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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics are built for
power, with five players who hit more than 20 homers last season.
Little did they expect that 5-foot-9 Frank Menechino would be their
leading slugger after three games.
Menechino, playing in place of the injured Randy Velarde, hit
his second homer in three games and added a run-scoring groundout in a three-run third as the A's defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-2 Wednesday.
|  | | Oakland's Eric Chavez is congratulated by a batboy after hitting a 7th-inning homer off Brian Moehler. |
Menechino, who spent seven seasons in the minors before making
his major league debut with the A's last September, is tied with Jason Giambi for the team lead in homers and tops the A's with a
1.100 slugging percentage.
"My home runs are accidents. They're not planned," said
Menechino, whose first major league homer came on opening day
against the Tigers. "He threw a pitch over the plate, a slider
that didn't really slide."
Detroit starter Brian Moehler said he was not surprised by
Menechino's power.
"I've played with him before in Double-A, so I knew he had some
pop," said Moehler, who allowed five runs on seven hits in six
innings. "I tried to get one to roll over and I left it over the
plate, and he took advantage of it."
Eric Chavez also homered for the A's, Matt Stairs had an RBI
single and Giambi, Ben Grieve and Ramon Hernandez all added
sacrifice flies.
Omar Olivares allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings as
the A's, who took two of three from Detroit, won their opening
series of the season for the first time since 1993.
Tony Clark drove in the Tigers' first run with a sixth-inning
single, but Olivares avoided further trouble by getting Damion
Easley on an inning-ending, double-play grounder with two on.
"Being a sinkerball pitcher, I need good defense," Olivares
said. "I try to get guys to hit it into the ground. I don't get
many strikeouts."
Detroit added another run in the eighth on an error by shortstop
Miguel Tejada. But Mike Magnante relieved Olivares and got Clark to
hit into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and
second.
The Tiger made two errors, one by first baseman Clark on an
errant toss to Moehler and the other on a dropped fly ball by
center fielder Juan Encarnacion.
"I still think our defense is pretty good," Moehler said. "We
just made a couple of mistakes and they happened to be critical
ones."
Game notes
After playing before an Oakland-record 53,498 fans on
Monday's opening day, the A's and Tigers drew 10,188 and 10,229 for
the final two games of their series. ... Juan Gonzalez missed his second straight game for the Tigers with a sore right hamstring.
... Stairs and Chavez both went 3-for-4. ... Moehler, beginning his
fourth full major league season, is the longest-tenured starter for
the Tigers. ... Designated hitter John Jaha went 0-for-3 with two
strikeouts for the A's and is hitless in eight at-bats this season.
... Hernandez went 0-for-10 for the A's in the series.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 12
Texas 8
Oakland 8
Detroit 2
Baltimore 11
Cleveland 7
Kansas City 4
Toronto 3
Minnesota 10
Tampa Bay 7
Anaheim 12
NY Yankees 6
Seattle 9
Boston 3
Milwaukee 8
Cincinnati 5
San Francisco 11
Florida 9
Montreal 6
Los Angeles 5
Houston 11
Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 10
Chicago Cubs 4
San Diego 4
NY Mets 0
Atlanta 9
Colorado 6
Arizona 11
Philadelphia 3
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