A’s 7

Yanks 2

OAKLAND – With Tim Hudson facing Jeff Weaver last night runs figured to be at a premium as they were the last time they met. Hudson, one of the Almighty A’s Trio against Weaver, an ace on many staffs, but the Yankees’ fifth hurler.

Runs and hits were hard to find until the eighth inning as the Yankees and A’s hooked up in a pitching dual eventually won by Hudson, 7-2 in front of 40,317.

“I am not sure anybody gets excited about facing their three pitchers (Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Hudson), but we can match them,” Joe Torre said before his club’s two-game winning streak was stopped. “It could come down to who gets the breaks and who does a better job defensively.”

Breaks didn’t play a part and each team was flawless in the field. The difference was Eric Chavez’ one-out, RBI single in the eighth that snapped a 2-2 tie and evened Weaver’s record at 2-2.

Weaver also gave up a two-run double to Ramon Hernandez with two out in the eighth that upped the hosts’ lead to 5-2 and was the end of Weaver, who was replaced by Chris Hammond. He gave up Terrence Long’s two-run, inside-the-park homer.

Weaver, who hasn’t won since beating the Angels on April 22 (three starts), went 72/3 innings, allowed six runs and seven hits. Hudson, who limited the Yankees to one run and three hits a week ago today at Yankee Stadium, went eight, gave up two runs and five hits.

Mark Ellis led off the decisive eighth with a single to center and was bunted to second by Scott Hatteberg. Chavez followed by ripping a 1-1 pitch to center that scored Ellis with the go-ahead run. Miguel Tejada forced Hatteberg at second in front of Erubiel Durazo drawing a walk and Hernandez’s double.

Hammond replaced Weaver to face Long and he hit an 0-2 pitch on a sinking line drive to center that Bernie Williams missed trying to make a diving catch, and Long turned it into a homer.

The loss denied the Yankees a chance to gain a game on the Red Sox in the AL East where they remained three lengths in front of Boston, which was blanked by the Twins. The A’s have won 11 of 14.

Jason Giambi homered for the second straight game and has eight.

The A’s only had two batters hit with a runner in scoring position but that was one more than the Yankees through six innings.

Chris Singleton followed Eric Byrnes’ RBI double in the third with a ground ball to the right side that plated Byrnes and gave the A’s a 2-0 lead. Weaver got cleanup hitter Tejada to foul out to end the sixth after Eric Chavez doubled off the center field fence with two outs and the bases empty.

Thanks to Giambi’s homer with Nick Johnson on first and no outs in the fourth the Yankees didn’t need to have a runner in scoring position to tie the score, 2-2.

Weaver matched Hudson through five innings. Each allowed two runs. Hudson gave up three runs to Weaver’s two.

Giambi was mobbed by Bay Area reporters before the game who wanted to know everything from how it felt to be back at the Coliseum to the shape of his beat-up body.

Giambi showed them that while his body is far from 100 percent thanks to troubles with is left middle finger, left hamstring, left knee and a staph infection in his eyes, he is starting to come out of a season-long funk.

After Hudson retired nine of the first 10 batters, Nick Johnson drew a walk leading off the fourth inning. Giambi, who grounded out to the right side in the first, drove Hudson’s initial offering just over the left-field fence to tie the score, 2-2.

It was Giambi’s eighth homer and second is as many games.

Williams followed Giambi’s opposite-field homer with a single to center but Hudson induced Hideki Matsui to ground into a 6-4-3 double play and ended the inning by getting Jorge Posada on a routine grounder to the right side.

Long started the third with a single to center and scored from first when Eric Byrnes tripled into the right-center field gap. Chris Singleton, the No. 9 batter, plated Byrnes for a 2-0 lead with a ground out to Alfonso Soriano.