Cliff Pennington hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning, right-hander Trevor Cahill shook off an unusually rough start to record his team-leading 13th win and the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday night.
Cahill, who allowed just one earned run in his previous 33 innings, gave up a pair of home runs and was in trouble until Pennington's two-out hit off reliever Dan Wheeler.
He got plenty of help from Oakland's defense, which turned two double plays. Center fielder Coco Crisp also made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Matt Joyce of a home run in the sixth.
Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria homered for the Rays, who snapped a five-game winning streak and fell one game behind the Yankees in the AL East.
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