Rodriguez home run in 8th inning lifts Rays to a 5-4 win over the Athletics

Rodriguez homer paces Rays’ victory

OAKLAND, Calif. — Sean Rodriguez hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth and the Tampa Bay Rays remained a game behind in the AL East with a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics Saturday night.

Evan Longoria hit a home run and Ben Zobrist and Willy Aybar also drove in runs for the Rays, who ended a four-game losing streak to the A’s.

Mark Ellis had two hits and drove in two runs for Oakland, which had a four-game winning streak end. Kevin Kouzmanoff and Rajai Davis also drove in runs.

Randy Choate (3-3) pitched a perfect seventh for the win. Rafael Soriano worked the ninth for his 36th save. Craig Breslow (4-4) took the loss after giving up Rodriguez’s eighth home run of the season.

Rays’ starter David Price lasted six innings, giving up four runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out four.

A’s starter Brett Anderson went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out a season-high eight.

The A’s loaded the bases with no outs in the first, with Kouzmanoff hitting a sacrifice fly and Ellis singling home another run before Price settled in and avoided further damage.

Longoria led off the third with his 18th home run. He has three home runs in his last four games following a homerless streak of 19 games.

Zobrist tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but the A’s responded with two of their own. Ellis doubled in a run and scored when Davis singled.

Breslow got two outs sandwiched around a walk to Carlos Pena in the eighth. Aybar doubled into the right-center field gap to drive in a run ahead of Rodriguez’s shot.

Notes: The Rays optioned RHP Jeremy Hellickson to Single-A Charlotte after Friday night’s game. RHP Dale Thayer was recalled from Triple-A Durham to replace him. … Crisp scored his 500th run in the first. … Price needed 26 minutes and 43 pitches to get out of the first. … A’s OF Travis Buck is 0-for-10 since being called up from Sacramento. … A’s pitchers set an Oakland with 14 consecutive games of allowing three or fewer runs and lasting at least six innings. Anderson’s effort broke a tie with the 1980 A’s staff.