Pomeranz wins 3rd straight start; A's top Rays 3-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Drew Pomeranz won his third consecutive start since moving from the bullpen into the rotation, Coco Crisp drove in two runs before departing with an injury, and the surging Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Pomeranz (4-1) allowed three hits, two walks and had three strikeouts over five innings. He has not given up a run in his three starts, all of which lasted five innings.

Crisp hit a two-run double and John Jaso had an RBI single off Jake Odorizzi (2-4) as Oakland took a 3-0 lead in the second.

The AL West-leading Athletics have won 10 of 11, outscoring their opponents 74-18 over the stretch.

Crisp was replaced defensively by Craig Gentry in the bottom of the sixth because of neck soreness. He had started four straight games after missing seven with a neck strain.

Sean Doolittle, the third Oakland reliever, pitched the ninth for his third save and complete a four-hitter.

Odorizzi gave up three runs, four hits, five walks and struck out eight in 4 2-3 innings. The Rays (19-27) are eight games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2007 season (66-96), which was their final season as the Devil Rays.

Pomeranz worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third by getting a double play grounder from Desmond Jennings on a 3-2 pitch. Jennings also hit into an inning-ending double play with two on in the eighth.

Rays manager Joe Maddon challenged the very close out call on Jennings at first base in the third, which the umpires ruled would stand after a review that took 1 minute, 23 seconds.

The Athletics wasted several scoring chances by failing to get any runs after loading the bases with no outs in sixth, and also having two on and one out in both the first and fourth.

NOTES: Oakland SS Jed Lowrie, who left Sunday's game at Cleveland in the second because of a strained neck, was out of the starting lineup. ... Rays RHP Alex Cobb (strained left oblique) could rejoin the rotation Thursday. ... Athletics 2B Eric Sogard, removed Sunday in the eighth after fouling a ball off his knee, played. ... Tampa Bay C Ryan Hanigan (sore right hamstring) was a defensive replacement in the ninth. ... Oakland RHP Ryan Cook (strained right forearm) has been cleared to resume playing catch. ... Athletics LHP Eric O'Flaherty (elbow ligament replacement surgery) threw 30 pitches in batting practice and will next throw in a simulated game. ... Oakland C Derek Norris walked three times, including one on a 14-pitch at-bat in the fourth. ... Oakland LHP Tommy Milone (1-3) and Tampa Bay LHP Erik Bedard (2-1) are Wednesday night's scheduled starters.