The Oakland Athletics were hoping to stay in the win column after a successful series in Boston. Things didn't work out so well for the A's on Friday, as the opening game of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays resulted in a fairly brutal 7-2 loss.
Oakland had a brief 1-0 lead after Kurt Suzuki doubled home Jonny Gomes in the second inning, but things went south in a hurry.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Rays plated three runs against Oakland starter Tyson Ross on a two-run B.J. Upton double and a Luke Scott RBI single. The Rays further extended their lead with a four-run fourth inning. Jose Molina led off the inning with a two-run homer before another Upton RBI double and an RBI single by Matt Joyce.
The A's would score their second and final run in the top of the ninth, as Cliff Pennington hit a leadoff homer off of Brandon Gomes for just the fourth Oakland hit of the game. The A's attempted a last-gasp rally in the ninth, as Yoenis Cespedes hit a one-out single and Jonny Gomes was then hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Seth Smith walked to load the bases with two outs, but Kila Ka'aihue grounded out to end the game without bringing anyone home.
Ross was charged with all seven Rays runs, coming on nine hits and two walks. On the other side of the coin, Tampa Bay starter David Price was about as good as the Rays could have hoped, keeping the A's to one run on just three hits and a walk, while striking out 12 Oakland batters in eight innings pitched for his fifth win of the young season.
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