BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Ninth-Inning Home Run Surprises Oakland’s Brosius

The Oakland Athletics are finding ways to win. But given the way Chuck Finley was pitching Wednesday, they didn’t figure to pull this one out with a home run by the No. 9 hitter who was down in the count 1-2.

“It was a weird one,� Oakland third baseman Scott Brosius said after his ninth-inning shot down the left field line lifted the A’s to a 1-0 victory. “When I got two strikes, I was just trying to hit the ball up the middle.

“When I hit the ball, I didn’t feel anything and I looked up there and said, ‘That ball can get out of here.’ I was just hoping it wouldn’t hook foul. It was probably one of two forkballs he got up all day.�

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Talk about the unexpected, Oakland starter Carlos Reyes had a no-hitter going into the fourth inning when Bo Jackson broke it up with an infield single . Jackson hit a sharp grounder that bounded off a diving Mark McGwire at first and caromed toward second baseman Brent Gates. Gates’ throw to Reyes covering was a little behind the A’s pitcher and he couldn’t hang onto the ball.

Spike Owen made the official scorer’s ruling on the play a moot point in the sixth when he grounded a single into right field.

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Right-hander Julio Valera, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last July, made his second start with double-A Midland Tuesday night and went six innings, allowing six hits and four runs. “Preston (Gomez, special assistant to the general manager) is down there with him and says he’s sound and healthy, but he definitely looks like he needs to pitch,� Manager Marcel Lachemann said. . . . A’s catcher Terry Steinbach, who singled in the second inning Wednesday, has a career .432 average with four home runs in 44 at-bats against Finley. . . . Lachemann’s record since taking over as manager is 16-22. Former Manager Buck Rodgers was 16-23 before he was fired.