Oakland Athletics Team Report - April 25

(Sports Network) - Mark Mulder pitched his sixth career shutout as the Oakland Athletics blanked the Detroit Tigers yesterday, 2-0.

Eric Byrnes went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Oakland, which took two in this three-game set and has won four of its last six games.

Mulder (3-1) allowed just three hits to go along with five strikeouts and one walk for his ninth career complete game. He is now 9-1 in his last 14 starts dating back to last season.

With yesterday's victory, Oakland remains two games back of Seattle for AL West supremacy.

Miguel Tejada, who went 0-for-4 yesterday and is mired in a 1-for-17 skid, is batting only .160 this season after winning American League MVP honors a year ago. He also has seven errors through 22 games this season after committing 21 or less in each of the past four seasons.

The Athletics welcome the struggling Cleveland Indians to town tonight for the opener of a three-game set.

Ted Lilly will take the hill tonight for Oakland hoping to improve on the A's brilliant starting pitching of late. Oakland's starters are 5-2 with a 1.79 ERA over the last seven games after going 0-4 with a 6.94 ERA over the previous six games.

Lilly, who is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA, has not earned a decision in his last three outings and Oakland has dropped all three of those starts. The 27-year-old southpaw surrendered one unearned run on seven over 5 2/3 innings in his last start, but did not factor in the decision of the A's 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.

In four career starts against the Indians, Lilly is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA.

04/25 12:18:30 ET