Oakland 2, Detroit 0

Athletics 2, Tigers 0: Brett Anderson pitched six strong innings and Coco Crisp scored a run and robbed another as host Oakland stayed alive in the American League Division Series against Detroit.

Seth Smith added a solo homer and Yoenis Cespedes singled in a run for the Athletics, who pulled to within 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is in Oakland on Wednesday night.

Anderson (1-0), who missed the last two weeks of the regular season with an oblique strain, showed no signs of rust while yielding two hits. The left-hander lasted 80 pitches, striking out six and walking a pair.

Crisp led off the bottom of the first with a single off Anibal Sanchez (0-1) and moved over on a walk before scoring on Cespedes’ single to center. Crisp made sure that run would stand up in the next half inning when he sprinted back to the wall and leaped to rob a home run from Prince Fielder.

Smith provided some breathing room with one out in the fifth. Sanchez shook off a few signs before settling for a fastball inside on a 2-2 count. He left it just far enough over the plate that Smith was able to blast it off the back wall beyond the center field fence.

Ryan Cook worked a scoreless seventh inning, Sean Doolittle struck out the side in the eighth and Grant Balfour got Fielder to ground into a double play to secure the save.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Sanchez was charged with two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. … Smith improved to 7-for-14 with three home runs off Sanchez in his career. … The top four hitters in the Detroit lineup combined to go 1-for-15 with six strikeouts. … The Tigers will try to close it out behind RHP Max Scherzer on Wednesday while the Athletics will counter with RHP A.J. Griffin.

• Oakland will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Athletics have a W/L % of .624 after a win and .522 after a loss.
• Detroit will play their next game on the road against Oakland. The Tigers have a W/L % of .517 after a win and .573 after a loss.