Tommy Milone Fires 5 Shutout Innings, Matt Cain Rocked As Oakland Athletics Beat San Francisco Giants

Mar 4, 2014; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Tommy Milone (57) throws to the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of their spring training baseball game at Cubs Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports.

Tommy Milone came into Saturday’s split squad game for the Oakland Athletics needing a good outing. Matt Cain entered for the San Francisco Giants having thrown nothing but zeroes all spring.

Their fortunes reversed at Scottsdale Stadium in a matchup of split squads as Milone fired five shutout innings while Cain was lit up for seven runs in just 2.2 innings as the A’s beat the Giants 8-1.

Milone (1-1) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two, an important outing for the left-hander on the same day the A’s announced right-hander A.J. Griffin would be shut down for three weeks with a muscle strain in his right arm.

The A’s jumped on Cain (1-1) quickly. Nick Punto grounded a one-out single to right and went to second on a wild pitch by Cain. Alberto Callaspo doubled to center to score Punto and one out later, Daric Barton lined a single to left and Callaspo beat the throw home to make it 2-0.

They were just getting started.

Stephen Vogt led off the second with a walk and Luke Montz powered his second homer of the spring to center field to give Oakland (8-6) a 4-0 lead.

In the third, Yoenis Cespedes reached with one out when he was hit by a pitch, Barton worked a walk and one out later, Vogt went deep for the first time in the Cactus League season, a three-run bomb to center.

The Giants (10-6) got their lone run in the sixth off reliever Fernando Abad when Hunter Pence hit his third homer in the last two days over the wall in left.

Oakland’s final run came in the ninth off Giants reliever Derek Law. Jake Elmore led off with a walk, went to second on a single to right by Chad Overacker and Dusty Coleman worked a walk to load the bases. Law then uncorked a wild pitch to score Elmore.

Cain was tagged for six hits—including the two homers—and walked three in 2.2 innings. Mike Kickham worked 2.1 scoreless frames, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo and Erik Cordier each recorded a scoreless inning and Law was touched for the one run in the ninth.

Drew Pomeranz struck out five in two scoreless innings for the A’s and Paul Smyth worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

Callaspo and Montz had two hits apiece as the A’s totaled nine safeties on the day. Pence had two of San Francisco’s four hits.

Oakland will be on the road again Sunday, visiting the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark at 1:05 p.m. Pacific. The Giants face a Cleveland Indians split squad at Scottsdale Stadium at 1:05 p.m. Pacific.