Kuzul

With this type of run support, Tom Milone could win 20 games. After getting nine runs in his last start, the A’s offense gave Milone 11 total runs and thumped the Detroit Tigers 11-4 at the Coliseum.

Josh Reddick went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five total RBI. Brandon Inge added four RBI, including his fifth home run, a three-run blast that busted the game open.

That was more than enough for Milone, who bounced back from a shaky first inning to go seven strong innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out six total. 

The A’s responded in the first inning with a Kila Ka’aihue double and Inge singled to right to score him. After that, the offense put up crooked numbers in the third, sixth and seventh innings. Reddick’s first home run and a Seth Smith double made it 4-2 in the third.

The A’s would then score seven runs in the sixth and seventh, buoyed by Reddick’s second home run and Inge’s blast. 

Good: Josh Reddick. Milone was solid, but the night belonged to Reddick. He had two singles and two home runs to raise his average to .292 with eight home runs and 19 RBI. If he stays hot, Reddick could play himself into All-Star consideration.

Bad: Andrew Carignan. I questioned his recall and Carignan struggled in his one inning of relief. He threw 31 pitches (only 13 for strikes) and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. His earned run average is 8.44 for the year. 

Ugly: Daric Barton. He went 0-for-5 to lower his batting average to .188. There is no reason why he should be starting over Ka’aihue at this point. It just does not make sense. 

Now 17-16, the A’s will send Brandon McCarthy against Detroit’s Doug Fister on Saturday, May 12. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET. 

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The Oakland A’s put runs on the board early and Jarrod Parker made them stand up. But it took Jordan Norberto to bail out scuffling Grant Balfour as the A’s defeated Boston 5-3 tonight at Fenway Park.

Parker went a solid 6 2/3 innings. He allowed a single run on four hits and two walks while striking out four. The key was getting ahead in the count and Parker threw 59 strikes in 98 pitches.

Up 5-1 in the ninth, Balfour could only record one out before allowing a two-run, bases-loaded single to Boston shortstop Mike Aviles. Norberto entered and struck out pinch hitter Lars Anderson and retired Dustin Pedroia to end the game.

Yoenis Cespedes continued his trend of timely hitting with a one-out RBI single in the first to score Jemile Weeks. In the fourth inning, Cliff Pennington hit a two-out double to center field to score Kurt Suzuki. Weeks followed with a single that plated Kila Ka’aihue and Pennington and would later score himself on a wild pitch by losing pitcher Felix Doubront.

The Red Sox scored their only run off Parker in the bottom of the inning on an RBI ground out by designated hitter David Ortiz.

But the story of the night was Parker, who earned his first major league victory by keeping the Red Sox lineup off balance and spotting his fastball, which varied from 89 to 94 miles per hour. 

Good: Jarrod Parker.

Congrats are in order for his first major league victory. Nights like this make Billy Beane’s offseason moves look smarter and smarter.

Bad: Jonny Gomes.

He was 0-4 with three strikeouts. He has been feast or famine all season as his .189 batting average and .488 slugging percentage can attest.

Ugly: Grant Balfour.

He’s had two blown saves and a shaky outing in a week. His ERA has ballooned to 4.72 and he seems unable to consistently locate his pitches. Not a good formula for late-inning success.

With the win, the A’s improve to 12-13 and will look to even their mark in the finale tomorrow. Brandon McCarthy takes the ball for the A’s and will be opposed by Boston’s Daniel Bard.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. 

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The Athletics fell behind 4-0 in the first game of 2012 in the Oakland Coliseum and never recovered, falling 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners.

Starter Brandon McCarthy was less than sharp in five innings, allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out three. This marks the second time on two continents that Seattle has defeated Oakland in an “opener,” the first being a 3-1 extra innings victory on March 28th. The loss drops Oakland to 1-2 on the season.

Once again, Jason Vargas kept the A’s largely off balance. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed five hits and one walk while striking out three. His only real mistake of the game was a poorly located cut fastball that Yoenis Cespedes crushed to deep left center field, estimated at 462 feet. That one thunderclap was essentially the offense for the night until Seth Smith’s pinch hit single in the bottom of the eighth drove in the third and final A’s run of the night.

The soldout crowd of 35,067 had little to cheer about once the A’s fell behind and the long pattern of not delivering with men on base continued as the A’s went 1-7 with runners in scoring position. 

McCarthy’s troubles began in the third inning when Brendan Ryan doubled to open the frame. Chone Figgins attempted to sacrifice him to third base, but A’s third basemen Josh Donaldson hit Figgins in the back with his throw to first and Ryan would score on the play.

After a single, passed ball and walk loaded the bases, Mariners DH Jesus Montero hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Figgins. Another single scored two more Mariners and the rout was on. 

Good: Yoenis Cespedes

In spite of the fact he struck out twice, Cespedes‘ bomb of a home run in the fourth inning merits a place here. 

Bad: Josh Donaldson

In addition to an 0-4 night at the plate, his throwing error opened the floodgates in the crucial third inning. Nights like this will make the loss of Scott Sizemore look even more glaring.

Ugly: Kurt Suzuki

Suzuki also went 0-4, including two big at-bats with runners in scoring position. However, he gets the ugly distinction tonight because he also allowed two easy stolen bases and a passed ball that ultimately aided in two base runners scoring in the fourth for Seattle.

The final game of this abbreviated series takes place at 6:05 p.m. PT as Bartolo Colon again attempts to salvage a split for the A’s against Felix Hernandez, who will face the A’s three times in the first eight games. 

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