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Swisher, A's look to beat Devil Rays again

May 5, 2007 - 2:16 PM Oakland (14-14) at Tampa Bay (13-16) 7:10 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- The Oakland Athletics needed Nick Swisher back in the lineup after Mike Piazza's injury. He showed up in a big way.

Swisher hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning Friday to lift the Athletics over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The teams meet again on Saturday.

Swisher strained his left hamstring April 24 and did not play again until last Wednesday when he pinch hit for Mike Piazza after the veteran designated hitter was removed from the game with an injured AC joint in his shoulder.

With Piazza expected to miss the next four to six weeks, Swisher will be counted on to provide a big bat in a lineup that ranks 27th in the majors with a .235 team batting average.

Joe Kennedy (0-2, 2.86 ERA) will start for Oakland in search of his first win of the season. Despite a stellar 2.86 ERA, Kennedy, who has yielded just one earned run in each of his four starts, has yet to earn a win.

Scott Kazmir will counter for the Devil Rays. The ace lefthander picked up a win over Oakland last Sunday, yielding two runs and six hits in seven innings while striking out seven.