• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Payton's strange run lifts A's to win over Devil Rays

Posted on: Sunday, 7 May 2006, 00:13 CDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jay Payton scored the winning run from second base on an error by Aubrey Huff in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in American League play on Saturday.

Payton stayed safe at second base as the A's hit into a strange 6-4-5-6-4 double play just before Jason Kendall's routine grounder went through third baseman Huff's legs.

"There was nothing I could do there," Payton told reporters about the strange play in which went to third base on a ground ball, then scampered back to second to avoid a triple play.

"I guess we were lucky there was no triple play there. The bottom line is, you always wait until the umpire rules," he added.

Two A's then wound up standing at second base before the umpire ruled Payton was safe and there were two outs on the play.

Four pitches later, Kendall's grounder led to Huff's error and Payton made it home from second with the winning run.

"This is a tough game to describe," A's manager Ken Macha told reporters.

"We had the 'What's on second, who's on first' kind of thing. I don't think this is in any textbook on how to win."

It was an important win for the A's (16-14), who moved to within game of first place Texas in the AL West.

Barry Zito pitched seven strong innings for the A's, allowing one run on five hits, striking out three and walking one. Justin Duchscherer pitched the eighth and Joe Kennedy (2-0) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to get the win.

Chad Orvella (1-3) was tagged with the loss, despite giving up just one unearned run on one hit in one inning or relief. Starter Seth McClung pitched 6 1/3 solid innings.

Mark Kotsay and Payton both had two hits and drove in a run for Oakland.

Russell Branyan and Greg Norton hit solo home runs to account for the Devil Rays scoring.

In Boston, Tim Wakefield pitched six strong innings as the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles for the 10th straight time, 9-3.

Wakefield (2-4) allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Manny Ramirez homered and drove in two runs and Willy Mo Pena and Alex Gonzalez had two hits each and drove in two runs for Boston, who stayed tied for first in the AL East with the New York Yankees.

Erik Bedard (4-2) lasted just two innings, allowing six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

Chris Gomez hit a two-run homer for Boston.

In Arlington, Shawn Chacon won his fourth game and Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 6-1. Jason Giambi also homered for New York.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category