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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
TORONTO (AP) -- It took over a month for Gil Heredia to reach a
career milestone.
Heredia pitched 7 1-3 scoreless innings to win his career-high
14th game as the Oakland Athletics blanked the Toronto Blue Jays
8-0 Saturday.
|  | | A's starter Gil Heredia hurled 7-plus scoreless innings and won his career-high 14th game Saturday. Heredia's ERA is 4.19. |
Heredia, tied for fourth in AL wins, was 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in
five starts since his last win on July 30. "Hopefully it doesn't take five tries to get my 15th," Heredia said.
The 34 year-old right-hander pitched seven innings of two-hit
ball before Mickey Morandini led off the eighth with a single.
After getting Shannon Stewart to fly out, Alex Gonzalez chased
Heredia with a single.
Heredia gave up four hits, walked three and struck out four for
his 10th road win, one behind Toronto's David Wells for the major
league lead.
He said reaching a career high in wins was one of the high
points of his career, especially considering he was released by
Texas after the 1996 season.
"I still have it in the back of my mind when scouts and front
office types told me I could throw strikes, but that I couldn't get
anybody out," Heredia said. "Regardless of what everybody says,
I'm very satisfied in what I've done."
Jim Mecir got the final five outs for his third save, completing
the five-hitter and Oakland's sixth shutout of the season.
Toronto remained 1½ games behind Cleveland in the AL wild
card race, while Oakland moved within two.
"You have to give Gil credit. He pitched well," Toronto
starter Steve Trachsel said.
After Stewart singled leading off the first, Heredia (14-9)
pitched five hitless innings before Morandini led off the sixth
with a triple in front of diving right fielder Matt Stairs.
He then loaded the bases by walking Stewart and Dave Martinez
before escaping by striking out Carlos Delgado looking on a 3-2
pitch, and getting Brad Fullmer to fly out. "That was the game," Oakland manager Art Howe said.
Heredia said he got Delgado out on a fastball. "Nobody likes to pitch under fire like that," he said. "That
was a time where we needed a pick-up."
Miguel Tejada hit a three-run homer for Oakland, which ended a
three-game losing skid. Tejada's 22nd home run tied a club record
for homers by a shortstop, previously set by Bert Campaneris in 1970.
Adam Piatt tripled in the second and scored on Eric Chavez's RBI
grounder. Tejada's fourth-inning homer off Trachsel gave Oakland a 4-0
lead. Trachsel (7-12) gave up four runs on seven hits in eight
innings.
"I made a mistake to Tejada and that was huge," Trachsel said.
"It was right over the middle of the plate."
Oakland added four runs in the ninth off Pedro Borbon on Randy
Velarde's sacrifice fly and Stairs three-run homer, his 19th home
run of the year.
Game notes
Mr. T, sporting a Blue Jays cap over his mohawk hairstyle,
signed countless autographs throughout the game. He was a guest of
Toronto pitching coach Dave Stewart. ... Oakland's Jason Giambi
went 0-for-4 with a walk in his return to the lineup as the
designated hitter after missing Friday's game because of a strained
left shoulder. The Athletics are 2-6 without their All-Star first
baseman. ... Oakland added left-hander Todd Belitz to its expanded
roster. Belitz was 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA in 12 games at Triple-A
Sacramento. ... Heredia has posted consecutive 10-win seasons,
joining Tim Hudson as the first Oakland pitchers to post
consecutive 10-win seasons since Mike Moore, Bob Welch and Dave
Stewart in 1991-92. ... The Blue Jays failed to homer for the
second straight game, and just the ninth time at SkyDome this season.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
Canadian cable company to buy Blue Jays
RECAPS
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