After a minor-league filled day on Saturday, today’s game we went to was a major league bout between the Oakland A’s and Texas Rangers. The starting pitchers were Oakland’s top prospect Gio Gonzalez, and for the Rangers, Sidney Ponson.

Oakland put some-what of a B-Squad on the diamond, facing Texas’ A-Lineup.

Oakland had the following batting order:

LF Chris Denorfia
1B Daric Barton (left)
RF Emil Brown
DH Jack Cust
CF Ryan Sweeney
3B Jack Hannahan
SS Donnie Murphy
C Rob Bowen
2B Brooks Conrad

And for the Rangers:

2B Ian Kinsler
LF Kevin Mench
SS Michael Young
DH Josh Hamilton
RF Marlon Byrd
3B Hank Blalock
CF Dan Murphy
1B Ben Broussard
C Gerald Laird

Oakland got off to a great start in the first inning, scoring four runs off of Texas’ 5th Starting Pitcher candidate Sidney Ponson, 4-0 A’s after one.

Texas got back in the 2nd, with Gerald Laird hitting his 4th home-run of the spring off of Gonzalez, on a shot to left field. Laird wouldn’t have even come to the plate (there were two out), except for the fact that on a Ben Broussard hit up the middle, Brooks Conrad fumbled the ball.

Texas lit Gio for four more runs in the third (still none out), when Troy Cate came into the game, and brought the Rangers down 1-2-3.

Oakland brought the game within three scoring a run in the fourth, but it was their pitching after that point that really helped them out.

Pitching innings 4 through 7, prospect Greg Smith, who was acquired from Arizona in the Dan Haren trade, gave up just four hits and one run in those four innings, and was nothing but dominant on the hill. To say he did well would be an understatement, especially since the first three innings took an hour and fifteen minutes.

Oakland scored another run with Smith on the hill, down 7-6 going into the 8th.

Joey Devine, a future potential closer for the A’s, replaced Smith in the 8th, and struck out the three batters he faced. This brought the fans at Phoenix Municipal to their feet.

The 8th inning was unbelievable for A’s fans, as they came back to lead the game. Dan Johnson drew a pinch-hit walk, before scoring on a RBI Triple by OF candidate Todd Linden. Linden later scored on a throwing error, and Oakland would score another run, 9-7 after eight.

Huston Street, Oakland’s definite closer, came in to pitch a hit-less 9th inning, which finished on a long fly ball out, caught by Jeff Fiorentino.

A’s win!

Game Notes:

- Kaz Fukumori, Texas’ off-season international signee, threw the ball into center field from the mound trying to get a runner out on base, which eventually scored an A’s run. He was charged with an error.

- Man, the Rangers throw inside on left-handed batters a lot. Daric Barton was just about hit half-a-dozen times, and other A’s were close to being beaned.

- There were the same amount of former Canadians on Texas, as there were on Oakland. For the Rangers, Franklyn German and Nelson Cruz, while for Oakland it was Gregorio Petit and Dan Johnson.

The best part? The sprinkling rain held off until after the game.