Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Kurt Suzuki belted a go-ahead solo home run off Evan Meek in the eighth inning to give the Athletics a 3-2 win over the Pirates, completing a three-game series sweep.
The game-altering homer came after Suzuki's backstop counterpart dropped a foul ball along the first-base line. All three runs the Pirates allowed were unearned in their 17th consecutive road defeat and sixth straight overall.
Craig Breslow (3-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win, and Andrew Bailey closed it out in the ninth for Oakland, which had not won consecutive games in June before taking the first two in this set.
Lastings Milledge went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for Pittsburgh, which is 0-9 all-time against Oakland.
Neither starter factored in the decision despite quality outings. Gio Gonzalez yielded a run on four hits and as many walks in six-plus frames for Oakland, while Pittsburgh's Ross Ohlendorf gave up two unearned runs on two hits and four walks in six innings of work.
Meek (3-2) relieved Ohlendorf with the score tied in the seventh and retired the first five hitters he faced before battling Suzuki, who appeared to end the eighth when he hit a high pop up along the first-base side.
However, Jason Jaramillo dropped the ball in foul territory, and Suzuki took advantage later in the at-bat with a no-doubter over the left-field wall.
Jaramillo failed to atone for the mistake by grounding into a double play following Andy LaRoche's leadoff single in the ninth. Pedro Alvarez then worked a walk, but as the rookie tried to advance to second on Jose Tabata's dribbler to the right side, the ball hit his right leg, ending the game for Bailey's 14th save of the season.
Cliff Pennington walked to start the third and raced around to score thanks to Ohlendorf's errant pickoff throw and Garrett Jones' throwing error to third.
The Athletics loaded the bases in the fifth on a walk, an Andrew McCutchen error and a single to start the frame. Ohlendorf forced in a run by walking Coco Crisp but recovered to retire the next three hitters.
Gonzalez was cruising until Milledge's leadoff homer in the seventh. Brad Ziegler relieved the left-hander after the blast and gave up a base hit to LaRoche, who came around to tie the game on Tabata's two-out double down the first-base line.
The Pirates finished 2-13 in interleague play, their only two wins coming against the Indians, while the A's went 8-10 against the Senior Circuit...This was Oakland's third sweep of the season...The Pirates are in the midst of their worst road losing skid since dropping 19 straight from July 23-Aug. 30 in 1985...Ohlendorf has not picked up a win since August 18 of last season, a string of 16 starts...Gonzalez came in 3-0 with a 1.55 earned-run average in his previous four starts at the Coliseum...The A's were outhit, 8-3.