A's Drew Pomeranz extends shutout innings streak to 15 to defeat Rays 3-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -#8212; 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.

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.

"Those double-play balls were huge," Pomeranz said. The left-hander, still hasn't given up a run in three starts over 15 innings. "You're just trying to get a ground ball right there to do exactly that."

Crisp likely won't play today, although that would've been the case even witthout the injured since the A's will face left-handed Erik Bedard.

Pomeranz has worked 15 innings, yielding eight hits, four walks and striking out 16 without allowing a run. He has a 0.94 ERA.

"The third inning took a lot out of me," Pomeranz said. "That was the longest inning I've had so far."

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 1/3 innings. The Rays (19-27) are eight games under .500.

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.