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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Mike Stanley said a pregame meeting
helped the Oakland Athletics relax. Eric Chavez said he just
decided to have fun.
Stanley homered and drove in two runs and Chavez hit a two-run
homer as the A's defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-1 Monday night.
|  | | Mike Stanley homered and drove in two runs Monday night to lead Oakland past Cleveland. Since joining the A's on Aug. 4, Stanley is batting .429. |
"We just wanted to focus on good, positive experiences," said
Stanley, 9-for-21 (.429) since joining the A's on Aug. 4. "We just
wanted to stay a little more relaxed and use our latent talents."
Chavez said the tone of the meeting was light, and that manager
Art Howe just wanted to make sure the team remained focused the
rest of the way.
"We all know he just wants what is best for the team," Chavez
said. "He's been with us the whole way. You could tell there was a
lot of pressure in the clubhouse. For me, the more pressure I put
on myself the worse I do. I just went out there and had fun."
Cleveland lost for just the third time in 12 games, while
Oakland won for the second time in nine games.
Kevin Appier (11-9) won for the third time in four starts
following a season high five-game losing streak. Appier, who gave
up 10 runs in his last outing against the New York Yankees, limited
the Indians to one run on eight hits with four walks and three
strikeouts in six-plus innings.
"I had better command and was able to get ahead of the
hitters," Appier said. "I felt a little more comfortable about
the situation and was able to hit my spots. The offense came right
out and scored and kept the pressure on."
Oakland moved one game ahead of Cleveland in the AL wild-card
race.
Jason Bere (2-2) lost his second straight decision after
giving up six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits with no walks and
three strikeouts in four innings. Bere has allowed 12 earned runs
in 7 1/3 innings since giving up four in his first 15 innings with
the Indians.
"Way too many fat pitches," Bere said. "I've had more good
ones than bad ones, but the bad ones are really bad. I kept leaving
the ball out over the middle of the plate and Oakland
capitalized."
Stanley's sacrifice fly in the second inning scored Terrence
Long, who led off with a triple, putting the A's up 2-0. Stanley
added his first home run with Oakland, and 11th of the season, in
the sixth against Tom Martin to make it 7-1.
"It's hard to come back against Oakland because they score runs
in a hurry," Bere said.
Chavez's 18th homer, which followed Matt Stairs' RBI grounder,
gave the A's a 6-0 lead in the fourth.
Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first when Miguel Tejada singled
and scored on Ben Grieve's double-play grounder.
Tejada singled home Randy Velarde in the third to make it 3-0.
Roberto Alomar hit his 14th homer of the season, a solo shot
with two outs in the fifth to cut it to 6-1.
Hernandez added an RBI single in the sixth, scoring Stairs, for
an 8-1 lead.
Game notes
Indians OF Manny Ramirez was scratched from the starting
lineup when his left hamstring tightened up. He was originally
scheduled to play his first game in the field since May 29. ...
Oakland 1B Jason Giambi left the game in the third inning with an
anterior left shoulder strain. ... Grieve grounded into his 25th
and 26th double plays, setting an Oakland record. Danny Cater hit
into 25 in 1969. ... Long left the game with a rib contusion on his
right side. ... The Indians allowed just their 31st unearned run,
lowest in the major leagues.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 7
Tampa Bay 3
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Chi. White Sox 2
NY Yankees 7
Texas 3
Oakland 8
Cleveland 1
Detroit 15
Seattle 4
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