Baseball: Gross, Taylor display power in A's win

Gabe Gross hit a two-run triple against his former team in the seventh and Michael Taylor added a three-run homer in the eighth to power the Oakland Athletics to a 7-3 win over a Milwaukee Brewers split-squad on Thursday at Phoenix.

Dallas Braden started for the A's, allowing two runs and three hits in three innings, including Ryan Braun's two-run homer to deep left-center field. After rounding the bases, Braun and Prince Fielder engaged in their shadow boxing routine.

Braun wasn't even supposed to play, but was a late addition to the home roster after experiencing some tightness in his left hamstring that kept him off the traveling split-squad.

Braden settled down after that. As a batter, Braden walked on a full count in the third against Randy Wolf, drawing loud cheers from Oakland's bench. Braden clearly had no intention of swinging and was standing on the outside edge of the batter's box chalk.

"I didn't even see him," Wolf joked. "My peripheral vision's not that good."

Braden joked that he was just looking for a good pitch to hit.

"We're not allowed to swing. We're not even allowed to think about swinging," he said. "I've been on the other side when you know you have a freebie, and it almost makes it a little tougher when you have no competition."

After an offseason in which he helped the University of Pacific pitchers, Braden, 26, has discovered a taste for instruction and has become a sort of teacher's aide to pitching coach Curt Young.

Wolf, who agreed to a $29.75 million, three-year deal with the Brewers during December's winter meetings, struck out four in three scoreless innings. Wolf has not allowed a run in five innings this spring.