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Litsch sharp as Blue Jays crush Athletics

May 30, 2008 - 12:52 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- It's all coming together for Jesse Litsch.

Litsch tossed seven outstanding innings Thursday to help lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 12-0 triumph over the Oakland Athletics.

Kevin Mench and Rod Barajas combined for six hits, five RBI and four runs scored for Toronto, which took the rubber match of the three-game series. It also was the sixth win in seven games for the Blue Jays.

"We all contributed," said Barajas, who is receiving the bulk of the playing time at catcher while Gregg Zaun is on the disabled list. "It's nice to have a full team effort. Right now, it's my time to go out there and keep the team going in the right direction until Zaun comes back."

Litsch (7-1) continued to be on his game, yielding just seven hits and a walk while striking out three.

"I just went out there and threw strikes today," Litsch said. "It's definitely nice to have the offensive outburst, too. The longer you have to wait between innings, the better."

The righthander, who posted a shutout over the Kansas City Royals last Saturday, won his fifth straight decision.

"Every time out, I'm going to attack the strike zone," Litsch said.

Thursday's outing was the eighth this year in which Litsch has given up two runs or less. He extended his streak of scoreless innings to 16 with the impressive performance.

Conversely, it was a painful outing for Athletics starter Dana Eveland (4-4) in more ways than one.

After being drilled in the torso by a ball hit by Shannon Stewart in the first, Eveland also took a shot off his foot by Marco Scutaro's single in the second. From that inning on, the lefthander surrendered seven runs, 11 hits and two walks before being lifted after 4 1/3 frames.

"We haven't had too many games like this one," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We hit (Eveland) pretty good, physically and otherwise."

"The extra days off probably cost me my command," said Eveland, who was pitching on seven days' rest after throwing his first complete game on May 21 against Tampa Bay.

Toronto scored a pair of runs in the second inning, one each in the third and fourth and three in both the fifth and sixth to build a double-digit margin.

Of the Blue Jays' 17 hits off three pitchers, the only homer came off the bat of former Athletic Stewart, who belted his first of the season with one on in the ninth off Lenny DiNardo to complete the scoring.

Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill collided head-first with the elbow of shortstop David Eckstein in the seventh inning and was taken off the field with concussion-like symptoms.

However, Hill said he expected to play Friday.

"There's no need for a day off, my jaw's just a little sore," Hill said.