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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jeff Samardzija arrived at the ballpark nearly five hours before making his first start with his new ballclub. The right-hander left having secured a four-game sweep for Oakland with a performance that showed exactly why the Athletics were so eager to get him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Samardzija pitched seven strong innings to win his Oakland debut and the As beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Sunday. "First impressions are always important," said Samardzija after lowering his overall ERA to 2.74. "Like I said yesterday, they didnt need me here. They were doing just fine without me. I dont want to come in and change anything and change the atmosphere. I just want to come in and add and do my part," he said. He did just that, giving up four hits and one run with five strikeouts and one walk while earning his first win since June 7. With the Cubs, Samardzija was 2-7 despite a 2.83 ERA. He was voted to the NL All-Star team but wont pitch and will spend the game in the AL dugout. "He was excited as you could be," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "It was great to get him off to a good start like that. Terrific performance." Samardzija, acquired a day earlier, received several standing ovations. He was cheered during pregame warmups and again after striking out the side in the seventh. The veteran pitcher was equally excited after receiving some early run support, something that was scarce in Chicago. The Cubs scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his 17 starts in the NL this season. Oakland had no such issue. Jed Lowrie had two hits and scored twice, and leadoff hitter John Jaso added a pair of hits and an RBI for the As, who won their fourth straight after getting swept in three games at Detroit. Stephen Vogt singled and tripled to help the As complete their first series sweep of the Blue Jays since taking a three-game series in 2000. Oakland hadnt swept a four-game series from Toronto since May 22-24, 1981. "It was beautiful, man, that was awesome," Samardzija said. "Just getting one early run as a pitcher is the best thing ever. You can go out and pound the zone and understand if a guy gets on base so be it. And the way (the As) take at-bats is outstanding." Nate Freiman and Craig Gentry also drove in runs for the As. Lowrie doubled and scored in the second, then Oakland added two more in the fourth to extend their majors-leading record to 55-33. Pinch-hitter Derek Norris added an RBI double in the eighth for Oakland. Steve Tolleson had a pinch-hit home run off As closer Sean Doolittle in the ninth for the Blue Jays, who have lost six straight on the road. Doolittle got his 13th save. Toronto got a stellar outing from starter Drew Hutchison but for the fourth straight game had little success offensively. The Blue Jays went 0 for 18 with runners in scoring position during the series. They didnt have many opportunities against Samardzija and two relievers. Toronto managed just four baserunners over the final eight innings and had only two get past first base. "We got shut down big time," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons after his club was outscored 14-4 in the four-game sweep. "Were just not very good right now. Were just not producing." Oakland general manager Billy Beane got Samardzija and pitcher Jason Hammel for a package of prospects that included the two most recent first-round draft picks by the As. Samardzija pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first by getting cleanup hitter Jose Bautista to ground into an inning-ending double play. "That was probably one of the biggest pitches of the game for me," Samardzija said. "It allowed me to relax and then to come out and put a few on the board. I was able to relax and pound the zone." Samardzija retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced until Jose Reyes singled with one out in the sixth. Munenori Kawasaki followed with a double and Melky Cabreras groundout scored Reyes. Hutchison (6-7) struck out four and walked two in his first career start against the As. The punchless Blue Jays went into the game shorthanded. Edwin Encarnacion strained his right quad legging out an infield grounder on Saturday and was held out of the lineup. The Toronto slugger underwent an MRI before the game, though the results were not disclosed. NOTES: Cole Gillespie went hitless in three at-bats for Toronto after being claimed off waivers. ... Oakland OF Brandon Moss underwent an MRI on his injured left ankle. Results were not immediately known. ... Toronto OF Brad Glenn was designated for assignment. The Blue Jays also claimed OF/DH Nolan Reimould off waivers from Baltimore. ... As RHP Jesse Chavez will pitch the series opener against San Francisco on Monday. ... Blue Jays LHP JA Happ (7-4) takes the hill in the opener against the Angels. NFL Jerseys China . 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Messis public relations firm confirmed Spanish media reports that the state prosecutor has asked for Messi to be dropped from the investigation that began in June 2013.BATA, Equatorial Guinea - African Cup of Nations organizers got through the first round of group games without any serious problems — unlike heavyweight teams Ghana and Ivory Coast.Equatorial Guineas hurried preparations havent been world-class, but theyve held up OK so far after the small Central Africa nation had just two months to prepare for Africas biggest sports event.That doesnt mean there have been no problems at all.At least three teams have complained about the standard of their hotels, and the pitches in Ebebiyin and Mongomo, two remote venues in the countrys far east, have been bad. Players have spent plenty of time replacing ripped up chunks of turf during games there.But the issues across the four host cities have generally been met with good spirit by the players and coaches.Ahead of the tournament opener, Republic of Congos French coach Claude Le Roy complained there was no running water in his squads hotel in the city of Bata. While reporters questioned him about the issues, the lights failed in the room at Bata Stadium and it was plunged into darkness. As they flickered back on again, Le Roy broke into a wide smile and shrugged.Its OK, he said.Some players also appear to be understanding of the challenges Equatorial Guinea has had to fface to rapidly put the tournament together after Morocco pulled out as host late last year.ddddddddddddIn Ebebiyin, a town in the jungle, Tunisias squad has been eating dinner by candlelight because of regular electricity cuts at their hotel. Ebebiyins training grounds are also pretty rugged and the field at the stadium — which is carved out of the dense rainforest — has been troublesome.Its the same for both teams so weve got no excuses, Congos Premier League player Youssouf Mulumbu said.After all, those tricky conditions often make the African Cup one of the sports most unpredictable and interesting tournaments.Already, four-time champion Ghana — with Asamoah Gyan sidelined by a mild bout of malaria — was beaten in its opening game by Senegal on Monday. And star-studded Ivory Coast lost forward Gervinho to a red card after a moment of madness in a 1-1 draw with a surprisingly competitive Guinea on Tuesday.The host team — with its rowdy supporters set to pack out Bata Stadium again — wants that run of upsets to continue on Wednesday in the second round of matches in Group A: Equatorial Guinea versus 2013 finalist Burkina Faso and group leader Gabon versus Republic of Congo.___Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP ' ' '