A’s Move Ahead of Angels

Eric Chavez hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning to help Joe Blanton win his third consecutive start, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-2, on Thursday night at Oakland.

Jay Payton homered and singled in a run as the A’s moved half a game ahead of the Angels at the top of the West Division.

Oakland won its second in a row after ending a three-game losing streak and season-high five-game skid at home with Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox to avoid a three-game sweep.

Blanton pitched seven innings and won for the fourth time in five starts to improve to 3-0 since the All-Star break. He didn’t yield a hit until No. 9 hitter John McDonald’s two-out single in the third.

Troy Glaus doubled and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays, who began the second stop of their 10-game, 11-day trip by losing for the third time in four games.

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Baltimore 6, Kansas City 4 -- Fernando Tatis, starting in the major leagues for the first time since June 13, 2003, had two hits, drove in a run and scored two runs to lead the visiting Orioles.

Tatis, who was released by Tampa Bay in spring training in 2004 and did not play professional baseball the past two seasons, doubled in the seventh and scored on a fielding error by third baseman Mark Teahen.

In the Orioles’ two-run eighth, Javy Lopez led off with a double, advanced on Corey Patterson’s bunt single and scored on pinch-hitter Nick Markakis’ groundout. Tatis drove in the second run with a groundout to make it 6-3.