Josh Donaldson hits two-run homer, Athletics beat Reds to get back on track at home

OAKLAND, Calif. — Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer, freshly promoted Stephen Vogt hit a sacrifice fly for his first major league RBI, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Josh Reddick had an RBI double, Yoenis Cespedes added an RBI single, and Brandon Moss also hit a sacrifice fly as the A's returned from the road to a cleaned-up Coliseum for an eight-game homestand.

There was fresh carpeting and other upgrades nine days after a sewage problem and flooding in the clubhouses and umpire room that sent the A's and Mariners scrambling for the locker room of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

Pat Neshek (2-1) pitched one inning for the win, his 14th scoreless appearance in his last 15.

Joey Votto hit his 14th homer, and Cincinnati's Derrick Robinson had a career-high four hits.

Oakland knocked out Bronson Arroyo (6-6) after a season-low four innings — his shortest start since three innings last July 16 against Arizona at home. The A's won for only the fourth time in 11 games.

Arroyo surrendered seven runs for the first time since allowing eight against the Indians on July 1, 2011, in Cincinnati. He gave up seven hits.

The Reds hit three straight deep flyballs to center in the first — each of which might have cleared the fences in Great American Ball Park.

A's starter Tommy Milone had his winless stretch reach four starts since a win at Milwaukee on June 3.

The lefty walked the final three batters he faced, including Jay Bruce's bases-loaded free pass. Manager Bob Melvin then turned to Neshek, who struck out Chris Heisey to end the fifth.

The Reds left the bases loaded in the fifth and again an inning later when Votto flied out to end the sixth, then wasted chances again in the eighth.

Arroyo lost for only the second time in five June starts, having his two-start winning streak end.

Reds manager Dusty Baker, the former Giants manager who departed after his club fell just short in the 2002 World Series to the wild-card Angels, got back to his Sacramento-area home Monday and brought freshly picked fruit to the clubhouse. He planned to sleep at his other home in San Bruno on Tuesday night.

Vogt, who is from Visalia and was acquired in an April 5 trade from Tampa Bay, hit a sacrifice fly in the second for his first career RBI as the A's took a 2-0 lead against Arroyo.

The A's called up the catcher from Triple-A Sacramento and he started and batted eighth. His parents, grandparents, wife and toddler daughter were set to be in the stands for his Oakland debut.

He is still searching for his first major league hit, going 0 for 3 to drop to 0 for 28 overall. Vogt was 0 for 25 with two walks in 18 games last season. Since 1990, the only longer hitless streak to open a career was 33 games by Chris Carter with the A's in 2010.

The Reds placed second baseman Brandon Phillips on the paternity list, and he will miss the team's two-game series in Oakland before rejoining the club Friday at Texas.