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Sunday, Sep. 10 4:05pm ET
Zito pitches complete-game five-hitter | |||||
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RECAP
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Rookie Barry Zito is fulfilling his potential even quicker than he thought he would. Zito pitched a five-hitter to give Oakland its second straight shutout as the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 11-0 Sunday. "I didn't expect to have this kind of success this soon, and I can't dwell on this game for too long -- maybe for an hour," he said. "Then I'll have to start getting ready for my next game." Zito (4-3) followed up Tim Hudson's two-hitter in a 10-0 victory with a brilliant performance of his own. The rookie left-hander hadn't pitched more than seven innings in his previous nine starts. "This was a big step for him," manager Art Howe said. "That's why we left him in there in the ninth -- to see if he could do it. He pitched a gem." Zito struck out seven, walked none and allowed only one runner to reach second base. "I've cut down on my walks, and I've helped myself by shortening my arm action," Zito said. "That helps improve my control." Oakland has gotten three straight complete games -- including a 4-0 loss by Gil Heredia on Friday -- for the first time since 1984. The A's had only four complete games in their 138 games. Oakland, which remained two games behind Seattle in the AL West, also moved within two of Cleveland in the wild card race. The Indians were rained out against Chicago on Sunday. Randy Velarde hit a solo homer, his 10th, in the fourth inning against Paul Wilson (0-3). The A's then broke it open with six runs in the fifth. Terrence Long and Jason Giambi had two-run singles, and Ben Grieve and Adam Piatt added RBI singles in the inning. Eric Chavez added a solo homer in the sixth, his 21st, and Jeremy Giambi hit a two-run single in the eighth. Wilson gave up seven runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. "If a game was three or four innings long, I'd be Cy Young," Wilson said. "That fifth inning just snowballed. I couldn't make the pitches when I needed to. I went with my best pitch, the sinker, but I couldn't keep it down consistently." Game notesBill Krueger, Larry Sorensen and Steve McCatty pitched consecutive complete games for Oakland in 1984. ... Tampa Bay pitchers have given up eight home runs in the last two games. ... Devil Rays CF Gerald Williams needs two more RBI to become only the ninth player to have at least 20 home runs and 80 RBI in a season from the leadoff spot. ... Wilson, a former No. 1 draft choice of the New York Mets whose career has been dogged by injuries, hasn't won in the majors since Sept. 20, 1996 when he defeated Philadelphia. ... Oakland has scored 36 runs in Zito's four victories but just 10 in his three losses. ... The A's have committed 125 errors this season, compared to 122 all last season. ... Oakland has hit 209 home runs this year, third-most in franchise history. The record is 243 in 1996. The A's hit 235 in 1999. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Tampa Bay Clubhouse Oakland Clubhouse Devil Rays' Rupe hospitalized with blood clot
RECAPS NY Yankees 6 Boston 2
Oakland 11
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