Oakland, CA (Best E Casino) - Emil Brown belted a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Oakland Athletics downed the flailing Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2, in the opener of a three-game set.

Jack Cust added a two-run homer for the Athletics, who have won three of four and seven of 10. Joe Blanton (4-10) held the ice-cold Phillies offense to four hits and a run in seven innings, fanning five and walking four.

Jamie Moyer (7-5) took a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning, but finished up allowing five hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings, striking out a season- high nine with one walk. Pat Burrell hit a solo homer for the Phillies, who lost their season-high sixth straight, all to American League opponents.

Ryan Howard knocked in the other run for the Phillies, who have scored a meager 11 runs during their skid. Thanks to Florida's loss to the Rays on Tuesday, the Phillies still cling to their one-game lead on first place in the National League East.

Moyer dominated the first six innings, retiring 17 of 18 batters he faced after Kurt Suzuki's lead-off single in the first. The veteran lefty struck out the side in the sixth, but ran into trouble in the seventh.

Ryan Sweeney singled to left, and Bobby Crosby's fly ball to shallow center fell in with one out for a single. Brown then ripped a high fly ball off the top of the fence and out, his sixth homer of the season, and the A's took a 3-1 lead.

Howard's RBI single to center with two outs in the eighth pulled Philadelphia within 3-2, but Burrell struck out after Howard advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cust then scored the knockout blow for Oakland with his two-out, two- run blast to left in the eighth.

Huston Street struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 14th save.

Burrell put the Phils on top with his home run to center with two outs and the bases empty in the fourth.

The Phillies had a chance to extend their lead in the seventh, when Burrell led off with a walk and Jayson Werth reached on a high-topper that Jack Hannahan misplayed at third. Geoff Jenkins flied out to left, but Pedro Feliz singled to right to load the bases for struggling Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz.

Ruiz grounded right to third for an easy double play, ending the threat. The Phillies backstop went 0-for-3, dropping his batting average to .222.

Game Notes

Chase Utley went 0-for-2 with two walks. He is in a 1-for-29 slump in the midst of an awful June, and has seen his average drop from .325 on June 3 to .289...Cust's homer was his 12th of the season...The Phillies last losing streak of six or more games came in June 2006, when they dropped seven straight...Oakland hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo was ejected in the fifth by plate umpire Jeff Nelson for arguing balls and strikes.