PHOENIX -- A dose of timely hitting -- fueled by RBI hits from Kevin Kouzmanoff, Mark Ellis and Kurt Suzuki -- paved the way for a 4-3 A's victory over the Indians at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Wednesday.
Ellis, facing Tribe starter Justin Masterson, got things going quickly with a leadoff single in the first and scored on a double-play ground ball from Hideki Matsui. Suzuki, who walked, followed Ellis' lead when Kouzmanoff knocked a run-scoring single to center field.
Masterson went two innings, giving up two runs on two hits with three walks and one strikeout in his Cactus League debut. Drew Pomeranz made his professional debut, pitching a scoreless fourth while striking out two and walking one.
A's starter Bobby Cramer, meanwhile, surrendered just one hit and tallied one strikeout in two solid innings of work before lefty Josh Outman came on in the third and proceeded to give up two Indians runs in the fourth.
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Tribe outfielder Travis Buck, facing his former club for the first time, notched an RBI single off Outman to bring home Matt LaPorta, who led off the frame with a double. Buck later scored on an RBI base hit off the bat of Paul Phillips.
Ellis' second hit of the game, an RBI single off Cleveland's Doug Mathis, handed Oakland a one-run lead in the bottom half of the fourth. The Indians narrowed their deficit to one in the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Chun-Hsiu Chen, but they came up empty in the ninth.
Up next for Indians: Right-hander Mitch Talbot, who is in line to open this season as Cleveland's No. 3 starter, is scheduled to take the mound when the Indians take on the split-squad Rangers at 3:05 p.m. ET on Thursday in Surprise, Ariz. Josh Tomlin -- vying for the fifth-starter's role -- is also slated to make his second appearance of the spring for the Tribe.
Up next for Athletics: Right-hander Trevor Cahill, pushing his way into an Opening Day starter role, gets his second start of the spring when the A's travel to Maryvale, Ariz., for an afternoon matchup with the host Brewers. The game is slated to begin at 12:05 p.m. PT and will also feature regulars Daric Barton and Josh Willingham.
Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Major Lee-ague, and follow her on Twitter @JaneMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

