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Brown delivers as Athletics down Angels

Aug 28, 2008 - 6:50 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- With the way they have played since the All-Star break, the Oakland Athletics would have been happy to win any series. Taking two of three from one of baseball's best clubs is a bonus.

Emil Brown homered and drove in three runs as the Athletics held off the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-5, on Wednesday.

By virtue of its win, Oakland netted its first series win against any opponent since taking three of four from Seattle the week before the All-Star break. It had played 12 straight series without emerging on top.

"It's a good feeling to win a series, but it's much better when we do it against one of the best teams in baseball," A's manager Bob Geren said.

Since the Midsummer Classic, the A's are 10-27.

"We have been playing a lot of different guys to get a different feel for all of them," Geren said. "It's a learning process from some of these guys and it's a big step taking two games here."

After Brown's RBI single put Oakland on the board in the first inning, Eric Patterson began a string of four straight hits off Joe Saunders (14-7) in the second with a run-scoring single.

"It feels good to get up there and help the team out," Brown said. "I have to just be ready when I'm in the lineup and give it my best and today we came out with the win."

Rajai Davis followed with a single of his own before Bobby Crosby drove in both runners with a double. Brown ended Saunders' shortest start since September 30, 2006 four pitches later, when he hammered the lefthander's 1-2 fastball over the center field wall for his 13th home run and a 6-0 cushion.

After surrendering six runs over 5 1/3 innings in Friday's 9-0 defeat against Minnesota, Saunders permitted six more runs and eight hits over 1 2/3 frames against Oakland.

"I didn't do my job getting ahead of guys and throw strikes," Saunders said. "I've been struggling lately and the bullpen worked extra hard to keep us in the game."

The Angels answered with a four-run rally in the fourth as each of the first four batters reached against Gio Gonzalez. Erick Aybar ended Gonzalez's night with a two-run single.

Alan Embree came on and promptly allowed the next three hitters to reach. After a walk to Gary Matthews Jr., Howie Kendrick plated Robb Quinlan with a groundout and Mark Teixeira followed with an RBI single.

Aybar added another run-scoring single in the fifth to trim the deficit to 6-5, but the Athletics' bullpen shut down the Angels over the final 4 2/3 frames.

"We got down early in the game, but managed to scratch our way back in it and make it a game," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who was ejected by umpire Paul Schreiber for arguing balls-and-strikes in the seventh inning. "We had our fair share of chances to put more runs up but just couldn't come up with that big hit."

Demoted closer Huston Street (4-5) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings before turning it over to Brad Ziegler, who recorded the final five outs to post his sixth save of the season.

"This was big for us to beat the Angels and take the series," Ziegler said. "Our bullpen did the job to hold onto the lead and we did just enough to get the win tonight."