Thu Apr 24 18:48:22 2008

Comment | Email | Print

A's knock out Liriano in the first in thrashing of Twins

---

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Donnie Murphy went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four runs batted in, and the Oakland Athletics rolled to an 11-2 win over the Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set.

Greg Smith (2-0) pitched seven strong innings, scattering seven hits and letting up two runs with three strikeouts and one walk. Rajai Davis went 3- for-4 with a run for the A's, who have won five of six.

Designated hitter Frank Thomas, debuting with Oakland after signing with the club earlier in the day, went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks, dropping his batting average to .159. Toronto released Thomas on Sunday.

Francisco Liriano (0-3) continued to struggle in his return from elbow surgery, as he was ripped for five hits and six runs with three walks in only 2/3 of an inning. Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run for Minnesota, which dropped the last two of this series after winning three straight.

Gomez put the Twins on top with a leadoff home run in the first, but it was all downhill as soon as Liriano took the mound.

Liriano walked two of the first four hitters, sandwiching a Mark Ellis single and a Mike Sweeney pop up. His walk to new Athletic Thomas loaded the bases with one out, and Emil Brown laced a two-run single to left. Liriano then walked Bobby Crosby, filling the bases again, and Chris Denorfia's single plated Thomas.

Murphy followed with a two-run single to right, and Davis then singled to left, ending Liriano's day. Kurt Suzuki, who walked to start things, greeted Brian Bass with an RBI single to center, and Ellis finally grounded out to end the inning, but not before the A's had taken a 6-1 lead.

Sweeney's two-run double to left in the fourth pushed Oakland's edge to 8-1.

Brian Buscher's RBI single in the fifth provided the other run for Minnesota.

Murphy led off the home fifth with a homer, and Suzuki's RBI double later in the inning boosted the A's to a 10-2 lead. Murphy's solo homer to left with two outs in the sixth capped the scoring.

Game Notes

The A's have won all four of Smith's starts...Oakland's 13th win in April is the most for the club in the month since 2003...Sweeney knocked in two runs, and now has 106 career RBI against the Twins, his most against any team.