Sixth-inning outburst sends A's past Angels
Marcus Semien ignited a four-run sixth inning with a leadoff home run and Stephen Piscotty capped it with a two-out, two-run single, sending the Oakland Athletics to a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday afternoon in Oakland, Calif.
Left-hander Sean Manaea (6-6) overcame a three-run homer by the Angels' Chris Young to pitch six effective innings, helping Oakland end a four-game losing streak and even the three-game series at 1-1 following Los Angeles' 8-4 win on Friday.
Thanks to Young's homer, his fourth of the season, the Angels took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth before the A's finally got to Los Angeles starter John Lamb and reliever Noe Ramirez (2-3).
Semien smacked Lamb's fourth pitch of the inning over the fence in center field for his sixth homer of the season, trimming the Oakland deficit to 3-2.
That was it for Lamb, who was making his first big league start since 2016. The left-hander went five-plus innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out five.
Ramirez hit two of the first four batters he faced -- Chad Pinder and Matt Olson -- and mixed in a walk to Khris Davis, loading the bases with one out.
After getting a second out, Ramirez walked Jonathan Lucroy to force in the game-tying run, after which Piscotty delivered his difference-making single that put Oakland ahead to stay at 5-3.
The A's added a run in the seventh on a triple by Pinder and an RBI single by Jed Lowrie, then held on as closer Blake Treinen walked Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to open the ninth with a three-run lead.
Facing the potential tying run, Treinen got Martin Maldonado to fly out and then struck out Young, before pinch hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez singled in Trout to get the Angels within 6-4.
Treinen then wrapped up his 15th save by inducing Luis Valbuena to ground out to second to end the game with the potential tying runs aboard.
A's relievers Yusmeiro Petit, Lou Trivino and Treinen combined for three innings of one-run ball after Manaea had gone the first six, allowing three runs and four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
Pinder collected a home run, a triple and a single on a 3-for-3 day and also scored three runs and drove in one for the A's, who improved to 4-5 on their 10-game homestand that ends Sunday.
Pinder's homer, which opened the game's scoring in the fourth inning, was his sixth of the season.
Young had the only extra-base hit for the Angels, who have lost five of six.
His fifth-inning homer followed singles by Pujols and Maldonado after Manaea had retired the first 12 batters he faced.
Each team finished with six hits.
--Field Level Media
