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GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- While few think of knuckleballers as aces, Steve
Sparks is the hottest pitcher on the Detroit Tigers these days.
Sparks' knuckleball baffled Oakland for 6 2/3 innings as he won
his fourth straight start and led the Tigers over the Athletics 3-1
Monday night.
|  | | The Tigers' Brad Ausmus singles home Deivi Cruz in the sixth inning Monday night. |
"It's a diversion from what they're used to seeing all the
time," Sparks said. "They like to look at the spin on the ball
but they can't when the knuckleball's working."
Sparks (4-2) allowed an unearned run on four hits with a
season-high seven strikeouts and no walks. His fluttering pitches,
none faster than 75 mph, often had the free-swinging A's talking to
themselves as they returned to the dugout.
"He struck out a couple of guys with balls that literally
dropped 2-2½ feet," Tigers manager Phil Garner said.
Sparks, who pitched his first career shutout Aug. 15 at Seattle,
has not allowed an earned run in his last 20 2/3 innings.
"He had great stuff," Oakland's Jeremy Giambi said. "It seems
like he has a lot of confidence in his knuckleball and he was
making his pitches when he needed to. He threw strikes. He didn't
get himself in trouble with walks. He was tough tonight."
Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his AL-leading 35th save in 37
chances, closing out the Tigers' seventh win in their last eight
games.
Detroit, which has won seven of its last eight, took three of
four from Oakland to move within five games of the A's in the AL
wild-card race. Mark Mulder (7-9) fell to 1-8 in his last 10
starts, allowing three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He gave
up three straight two-out hits in the sixth, including an RBI
double from Deivi Cruz and Brad Ausmus' run-scoring single, that
broke a 1-1 tie.
"I made one big mistake in the sixth inning and that's the game
right there," Mulder said. "The one to Cruz, I didn't get on top
of the fastball. It came back over the middle. It's just a mistake
I can't make. I did and it really cost us the game."
Mulder, who played at Michigan State, is 2-7 in 12 road starts.
"We pitched well enough to win. We didn't hit well enough,
simple as that," A's manager Art Howe said. "Mark probably made
one mistake, the 0-2 pitch to Cruz. He probably wants that pitch
back. But other than that he pitched a really good game for us."
Dean Palmer flared a two-out RBI single to give Detroit a 1-0
lead in the first.
Eric Chavez's third-inning single was the only hit off Sparks
until Chavez hit a leadoff double in the sixth and scored from
third when Terrence Long grounded into a double play.
It was an unearned run because Chavez had advanced when Frank
Menechino struck out but reached on a passed ball by Ausmus.
"It's just disappointing that we did get that run and then go
out there and give it back," Mulder said. "Chavy came up big with
that double and got us that run to tie the game. To get that run
was big and then I gave it right back."
Game notes
Sparks has an AL-best 1.50 ERA in August. ... Mulder's road
ERA is 7.35. He entered with an AL-worst 7.59. ... Cruz has five
doubles in his last three games. ... The A's are 18-19 since the
All-Star break, 7-18 in their last 25 road games and 1-8 in their
last eight road series. They ended a seven-game road losing streak
Sunday with their lone win in Detroit. ... The A's haven't homered
in three straight games, the first time they've done that all
season. Ben Grieve hit their only homer of the series in Friday's
10-1 loss.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
Gonzalez '80 percent sure' he'll sign multiyear deal with Tigers
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