Cesar Puello capped a huge day by scoring the go-ahead run in a five-run 11th inning Wednesday afternoon as the Los Angeles Angels made it two straight over the host Oakland Athletics with a 12-7 triumph in the finale of a three-game series.
The uprising allowed Los Angeles to finally put the game away after the A's twice rallied from two-run deficits in the last two innings of regulation, using home runs by Matt Olson in the eighth, his seventh of the season, and Mark Canha in the ninth, his ninth, as the driving forces in the comeback.
After a scoreless 10th, Puello led off the 11th by getting hit on the wrist by a pitch from Oakland's seventh pitcher, Lou Trivino (2-1).
A walk, sacrifice bunt, error, intentional walk and passed ball plated the Angels' first two runs of the inning before Tommy La Stella contributed an RBI single and Jonathan Lucroy a two-run single to extend the lead to five.
Noe Ramirez (2-0), who pitched the final two innings for the Angels, was credited with the win.
Promoted from Triple-A on Tuesday, Puello singled home two runs in his first big-league at-bat since 2017 and later smacked his first career home run, a two-run shot.
Puello, a 28-year-old who got a total of 39 plate appearances for the Angels and Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, finished the day 3-for-6 with two runs scored and four RBIs, recording the second three-hit day of his career while amassing more RBIs in one afternoon than he had when he totaled three in 17 games in 2017.
Puello's two-run, first-inning single spoiled right-hander Liam Hendriks' ninth career start as an "opener," his first this season.
After a solo home run by the A's Marcus Semien, his seventh, in the third inning, the Angels went up 3-1 in the fifth on an RBI single by Brian Goodwin and then 5-1 in the seventh on Puello's two-run homer off A's reliever Yusmeiro Petit.
Daniel Mengden took over for Hendriks in the second inning and pitched into the sixth, limiting the Angels to one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings.
Angels right-hander Griffin Canning was pulled with a four-run lead after six innings, charged with one run on three hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
La Stella joined Puello with three hits for the Angels, who managed 12 runs and 16 hits despite giving Mike Trout the day off.
Puello, Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Luis Rengifo scored twice apiece in the win.
Canha, Semien, Stephen Piscotty and Ramon Laureano had two hits each for the A's, who lost their second straight after a 10-game winning streak.
--Field Level Media
LA Angels | Oakland | |
Griffin Canning | Player | Liam Hendriks |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
6.0 | IP | 1.0 |
5 | Strikeouts | 1 |
3 | Hits | 2 |
1.50 | ERA | 18.00 |
LA Angels | Oakland | |
Cesar Puello | Player | Mark Canha |
3 | Hits | 2 |
4 | RBI | 1 |
1 | HR | 1 |
6 | TB | 5 |
.500 | Avg | .500 |