Game #55: Athletics Grab 10th Straight Win Against Angels

Batting was the key activity in today’s matchup of the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels at the Coliseum that led to the Athletics’ 10^th consecutive win, defeating the Angels 8-5. The Oakland Athletics’ scoring was a team effort as usual, and today’s charge was led by Robbie Grossman, Josh Phegley and Matt Chapman. Amidst it all, Ramon Laureano extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the third inning with a double off of by Trevor Cahill. And, because of this combined effort, it was less painful when Matt Olson struck out swinging in his first two at-bats and a third time in the 7th. Chris Bassitt picked up his 3^rd win of the season

In the second inning with one out, Ramon Laureano hit a hanging curveball for a double. Phegley, in his first at-bat, struck out swinging on a fastball up in the zone after multiple sinkers and changeups from Trevor Cahill. Semien then manufactured a walk to join Laureano on the base path. This was an excellent at-bat where he dominated a knuckle curve, sinker, changeup and four seam fastball as part of the pitch mixes. Then came Robbie Grossman for his first game changing at-bat. In this at bat, he hit a changeup for an RBI double to right field, scoring Laureano with Semien held at third. Matt Chapman ended the inning with a fly ball to center field, but this overall team effort tied the game at 1-1.

In the fifth, Josh Phegley demonstrated his wheelhouse when he hit a left field homer just over the wall. Robbie Grossman followed with his second double of the day (9^th on the season) on a sharp liner to right field off of an 82 MPH Cahill pitch. Chapman then had a frayed splinter single that advanced Grossman to third. While that ended the day for Cahill, it didn’t end the scoring. Chappy advanced to second on a ball in the dirt with good heads up running. With runners on second and third, Piscotty came through with a huge 2 RBI single to catapult the A’s ahead 6-3 in the 5^th. Canha almost kept it going, but a diving smother and pop up throw by Angels third baseman LaStella beat Canha to first for the third out.

Scoring by the Athletics continued in the 7^th inning. Semien lined out to second baseman Luis Rengifo and was followed by a Grossman pop up to shortstop David Fletcher. Then, Matt Chapman stepped into the batter’s box. In a deep shot sown the left field line, Chapman picked up his 14^th homer of the season. This is Chapman’s third straight game with a home run. This gave the Athletics an extra insurance run, putting the A’s ahead 7-5. The seventh ended with Matt Olson’s third swinging strikeout of the game.

In the 8^th, the Athletics put an insurance run on the board. Stephen Piscotty had his 11^th double of the season and his second hit of the game by taking the ball to the Athletics’ popular hitting ground of the day (the left field line). Mark Canha then extended the lead with a gentle RBI grounder through the shift on the right side. Although Profar hit into a 3-6-1 double play, that couldn’t dampen the mood in the colesium.

In total, the Athletics had 8 runs on 10 hits in 33 at-bats. There were two Athletic walks, seven strikeouts with seven left stranded on the day.