Athletics 3, Rays 2
Brandon Moss belted a solo homer and visiting Oakland took advantage of Tampa Bay miscues to extend its winning streak to five games.
Moss’ 10th home run was the only hit the Athletics posted as they won for the 11th time in 12 games and improved to 18-6 on the road. Tommy Milone (2-3) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out three over the first 5 2/3 innings to earn the win and Sean Doolittle worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his fourth save.
Rays starter Erik Bedard (2-2) gave up three runs (one earned) and only one hit while striking out a season-high six over 5 1/3 innings. James Loney and Yunel Escobar each recorded a pair of hits and an RBI for Tampa Bay, which has dropped four straight and scored only four times in the process.
Oakland used two walks and a pair of Tampa Bay fielding mistakes to score twice in the second inning, both coming home on second baseman Sean Rodriguez’s throwing error. Moss added to the lead in the fourth with his blast into the right-field seats on a 0-2 curveball from Bedard, who had not given up a homer since last September.
The Rays pulled within 3-2 in the sixth as Milone gave up a run-scoring single to Loney and Escobar delivered a two-out RBI single off reliever Fernando Rodriguez. Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Fernando Abad forced Escobar to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oakland CF Coco Crisp and SS Jed Lowrie, both suffering from sore necks, were held out of Wednesday’s game. … Tampa Bay LHP Jake McGee has not allowed a run in nine appearances during May, including a perfect seventh inning Wednesday. … Moss has 11 extra-base hits (four homers, a triple and six doubles) over the last seven games.