Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - John Buck's first career three-homer game lifted the Toronto Blue Jays over the Oakland Athletics, 6-3, in the opener of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.
A’s Lose Duchscherer And Game As John Buck Goes Wild
Travis Snider hit a solo home run for Toronto, which entered Thursday's game without a homer in 21 straight innings.
Ricky Romero (2-1) went six innings in the start, allowing three runs on four hits. He also fanned six batters and walked four. Kevin Gregg struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season.
Jake Fox drove in two runs for the Athletics, who have dropped three in a row. Kevin Kouzmanoff had the other RBI in defeat.
Justin Duchscherer (2-1) gave up four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings before leaving with a left hip injury.
The Athletics drew first blood with a run in the first. Ryan Sweeney hit a double to center and crossed the plate on Kouzmanoff's base hit up the middle.
Oakland added two more runs in the top of the third to build a 3-0 lead. With runners on second and third with two outs, Fox cleared the bases with a double to center.
The Blue Jays used back-to-back homers in the home half to cut the gap to 3-2. Buck led off the frame and smacked a 1-2 curveball over the wall in left. Snider then belted a first-pitch fastball over the wall in right-center field.
Buck's three-run homer in the fourth gave Toronto a 5-3 margin. With a man on first and one out, Duchscherer appeared to sustain an injury while pitching to Jose Bautista. Duchscherer stayed in the game and gave up a single. Jerry Blevins then came in from the bullpen to relieve an injured Duchscherer. Buck greeted Blevins with a blast into the seats in left.
In the sixth, Buck stepped to the plate for his third at-bat of the game. Buck drove Craig Breslow's 2-2 fastball over the center-field wall to make it 6-3.
The A’s stranded a man on second in the seventh.
Buck came up again in the eighth but flied out to right against Andrew Bailey.
Toronto was 6-3 against the A's a year ago...Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki (left oblique) missed his fifth straight game...The Blue Jays outrighted pitcher Merkin Valdez to Triple-A Las Vegas...The A's are 12-11 in April and need a win on Friday to clinch a winning record in the month for just the second time in the last seven years. The other time was in 2008 when they went 16-11...Oakland's Adam Rosales went 1-for-3 with a run scored to improve his hitting streak to six games...The Blue Jays haven't lost six in a row since a nine-game skid from May 19-27, 2009...Duchscherer, who missed all of the 2009 campaign recovering from right elbow surgery, entered play Thursday without allowing an earned run in 19 straight innings.
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