After a heartbreaking loss last night in the J.T. Ginn near no-hitter the A’s needed to regroup for game two of the four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Jacob Lopez gets the start tonight against Reid Detmers for the Angels.
Detmers was on fire the first two innings, striking out 5 of the first six A’s he faced. But that magic ran out in the top of the third after singles from McNeil, Hernaiz and Nick Kurtz plated the first run of the night. Colby Thomas then
doubled into the center field gap driving in Hernaiz and Kurtz. Brent Rooker dropped an RBI single into left field, scoring Thomas from second. Henry Bolte drove his first double into the bleachers to move Rooker to third. Zack Gelof singled to center to score both Rooker and Bolte. The seven hit barrage scored six runs giving the A’s a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the third. Mike Trout led off the inning with his twelfth home of the year to close the gap to 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, Oswald Peraza singled to lead off the inning. Jose Siri doubled, moving Peraza to third. Zack Neto, last night’s villain walked to load the bases for Mike Trout. He worked a full count before walking to drive in the second run of the night for the Angels. Vaughn Grissom singled to drive in two more runs. Kotsay had seen enough and pulled Lopez, replacing him with Justin Sterner. Sterner got the final out, but not before the Angels climbed back into this one 6-4.
Jack Perkins replaced Justin Sterner in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jonah Heim doubled with one out, and Darell Hernaiz walked. That chased Detmers and brought Shea Langeliers, who was leading off as the DH tonight, to the plate. He walked (with the final pitch being a pitch clock violation. That loaded the bases for Nick Kurtz. Kurtz singled and drove in two, his second and third RBI on the night. That increased the lead to 8-4 for the A’s.
Perkins, after a successful fifth inning, returned to pitch the sixth. Zack Neto doubled off the left field wall to open the inning. But he was stranded at third when the inning was over.
Zack Gelof hit his sixth homer of the year with two down in the seventh, extending the lead to 9-4. Scott Barlow tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Nick Kurtz didn’t want to settle for just three RBI’s tonight, logging two more with a two-run double scoring McNeil and Langeliers.
Rooker ripped a homer into left field scoring Kurtz and bringing the score to 13-4!
Hogan Harris replaced Barlow. He hit Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe doubled. Josh Lowe doubled driving in two. The A’s answered once again in the ninth when Gelof singled and scored on a Darell Hernaiz base hit. That brought the lead to 14-6 for the Athletics. Joel Kuhnel entered to pitch the ninth. He put a few runners on but slammed the door without giving up a run. The two teams go back at it again tomorrow night.
