Reddick finally gets a taste of his own medicine

BOX SCORE

OAKLAND -- The A's have won eight games in walk-off fashion this season. That is a lot of forcibly administered whipped cream pies and water cooler showers. When the walk-off hero experiences the sweet taste of victory via a pie smash to the face, it is always Josh Reddick on the other end of the plate.As a result, Reddick knew he was doomed when he launched a game-ending double in the 13th inning to beat the Mariners 2-1."I don't mind it. I can dish it and I can take it," Reddick said after a long shower. "I was just happy it was me for once. It feels good to be on the receiving end."Well, what goes around comes around. Reddick was nailed with two coolers of iced liquid and two whipped cream pies. One pie came courtesy of Kurt Suzuki, the other from Jemile Weeks, who scored the game winning run on Reddick's double. "We couldn't wait," Weeks said. "He deserved it, he deserved everything." Reddick was lucky he wasn't eaten alive by seagulls after being made to look like a dessert item in the post game celebration. As the game lingered on into the late afternoon, more and more seagulls started circling and dive bombing at the Oakland Coliseum. With the sun, cloudless sky, and birds everywhere, it got so bad that it was actually hard for players to see balls hit into the air. "Oh, you could see them," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It was like the movie The Birds.""You've got the white baseballs with the white seagulls out there, you have to distinguish between the two sometimes with the sun," Weeks said. "At the end of the day we fought through the seagulls and made it happen." The A's first run was driven in by Yoenis Cespedes in the first inning. He then stole second base, spraining his left thumb. Cespedes was taken out of the game prior to the fourth inning. According to Melvin, the A's medical staff thinks the All-Star break will be enough time for his thumb to heal. As of now, a return to the disabled list for Cespedes doesn't appear likely."He is literally day to day," Melvin said. "I'm not really sure how he is going to feel tomorrow. He is going to have four days off and hopefully he is good to go." The A's wouldn't have been in a position to win if it wasn't for an efficient performance from Bartolo Colon. The veteran right-handed pitcher threw 93 pitches -- just 14 balls -- in 8.2 innings of work. He threw a first-pitch strike to 32 of the 34 batters he faced. He walked no one, and allowing one earned run. "It was difficult to take him out of the game emotionally," Melvin said. "He pitched so well and wanted it so bad. He gave us everything we could possibly expect. He never ceases to amaze. He is a pretty remarkable guy."Colon out-dueled Mariners' ace Felix Hernandez, who lasted 7.2 innings with one earned run. When the game was handed over to the bullpens, the A's had the advantage. A combination of Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle, Grant Balfour, and Jordan Norberto threw 4.1 innings of two-hit ball. The collection of pitchers struck out five batters and walked no one. The A's pitching staff went 13 innings without issuing a walk, the first time that has happened in Athletics history since 1927. At 43-43 the A's enter the All-Star break with a .500 record for the first time since 2008. They are just 2.5 games back in the American League Wild Card standings. They are 16-10 in games decided in the seventh inning or later."We're a lot more battle tested," Melvin said. "I think we expect to play games like that."