OAKLAND, Calif. -- Josh Donaldson hit a game-ending three-run homer off Joe Nathan with one out in the ninth and Scott Kazmir pitched his first complete game in nearly eight years to help the Oakland Athletics rally for a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.
Anibal Sanchez was in command, allowing only two hits as he took a shutout bid into the ninth inning before Oakland rallied to hand the Tigers their eighth loss in 10 games.
 
Donaldson's 3-run HR in 9th lifts A's over Tigers
 
Coco Crisp got it started with one out when he hit an opposite-field double just inside the third-base line that ended Sanchez's night after 111 pitches.John Jaso greeted Nathan with a single off third baseman Nick Castellanos' glove before Donaldson hit a towering drive into the left-field seats for his second career walk-off homer. He also did it April 12, 2013, against the Tigers.Nathan (2-1) blew his fourth save in 16 chances.Kazmir (6-2) allowed six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts, giving up only a solo homer to Torii Hunter in the fourth inning in his second career complete game.Sanchez, who won the 2013 ERA title in the American League, missed around three weeks with a finger injury on his throwing hand but is finding his groove now. He followed up a strong seven-inning outing against Texas last week with an even better start against the first-place A's.Sanchez faced the minimum through three innings with center fielder Rajai Davis making a diving catch in the gap to rob Yoenis Cespedes of extra bases in the second inning and the Tigers turning a well-executed 3-6-1 inning-ending double play after Josh Reddick walked in the third for Oakland's first baserunner.The A's got their first hit the following inning when Donaldson hit a clean single to center. Sanchez was helped again by his defense after that with first baseman Miguel Cabrera snaring a liner by Brandon Moss to end the inning and preserve the 1-0 lead.The Tigers had gone ahead in the top half of the inning when Hunter hit a drive over the fence in right-center for his eighth homer of the season. Hunter hit a game-tying solo shot in Detroit's 6-5 win Tuesday night.Sanchez pitched out of trouble in the sixth after a one-out double by Eric Sogard. But Sanchez got Coco Crisp to fly out and John Jason on a groundout.Detroit manager Brad Ausmus won a replay challenge in the second inning when he argued J.D. Martinez beat the throw to first on a potential inning-ending double play. Martinez was ruled safe after the review but it did not matter a Alex Avila followed with an inning-ending groundout.The A's also won a review in the ninth inning when replay showed Miguel Cabrera was thrown out at second by Cespedes in left field trying for a double.
 

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