A's 16, Padres 2
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Billy Butler went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer, Jesse Chavez gave up one run over seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts, and the Oakland A's crushed the San Diego Padres 16-2 Wednesday night at the O.co Coliseum.
The A's amassed a season-high 20 hits and set a new high for runs, surpassing the 12 they scored against the Seattle Mariners on April 10.
Left fielder Ben Zobrist had a single, a double and a triple, drove in three runs and scored three times for the A's, who won their season-high-matching fourth consecutive game. Center fielder Billy Burns went 3-for-5 and scored three runs.
Chavez (3-6) allowed just three hits and one walk while improving to 2-1 over his past four starts. The right-hander averaged 1.94 runs of support in his first 10 starts but received nine runs of support against San Diego.
The Padres lost their fourth straight game overall and their third straight to the A's. They are 0-3 since firing manager Bud Black and 0-2 under interim manager Pat Murphy.
Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne (3-5) allowed six runs on eight hits over six innings, striking out two and walking one.
San Diego shortstop Alexi Amarista hit a leadoff home run in the sixth inning, his second of the season, and third baseman Will Middlebrooks crushed a leadoff homer in the eighth, his ninth. Center fielder Will Venable went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
The A's scored four runs in the first inning, one in the third, four in the seventh and seven in the eighth. Padres reliever Cory Mazzoni gave up eight hits and seven runs over two-thirds of an inning in the eighth. Amarista got the final out, retiring Burns on a fly ball.
The A's struck for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Burns stayed red hot, leading off with a first-pitch double down the right field line. Burns moved to third on shortstop Marcus Semien's single and scored on Zobrist's sharp single to right with one out.
Despaigne struck out catcher Stephen Vogt for the second out, but Butler hammered a 1-1 pitch high and deep into the left field seats for a three-run shot, making it 4-0. The home run was the designated hitter's fifth of the season and first since May 16 against the Chicago White Sox.
Oakland extended its lead to 5-0 in the third. With one out, Zobrist tripled down the right field line, then scored on Vogt's sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Padres CF/1B Wil Myers will undergo surgery to trim a bone spur in his left wrist and is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks before he can resume baseball activities, interim manager Pat Murphy said. ... Athletics 1B Ike Davis (strained left quadriceps) played his fifth rehab game Wednesday for Nashville. Earlier in the week, A's manager Bob Melvin said Davis would likely be activated Wednesday or Thursday. "We'll see how he's doing tomorrow," Melvin said. ... Athletics RHP Edward Mujica (broken right thumb, right thumb laceration) will make his second rehab appearance Thursday for Class A Stockton. ... Padres C Derek Norris played his first game at Oakland since being traded by the A's to San Diego during the offseason. He entered the game with 26 extra-base hits, the most by a catcher in the major leagues.