The Oakland Athletics received a strong all-around performance from outfielder Jai Miller as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-3 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Miller was 1-for-2 with two walks, stole three bases and scored a run. The former Florida Marlin bounced between the A’s and the Kansas City Royals last year. He put up some solid numbers for the Royals but is a long shot to make the A’s 25-man roster this year. The A’s also received a multi-hit effort from Mark Ellis (the only such effort on the team) in the victory.
Today’s game featured several of the candidates for the fifth starter spot in the A’s rotation. Bobby Cramer started the game and gave up one hit in two innings. Josh Outman came on in relief and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings. Tyson Ross came on an inning later and threw two innings of one-hit ball. It’s still too early to declare a true leader in the battle, but Cramer and Ross have both been solid thus far. This battle could get quite interesting in the coming weeks.