Comeback kids keep A's climbing

Haven, Belcher return from long layoffs and combine to go 4-for-7 with 5 runs

You can take the kid away from baseball, but you can't take the baseball out of the kids.

Ryan Haven came back from a 16 month injury leave and Roland Belcher returned after 18 years away from the game, but both still had baseball in their blood, helping the A's post a 17-1 victory over the Padres on Sunday for their seventh straight win.

"It was great to have Ryan back and see Roland playing ball again," said A's manager Ryan Metcalfe who called the duo and begged them to play with two starters away on vacation. "I hope they will play with us more often because they are solid ballplayers who help the team on the field and in the dugout."

Haven, one of the top hitters in the REBL as a rookie in 2004, missed all but two games in 2005 when he became ill. He shared the scars of his illness, but has plenty of life in his bat, belting two singles and showing his patience at the plate working a 3-2 walk in the second. Each of those first three times on base in three trips he took off for second, twice stealing and scoring and helping Belcher pick up his first hit in a hardball game since graduating high school in 1988.

Haven took off for second and Belcher slapped the ball to left in the hole vacated at short to try to tag out Haven. Belcher, who scored twice, hit a solid single up the middle in his next trip to drive in Haven, who had singled and scored the A's first run in an 8-run sixth.

Haven was the first of 9 straight A's for reach first in the sixth and 11 of 12 were successful in the eight-run outburst that put the relatively close game away. Billy Dodson, Mike Mastro' and Kevin Kennedy all had two-run singles in the inning. Even Metcalfe got into the act, coming off the bench to earn a walk and a hit a single in the seventh.

Dodson who arrived to the game late and feeling woozy due to sun exposure over the weekend still managed to reach base in all five trips hitting an RBI double to drive in Clinton Yeager who led off the game with a walk and then scoring on an RBI double to the wall by Jon Breidinger. Brodie Nissen drove home Breidinger with a sacrifice fly that gave the A's a 3-0 lead in the first.

The A's continued to pitch well allowing six hits and no earned runs. Kennedy cruised through four innings, Breidinger was overpowering in the next three and Dodson has sharp in the finial inning.

The A's (8-1) will try to keep their string play going next Sunday against the Titans (9-1) in a battle for first place at Casa Grande. The last time these teams played the Titans won in extra innings after the A's staged a 3-run rally in the ninth only to lose in the 10th.

Ryan Haven returned to the A's like he never missed a game. He went 2-for-3 and scored three runs, reaching first in all four plate appearances. He missed 16 months with a kidney ailment, but still has his sweet swing and sarcastic sense of humor.

Brodie Nissen caught all 8 innings and picked up a sac fly & RBI single to continue as most reliable player.

Though ailing Billy Dodson reached bases in all 5 trips with 3 runs & 3 RBIs & pitched a scoreless inning.

Roland Belcher executed the hit and run to perfection going with this pitch as Ryan Haven drew the shortstop to second.

Haven- MVP