Page One

DETROIT – The Oakland Athletics won their 12th straight game, with John Mabry hitting a go-ahead double during a five-run rally in the eighth inning for a 10-7 victory Sunday over the Detroit Tigers. 

The AL West leaders improved to 13-4 in August. The Athletics’ winning streak is their longest since they set an Oakland record with a 14-game string in 1988. 

The Tigers lost their fifth straight game. Randall Simon hit a grand slam and tied a career high with five RBIs. 

Oakland trailed 7-2 after four innings and was still down 7-3 going into the eighth. Pinch-hitter Greg Myers homered to begin the comeback, and Eric Chavez and pinch-hitter Myers delivered two-run doubles for an 8-7 lead. 

Jermaine Dye hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the Athletics. 

The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Billy Koch. But Koch struck out pinch-hitter Wendell Magee and Brandon Inge for his 33rd save in 38 chances. 

Jim Mecir (4-3), the fifth of six Oakland pitchers, worked 1 1-3 innings for the win. 

The Tigers’ bullpen spoiled a fine outing by Mike Maroth, who gave up three runs on eight hits in seven innings. 

Myers homered off Oscar Henriquez, who went on to load the bases with a walk, a single and a hit batter. 

Jamie Walker (1-1) relieved and gave up the double to Chavez that made it 7-6. Mabry drove Juan Acevedo’s first pitch into the right-field gap to put the A’s ahead. 

Simon hit his second career slam — and first of the season for the Tigers — to cap five-run burst in the fourth inning. 

Five walks doomed Oakland’s Aaron Harang, who allowed six runs and five hits in 3 2-3 innings. 

Harang unraveled after left fielder Eric Byrnes missed his try at a diving catch on George Lombard’s sinking, two-out fly ball in the fourth. 

Lombard wound up with an RBI double that broke a 2-2 tie, and Harang was gone after Damian Jackson was safe on an infield single and Bobby Higginson walked to load the bases. 

Micah Bowie relieved, and Simon pulled a drive over the right-field wall for a 7-2 lead. It was the Tigers’ first slam since he hit one last Sept. 26 at Kansas City. 

Simon also had a run-scoring single in the first. 

The A’s added a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Mark Ellis. 

Ray Durham led off the game with a double and scored one out later on a double by Miguel Tejada. Chavez added an RBI single with two outs. 

The Tigers got a run back in the home half when two walks set up Simon’s RBI single.