Tyson Ross struck out seven batters in three innings of work, and the A’s used a four-run sixth to push past the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon, 7-3.
Ross, who just happens to be exactly 20 years plus 1 day younger than the person writing this recap, entered in the sixth inning of a tied ball game. The Bishop O’Dowd and Cal Berkeley graduate promptly plunked Justin Upton with a pitch, gave up a double to Mark Reynolds (who homered earlier), threw a wild pitch that allowed Upton to score, and walked a batter.
But the tall right-hander closed out the sixth with a flourish, striking out three Snakes in succession. The A’s rewarded him with a 4-spot in the bottom half, thanks to a base-clearing two-bagger off the bat of Eric Patterson, and then let Ross do his thing, which was strike out the first two batters of the seventh, and another pair in the eighth.
The A’s take on the Colorado Rockies tomorrow, game time 1:10.
