08/28/2008 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emil Brown hit a two-run homer and finished with three runs driven in, while Rajai Davis scored twice and notched his first career four-hit game, as the Oakland Athletics edged the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-5, in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Bobby Crosby had a two-run double for the A's, who have alternated wins and losses for the last eight games. Eric Patterson went 2-for-4 and drove in a run in the win.
Starter Gio Gonzalez received a no-decision as he gave up four runs on three hits and five walks in three-plus innings of work. Huston Street (4-5) got the win as he tossed 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief with three strikeouts. Brad Ziegler recorded the final five outs to earn his sixth save of the year.
Erick Aybar went 2-for-4 with three RBI, before leaving with a hamstring issue, for the Angels, who have dropped nine of their last 14 games. Howie Kendrick had an RBI, but also left the game in the fourth with a tight hamstring.
Joe Saunders (14-7) took the loss as he lasted just 1 1/3 innings and yielded six runs on eight hits. Saunders now has two losses and no wins over his last five starts.
"What bothered me was not getting ahead of guys and not throwing strikes," Saunders said. "I need to start making adjustments, it's not a good feeling to let your team down."
Trailing 6-5 in the ninth inning, LA mounted a rally. Garret Anderson hit a grounder to short off Ziegler, but Crosby's throw to first sailed high and the runner was safe. Pinch-hitter Reggie Willits followed with a sac bunt that moved Anderson to second base and Robb Quinlan worked a walk. Juan Rivera, though, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
"I just try to get as many ground balls as I can," said Ziegler. "Those guys have been turning double plays for me all year."
Oakland got on the board in the first inning. Davis led off with a single, stole second and crossed home as Brown singled to right field for a 1-0 lead.
The A's tacked on five more runs in the second. Daric Barton led the frame off with a single, stole second and scored as Patterson singled back up the middle. Davis kept it going with a single and Crosby followed with a two-run double. Brown cleared the table with a homer to left-center field to chase Saunders in favor of Shane Loux and give Oakland a 6-0 lead.
The Angels rallied for four runs in the fourth. The bases were loaded as Anderson led off with a triple, Mike Napoli walked and Quinlan was hit by a pitch. Aybar followed with a two-run single and Alan Embree was called on in relief.
Gary Matthews was walked to load the bases and Kendrick plated a run as he grounded into a force out. Mark Teixeira closed out the scoring with an RBI single, and it was 6-4.
Napoli worked a one-out walk in the fifth before Santiago Casilla was summoned from the bullpen. Quinlan followed with a base-hit and Aybar made it 6-5 with an RBI single.
Game Notes
Angels manager Mike Scioscia was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Paul Schrieber...The Angels have not won any of their last five series...Oakland hadn't won in 12 consecutive sets prior to Wednesday's triumph...The Angels have won nine of the 16 meetings between these AL West foes in 2008 but fell to 5-5 vs. Oakland in the games played in Anaheim this year...Willits was activated from the 15-day disabled list earlier Wednesday. In a corresponding move, pitcher Jason Bulger was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
<< Angels' Kendrick and Aybar leave game early
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim second baseman
Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar both left Wednesday's 6-5 loss to
the Oakland Athletics with hamstring injuries.
Kendrick was running to second ba
<< Angels' Kendrick leaves game early
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim second baseman
Howie Kendrick left Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics in the
fourth inning with an injured leg.
Kendrick was running to second base on Mark
<< Ludwick leads Cards past Brewers
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Ludwick finished 3-for-4 with two runs
batted in, as St. Louis used a four-run eighth inning to upend Milwaukee, 5-3,
and earn a split in the two-game set with the Brewers.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Mo
<< Roddick, Djokovic, Davydenko cruise in Big Apple
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Andy Roddick along with
last year's runner-up Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Russian star Nikolay
Davydenko were easy first-round winners Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
Third-seeded D
Red Sox hoping to pay last respects to Yankee Stadium with sweep >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester attempts to bounce back from one of his worst
starts of the season this afternoon, when the Boston Red Sox try to complete a
three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in what will likely be the final game
played
Around FCS: CAA Heavyweights Take Aim For Title >>
Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every week in the Colonial Athletic
Association is something akin to a series of heavyweight elimination bouts.
The contestants get battered and bruised and a team or two is eventually is
left standing with
Harang targets back-to-back wins in finale with Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Aaron Harang will try to win consecutive
starts for the first time this season tonight when the Cincinnati Reds close
out a three-game midweek series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Harang, a 16
Dodgers try to avoid sweep at hands of lowly Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Los Angeles Dodgers wind up eventually falling
short in their quest to win the National League West, the team will likely
point to its current road trip -- and in particular, this series with the
Washington Nationals
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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