but was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer torookie Jack Hannahan and a single to Nick Swisher. He allowedtwo runs and five hits in eight-plus innings and did not walk abatter. Tampa Bay built its lead to 3-0 in the third and added a singlerun in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh andfive in the eighth for its first back-to-back wins since July29-30. Oakland's Joe Blanton (11-9), who was undefeated in his lastfour starts, allowed seven hits and four earned runs in fiveinnings. He struck out five and walked one.
Kazmir sets club strikeout record in dominant effort vs. A's <h3>TAMPA BAY 14, OAKLAND 3</h3>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- After hitting a roadblockin his last start, Scott Kazmir dazzled and etched his name intothe record books. Kazmir set a career high and a franchise record with 13strikeouts in eight dominant innings and Jonny Gomes homered anddrove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays coasted to a14-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Kazmir (10-8) had his worst start since the All-Star breakagainst Boston on Monday, allowing six runs and seven hits whilethrowing 105 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-0 loss. However, he kept his pitch count down and allowed just one hitthrough the first seven innings against the Athletics. Thelefthander pounded the strike zone and needed just 73 pitches toget through seven frames. "My goodness, from the first pitch, he was on his game," TampaBay manager Joe Maddon said. "I love the strike-throwing. Ilove the aggressiveness. There were no foul balls. We weregetting a lot of swing-and-misses instead of foul balls." "I don't know what happened," Kazmir said. "I like that,though. I felt like I had everything going. Felt good, feltgreat. It felt like I could throw (the fastball) where I wantedit." Carlos Pena, Brendan Harris and Akinori Iwamura each had threehits and B.J. Upton collected three RBI for Tampa Bay, which sawevery starter except Carl Crawford record at least two hits enroute to a season-high 20. The Devil Rays have exploded for 26 runs over the last two gamesafter managing more than three just twice in their previousseven contests. "The guys were out to play for the second straight night,"Maddon said. "We got a two-day speech (from hitting coach SteveHenderson). A two-game carryover. I wish we had recorded it,I really do." Gomes provided the only offense Kazmir needed with a two-runhomer in the second, his 14th of the season. Gomes also addedan RBI triple in the sixth. Kazmir started strong, striking out Oakland's first five battersbefore Mark Ellis doubled to right field. Kazmir then retiredthe next 16 batters until Mike Piazza led off the eighth with atwo-base hit to right field. Later in the inning, Kazmir lost his shutout bid as J.J.Furmaniak laced an RBI double to left and Kurt Suzuki added atwo-out sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 9-2. Kazmir got Shannon Stewart on a check-swing third strike for thefinal out of the eighth - his record-setting 13th strikeout -and walked off to a standing ovation. "Kazmir's a good pitcher and he had a great night," Oaklandmanager Bob Geren said. "His fastball was very live and he hadpretty good control with it." Kazmir surpassed his previous career high of 11 strikeouts setlast season vs. Florida and broke the franchise record of 12shared by James Shields, who reached the mark against Clevelandearlier this season, and Dan Wheeler, who accomplished the featvs. Oakland in 1999. The 22-year-old Kazmir attempted to record his second careercomplete game but was pulled after allowing a leadoff homer byrookie Jack Hannahan and a single by Nick Swisher in the ninth.He allowed two runs and five hits in eight-plus innings and didnot walk a batter. "When they're (close), I want to give them a chance to(finish)," Maddon said. Tampa Bay built its lead to 3-0 in the third and added a singlerun in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh andfive in the eighth en route to posting its first string ofconsecutive wins for the first time since July 29-30. Oakland's Joe Blanton (11-9), who was undefeated in his previousfour starts, allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings.He struck out five and walked one. "Our starter didn't throw bad, but he got his pitch count uppretty high," Geren said. "Our bullpen had a tough timetonight. They couldn't stay away from the big inning. Turn thepage and look forward to tomorrow."
