MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers thought Mike Caldwell was a surgeon on the mound, slicing up the Oakland A's with brilliant pitches.
The A's thought he was guilty of malpractice.
Caldwell, the Brewers' left-hander, raised his record to 5-4 Thursday by allowing the A's just six hits in a 6-1 complete game victory. He walked four and struck out one.
'Mike had great stuff today,' said his catcher, Ned Yost. 'He had a good sinking fastball, a great curve and a nice, tight little slider.'
'Caldwell didn't have anything,' said Oakland outfielder Rickey Henderson, who went 0-for-4. 'It seems like we had (center fielder Gorman) Thomas backing up all day, but he always came down with the ball. It was just one of those days.'
Thomas did make six putouts in center, which Caldwell admits is more than he would have liked.
'I didn't get them to hit as many ground balls as I wanted to,' he said, 'and I would have liked more strikeouts and fewer walks.
'But I'm throwing the ball well. I had a good slider today, and the ball was moving around the plate better than it has been.'
Oakland starter Chris Codiroli, who gave up five runs in 6 1-3 innings, took the loss and dropped his record to 4-4.
Cecil Cooper, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor all hit home runs to help Caldwell. Cooper and Molitor, who have been slumping, both went 3-for-3 with Cooper getting a single, double and homer and Molitor a double, triple and homer.
'That home run felt good,' Molitor said. 'I haven't been hitting with any power lately, not even in batting practice.'
Yount and Cooper teamed up to give the Brewers their first run in the fourth. With one out, Yount doubled and Cooper followed with his ninth home run of the year.
Milwaukee added a run in the second when Molitor tripled and scored on Charlie Moore's suicide squeeze.
The Brewers, who had eight extra base hits, added two runs in the seventh. Yost led off with a walk and went to second on a sacrifice by Jim Gantner. Yount then hit his eighth homer of the year into the left field bleachers.
Molitor's solo home run in the eighth, his third of the season, gave Milwaukee its final run.
The lone Oakland tally came in the seventh. With one out, Mike Heath doubled, went to third on a passed ball and scored on Kelvin Moore's single.
The A's also had two hits in the first inning and two in the ninth, but otherwise spent the day hitting Caldwell's pitches into the ground or right at the outfielders.
'We hit 10 balls right on the nose that were caught by somebody,' said Oakland manager Steve Boros. 'We hit the ball well, but our luck could have been better.'
