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Gray, A's top Blue Jays

Jul 4, 2014 - 4:09 AM Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Sonny Gray tossed seven innings of one-run ball and the Oakland Athletics defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1, in the opener of a four-game set.

Gray (8-3) struck out five, scattered four hits and walked three for the A's, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Sean Doolittle tossed a scoreless ninth to notch his 12th save of the year.

Oakland played the game under protest following a crazy sequence in the second inning.

R.A. Dickey (6-8) fanned six, but allowed four runs -- two earned -- on six hits and three walks in his first complete game of the season for Toronto, which had its brief two-game winning streak snapped.

The Blue Jays controversially opened the scoring in the second before the A's responded with a pair of runs in the home half.

Edwin Encarnacion singled and Adam Lind doubled to begin the frame to put runners on second and third. After Juan Francisco struck out, Munenori Kawasaki walked to load the bases.

Anthony Gose then grounded into a force out to plate Encarnacion. First baseman Nate Freiman took in the grounder and tagged Kawasaki going to second, although first base umpire Vic Carapazza initially ruled that Freiman had not touched Kawasaki with the glove.

Seeing that Carapazza ruled Kawasaki safe, Freiman went home to Stephen Vogt for an apparent force out. Following a Blue Jays review, however, the umpires ruled Kawasaki was out and gave a run to Toronto. Because Kawasaki was tagged, it took away the force at home, even though it appeared that a tag could've been applied on Encarnacion at the plate.

"Vogt sees the safe call and he thinks it's a force at home," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He could've easily tagged him."

Brandon Moss walked to begin the home half, and after Jed Lowrie lined out, Vogt smacked a double to left that put runners on second and third. Freiman then whacked a two-bagger into right-center to bring Moss home, and Vogt scored on a passed ball to give the A's a 2-1 edge.

Oakland added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth.

Craig Gentry led off the frame with a single and scored on John Jaso's double to right. Jaso advanced to third on Kawasaki's throwing error to the plate and scored on Alberto Callaspo's sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

Game Notes

It was the first game played under protest for Oakland since July 3, 2003 ... Oakland was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, while Toronto finished 0-for-4 ... Toronto has lost six of its last seven road games.