Athletics 2, Diamondbacks 1

PHOENIX (AP) -- Dana Eveland walked off the mound with his head held high after a 1-2-3 third inning that featured strikeouts of two former teammates.

He couldn't believe he got Eric Byrnes to swing at such a bad pitch.

Whatever frustrations Eveland might have felt toward his ex-bosses with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland's new left-hander was more than satisfied with his outing Wednesday. He has a chance to make the rotation for the Athletics, who defeated the D-backs 2-1 in the only Cactus League meeting between the clubs this spring.

This might have been the best Arizona has ever seen Eveland.

"I bet, because I only threw five innings for them last year," he said with a grin. "I threw as many innings today as I did for them all year last year. That's probably the first time they've seen me throw real well aside from Triple-A."

Eveland struck out seven and didn't walk a batter in five scoreless innings. He retired six straight hitters during one stretch before giving way to Keith Foulke for the right-hander's spring debut.

Foulke's first appearance was pushed back from Monday so he could be with his wife, Stacey, when she was hospitalized three days after giving birth. Oakland's closer for one season back in 2003, the 35-year-old Foulke didn't pitch last season following three years with the Boston Red Sox.

He walked Orlando Hudson to start the sixth then allowed Byrnes' double to left and a sacrifice fly to Conor Jackson for Arizona's first run. But Foulke stranded Byrnes at third by striking out Mark Reynolds and getting Justin Upton to pop up, ending the right-hander's only inning.

Foulke ended his retirement for a $700,000, one-year contract that allows him to earn $2.5 million more in bonuses.

Emil Brown's sacrifice fly in the first scored Mark Ellis, who hit a leadoff double. Mike Sweeney, on a minor league contract, added an RBI single.

D-backs starter Doug Davis walked four in four innings, and knew he got upstaged by Eveland.

"It's kind of typical Doug Davis, I guess you could say," he said. "At the same time, I want to reverse that, especially when my young padawan on the other side is out there throwing strikes. He threw the (heck) out of the ball today."

Game notes
A's RHP Justin Duchscherer is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Thursday on the team's off day, while RHP Joe Blanton -- the team's opening day starter March 25 in Tokyo -- will start an intrasquad game at the Papago Park minor league complex. ... Arizona's Trot Nixon is playing a series of minor league games this week to work at 1B so the D-backs have some insurance behind Conor Jackson with Chad Tracy still recovering from microfracture surgery to his right knee. Tracy was doing agility drills Wednesday. ... A's RHP Chad Gaudin, coming off surgeries on his left hip and right foot on Dec. 18, threw live batting practice for the first time. Geren hopes to use him in a game Monday.