Game Preview: Athletics At Angels

(AP) - Oakland continues to flaunt offensive balance, while the Los Angeles Angels have been plagued by a lack of production from multiple spots in the lineup.

The Athletics look to send the Angels to a season-high fourth straight loss Tuesday night in Anaheim.

Oakland (7-7) won 6-3 Monday to open the four-game series with seven players recording a hit. Stephen Vogt hit a go-ahead three-run homer, his fourth of the year, pushing his team-leading RBI total to 12. Marcus Semien also homered and Billy Butler was 2 for 3, picking up where he left off after snapping a 12-game hitting streak Sunday.

The A's are hitting .278 with five players batting .286 or better while appearing in at least 11 games, and six have driven in at least seven runs.

"What I'm learning is that it doesn't matter where you're hitting in the order," said Vogt, who hit third for the first time this season. "You take care of your at-bat the same way you would in every other spot in the lineup, because we jumble things so often here."

The Angels (5-8) are hitting .214, going 2 for 24 with runners in scoring position during a three-game losing streak. The leadoff and cleanup spots, occupied primarily by Kole Calhoun and Matt Joyce, have been black holes especially, as their Nos. 1 and 4 hitters have gone a combined 20 for 102 with 25 strikeouts.

Los Angeles' rotation has struggled too, posting a 5.25 ERA. Matt Shoemaker gave up five runs and seven hits with three walks in three-plus innings Monday.

Hector Santiago (1-1, 2.92 ERA) may be able to help turn it around, though, having gone 2-0 with a 0.91 ERA in five career starts against Oakland.

He limited Texas to one run on a homer over seven innings while winning 10-2 on the road Wednesday. Santiago has never been a very economical pitcher, averaging 18.1 pitches per inning for his career, but was more efficient than in his season debut. He threw 103 pitches after needing 100 to get through 5 1-3 innings versus Kansas City.

Fellow southpaw Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 3.00) is looking to get off to a better start after giving up four runs in five-plus innings of a 6-1 loss at Houston on Wednesday. He dug himself an early hole by surrendering a double and home run within the first three at-bats.

Los Angeles' Nos. 2, 3 and 5 hitters Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and David Freese are a combined 3 for 22 off Pomeranz, who is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in four appearances against the Angels. Los Angeles is also 3 for its last 24 against left-handers.

Oakland's Ben Zobrist could miss the entire series after leaving Sunday versus Kansas City with a sore left knee, according to MLB's official website, though an MRI showed no ligament damage. Eric Sogard doubled while starting in his place at second base Monday.

Zobrist is third on the team with eight RBIs and tied for third with eight runs.

"He hits in the three spot every day, so we're losing a significant guy here for a couple days," manager Bob Melvin said. "It just means we've got less bullets to fire, too, over the course of a game. But over the course of a season that happens."

Updated April 21, 2015