Ziegler ties A's scoreless-innings mark, helps snap skid at 10

DETROIT (AP) -- Relief pitcher Brad Ziegler helped the Oakland Athletics end a losing streak, and set a team record along the way.

Ziegler tied the Athletics' mark for consecutive scoreless innings and Oakland snapped its 10-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

Emil Brown homered and Rajai Davis drove in two runs for Oakland, which hadn't won since July 27 against Texas.

"This was a big relief, I think, for everybody," said Athletics' manager Bob Geren.

Marcus Thames homered for Detroit, which has lost seven of its last eight. The Tigers fell 8 1/2 games behind the first-place White Sox in the AL Central.

"When a team is on a bad roll as were the A's, you want to keep them down," said Detroit losing pitcher Kenny Rogers. "We just couldn't do that."

Ziegler pitched the eighth and ninth innings for his first save. He extended his scoreless streak to 37 consecutive innings to tie Mike Torrez's club record, set in 1976. Geren says that he won't hesitate to use Ziegler as a closer, considering regular closer Huston Street's recent struggles.

"Not sure my role, long term, is as a closer," Ziegler said. "But I'll come in from the bullpen, pitch a couple of innings and anything I can do to help the team, I will."

Leyland was impressed

"He did a very good job," the Detroit manager said. "He got us to hit the ball on the ground."

Dallas Braden (3-2) gave up two runs and five hits over seven innings. It was his longest outing of the season, and tied his career long.

Braden was successful because he focused on hitting certain spots.

"Pitching inside," said Braden. "When you don't throw a million (mph), you've got to be able to hit your spots and just let them know that you're going to control that part of the plate."

He was much more effective than the last time he took the mound at Comerica Park. That was last Aug. 12, when he allowed eight runs in 1 2/3 innings in a loss.

"Apparently, there is a third inning in Detroit when you're pitching," Braden joked. "That's good to find out."

The left-hander didn't have much problem with Detroit's righty-stacked batting order. Only leadoff man Curtis Granderson hits from the left side.

"If you look at that right-handed hitting starting lineup for us, it was pretty impressive," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But a good left-handed pitcher won the battle."

Rogers (8-9) allowed four runs -- three earned -- and six hits in seven innings for his third straight loss.

Thames' two-out, two-run homer gave Detroit a 2-0 lead in the second when he blasted Braden's 2-0 pitch an estimated 433 feet over the center-field fence. It was his 21st of the season.

Oakland took the lead with three in the second. Carlos Gonzalez led off with a bunt single, Kurt Suzuki walked and Daric Barton hit an infield single to load the bases and Davis followed with a two-run single. After Rogers struck out Jack Hannahan for the first out of the inning, Mark Ellis singled in Barton from third.

Brown added his 11th home run in the sixth. He lined Rogers' 2-2 pitch an estimated 434 feet to center.

Game notes
Detroit 3B Carlos Guillen left the game after seven innings because of lower back spasms and was listed as day-to-day. "It feels real tight right now," Guillen said after the game. "It started to bother me after my first at-bat and just got worse as the night went on. I don't know if I can play tomorrow. We just have to see." ... Oakland is 3-19 over its last 22 games.