Trio of starters pushes A’s into first place as May begins
By Bud L. Ellis
Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez and Justin Duchscherer have combined for eight victories in the first 24 games of the season.
The trio of starters has helped spark the Oakland A’s to first place in the AL West, although the route there wasn’t direct.
Oakland started the season 4-1, winning four straight games after losing on opening day. A three-game winning streak the next week pushed the A’s record to 9-4 on the season. But Oakland lost three games in a row after that, and closed the month on a four-game skid.
That brought the A’s back to .500 at 12-12, good enough for a ½ game lead over Texas in the West. The A’s stayed on top of the division Saturday, opening May with a 4-3 win at Toronto.
Gonzalez got the win, improving to 3-1 on the season. Braden also is 3-1, and Duchscherer is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA.
—30—
