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Burnett keeps rolling as Blue Jays sweep Athletics

Aug 8, 2008 - 4:08 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Even an uncharacteristic offensive surge couldn't snap the Oakland Athletics' long slide or end A.J. Burnett's winning streak.

Burnett overcame some early struggles to win his fourth straight start as the Toronto Blue Jays posted a 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

Scott Rolen scored twice and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays, who improved to 24-17 under Cito Gaston after their four-game sweep of the Athletics.

"It's big for us to keep winning ballgames because every team is playing each other," Burnett said. "Hopefully, (we will) keep on a good run here because we are far from out of it. (The) team attitude right now is to win ballgames and make it interesting."

Oakland, which has scored 21 runs during its 10-game losing streak, got to Burnett (14-9) in the second inning, scoring three times on a RBI double by Bobby Crosby and a two-run homer by Daric Barton.

The righthander settled down after that, however, allowing one more run and seven total hits in six frames while striking out six.

"If we hit the ball, we're not pitching," A's second baseman Mark Ellis said. "If we're pitching well, we're not hitting. That's the way it has been for all 10 games."

With Toronto trailing, 3-0, in the fourth, Rolen began his team's comeback with a two-run single and scored one batter later on John McDonald's two-run double.

"We do one thing right and do something else wrong," Ellis said. "Tonight, (like) those plays in the fourth inning, you don't get the breaks. They get a big hit and that's kind of the way it's been going."

McDonald, who also singled in the eighth, recorded only his second multi-hit game.

"I don't know if I've got two hits in a game so far this year, so it was a good day for me," McDonald said. "Personally, just getting two hits and not going 1-for-3 or 1-for-4 is very positive."

Ryan Sweeney's solo blast in the fifth tied the game at 4-4, but the Blue Jays pulled away in the sixth off Jerry Blevins (1-2), who hit Adam Lind with a pitch to open the inning.

Rolen and McDonald each drew a walk to load the bases before Blevins plunked his second batter of the frame, Joe Inglett, to force home the go-ahead run.

Brad Wilkerson followed with a sacrifice to score Rolen to account for the final run.

John Carlson and Scott Downs each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to bridge the gap to closer B.J. Ryan, who worked around a one-out jam when Frank Thomas grounded into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to post his 22nd save in 25 chances.