Oakland Snaps Losing Streak At Reds' Expense

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The Oakland Athletics got tired of losing and took it out against the Reds using three home runs in a 6-1 win.

Cincinnati took the series but the Athletics stopped a seven-game losing streak.

Marcus Semien and Jake Smolinski hit two-run home runs off John Lamb in the second inning as the A's took the final game of the series, 4-1.

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Billy Butler singled in front of Semien;s team-leading 12th home run.  Josh Phegley singled preceeding Smolinski's blast to centerfield, his second home run of the season.

 "I was prepared mentally, physically," Lamb said.."I tip my cap to them.they hit some balls pretty hard. Sometimes you make pitches and they get hit hard. Other times you walk to the dugout at the end of the inning and you don't feel like you deserve it. I will move forward with hope and trust."




Steve Selsky singled in his first at-bat of his first Major League start.  Ramon Cabrera's double to the gap in leftcenter of Kendall Graveman scored Selsky.

Lamb was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning.  He allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings.

Kyle Waldrop walked pinch hitting for Lamb to load the bases.  Eugenio Suarez walked and Cabrera's single put runners at the corners.  Zack Cozart grounded out to Jed Lowrie at secondbase to end the threat.

 "Lamb missed some locations but it wasn't terrible," Bryan Price said.. "It was hot and we had a chance to score some runs so I put Waldrop up there and he had a great at-bat. Zack hit one up the middle and they made a play."

Danny Valencia hit his 10th home run of the season off A.J. Morris in the eighth inning.

Khris Davis RBI single in the ninth off J.C. Ramirez capped the A's scoring.

The elusive Ryan Madson closed out the game for the Athletics in a non-save situation. Madson, who signed with the Reds in January of 2012 but missed the entire year with injury, was the last of three Oakland relievers that held the Reds scoreless for five innings.  Fernando Rodriguez, the winning pitcher, pitched three scoreless innings and allowed one base runner. He hit Eugenio Suarez with a pitch.

Sean Doolittle struck out two in a perfect inning.

"We got into their bullpen and that's the strength of their team. We couldn't get anything going against them,"Price said.

The Reds bullpen wasn;t bad either.  Josh Smith, A.J. Morris and J.C Ramirez covered the last five innings.

"Realistically, our bullpen gave us a boost. It was five innings of tw0-run baseball. We needed to get them some work and we were able to stay away from Wood, Cingrani and Ohlendorf," Price said.