Athletics:  14  Orioles:  9

There was a pitcher’s duel tonight in Baltimore.  That was sarcasm for those of you who didn’t catch it.

The A’s struck first when Josh Reddick tripled in Jonny Gomes in the first inning.  They would then go on to score 3 more runs in the same inning, when Yoenis Cepedes scored on a wild pitch and Chris Carter hit a 2-run home run.  Brandon Hicks hit a solo home run in the second and put the A’s up 5-0.

The Orioles scored their first run in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Chris Davis.  They then went on to score in the 3rd on a double by J.J. Hardy when score 2 more runs.  They then took the lead in the 5th after Adam Jones hit a 3-run home run that put them up 6-5.

The A’s regained their lead in the sixth when Seth Smith hit a bases clearing double, scoring Brandon Hicks, Jemile Weeks and Coco Crisp.

The game was pretty quite until the bottom of the eighth inning, Sean Doolittle lead off the inning with a walk to Mark Reynolds, recorded two outs, but then allowed a single to Nick Markakis.  Ryan Cook came into the game to record a 4 out save, but immediately allowed a single to J.J. Hardy which scored the first run in the inning.  He then allowed another single to Jim Thome and the game was tied 8-8.  After hitting Adam Jones with a pitch, Cook allowed a single to Chris Davis which scored J.J. Hardy and the Orioles had the lead back.

Up 9-8 in the ninth, Jim Johnson came in to close the game.  Yoenis Cespedes led the inning off with a ground out, but then Chris Carter and Brandon Inge both singled.  With 2 on and 1 out, Derek Norris singled and tied the game.  Brandon Moss then walked and with the bases loaded Jemile Weeks hit a single that scored Brandon Inge and the A’s had the lead back.  Coco Crisp then followed with a single of his own and the A’s scored 2 more runs.  Seth Smith then doubled and 2 more runs scored and the A’s were up by 5.

Jerry Blevins pitched the bottom of the ninth, he did allow 2 singles, but no runs scored.

Lines of the Day:

• Seth Smith: 3 AB, 2 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI.  Seth Smith came in to pinch hit for Jonny Gomes in the 6th.  He was responsible for the game changing double in that same inning.
• Brandon Hicks: 3 AB, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI.  Brandon Hicks had a nice day at the plate, reaching base three times and hitting his 2nd home run of the season.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Jarrod Parker:  5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 8 SO.  After throwing 8 shut out innings in his last start against the Yankees, Parker had a very poor outing tonight.  He did strike out 8 and limited his walks to only 1 so there is some good news.
• Ryan Cook: 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R.  He only needed to record 1 out to get out of the 8th, but it took him 3 hits and coughing up 3 runs before he could do so.

A’s Extras:

• After making a spectacular catch to end the game, Josh Reddick needed to be carried off the field in a cart after running into the outfield wall.  Thankfully, the injury is not serious and is being called a back contusion.  He is considered day-to-day.

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