Oakland Athletics: 5-Run 5th Inning Dooms Parker as A's Fall to Arizona 8-3

Two pitches spelled doom for Jarrod Parker. An RBI double by Justin Upton and a grand slam by Miguel Montero pushed the Diamondbacks to a 6-1 lead as they coasted to an 8-3 victory in the second game of a three-game series in Arizona. Parker's scoreless streak ended in the first inning and he could not manage to retire the side in order once throughout the game. In all, he surrendered six runs on eight hits, walked five batters and struck out four.

 Kurt Suzuki tied the score on an RBI double in the top of the second and Jonny Gomes hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make it 6-2. But the Diamondbacks answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to make it 8-2. Jemile Weeks closed the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, but the game was already out of reach.

Manager Bob Melvin was before the top of the sixth inning, still fuming at home plate umpire Tim McClelland over perceived missed calls in the previous inning. It was former A's pitcher Trevor Cahill's first appearance against his old team.

Good: Kurt Suzuki. It was good to see Zook swing a decent bat, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Cliff Pennington had three hits in four at bats, raising his batting average to .212 on the year.

Bad: Jarrod Parker. It's tough when two pitches swing the course of your night, but Parker had been flirting with damage at some point in almost every inning. He just got burned on the Montero home run. Certainly not the return to Arizona he had envisioned. 

Ugly: Jerry Blevins. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I focus on "Everyday Jerry," he gets lit up. Tonight was no exception: One inning, three hits, a walk two runs. To be fair, he was just playing out the string, but he got hit again. 

Now 26-34, the A's look to salvage a game in the desert as they send Travis Blackley to the mound against Joe Saunders. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.