McCarthy Pitches A's Over Orioles, Win 3rd Straight
BALTIMORE (CBS / AP) -- Brandon McCarthy won for the first time this season, pitching seven solid innings, and Eric Sogard hit a two-run home run in a three-run second as the Oakland Athletics beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Friday.
Oakland has won three straight for the second time this season and moved a game over .500 for the first time since May 18, 2011.
In McCarthy's first five starts, the Athletics scored 10 runs.
McCarthy (1-3) gave up two runs and five hits, walked three and struck out four. Ryan Cook struck out four Orioles in the eighth inning, with Adam Jones reaching on a wild pitch.
Grant Balfour worked the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances.
Jake Arrieta (1-2) allowed four runs on four hits in 5 2-3 for Baltimore, which had a four-game winning streak snapped and failed to go six games over .500 for the first time since July 20, 2005.
The Orioles took a 1-0 lead when Nolan Reimold led off the first with a double off McCarthy to increase his hitting streak to 12 games. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Markakis.
Oakland took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second off Arrieta. Kila Ka'aihue walked with one out, and scored on a two-out double by Kurt Suzuki. Sogard, who was inserted into the lineup because Luke Hughes was scratched because of illness, hit a home run to right field—his second.
In the sixth, Josh Reddick homered to right for the Athletics— his third of the year—to make it 4-1. It was his sixth home run in 24 games against the Orioles. Reddick added an RBI single in the eighth.
Before the home run, Arrieta (1-2) had retired nine straight.
Baltimore scored a run in the sixth on a double by J.J. Hardy and an RBI single by Jones.
NOTES: Athletics OF Coco Crisp stole his 26th consecutive base in the eighth inning. ... Orioles RHP Jim Johnson returned to the team after spending four nights at a local hospital because of food poisoning. ... Baltimore reinstated INF Robert Andino from the paternity list and optioned RHP Jason Berken to Triple-A Norfolk. ... Home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg tackled a fan who ran onto the field during the seventh inning stretch and eluded police. When the fan slid into home plate, Kellogg pounced on him. ... The Orioles have scheduled LHP Wei-Yin Chen (1-0, 2.60) for Saturday against RHP Tyson Ross (1-0, 2.13).
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