D-BACKS 10, A'S 1
at Tucson, Ariz.
Friday, March 12

Athletics at the plate: In an otherwise quiet day at the plate for the A's, Daric Barton had three hits, including a double down the left-field line in the third inning. The hits raised Barton's average this spring to .400 (6-for-15).

D-backs at the plate: First baseman Adam LaRoche hit his first homer in a D-backs uniform. The blast came with two outs and one on against Brett Anderson in the first. The homer followed a walk to Justin Upton. Augie Ojeda went 3-for-3 to raise his average to .313. Stephen Drew lined a double down the right-field line in the sixth to score a pair of runs. After walking in the first, Upton singled to left in the third to score Drew. Jeff Bailey belted his first home run in the eighth, a two-run shot.

Athletics on the mound: Anderson faced the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. The left-hander was dealt by the D-backs to the A's in December 2007 in a deal that sent Dan Haren to Arizona. Anderson pitched well except for a two-batter hiccup in the first. After retiring the game's first two batters, he walked Upton and allowed a homer to LaRoche. Anderson allowed three hits in the third before leaving with two outs. Jerry Blevins, who is battling for a spot in the bullpen, got LaRoche to ground out to end that inning.

D-backs on the mound: While the A's made him work, starter Ian Kennedy escaped his outing unscored upon. Kennedy allowed a first-inning infield single, a second-inning walk and a third-inning double. Clay Zavada had his best outing thus far, tossing a scoreless inning. The left-hander walked the leadoff batter in the fourth, but got a double-play ball and struck out Travis Buck to end the frame. Juan Gutierrez retired the A's in order in the fifth and has not allowed a run in three spring outings so far.

Worth noting: Arizona worked out right-handed free agent Kris Benson in a five-inning simulated game at its Minor League Complex on Friday morning.

Cactus League records: A's 3-4-1; D-backs 3-5

Up next: The A's will play their second split-squad game of the spring on Saturday, squaring off against the Padres at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and traveling to Scottsdale to face the Giants. Clayton Motensen gets the starting nod for the A's against the Padres while left-hander Gio Gonzalez will start against the Giants. Every outing is important for Gonzalez, who is battling Vin Mazzaro and Trevor Cahill for the final spot in the rotation.

The D-backs play host to the division-rival Dodgers on Saturday, their second meeting with them in four days. Wednesday in Glendale, the two teams played to a 4-4 tie. In that game, a lineup snafu allowed Andrew Ethier to hit twice in a three-batter span. Kevin Mulvey, battling for a spot in the rotation, will get the start for the D-backs. Closer Chad Qualls is also scheduled to see action.