Suzuki’s three hits help A’s snap skid

Article Photos

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Kurt Suzuki went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored on Tuesday, helping the Oakland Athletics end a six-game losing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Suzuki, a 2001 Baldwin High School graduate, hit an RBI double and later scored during a four-run eighth inning, and has six multihit games in his last nine starts.

Oakland's Dallas Braden (2-0), making his first start of the season, allowed one run over five innings. Braden was replacing Joe Blanton, who was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Jack Hannahan put the Athletics ahead 3-1 in the fourth with his home run off Andy Sonnanstine (10-5).

Hannahan added a run-scoring single in the eighth. His four RBIs set a career high.

''It felt good putting up some runs on the board,'' Hannahan said.

The Athletics had scored a total of nine runs during the six-game skid.

Sonnanstine gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings. He has allowed four homers in 12 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

''You can't win them all,'' Sonnanstine said. ''They had some good at-bats.''

The Rays went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Over the last 12 games, they are 11-for-89 in those situations, and have lost nine times.

Tampa Bay also dropped to 16-15 when the opposition starts a left-hander.

Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler didn't allow a run in the seventh and eighth to extend his career-starting scoreless streak to 23 2/3 innings, surpassing the American League record of 22 innings set by Boo Ferris of the Boston Red Sox in 1945, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Since 1900, George McQuillan of the Philadelphia Phillies holds the major league record of 25 innings, which he set in 1907.

A's second baseman Mark Ellis was scratched because of a sore right shoulder.