Jays hand reeling A’s ninth-straight loss

Gio Gonzalez shook off a rude welcome to the major leagues and showed why he’s considered Oakland’s top pitching prospect.
But it still wasn’t enough to give the slumping Athletics a win, thanks to a stellar—and much-needed—performance from Toronto’s Shawn Marcum.
Rod Barajas hit a three-run homer, and Marcum pitched seven strong innings, as the host Blue Jays beat Oakland 5-1 last night to extend the Athletics’ season-long losing streak to nine games.
Oakland has been outscored 47-17 during the skid—managing no more than three runs in each of the losses. The A’s are a major league-worst 2-16 since the all-star break and now have lost a season-high seven-straight road games.
Marcum (6-5) allowed one run and three hits to win for the first time in four starts since missing 27 games with a sore right elbow. He walked two and struck out seven.
“He was hitting his two-seamer on both sides and his cutter on both sides,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “It was like he had four different fastballs going.”
The right-hander didn’t allow a hit through the first five innings and had set down 13-straight batters, the final five on strikeouts, when Bobby Crosby homered to begin the sixth.
It was Crosby’s sixth of the season and second in three games.
Scott Downs worked the eighth and then B.J. Ryan wrapped it up as Toronto won for the 13th time in 17 home games.
The Blue Jays got all the runs they needed in the first. Alex Rios hit a two-out double and Lyle Overbay walked before Barajas drove a 2-0 pitch into the second deck in left for his ninth homer.
“He made sure he welcomed me to the big leagues,” a rueful Gonzalez said.
Toronto added two more in the seventh on RBI grounders by John McDonald and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs.
Oakland loaded the bases with none out in the seventh but couldn’t score.
Frank Thomas was forced out at home on Mark Ellis’ fielder’s choice, with Barajas making a fine catch on a one-hop throw from McDonald at shortstop.
Jack Hannahan—hitless in 15 at-bats—then ended the inning by grounding into a 4-6-3 double-play.
It was the second time in two games that Oakland came up empty with the bases loaded and nobody out.
“It’s very frustrating,” Crosby said. “We need to get a win here. This isn’t too fun. We’ve got to pick it up.
“When guys are in scoring position, we’ve got to get a knock or get it done some way because this is a pretty frustrating time,” he added.
The lone bright spot for the Athletics was Gonzalez, who recovered after allowing Barajas’ homer in the first to retire 16 of the next 17 batters. He came out after a lead-off single in the seventh.
“To his credit, he settled in,” Geren said. “He mixed all his pitches, he was very aggressive, he worked quick, he looked confident—all the things you want to see in a young guy.
“It was a pretty good outing, really. Pretty impressive.”
Called up from triple-A on Tuesday, Gonzalez allowed four runs and four hits. The left-hander struck out four and walked two.
“He pitched awesome,” catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “Any time you come to the big leagues, your first time out there you’re going to have some butterflies—and he did—but he kept his composure.
“He’s 22 years old. The sky’s the limit for a guy like that.”
Elsewhere in the AL, Minnesota beat Seattle 7-3, Boston dumped Kansas City 8-2, N.Y. downed Texas 5-3, Chicago upended Detroit 5-1, Tampa Bay topped Cleveland 10-7, and L.A. bounced Baltimore 9-4.