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Cespedes' blast helps A's sweep Dodgers

Jun 22, 2012 - 1:38 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Yoenis Cespedes ripped a game-winning, three- run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1, and complete a sweep of the three-game interleague series.

Brandon Inge also drove in a run for the Athletics, who have won eight of their last nine games.

Ryan Cook (2-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning in relief of starter Travis Blackley, who allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts over eight strong innings.

Josh Lindblom (2-1) gave up the game-deciding runs to absorb the loss for Los Angeles, which has coming off a series win over the Chicago White Sox.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw struck out seven batters over eight innings of one-run ball in the loss.

"I guess I should give their guys credit because they're major league players and they're major league pitchers, but over a three-game stretch we really didn't do enough to win any games," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said about the sweep.

Lindblom relieved Kershaw to start the ninth inning and walked Coco Crisp to start the frame. A wild pitch allowed Crisp to advance to second.

Jemile Weeks then placed a bunt towards the left side of the infield that Lindblom fielded, but was not able to get a throw off as he looked to an uncovered third base, placing runners on the corners.

Cespedes followed by pulling an inside fastball around the foul pole in left field for the game-deciding runs.

"That ball was hit pretty hard. A lot of times it would have hooked foul, but it didn't have time," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said about Cespedes' homer.

The Athletics struck first in the second inning when Johnny Gomes opened the frame with a sinking liner to left that skipped off the shoulder of a diving Elian Herrera for a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on Inge's sacrifice fly to left field.

Los Angeles answered with a run in the fourth after Herrera hit a one-out double for the Dodgers' first baserunner and scored two batters later on Juan Rivera's single down the first-base line.

Oakland put a couple of runners on base in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of walks, but neither team was able to record a hit until Rivera pulled a two-out double into the left-field corner in the seventh.

However, Jerry Hairston Jr. followed with a fly ball to left to end the inning and neither team would have a man advance past first base from there until the bottom of the ninth inning.

Game Notes

Crisp was caught stealing in the first inning to snap a streak of 36 straight stolen bases, which set an Oakland record...Athletics catcher Derek Norris was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento earlier Thursday and made his MLB debut. He went 0-for-3 at the plate, but caught Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon stealing second in the top of the ninth inning...Oakland leads the all-time series between the teams, 16-9.