Blue Jays 3 - 7 Athletics
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Inge's slam caps 5-run 9th as A's stun Jays

May 9, 2012 - 7:19 AM

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Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Brandon Inge left the field with his shirt untucked after a wild celebration at the plate with his Oakland Athletics teammates.

Moments earlier he left the park with a walk-off grand slam.

Inge's blast off Toronto Blue Jays closer Francisco Cordero capped a five-run ninth inning and lifted the A's to a 7-3 victory in the opener of a two-game series on Tuesday night.

Cliff Pennington had a tying RBI single off Cordero (1-2) as Oakland came back after the Blue Jays took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth on Kelly Johnson's base hit.

Inge, in his seventh game with the A's after being cut loose by the Detroit Tigers, lined a 1-0 breaking pitch over the left field wall to cap a wild ninth.

It was his first home game in an A's uniform.

"He's here for a reason," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "He's going to play."

The five-run rally was sparked by Michael Taylor's leadoff double down the right field line and included a sacrifice bunt; Pennington's hit and stolen base; two intentional walks; and a passed ball.

The Tigers had five infielders in when Inge homered.

The shot made a winner out of Grant Balfour (1-1), who had allowed a leadoff triple to Eric Thames in the top of the ninth and later Johnson's go-ahead single.

"The three outs in the ninth are pretty tough for us right now," said Blue Jays manager John Farrell.

Cordero has blown three saves in his past four appearances.

Johnson hit a two-run homer earlier for the Blue Jays and Josh Reddick had a two-run homer for the A's.

Jarrod Parker started for Brandon McCarthy, who was pushed back to Wednesday, and went seven innings for the A's. He allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out three.

Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero, who entered his seventh start 4-0, threw 110 pitches in six innings and gave up two runs on five hits and five walks. He struck out seven.

Both teams missed chances to build rallies in the first two innings before Johnson gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the third with his seventh homer of the season, an opposite-field shot to left that scored J.P. Arencibia after a double.

The A's tied the game on Reddick's two-run shot to right-center field in the fifth. It also scored Jemile Weeks, who had led off with a walk and stole second base.

Game Notes

The A's opened a six-game homestand after a 5-4 road trip...The Blue Jays lost their third game in a row and fell to 2-3 on a 10-game road trip after a split in Anaheim.






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