Athletics 4, Rays 3
Jed Lowrie smacked the tiebreaking double in the eighth inning as host Oakland edged Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series.
Coco Crisp led off the inning with a single against David Price (8-6) and moved to second on a grounder before easily scoring on Lowrie’s two-bagger inside the right-field line off Joel Peralta. The Athletics moved a half-game ahead of the Rays for the American League’s top wild-card spot and within two games of first-place Texas in the AL West.
Ryan Cook (6-3) let two inherited runners score in the eighth before working out of a jam by striking out consecutive batters. Grant Balfour worked around a walk in the ninth for his 34th save in 36 opportunities to drop Tampa Bay 3 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East.
The Rays had the early lead on Yunel Escobar’s run-scoring single in the second until Oakland took the lead on Kurt Suzuki’s three-run blast in the fifth. Tampa Bay knotted the score in the eighth on Matt Joyce’s sacrifice fly and James Loney’s RBI double.
Price allowed four runs and six hits in seven-plus innings as the Rays lost for the fifth time in six games. Oakland’s Jarrod Parker was charged with three runs and six hits in seven innings to run his unbeaten starts streak to 17.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Rays 3B Evan Longoria had a bloop single in the eighth and is 1-for-19 over the last five games. … Oakland C Derek Norris (toe) is slated to begin a three-game rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. … Tampa Bay recalled RHP Brandon Gomes from Triple-A Durham and optioned RHP Jake Odorizzi to the same club.