Instant Replay: A's 3, Orioles 2

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OAKLANDTommy Milone set a new Oakland record by becoming the first rookie to reach 13 wins in a season, and he did it with the help of the double play as the A's spun four two-out defensive gems and got another big fly from Yoenis Cespedes en route to a 3-2 Game 1 win over the Baltimore Orioles in front of a sellout crowd Friday night.It was only the Orioles' eighth loss in 35 one-run games. Starting pitching report:Milone pitched effectively into the seventh inning and condemned Chris Condiroli (1983) and Joe Blanton (2005) to second place with 12 wins as Oakland rookies.He was efficient through the first two innings, but Manny Machado led off the third with a single and scored the game's first run after two sacrifice flies and an error.Milone's offense gave him the lead in the fourth, but he couldn't hold it for one batter. Chris Davis, who collected three hits on Thursday, fouled off the first pitch he saw, and by the look of his reaction, it was a pitch he expected to do more with. He did more with the very next offering from Milone, battering it over the center field wall to tie the game at two. Milone induced his second double play of the game to get out of the inning after a second single by Machado.Given another chance for a shutdown inning after his offense reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth, Milone cashed in. After a leadoff single, a pop out and a walk, Milone got Lew Ford to ground into the inning-ending double play. It capped a span of three double plays in three innings for Milone and the A's.Milone allowed a single to Mark Reynolds before he dug in against Davis. One at-bat removed from his home run, Davis fell victim to a nine-pitch strikeout. It was Milone's final batter of the game.Milone went six and one-third innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Bullpen report:Pat Neshek was called upon to relieve Milone with a runner on and one away. After his good-looking 2-2 pitch to Machado was called a ball, manager Bob Melvin was seen shaking his head in the A's dugout. Neshek walked the youngster, but he induced the fourth double play of the night, getting Robert Andino to ground softly to short to end the inning.Ryan Cook pitched the eighth inning. He struck out Nate McLouth and Adam Jones in part of a perfect inning.Grant Balfour pitched the ninth, and pitched around a leadoff infield single by Matt Wieters, shutting the door on the Orioles for his 18th save of the year.With the bats:Joe Saunders was 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in his last four starts against the A's, and he looked to be back at it after three quick innings at the Coliseum. But a leadoff single by Jonny Gomes in the fourth inning woke the A's offense. Yoenis Cespedes, who manager Bob Melvin feared might not be able to play after leaving Thursday's game with a sprained right wrist, drove an 89-mph, first-pitch fastball to left field that barely cleared the wall for his 19th home run. It paled in comparison to the upper-deck blast he hit in batting practice, but it counted, and it gave the A's a 2-1 lead. The A's weren't able to score again in the inning, but they coaxed 30 pitches from Saunders.After the Orioles tied things up in the bottom of the frame, Adam Rosales got things going again in the fifth. His double, followed by singles from Coco Crisp and Jonny Gomes reclaimed the lead, and led to a Baltimore meeting on the mound. If it wasn't for the great defensive play by Mark Reynolds to snare Josh Reddick's line drive high above his head and double up Gomes at first base, the A's might have gone for more.With the gloves:The Orioles got leadoff runners on in five consecutive innings beginning with the third, but the A's defense countered by turning four double plays, one each in innings four-through-seven. It was a busy night for third baseman Josh Donaldson, who started two of those double plays, but also committed an error that led to a Baltimore run.After Adam Jones' two-out double in the first inning, Matt Wieters struck a ball well to Donaldson's left. Donaldson kept the game scoreless when he laid out to glove the grounder and rose to his feet, gunning the catcher down at first base and ending the inning. But Donaldson wasn't able to save a run in the third inning when, with Manny Machado on third base and two outs, J.J. Hardy's ground ball ate him up. It caromed high in the air to shortstop Stephen Drew whose throw to first was a half-step from nailing Hardy and ending the inning. Instead, Hardy was safe and the Orioles were on the board with an unearned run.Donaldson was required again in the fourth inning when Mark Reynolds crushed a one-hop drive at him. Donaldson held his ground and gloved the ball before starting the 5-4-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed after a leadoff walk. He was called upon again in the sixth inning when Lew Ford smashed another 5-4-3 double play-starting ground ball.Hardy hit a slow chop to third in the eighth inning and the popular Donaldson charged, bare-handed the ball and fired to first to send the Coliseum into a frenzy.Derek Norris ended the game when he fired to second base and caught pinch runner Xavier Avery attempting to get the tying run into scoring position.On the bases:After his RBI single in the fifth inning, Jonny Gomes got caught leaning towards second base. Once Mark Reynolds gloved Josh Reddick's line drive, it was an easy double play.Josh Reddick looked to have swiped second base after leading off the eighth inning with a single, but home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ruled interference on Yoenis Cespedes for the unusual two-unassisted double play.Attendance:The A's announced a sellout attendance of 35,067. Star Wars night. Fireworks night. Playoff implications. Up next: The A's and Orioles are back in action on Saturday evening on Comcast SportsNet California with A's Pregame Live airing at 5:30 p.m. Jarrod Parker (10-8, 3.56) and Zach Britton (5-2, 4.72) will duel in the second game of the series.