THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — Victoria’s Rich Harden pitched one-hit ball for six innings and matched his season high with nine strikeouts, and Kurt Suzuki hit his first career triple in the Oakland Athletics’ 4-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Harden (4-0) walked two while facing only two batters over the minimum. It was the third straight start and fifth time overall this season in which the Oakland right-hander has had at least eight strikeouts.
Brad Ziegler, Alan Embree, Keith Foulke and Huston Street completed the six-hitter for the A’s, Oakland’s third shutout of the year.
That offset an otherwise strong performance from San Francisco starter Matt Cain (3-5), who had a season-high 11 strikeouts but gave up two runs and six hits in seven-plus innings. The righty is winless in his last six interleague starts.
It was the A’s fifth straight win over the Giants and their eighth win in 12 games overall.
San Francisco lost for the fourth time in five games and has dropped 10 of its last 13 at AT&T Park. The Giants were shut out for the second time in four games and the fifth time this season.
.Harden has been beset by injuries each of the last three seasons and spent a month on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder earlier this year. Against the Giants, though, he was dominant in winning for the first time in his last four starts.
Harden gave up a two-out single to Randy Winn in the first, walked Winn in the fourth and walked Fred Lewis in the sixth but was flawless beyond that. Lewis was later thrown out trying to steal second.
Ziegler relieved Harden to start the seventh and gave up an infield single to Winn but got Bengie Molina to ground into a double-play. A throwing error by A’s third baseman Eric Chavez and an infield single against Embree put runners at the corners but Embree struck out Jose Castillo to end San Francisco’s best scoring threat.
Cain was equally strong, striking out seven of the first 11 batters he faced. He allowed a first-inning run on Jack Cust’s RBI double but was otherwise solid, fanning Oakland leadoff hitter Mark Ellis and Eric Chavez twice apiece.
The Giants didn’t help him much offensively or defensively.
Suzuki, who had three hits, tripled past diving San Francisco centre-fielder Aaron Rowand in the seventh and scored on Daric Barton’s sacrifice fly. It was the first triple in 441 career at-bats for the 24-year-old catcher.
Ellis and Carlos Gonzalez each later scored on wild pitches for Oakland.
Notes: Winn reached base four times with two singles and two walks. … The Giants plan to activate RHP Kevin Correia (1-3) from the disabled list and start him Sunday against Oakland LHP Dana Eveland (4-5) in the series finale. … A’s RHP Santiago Casilla pitched one shutout inning for triple-A Stockton on Friday and may need one additional minor league appearance before coming off the DL.
