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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Homer lifts A’s to win

Josh Donaldson, center, is mobbed by A’s teammates after his game-winning home run in the 10th inning. (Associated Press)
Associated Press

Oakland needed a big hit in the 10th inning against Philadelphia. Fortunately for the Athletics, they had Josh Donaldson at the plate.

Donaldson hit a two-run homer to lift the A’s to an 8-6 win over the Phillies on Sunday in Oakland, California.

“Those are the moments I always want to be in,” Donaldson said after his third game-ending homer of the year, matching, among others, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson for the franchise mark in a season.

Nate Freiman singled with one out against Miguel Gonzalez (0-1) before Donaldson hit a towering drive into the left-field bleachers for his 28th homer.

“He’s a tough customer in big at-bats,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He embraces it.”

Geovany Soto drove in three runs for the A’s, who have won two of three.

Royals 5, Tigers 2

Nori Aoki hit a two-run triple, helping Jeremy Guthrie and Kansas City hold its wild-card spot by beating visiting Detroit.

The Royals avoided a three-game sweep and moved within 11/2 games of the A.L. Central-leading Tigers. Kansas City has a 1½-game edge over Seattle for the second wild card.

Aoki’s triple in the fourth scored Omar Infante and Mike Moustakas to break a 2-all tie and end the day for Rick Porcello.

National League

Pirates 1, Brewers 0

Vance Worley pitched eight sparkling innings, Russell Martin hit a late RBI single and Pittsburgh trapped a runner in the ninth, edging visiting Milwaukee to extend the Pirates’ wild card lead over the Brewers.

The Pirates lead Milwaukee by 41/2 games for the second N.L. wild card with a week to go.

Andrew McCutchen singled and scored in the seventh, helping Pittsburgh take two of three from the Brewers.

Milwaukee totaled just three runs in the series. Carlos Gomez led off the ninth with a single and Rickie Weeks followed with an infield hit, but the speedy Gomez got caught in a rundown and was tagged between second and third.

The Pirates won for the 13th time in 16 games.

Padres 8, Giants 2

San Francisco managed just six hits off Ian Kennedy and three relievers, losing to host San Diego to fall 41/2 games behind Los Angeles in the N.L. West race.

The Giants’ chances of winning the division were dealt a serious blow by the three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Padres. The Giants open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight.

San Francisco dropped into a tie with Pittsburgh in the race for the top wild card spot.