CINCINNATI (AP) — John Lamb chalked it up to being just one of those days.

Marcus Semien and Jake Smolinski each hit a two-run homer off the Cincinnati left-hander in Oakland’s four-run second inning, and the Athletics snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Reds on Sunday.

“I was prepared mentally, physically,” Lamb said. “I tip my cap to them. They hit some balls pretty hard. Sometimes you make pitches and they get hit hard. Other times, you walk to the dugout at the end of the inning and you don’t feel like you deserve it. I will move forward with hope and trust.”

Danny Valencia added a solo homer and Billy Butler had three hits -one short of matching his combined total in eight previous June games – as Oakland also ended a nine-game road losing streak, the team’s longest since an 11-game slide in 2005.

Kendall Graveman and four relievers combined to throttle the Reds’ offense. Fernando Rodriguez (2-0) allowed one hit over two innings of relief for the win.

“We got into their bullpen, and that’s the strength of their team,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “We couldn’t get anything going against them.”

Ramon Cabrera doubled in Steve Selsky for Cincinnati’s only run in the second inning. The Reds failed to complete a three-game sweep, but still finished 5-4 on their homestand.

Neither starter pitched long enough to qualify for a win.

Lamb (1-4), who lasted a career-high 7 1/3 innings in his previous start Tuesday against St. Louis, tied his season low by finishing just four innings on Sunday, giving up seven hits and four runs with two walks and one strikeout.

“Lamb missed some locations, but it wasn’t terrible,” Price said.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin lifted Graveman after Joey Votto’s single leading off the fifth. The right-hander also allowed seven hits, but only one run with two walks and five strikeouts in a season-low four-plus innings.

The first four Oakland hitters in the second teamed up to produce four quick runs.

Semien followed Butler’s leadoff single with his 10th homer of the season. Josh Phegley reached on a single and Smolinski hit his second homer out to the grassy area in front of the center field batter’s eye.

Valencia led off the eighth with his 10th homer of the season and fourth in his last 11 games. Coco Crisp scored on Khris Davis’ single in the ninth.

ANOTHER SHOT

LHP Eric Surkamp gets his third shot at landing a slot in Oakland’s rotation with a start Tuesday against Texas. Surkamp is 0-3 with a 6.41 ERA in six starts over two previous stints with the A’s this season. “He has to go out and get some outs,” Melvin said. “He hasn’t worked deep in a game for us. That’s what he’ll be trying to do Tuesday and become a consistent part of the rotation, which he hasn’t been yet. Anybody has a chance to stay in this rotation. I think we’ve shown that if you perform, you stay. If you don’t, you get sent back.”

BRIGHT SPOT

Valencia couldn’t help but get into the act during the win. With his home run, the red-hot A’s third baseman is hitting .450 (18 for 40) with four doubles, four home runs, 11 runs scored and seven RBIs over his last 11 games.

STRUGGLING SHORTSTOP

Reds SS Zack Cozart singled in the third inning of Sunday’s 6-1 loss to Oakland, snapped a 0-for-15 slump, but he was caught stealing while Joey Votto was striking out and followed up by grounding out with the bases loaded in the fourth and popping out in the seventh. Cozart has one hit in his last 18 at-bats.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: Davis returned to the starting lineup. He did not start Saturday after being hit in the left elbow by a pitch Friday, the second time in less than a week that he was hit in that spot. He singled as a pinch hitter on Saturday to snap an 0-for-9 stretch.

Reds: RHP Raisel Iglesias allowed two hits and had two strikeouts in two innings during his first rehab appearance Saturday with Double-A Pensacola. Iglesias, the team’s opening day starter, has been on the disabled list since May 1 with shoulder soreness.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Oakland is scheduled to open a 10-day, nine-game homestand Monday with the first of a four-game series against AL West-leading Texas. LHP Sean Manaea (2-3) starts for the Athletics.

Reds: RHP Daniel Wright (0-2) is Cincinnati’s scheduled starter Monday in the opener of a four-game series at Atlanta – the Reds’ last visit to Turner Field before the Braves move into a new facility next season.

Athletics 6, Reds 1

Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Crisp cf 5 1 1 0 0 0 .222

Lowrie 2b 5 0 3 0 0 0 .303

Valencia 3b 4 1 1 1 1 2 .335

Davis lf 5 0 2 1 0 2 .239

Butler 1b 3 1 3 0 0 0 .253

1-Alonso pr-1b 2 0 1 0 0 0 .250

Semien ss 4 1 2 2 0 0 .233

Phegley c 3 1 1 0 1 0 .300

Smolinski rf 4 1 1 2 0 1 .270

Graveman p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

b-Burns ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Axford p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Doolittle p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

c-Muncy ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200

Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Totals 38 6 15 6 2 6

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Cozart ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 .284

Votto 1b 4 0 2 0 0 2 .231

Phillips 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .263

Bruce rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .271

Duvall lf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .259

Suarez 3b 2 0 0 0 1 1 .231

Selsky cf 3 1 1 0 0 1 .333

Morris p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Ramirez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

d-De Jesus ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .230

Cabrera c 3 0 2 1 0 0 .286

Lamb p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .083

a-Waldrop ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .400

Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Holt cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .278

Totals 31 1 7 1 2 9

Oakland 040 000 011 = 6 15 0

Cincinnati 010 000 000 = 1 7 0

 

a-walked for Lamb in the 4th. b-grounded out for Rodriguez in the 7th. c-grounded out for Doolittle in the 9th. d-grounded out for Ramirez in the 9th.

1-ran for Butler in the 6th.

LOB-Oakland 8, Cincinnati 6. 2B-Butler (8), Cabrera (2). HR-Semien (12), off Lamb; Smolinski (2), off Lamb; Valencia (10), off Morris. RBIs-Valencia (24), Davis (37), Semien 2 (27), Smolinski 2 (8), Cabrera (4). CS-Cozart (1). S-Graveman.

Runners left in scoring position-Oakland 4 (Crisp, Smolinski 2, Alonso); Cincinnati 3 (Cozart 2, Lamb). RISP-Oakland 1 for 11; Cincinnati 0 for 2.

Runners moved up-Phegley 2. LIDP-Semien. GIDP-Davis, Bruce, Selsky.

DP-Oakland 3 (Phegley, Semien), (Semien, Butler), (Semien, Lowrie, Alonso); Cincinnati 2 (Suarez, Phillips, Votto), (Suarez, Phillips).

 

Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Graveman 4 7 1 1 2 5 76 5.28

Rodriguez W, 2-0 2 0 0 0 0 0 14 1.93

Axford H, 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 2.70

Doolittle 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 2.46

Madson 1 0 0 0 0 2 17 2.55

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Lamb L, 1-4 4 7 4 4 2 1 77 5.14

Smith 2 1 0 0 0 3 26 2.70

Morris 2 4 1 1 0 1 36 6.23

Ramirez 1 3 1 1 0 1 15 7.04

Graveman pitched to 1 batter in the 5th.

Inherited runners-scored-Rodriguez 1-0. HBP-Rodriguez (Suarez).

Umpires-Home, Manny Gonzalez; First, CB Bucknor; Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Jim Reynolds.

T-2:50. A-24,880 (42,319).