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Walk-off single by Mench propels Blue Jays past Athletics

Aug 6, 2008 - 3:36 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Kevin Mench's walk-off single capped a two-run ninth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays handed the Oakland Athletics their eighth straight loss, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Alex Rios led off with a single off A's closer Huston Street and scored on an one-out RBI double by Rod Barajas to tie the game, 3-3. Following an intentional walk to Adam Lind and a groundout by Scott Rolen, Mench drove a single into left field, scoring Brad Wilkerson, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Barajas.

"I'm usually looking for something to hit, something good to hit," Mench said. "He's not going to throw something in the dirt, I got a good pitch to hit."

The late-inning heroics off the A's closer is something Barajas wishes he saw more often for his club.

"When you face the closer and have the opportunity to tie the game and get yourself in scoring position, it's pretty exciting," he said. "We need to win close games and for some reason we haven't been able to do that. We've been falling short whenever we're down one run. To pull it out tonight was awesome."

Mark Ellis had given the Athletics an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single, scoring Carlos Gonzalez, who had doubled off Blue Jays starter Scott Richmond. Gonzalez went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, recording his first career four-hit game.

Making just hit second career start, Richmond allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out four. His counterpart Greg Smith was in line for his first win in his last five starts before Street's implosion. The lefthander pitched six strong innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and two walks, while recording four strikeouts.

"I gave the team a quality start, and the way things have been going lately, we need that," Smith said. "I didn't feel as good as the last two times out. It's getting late in the season, so you do the best you can."

A two-run triple from Bobby Crosby in the fourth gave Oakland a 3-1 lead.

The Blue Jays cut the deficit in half in the fifth, courtesy of an RBI single by Marco Scutaro.

John Parrish, Brandon League and Jess Carlson (4-1) pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, but ran into trouble in the eighth.

The A's loaded the bases with no one out, but a line drive by Mark Ellis off League was caught at shortstop by Scutaro, who doubled off pinch-runner Emil Brown at second base. Jack Hannahan followed with a grounder to third to end the threat.

Street (2-5), who blew his sixth save in 24 chances, looks forward to getting back to the mound.

"Even though it's a horrible outing and poor timing as far as everything that's going on with the team and the streak, we've got to put it behind us," he said. "I've got to put it behind myself."

Brad Ziegler extended his league-record scoreless innings streak to start a career to 34 with two scoreless innings in relief of Smith.