A’s sweep Nationals with 9-1 thumping

O.CO COLISEUM — If Derek Norris was having difficulty finding a mother’s day gift, he sure didn’t let anyone know.

Norris had a career day Sunday on Mother’s Day, hitting two three-run bombs and recording six RBI’s to lead the A’s to a 9-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Every bit of the A’s offense is clicking into gear again, with Brandon Moss going 3-for-4 and Nick Punto driving in three runs.

The only A’s player that continues to slump is right fielder Josh Reddick, now hitting .132 after another hitless game.

Kazmir went seven innings, allowing only four hits and no walks, while striking out four batters.

The game perhaps was irony at it’s best, since Gio Gonzalez was pitching, a former Athletics star, who was traded during the 2011 offseason.

Gonzalez was entering a contract year and the A’s weren’t planning on spending the kind of money they’d need to in order to keep the then all star. Norris was one part of that deal, along with current A’s starter Tommy Milone.

On his big day, Norris had one simple line:

“The team that traded you, it’s always nice to stick it to ‘em.”

No doubt that Oakland needed a boost, after losing five of their first six game in the month of May. The sweep has turned the skid into a momentary lapse, as the team will take a four game win streak into a three game homestand versus the Chicago White Sox.

Kazmir is now 5-1 on the season, and sporting a beautiful 1.31 ERA in day games.

While the rest of Oakland’s staff has been cruising along, the sole run of the ballgame for Washington came off Jim Johnson, who ignited the crowd into a round of boos.

Johnson has been struggling this season, to put things mildly, and has A’s fans wishing former closer Grant Balfour was still around.

Coco Crisp didn’t appear again, making it the fourth missed game since he crashed into a wall Wednesday.

Crisp left the game Wednesday with what the A’s called a strained neck, and had been down on the warning track for roughly five minutes before walking gingerly back to the A’s clubhouse.

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