PEORIA, Ariz. -- Mark Ellis is focused on staying healthy this spring while he works his way back from offseason right shoulder surgery.
He's still getting some nice results at the plate.
Ellis hit a three-run double to help the Oakland Athletics beat the San Diego Padres 15-6 on Saturday for their fifth straight win.
"I felt good swinging the bat the other day," Ellis said. "Typical spring, you play a day, take a day off. It took me a couple at bats to get going again."
Ellis, a slick fielding second baseman, has yet to play in the field.
"I'm going to 160 feet tomorrow," he said. "I've thrown to bases and worked on double plays a couple of days in a row. The target date is March 25 and I'll have plenty of games. I'm not going to rush it. There's no reason."
A's manager Bob Geren said he wanted to see Ellis get 30 at-bats when spring training opened. Now he'll get plenty more.
"Now that he's cleared to DH, he'll definitely get more," Geren said. "I'd like to see him get as many as he can."
Gio Gonzalez worked 2 1/3 innings for Oakland, allowing all three of his runs in the third. He gave up six hits, struck out one and walked none.
Gonzalez got the start when Sean Gallagher was too sick to go.
"It was an on and off thing," Gonzalez said. "Right at the last moment, during stretch, I was told I was getting the ball. I'll pitch again tomorrow if they want me to."
Ryan Sweeney hit his second homer of the spring, and has hit safely in each of his first seven games. Travis Buck, Landon Powell and Josh Donaldson also went deep for the A's.
Josh Geer allowed four runs, three on solo home runs, and five hits in two innings for San Diego. He walked one and did not strike out a batter.
"Josh learned today that when he pitches up in the zone he'll get hit," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He's a strike thrower who controls the movement on his ball and changes speed. He was a winner in the minors."
David Eckstein had two hits and drove in two runs for the Padres. Will Venable added two hits and an RBI. Brian Giles, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Matt Antonelli also drove in runs.
"Eck had some good at bats," Black said. "(Cla) Meredith and (Mark) Worrell were the bright spots on the pitching staff."
Meredith and Worrell each threw a scoreless inning, and neither has allowed a run yet.
Rob Bowen had a two-run double for the A's.
Notes
A's RHP Henry Rodriguez, slowed by a groin injury, will throw batting practice in the next few days. ... The Padres reassigned RHP Mat Latos, RHP Gabe DeHoyos, RHP Will Inman, RHP Oneli Perez, LHP Nick Schmidt to their minor league camp and optioned RHP Ernesto Frieri and RHP Wilton Lopez to Double-A San Antonio.
