Oakland Athletics Game 28: Jonny Gomes Blasts A's Past Rays in Extra Innings

Previous opportunities squandered, Jonny Gomes took it upon himself to ensure it would not happen again. His lead-off home run off Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta in the 12th inning lifted the A's to a 4-3 victory over the Rays on Saturday to even their three-game series at a game apiece.

Grant Balfour pitched the 12th inning to record his seventh save and the A's once again reached .500 on the season. Bartolo Colon struggled, giving up three runs and eight hits in five innings. But the A's bullpen was excellent, providing seven scoreless innings.

Josh Reddick was the offensive star, going 2 for 6 with an RBI single and his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring. Daric Barton also busted out of a slump, going 3 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

The A's had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 10th inning, but failed to score with the bases loaded. Brandon Inge struck out with one out and Jemile Weeks bounced out to first.

Tampa Bay's best chance to win was in the ninth inning when Jeff Keppinger was stranded on third base after B.J. Upton's deep drive was caught by Reddick. Kila Ka'aihue knocked in the A's other run with an RBI single in the third inning.

Good: Jonny Gomes. Three at-bats with a pair of walks and a ho-hum, game-winning home run. Not bad. Snark aside, Gomes may only be hitting .239, but his on-base percentage sits at .386 and he is slugging .587. Those are both team bests.

Bad: Jemile Weeks. He is scuffling right now. An 0 for 6 night leaves him with a .174 batting average. The A's simply can't win consistently with Weeks hitting so poorly.

Ugly: N/A

With a record of 14-14, the A's will try to win the series and climb over .500 with a Sunday matinee. The A's will send out Tom Milone to face Tampa Bay phenom Matt Moore. First pitch is scheduled for 10:40 a.m.