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Early offense, timely defense get A's past O's

Aug 18, 2011 - 1:31 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Kurt Suzuki belted two solo home runs to power the Oakland Athletics past the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

David DeJesus entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the ninth and threw out the potential tying run at the plate to preserve the win.

Josh Willingham had a two-run double for the A's, who won the last two games of the series after losing four straight.

Brandon McCarthy (6-6) allowed four runs on eight hits over six-plus innings to earn the victory. He walked two and struck out three.

Nick Markakis went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. He singled with two outs in the ninth to score Robert Andino, but pinch runner Blake Davis was cut down at the plate, as Andrew Bailey escaped with his 15th save of the season.

Alfredo Simon (3-6) was touched for six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.

In the top of the first, a J.J. Hardy single and a Markakis double placed runners at second and third. Adam Jones plated Hardy with a sac fly and Markakis scored on Vladimir Guerrero's double.

The A's took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Orioles to get on the board in the home half.

Jemile Weeks and Hideki Matsui sandwiched singles around a Coco Crisp walk to load the bases. Willingham followed with a line drive to left. Nolan Reimold misplayed the screamer, taking a step in as the ball carried over his head for a two-run double. Brandon Allen's subsequent sac fly made it a 3-2 game.

"You want to be perfect," said Reimold. "If you're gonna make mistakes you want them to be aggressive mistakes. That being said, you still don't want to make mistakes."

Suzuki led off the bottom of the second with a homer to left and, in the third, Allen unconventionally made it a 5-2 game. He lifted a 1-1 slider over the head of Jones in center. The ball ricocheted off the base of the wall and bounced towards home. Allen reached third then scored when Jones failed to pick up the ball cleanly.

Markakis turned on a 3-2 fastball, sending it over the right field wall with nobody on in the sixth, but Suzuki's responded with a solo shot a half-inning later to chase Simon.

Mark Reynolds led off the seventh with a double. Reimold walked and Josh Bell singled to score Reynolds and place runners at the corners. Fautino De Los Santos relieved McCarthy and popped out Craig Tatum before putting down Andino and Hardy on strikes.

The Orioles threatened again in the eighth, placing runners on first and second, but Grant Balfour induced Reimold into a fly out to deep center to end the inning.

Bailey began the ninth with consecutive strikeouts, but Andino followed with a double and Hardy singled to place runners on first and third. DeJesus initially bobbled Markakis' base hit, but fired a one-hopper to home and Suzuki adeptly blocked the plate from the head-first-sliding Davis.

"I'm happy to get a save for Bailey," said DeJesus. "I came in for defense and I was able to make the last out. Even though it was crazy I was able to end the game when it was supposed to be ended."

Game Notes

Suzuki hit his 11th and 12th homers of the season...The A's are now 2-4 on their current 10-game home stand against Texas (0-3), Baltimore (2-1) and Toronto (four games)...The Orioles have been outscored 90-42 in the first inning this season.