From the very first batter, the Oakland Athletics simply looked overmatched against CC Sabathia.
Leadoff man Coco Crisp took an awkward cut at a fastball for strike three. Next, Rajai Davis got fooled by an offspeed pitch and almost fell over. Then, Kevin Kouzmanoff flailed at a slider.
A lot of weak swings and soft outs followed Thursday, as Sabathia pitched one-hit ball for eight innings to earn his major league-leading 19th win. The New York Yankees beat the A's 5-0 for a four-game sweep.
Sabathia (19-5) breezed on a steamy afternoon, nicked only by Mark Ellis' clean single leading off the second. Jonathan Albaladejo completed the combined one-hitter in the ninth.
"I've always enjoyed pitching in hot weather," Sabathia said. "Keep the sweat going, keep my arm loose."
Around the AL
Adrian Beltre homered to spark a five-run second inning, and the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-4 to salvage a .500 road trip. ... Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is bracing for the possibility of having season-ending surgery on his broken left foot.
Around the NL
David Wright homered, Johan Santana won for the first time in four starts and the Mets snapped the Braves' five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory. ... Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning as the Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Rockies 12-11.
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