Ramon Laureano returned from a 17-game absence because of a hip injury and homered for the Oakland Athletics in an 8-4 win against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon.
Matt Olson had three hits, Chad Pinder had two hits after entering the game as a pinch-hitter in a six-run sixth inning and Mark Canha drove in two runs for the Athletics, who completed the three-game sweep with their sixth straight win.
Oakland starter Cole Irvin went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and nine hits. He struck out two and walked two. Burch Smith (1-0) retired all four batters he faced in relief, striking out two.
Shohei Ohtani homered into the upper deck in right for the second straight game, giving him 19 on the season for Los Angeles.
Angels right-hander Griffin Canning allowed two runs and three hits in five innings.
The Angels were leading 4-2 when Tony Watson replaced Canning to start the sixth. Watson (2-3) was unable to record an out while facing six batters, all of whom scored.
Watson gave up three straight singles to score the first run, and Pinder followed with an RBI single to tie it 4-4.
Following an intentional walk and a Tony Kemp RBI single, Steve Cishek replaced Watson and threw a wild pitch to score a run and make it 6-4.
Canha drove in a run with a groundout, and Olson followed with an RBI single for an 8-4 lead.
The bullpen for the Angels had a similar meltdown in their 6-4 loss Tuesday. Los Angeles had pulled its starter in the sixth with the score tied 2-2 and a runner on first with nobody out. Cishek walked the first two batters before the A's scored three runs in the inning.
The Angels built an early 4-0 lead in the series finale on RBI singles by Max Stassi, Taylor Ward and Phil Gosselin in the first inning, and Ohtani's homer in the second.
Laureano robbed Justin Upton of a homer to end the top of the fourth and then hit a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 4-1.
Oakland added a run on a fielder's choice groundout by Canha in the fifth to make it 4-2.
--Field Level Media
LA Angels | Oakland | |
Griffin Canning | Player | Cole Irvin |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.0 | IP | 5.2 |
2 | Strikeouts | 2 |
3 | Hits | 9 |
3.60 | ERA | 6.35 |
LA Angels | Oakland | |
Phil Gosselin | Player | Matt Olson |
2 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 3 |
.667 | Avg | .750 |