Sometimes looks are deceiving and tonight was one of those times as the excellent pitching match-up between Jarrod Parker and C.J. Wilson. Yet, it never came to pass.
Wilson retired the first two batters to open the game before running into trouble. He walked Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes and was visibly upset of what he thought were strikes got called balls. Derek Norris worked a 3-1 count and lined a single to plate the first run of the game for the Oakland Athletics.
What looked like a rbi single by Josh Donaldson actually turned out to load the bases as Wilson got help from the Los Angeles Angels defense. Any hope of limiting the damage didn’t happen as Brandon Moss plated two with a single and Nate Freiman walked before Scott Sizemore bounced into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
The A’s picked up a single run in the second on a solo home run by Coco Crisp marking the fourth straight game with a homer.
For Parker he got himself into trouble in the first, yet came away unscathed as he struck out Josh Hamilton and then induced a double play ground ball by Mark Trumbo.
An infield single by Erick Aybar and a single by Albert Pujols opened the third inning and another opportunity for Hamilton arose. He put the ball in play this time and Cespedes made an outstanding catch robbing him of extra bases and of at least one run driven in.
It also gave the opportunity to get the ball in and get Pujols at first for a double play. Even with the excellent defense Paker didn’t get out of the inning without giving up any runs. Trumbo blooped a single over Lowrie to score Brendan Harris who came into the game for Aybar who suffered a heel injury.
A single by Howie Kendrick put two runners on and Alberto Callaspo drove in a run on another base hit. With the runners moving Chris Iannetta hit the ball right at Donaldson who stepped on third to end the inning.
Finally in the fourth Parker got done in as he gave up another leadoff hit he did get Mike Trout to pop the ball into shallow right and there was a miscommunication between right fielder Chris Young and Sizemore. (Sizemore left the game with a sprained left knee). The ball dropped in and the next batter Harris sacrifice the two over. Pujols then got hit with a pitch and Bob Melvin removed Parker in favor of Chris Resop.
This was the third opportunity for Hamilton to get a run in and after working a 3-2 count got jammed by Resop who threw home for the first out of the inning and got in on the hands of Trumbo who grounded to Donaldson.
An ugly sixth gave the Angles the lead. Trout tripled, Harris then sent a pitch into right field that Young dropped. Lowrie couldn’t handle a grounder from Pujols and that ended the night for Pat Neshek who had taken over at the start of the inning.
Coming into the game Jerry Blevins, who faced Hamilton who finally got an rbi this on a sacrifice fly. Ryan Cook then came in got Trumbo to hit into a fielder’s choice, before Kendrick tripled as Young took a poor route to the ball. Callaspo ended the inning by striking out.
Mike Scioscia went to the bullpen and brought in Scott Downs. Crisp greeted him with an infield single before he retired the next two batters. Kevin Jepsen got called into face Cespedes who drew a walk and during the at-bat Crisp stole second.
Pinch hitting for Norris, was John Jaso and he homered on the second pitch he saw. The A’s weren’t finished scoring as Donaldson singled and Moss hit a two-run shot.
The Angels made things interesting in the ninth as closer Grant Balfour allowed a leadoff single and after getting two more outs he threw a wild pitch allowing the runner to get to third and then walked Iannetta before getting Peter Bourjous to foul out.
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