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Athletics turn to another young arm against Blue Jays

Apr 10, 2008 - 12:24 PM Oakland (5-4) at Toronto (4-4) 7:07 pm EDT

TORONTO (Ticker) - The Oakland Athletics gave Greg Smith his first major league start on Wednesday and ended up with a win.

The A's will go with a tad more experience on Thursday when they send rookie Dana Eveland to the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

Smith was recalled prior to Wednesday's contest to get a spot start for the ailing Justin Duchscherer, who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with a right biceps injury.

The rookie hurler fared well in his first start, allowing three runs - two earned - and two hits in six innings.

Oakland surged to the win with a four-run rally in the ninth inning as Mark Ellis tied the game with an RBI triple and came in to score on a fielder's choice.

Another A's rookie, Fernando Hernandez, picked up the win in his major league debut, tossing a spotless eighth inning.

Eveland (1-0, 1.29 ERA) on Thursday will be making his second start for Oakland and the eighth of his career. The 24-year-old lefthander picked up a win last Saturday, allowing one run and six hits in seven frames while striking out seven.

Eveland came over from the Diamondbacks this offseason in the Dan Haren trade and is expected to be part of Oakland's rotation for years to come.

The Blue Jays will counter with righthander Shaun Marcum (1-0, 3.86). The 26-year-old picked up a win against the Red Sox last Friday, yielding three runs in seven frames.

He has had a hard time against the A's in his short career, allowing eight runs and 14 hits in 7 2/3 innings over two starts.