Piscotty Leads Resourceful Athletics Past Angels, 7-4
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Piscotty homered and drove in two runs, and Mike Fiers pitched six solid innings in the Oakland Athletics' 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
Ramon Laureano had two RBIs and Mark Canha reached base four times for the A's, who rebounded from a five-game skid by taking two of three in Anaheim.
Mike Trout hit a two-run homer for the Angels, who have lost three of four.
The A's cobbled together six runs in a two-inning stretch without an extra-base hit against Tyler Skaggs (4-6). Laureano had an RBI single and a sacrifice fly during the rallies.
One night after these teams played the longest nine-inning game in Angel Stadium history in a glacial 4 hours, 13 minutes, Oakland won another deliberately paced game behind Fiers (5-3), who yielded seven hits and three runs while earning his second career victory at the Big A.
The Halos dropped the series to their California rivals with a weak performance including three errors and a second straight night of ineffective pitching.
Skaggs couldn't get an out in the fifth inning, matching his shortest start of the season on a night when Los Angeles was hoping for a lengthy outing from its left-hander. Skaggs yielded six singles and four walks in his fourth consecutive winless start.
Skaggs gave up a few hard-hit balls early, but Trout made a running catch at the wall and Kole Calhoun made a diving grab to keep the A's off the board.
Oakland scored three in the fourth inning with four consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly during a rally that began with Piscotty's single. The A's added three more in the fifth with just one hit, capitalizing on three walks, two errors and two more sacrifice flies.
Trout trimmed Oakland's lead to 6-3 in the fifth with his 16th homer, a two-run shot that went 403 feet. The two-time AL MVP homered in his second straight game and the fourth time in his last seven games.
Piscotty hit a solo shot in the seventh off Jaime Barria, who pitched five innings of three-hit relief that included five consecutive strikeouts late.
Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 and scored a run for the Angels. The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year has a hit in seven of his last nine games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Jharel Cotton had surgery on his right hamstring, delaying his return from Tommy John surgery. Cotton, who hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2017, made three recent minor league appearances. "Obviously it's going to be some time, at least a few weeks" until Cotton gets back on a mound, manager Bob Melvin said. "At least he can still keep his arm in shape, but that's going to set him back considerably."
Angels: Andrelton Simmons fielded grounders before the game, taking another step in his return from a sprained ankle last month. The Gold Glove shortstop still has no firm date for his return, but he is also taking swings.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.95 ERA) takes the mound when Oakland opens a four-game series at Texas, which will start Lance Lynn (7-4, 4.50). The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday.
Angels: Andrew Heaney (0-0, 4.09 ERA) makes his third start of the season when Los Angeles opens a three-game home series with the Seattle Mariners, who counter with Marco Gonzales (5-6, 4.89).
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