Fernandez Helps Jays Split Series

On a team dominated by young sluggers, Tony Fernandez has provided a veteran hitter’s prowess to keep the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle of the AL wild-card race.

Fernandez had three doubles and drove in three runs, and Tony Batista and Brian McRae homered, as the Blue Jays defeated the Oakland Athletics, 9-4, Monday to split their four-game series.

The Blue Jays, who had lost six in a row at home before coming to Oakland, begin a three-game series at Edison Field tonight only two games behind the A’s and Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race.

“You have to come up with a split here to stay alive and get back into the race,” said Fernandez, who went four for five to raise his average to .338.

Fernandez, who had been hitless in his previous three games, his longest hitless streak of the season, doubled to lead off the Blue Jays’ two-run second. He had a two-run double as Toronto added five in the fourth, and an RBI double in a two-run sixth.

“He’s swinging the bat like it’s a magic wand,” A’s Manager Art Howe said. “He can flat-out hit. He uses the whole field. It’s hard to pitch him, inside or outside.”

Batista had an RBI double in the second and a solo homer in the fourth. Batista, who had 10 homers while playing for Oakland in 1996-97, has 25 this season--including 20 for the Blue Jays.

McRae hit a two-run homer in the fourth, his second since joining the Blue Jays in a trade earlier this month. Shawn Green had an RBI double in the sixth.

David Wells (12-8) got his first win since July 22, giving up four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He said he tried to focus on his performance, not on the Blue Jays’ recent troubles.

“Worrying about where we are in the standings, that’s not acceptable. I just have to go out and get outs,” Wells said. “I don’t want to apply any pressure on myself.”