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Hannahan, Athletics derail Rays

Jul 23, 2008 - 4:14 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- Since Jack Hannahan had homered in his last game against Andy Sonnanstine, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Geren decided to give Hannahan another shot. It paid off.

Hannahan had a career-high five RBI, including a three-run home run, as the Oakland Athletics ended their six-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Dallas Braden, who was making his first start of the season after nine relief appearances, got the win and Kurt Suzuki added three hits, including an RBI double.

Hannahan, who entered with the third-lowest average (.225) in the American League, homered in the fourth and added a two-run single in the eighth.

"It was a nice evening," Geren said. "Hannahan got a us off to a start with a big three-run homer."

Andy Sonnanstine (10-5), Tampa Bay's starter, began the season 10-3 but lost his second consecutive decision. He allowed five hits and three runs in seven innings.

Against Sonnanstine, Hannahan is 3-for-8 with two home runs.

"I mean for some odd reason I do well against certain players and certain players do well against me," Sonnanstine said. "Sometimes it's just their overall feeling coming into the at-bat."

Sonnanstine has allowed 14 hits and nine runs in his last two starts (12 1/3 innings).

"I felt good," Sonnanstine said. "I was throwing strikes. I stayed ahead in the count."

Braden (2-0) allowed four hits and one run in five innings, walking four and striking out one. He was 1-8 with a 7.31 ERA in his 14 career starts before Tuesday.

"The win is enormous," Braden said. "I mean everyone in the dugout was excited. Obviously it's a breakout win for us, a shot in the arm as a team."

Leading, 3-1, entering the eighth, the A's erupted for four runs in the inning - three off reliever Trever Miller, who failed to record an out.

After Suzuki's RBI double and Bobby Crosby's sacrifice fly made it 5-1, Hannahan delivered his two-run single for a 7-1 lead.

The Rays, who lost at home for only the ninth time in their last 44 games, scored their only run on Carlos Pena's third-inning sacrifice fly. They stranded nine runners.

"The solution is we have to hit better against lefties," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "We were just unable to score runs. We just have to stay with it, hang with it and we'll get better at it."

Reliever Brad Ziegler didn't allow a run in the seventh and eighth for Oakland, extend his career starting scoreless streak to 23 2/3 innings, surpassing the American League record of 22 innings set by Boston's Boo Ferris in 1945.

"It's exciting, obviously, to be at the top of our league record two months into my career is pretty crazy," Ziegler said. "It's a tribute to this team."

The Athletics' eight runs nearly equalled the nine runs they totaled during their six-game losing streak. It also was the most runs they've scored on the road since a 15-1 win at Arizona on June 17.