The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. - Barry Zito pitched into the eighth inning for his second victory in nine starts, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 Thursday.

Five players drove in a run as Oakland salvaged a four-game split of the AL West series with the division leaders. The A's lost the opener on Monday and were beaten 13-0 Wednesday.

After a lengthy stretch of bad innings and bad luck, Zito (8-5) finally got back on track with one of his better starts in two months. The AL Cy Young winner, who blew a six-run lead in his last start, allowed 10 hits - but nine were singles.

In 7 1/3 innings, Zito struck out five and didn't walk a batter. He left to a standing ovation after allowing three hits and a run in the eighth.

Chad Bradford and Keith Foulke pitched out of the jam, and Foulke finished for his 22nd save in 25 chances.

Edgar Martinez hit his 17th homer of the season for the Mariners, but he was the only runner to reach third base against Zito until the eighth. Martinez's fourth-inning homer hit the screen on the foul pole in right field, a few feet above the wall.

Ryan Franklin (6-7) lost his third straight start, allowing a season-high 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. As usual, he was hurt by poor run support: Seattle scored just eight total runs during Franklin's first six losses this season.

In the fifth inning, Seattle allowed its first unearned run in 33 games when third baseman Jeff Cirillo's flub on Ramon Hernandez's grounder set up Billy McMillon's RBI single and Frank Menechino's sacrifice fly.

Devil Rays 6, Red Sox 5, 10 innings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Marlon Anderson singled with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Anderson delivered the game-winning hit off Mike Timlin (3-3) after Aubrey Huff and Travis Lee singled and Al Martin, whose two-run homer off Brandon Lyon tied the game at 5 in the eighth, drew an intentional walk with one out.

Travis Harper (1-4) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. The Devil Rays took two of three from the Red Sox to win a series for the first time since May 16-18 at Baltimore. Both victories over Boston came in extra innings.

Manny Ramirez homered twice and drove in three runs for the Red Sox, who wasted an opportunity to pull within three games of first-place New York in the AL East. The Yankees open a four-game series against Boston at home Friday.

David Ortiz and Trot Nixon also homered for the Red Sox.

Ramirez hit both of his homers off right-hander Jeremi Gonzalez, a solo shot in the second inning and a two-run, opposite-field shot to right that tied the score 3-all in the fifth. Ortiz homered off the Devil Rays starter four pitches later for a 4-3 Boston lead.

Nixon homered for the second straight night in the sixth.