A’s mistakes in 11th inning help Angels win series
The Athletics get Thursday off to get their pitching staff in order after losing an 11-inning game to the Angels.
OAKLAND — The Athletics came back twice to tie a game that looked lost but couldn’t close the deal in a 12-7 defeat in 11 innings to the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday before a Coliseum crowd of 21,185.
After throwing a scoreless 10th inning, reliever Lou Trivino (2-1) played a role in his own demise in the 11th as the A’s fell to 29-27 with their second straight loss. Angels reliever Noe Ramirez (2-0) retired the Athletics in the bottom of the ninth for the win.
Trivino began the 11th by hitting Kole Calhoun with a pitch and then walked Brian Goodwin. Luis Rengifo then dropped a bunt that was fielded by first baseman Matt Olson. Olson looked to third, then threw the ball away at first for an error, with one run scoring and putting runners at second and third. A passed ball by catcher Josh Phegley brought in the second run and the Angels had a 9-7 lead without the benefit of a hit.
The hits would come, however, with Tommy LaStella hitting a single off Trivino to make it 10-7 and Jonathan Lucroy eventually hitting a two-run single off Aaron Brooks to cap a five-run inning as the Angels improved to 26-29.
Trailing 7-5 in the ninth, Mark Canha led off with a solo home run (his ninth) over the center field fence against Angels closer Hansel Robles to bring the A’s within a run. Jurickson Profar followed with a double and Ramon Laureano reached on an infield single to put runners at first and third.
Phegley tied the game 7-7 with a sacrifice fly to left, with Robles recovering to get Marcus Semien on a fly to right and Robbie Grossman on a grounder to second to send the game into extra innings.
After the A’s had tied the game a in the eighth, the Angels got two runs in the top of the ninth against Blake Treinen. Rengifo doubled to right center to score Brian Goodwin, and Jared Walsh followed with a bloop single to right to bring in the second run.
The Athletics tied it 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth on Olson’s two-run, two-out home run against Luis Garcia. Semien opened the inning with a bloop single, followed by a deep fly out to Grossman and then a strikeout by Matt Chapman.
Rookie starter Griffin Canning gave up one run through six innings before being pulled after 92 pitches in favor of Justin Anderson. Anderson quickly loaded the bases in the seventh on a walk to Matt Olson, a double by Stephen Piscotty and Canha on a hit by pitch.
The next two batters, Profar and Laureano, each hit ground balls hit too softly to turn double plays, with Olson and Piscotty each scoring on a fielders choice.
Liam Hendriks, who started as an “opener,” retired David Fletcher on a fly out to open the game, but then got into trouble by giving up a single to Tommy LaStella before walking Shohei Ohtani and Jonathan Lucroy back-to-back to load the bases.
Calhoun was retired on a fly to shallow left, with the runners holding, before Cesar Puello singled to right center to drive in both LaStella and Ohtani and give the Angels a 2-0 lead.
Semien’s solo home run (his seventh) with two out in the third got the Athletics within a run, with the Angels adding a run in the fifth on Goodwin’s two-out run scoring single.
Walks again helped the Angels in the inning, as Daniel Mengden walked both Calhoun and Puello after striking out the first two batters of the inning. Goodwin’s single ethen brought in Calhoun.
The Angels added to their lead against Yusmeiro Petit in the top of the seventh when Calhoun singled and Puello launched a two-run home run to deep left for a 5-1 lead.