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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – They were down by eight runs in the
second inning, and Tim Hudson was pitching brilliantly against them
under a scorching sun.
|  | | Jason Giambi's first homer was a three-run shot off Paul Wilson in the second inning. |
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays could see this wasn't their day.
Jason Giambi hit two homers and drove in four runs to lead
another offensive romp by the Oakland Athletics in a 10-1 victory
over the Devil Rays on Thursday.
Terrence Long and Miguel Tejada also homered as the A's picked
up right where they left off Wednesday in their 15-2 win over the
Devil Rays, who have the majors' worst record at 15-38.
"There are times when you're just going to beat a team like
this," said Giambi, who drove in eight runs as Oakland took two of
three games from Tampa Bay. "It happens to everybody. It's just
one of those teams we match up well against."
The A's were ahead 8-0 by the time they made their fifth out,
and every starter got a hit except Johnny Damon, who still scored
two runs. Frank Menechino drove in three runs in his first two
at-bats as Tampa Bay starter Paul Wilson (2-6) lasted just two
innings.
"We were out of it after the second inning," Tampa Bay manager
Hal McRae said. "Hudson is too good to give an eight-run lead. It
doesn't matter who we play, though. We haven't beaten anybody."
Hudson (5-3), pitching all afternoon with a huge lead, allowed
four hits over eight impressive innings. Hudson, undefeated in his
last six starts, lost his shutout on Steve Cox's solo homer in the
seventh, but the right-hander allowed just three runners to reach
second base while striking out seven.
"Everybody's playing well together, and it showed," Hudson
said. "It felt like an Alabama day out there with no humidity, so
it was tough. I was just glad we got a lot of runs early."
Once again, Giambi was the focus of Oakland's offense. He hit a
three-run homer in the second inning and added a solo shot in the
fourth to give him 13 on the season.
It was the AL MVP's first multihomer game of the year and the
14th of his career. He's hitting .545 (18-for-33) over his last
nine games.
"Now that the weather has warmed up, a lot of balls are going
to go out of the Coliseum," Giambi said.
Tejada had three hits for Oakland, which won for the eighth time
in nine games at the Coliseum.
Tampa Bay has won only one series this season.
"Not much has changed since the beginning of the season," said
Ben Grieve, who went 0-for-3 to snap his club-record streak of
reaching base in 36 consecutive games. "For two straight games,
it's been pretty much a done deal after two or three innings. It's
no fun. Hudson didn't even need to be that good."
Tampa Bay, which lost for the 12th time in 16 games, finished
the worst month in club history with a 7-20 record. The Devil Rays
had lost 20 games in a month only once previously.
Wilson gave up eight hits and eight runs in two innings to lose
for the fifth time in his last six decisions. The right-hander
kicked the mound in disgust after Giambi's first homer.
The problems started early for Wilson, just as they did for
Albie Lopez on Wednesday. In the first, Damon walked and scored
from first base on Menechino's single, before Long hit a line-drive
two-run homer that barely cleared the fence in right-center.
Menechino had a two-run single in the second before Giambi's
three-run blast. Oakland got its last two runs in the fourth on
homers by Giambi and Tejada, who hit his 13th.
Game notes
3B Eric Chavez missed his first game of the season with a
bruised left heel. He will sit out Oakland's weekend series against
Baltimore, but could return early next week. ... 2B Russ Johnson
was activated from Tampa Bay's disabled list and was in the
starting lineup. Johnson, who missed 13 games with a strained right
quadriceps, went 0-for-4. ... Hudson has never lost in May. ... At
6-14, the Devil Rays have the majors' worst record in day games.
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RECAPS
Kansas City 8
Texas 2
Oakland 10
Tampa Bay 1
Boston 11
Toronto 5
Detroit 0
Chi. White Sox 0
Anaheim 5
Minnesota 4
Seattle 2
Baltimore 1
Houston 8
San Diego 4
Florida 5
NY Mets 3
Philadelphia 5
Montreal 2
Milwaukee 6
St. Louis 2
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