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A's rally in ninth, top Blue Jays

Apr 10, 2008 - 5:08 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- The Oakland Athletics scored four runs in the top of the ninth to earn a 6-3 comeback win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Mark Ellis finished with four hits, including an RBI tripled that tied the score at 3-3 in the ninth inning, and Bobby Crosby drove in three runs for the A's, who have won four of their last five games.

"You've got to figure it's going to happen at some point," Crosby said of the offense coming through after squandering chances earlier in the game. "We were getting guys in scoring position. You've got to keep working and hope somebody gets the job done."

With the Blue Jays clinging to a 3-2 lead entering the final inning, closer Jeremy Accardo started the frame by hitting the leadoff man, Travis Buck, with a pitch. Ellis followed by roping a 2-2 offering from Accardo into the gap in right-center field for a triple, tying the score at 3-3.

Accardo momentarily recovered to strike out Daric Barton before issuing an intentional walk to designated hitter Jack Cust.

With the infield drawn in, Emil Brown hit a hard grounder to the left of Marco Scutaro at third base. Scutaro stabbed the ball and wheeled around to throw to the plate, but his throw sailed high over catcher Kurt Suzuki as Ellis crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.

"He'll be fine," Toronto starter Dustin McGowan said of Accardo. "He knows how to come back from this."

Crosby plated two more runs with a double, and Huston Street work his way into and out of trouble in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

A's righthander Fernando Hernandez (1-0) earned the first win of his career in his first major league appearance after pitching a perfect eighth inning in relief - including inducing a flyout from Frank Thomas to end the game.

"I used to have that guy's shoes when I was a little kid," Hernandez told the Oakland Tribune of Thomas. "(Facing him) is something I can't describe. I was pumped. Real pumped."

Oakland starter Greg Smith, also making his first major league appearance, yielded three runs - two earned - and two hits while walking five and striking out five.

"It really wasn't that different (from pitching in the minors), to tell you the truth," Smith told the Tribune. "You're more aware of what's going on around you. But after that (first inning), it just felt like a normal game."

"For a young guy to get out there and have a little bit of a rough inning, and have the defense make a mistake behind him and keep throwing zeroes up there, that's very impressive," Oakland manager Bob Geren said to the newspaper of Smith.

The Blue Jays' suspect bullpen squandered Dustin McGowan's five-inning, two-run effort. The 26-year-old righthander struck out seven and walked three.

Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill each drove in a run for Toronto.