March 5, 2002
PEORIA, A.Z. -- The Athletics snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Padres today, knocking off the Friars 6-4 at Peoria Stadium. Olmaedo Saenz and Adam Piatt hit back to back doubles in the eighth and Terrence Long smacked a home run to propel Oakland to victory. Erik Hiljus pitched an okay game, allowing all four runs in six innings.
The win improves Oakland's record to 3-3 in Spring Training. Neither Chavez or Tejada were in the starting lineup. Chavez did, however, pinch hit in the ninth, grounding out.
San Diego's Deivi Cruz led the scoring push for the Padres. He singled in the second, tripled in the fourth, and finished the game 3-for-4 with an RBI. Bubba Trammell also had an extra base hit for the Padres, who finished with 8 hits as a team.
The atmosphere at today's game was laid back and friendly. Tim Hudson met Padres' youngster Jake Peavy for the first time. Both pitchers arrived on the MLB scene as highly touted high school players from the south.
"I've read a lot about Peavy and they keep making comparisons between us," Hudson said. "This guy's the real deal."
"I hope I can become half as good as this guy," said Peavy, chuckling.
The A's Spring Training warm-ups are right on track. As it gets closer to Opening Day, Oakland will start to pare down their roster and begin fielding a team that will more likely resemble their regular season cast. Non-roster invitees will need to make a big-league impression quickly.
The regular season will begin in 3 and a half weeks.
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