A’s Are Happy They Have Lilly

Ted Lilly made an outstanding first impression for the Oakland Athletics.

The left-hander did not give up a hit for 4 2/3 innings in his Oakland debut as the A’s beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 4-0, Monday night at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Lilly, who was acquired from the New York Yankees on July 5 as part of a three-team, seven-player trade, didn’t allow a hit until John Flaherty singled to left with two out in the fifth inning. He left after the first two batters reached in the seventh.

“Fantastic,” Oakland Manager Art Howe said. “And for such a long layoff, that was an outstanding performance.” Lilly hadn’t pitched since June 29.

In all, Lilly allowed three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

“I felt pretty good throughout the game,” Lilly said. “I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be out there, so I didn’t try to overthrow and I think that’s one of the things that was effective for me.”

Chad Bradford, Mike Venafro and Billy Koch finished the four-hitter.

Miguel Tejada had two RBIs for Oakland, which has won eight of 11.

Toronto 8, New York 5--Chris Woodward homered at Toronto and the Blue Jays held on for their fourth straight win.

Yankee starter Orlando Hernandez (5-3) was ejected in the seventh inning after hitting Carlos Delgado with a pitch. Three pitches earlier, Hernandez threw behind Delgado. The Blue Jays slugger took a step toward the mound and screamed at Hernandez. Yankee Manager Joe Torre also was tossed.

Toronto starter Steve Parris hit Jason Giambi and Chris Widger early in the game.

Detroit 4, Boston 3--Brandon Inge’s infield single in the 11th inning at Detroit gave the Red Sox their fourth straight loss.

Inge had his first career four-RBI game. He broke an 0-for-15 slump by hitting a two-run homer in the seventh, and tied the score at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly off Ugueth Urbina in the ninth.

Cleveland 7, Chicago 1--Rookie Jason Phillips got his first major league victory, taking a shutout into the eighth inning at Cleveland.

Making just his second big league start and first at Jacobs Field, Phillips, 28, gave up seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked three, struck out two and got 14 out on grounders.

Baltimore 6, Seattle 5--Mike Bordick had three hits, including a three-run homer, as the Orioles rallied from a four-run deficit at Baltimore.

Bordick doubled and scored in the third inning, homered in the fourth and singled in the sixth. In addition to tying his season high in hits and lifting his batting average nine points to .242, the shortstop extended his run of errorless games to 73.

Kansas City 8-6, Texas 6-4--A day after tying the team’s single-game record with seven RBIs, Raul Ibanez drove in six more as the Royals swept a doubleheader at Kansas City, Mo.

Ibanez hit a bases-loaded triple in the first inning of the opener.

In the second game, Ibanez snapped a 4-4 tie with a two-run single in the seventh. He also doubled home a run in the first.

Ibanez set a team record with 13 RBIs in three games.

Roberto Hernandez picked up saves in both games, and has 16 in 20 opportunities.

Luis Alicea, who had four singles, and Carlos Beltran, who had two doubles and a single, each scored three runs for Kansas City in the second game.