Hudson Keeps Tigers at Bay

The Oakland batters gave Tim Hudson more than enough support.

Ray Durham hit two triples and David Justice, Eric Chavez and Terrence Long homered, and the Oakland Athletics won their 11th in a row, defeating the Detroit Tigers, 12-3, Saturday night.

“It’s nice to see that our bats have really stayed consistent for about a week,” Chavez said. “It’s hard to explain. We’re just swinging the bat real well.”

The Athletics have scored 66 runs in their last eight games. But it’s the pitching that has carried the A’s to a two-game lead in the American League West over Seattle and the Angels.

Hudson (11-9) won with his third complete game this season. Hudson, along with fellow starters Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Cory Lidle and Aaron Harang, equaled a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 46 years.

It was the first time that a starting staff posted 11 consecutive victories since Bob Buhl, Lew Burdette, Gene Conley, Ray Crone and Warren Spahn did it for the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.

The Athletics jumped on Jose Lima (4-6) for 11 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

“Great way to get started, huh?” Oakland Manager Art Howe said. “Guys swinging the bat.”

Durham led off with a triple and scored on Scott Hatteberg’s sacrifice fly. Miguel Tejada doubled and scored on Jermaine Dye’s one-out single. Justice homered over the right-field fence to make it 4-0.

Detroit rallied in the bottom of the first with a two-run single by Robert Fick to pull within 4-2.

Oakland added four runs in the second on Tejada’s run-scoring single and Chavez’s 30th homer, a three-run drive.

The Athletics scored three runs in the third inning on Durham’s two-run triple and a run-scoring single by Hatteberg.

Long hit his 13th home run leading off the eighth.

Hudson gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out seven.

“I was kind of feeling for it the first two innings,” Hudson said. “Kind of felt my effort level was maybe too high....But I backed off a little.”