Pratt's Instant Replay: Athletics 8, Indians 5

BOX SCORE

OAKLAND -- Moneyball on the field before the game, during the game, and after the game. The A's are going streaking. The A's 8-5 win might only give them a three-game winning streak, but you have to start somewhere. With the 2002 A's in attendance, the current A's put on a show. Specifically Bartolo Colon, who put forth an effort any member of the "Big 3" would have been happy with. The A's starting pitcher stumped the Indians' bats over eight innings of one-run ball. Speaking of Moneyball, four of the six A's that reached via walk scored. At the PlateThe A's drove in four runs in the third inning. Cliff Pennington reached base on an error and Coco Crisp walked. They executed a double steal moving into scoring position. Josh Donaldson grounded out driving in the first run of the game. Josh Reddick then smacked an opposite field RBI double driving in Crisp. Yoenis Cespedes stepped to the plate next and hit an absolute laser into the left field bleachers for a two-run homer. Chris Carter drew his major league-leading 25th walk since the All-Star break in the second inning. In the sixth inning he smacked a double down the left field line. He would come around to score the A's fifth run when George Kottaras hit an RBI single. Cespedes gave the A's a 6-1 lead with an RBI single in the seventh inning. He ended up 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Josh Donaldson stayed hot, also going 2-for-4 with one RBI.Crisp piled on late in the game with a two-run, stand-up triple into the right-field gap. He gave the A's an 8-1 lead. Starting Pitching ReportColon was perfect through three innings but ran into a little trouble in the fourth inning. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a deep double to left field to become the Indians' first base runner. Shin-Soo Choo followed with a single to right but Cabrera stayed on third instead of testing Reddick's throwing arm. Colon then got Carlos Santana to ground into an inning-ending double play. Colon was remarkably efficient yet again. He faced just one over the minimum in the first six innings. His only earned run came on a solo homer hit by Carlos Santana. The veteran pitcher threw 20 first-pitch strikes and faced 28 batters. He struck out three and walked none. He threw 103 pitches -- 74 strikes -- lasting eight innings giving up just five hits.At 39, it is quite amazing to watch what Colon is able to do on the mound throwing almost nothing but four-seam and two-seem fastballs. He is unflappable, in the eighth inning A's manager Bob Melvin came out for a meeting on the mound and somehow Colon made everyone involved in the session laugh. Bullpen ReportEvan Scribner entered in the ninth inning with a seven-run lead. He allowed a two-run homer to Shin-Soo Choo. Scribner left the game with two outs and a runner on first. Jerry Blevins entered in relief hoping to record the third out to end the game. He gave up another two-run homer to Brent Lillibridge who entered as a pinch hitter. He was pulled from the game after surrendering another hit to Jason Donald. The A's were forced to use their interim closer Grant Balfour with two outs in the ninth. It obviously not ideal to have to put the closer in the game last minute when entering the ninth inning with a considerable lead. The Australian-born pitcher brought the rage and struck out Ezequiel Carrera to end the game and earn his 11th save. In the FieldHow much respect is the league giving Reddick for his throwing arm? One play in the fourth pretty much sums it up. Choo singled to right field with Cabrera on second, Reddick came up throwing. As Cabrera rounded third he went into a slide near the third base coaches box in order to stop, then scurried back to the bag as Reddick's throw reached home. In the ninth inning Michael Brantley singled to right field and made a wide turn before coming to a screeching halt when he saw Reddick get to the ball. Reddick is second in the major leagues with 13 outfield assists. AttendanceThe A's announced an attendance of 30,132. Those that came got to witness a a classy ceremony honoring the 2002 Oakland Athletics that won 20 consecutive games. Many of them got a Scott Hatteberg bobble head. Dot RaceRed wins the dot race.Up NextThe A's will send Jarrod Parker (7-7, 3.71 ERA) to the mound seeking a series sweep. Parker is 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA in his three August starts.The Indians will counter with Justin Masterson (9-10, 4.50 ERA). He is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA in his last three starts. Masterson is 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA in his career vs. Oakland.