• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Four-run sixth fuels A's past Giants

Jun 16, 2008 - 12:32 AM By Ryan McCrary PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- The Oakland Athletics scored four runs in the sixth inning and polished off a series sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 5-3 decision on Sunday afternoon.

With the luster completely gone from an impressive 5-2 road trip, the Giants have lost 11 of their last 14 games at AT&T Park and 11 of their last 13 interleague contests.

Eric Chavez snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth with an RBI single to right, scoring Mark Ellis, who singled to start the frame. Bobby Crosby hammered an RBI double to left center, chasing Kevin Correia and Carlos Gonzalez greeted reliever Alex Hinshaw with an RBI single to right. Daric Barton added an RBI fielder's choice, staking Oakland to a 5-1 lead.

"Today was a good day," Chavez said. "When you get such great pitching performances, I think that going into the game it kind of gives you a leg up."

Correia (1-4) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks in his first start since coming of the disabled list with a strained oblique.

"I felt pretty good out there," Correia said. "I didn't feel any effect from the oblique or anything like that. I saw them making adjustments and I was just making bad pitches. I knew pretty much what they were looking for and I tried to change it around the third time through, but I just didn't execute pitches."

The power surge was more than enough for Dana Eveland (5-5), who allowed one run and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings.

"I threw the ball pretty well today," Eveland said. "It was nice to have a decent start again. I feel like I'm capable of more, but this ballpark is a great place to pitch. I took advantage of it and threw the ball on the outer half to all the righties and let them hit the ball as hard as they wanted to for the most part."

Eveland offered a simple explanation for Oakland's recent dominance against the Giants.

"They're a decent lineup, but we're better. We're a good team and generally good teams prevail," Eveland said.

"They pitch well and their starters have done a great job and they did in this series," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "That is huge when your pitchers go out there and limit you the way they did. I think we scored two runs off their starters, one we stole a base, we stole home. It is hard to win games when you get shut down like that."

San Francisco opened up the scoring in the third on an RBI double from Randy Winn, driving in Emmanuel Burriss who doubled to lead off the frame. Oakland wasted no time tying the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth.

Ryan Sweeney slapped a leadoff single, stole second and then scored on single to shallow left center by Chavez. An outstanding defensive play prevented further damage as a sharp liner from Crosby was snared by a leaping Burriss, who then doubled off Chavez on a throw to first.

San Francisco loaded the bases with one away in the eighth and pinch hitter John Bowker tapped an RBI single into left center off Keith Foulke. With bases still loaded, pinch-hitter Bengie Molina ripped a sacrifice fly to center, bringing the Giants to within two at 5-3. Foulke recovered and got pinch-hitter Omar Vizquel to pop-up to shallow left to stop the bleeding.

Despite the woes at home, Durham is encouraged by the way the Giants continue to battle.

"A lot of people didn't think we'd be where we are right now," Durham said. "We're short on talent, but I think we've got more heart than anyone in the league."

Huston Street collected his 13th save of the season, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

Chavez finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and moved into a share of fifth place on Oakland's career RBI list with 270, matching Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson.