Angels 6, A's 5
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Right-hander Garrett Richards pitched six solid innings and the Los Angeles Angels survived Oakland's furious ninth-inning rally to beat the A's 6-5 on Thursday afternoon at O.co Coliseum.
Richards (2-1) allowed one run and four hits, struck out five and walked three as the Angels beat the A's for the second straight time to take two of three in the series.
The A's trailed 6-2 entering the bottom of the ninth but rallied for three runs on four hits. With the bases loaded and two outs, A's first baseman Ike Davis hit a deep fly to center off closer Huston Street, but Angels center fielder Mike Trout made a leaping catch near the fence for the final out.
The Angels had 12 hits despite first baseman and No. 3 hitter Albert Pujols missing the game with a tight left hamstring.
Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun, batting fourth for the first time this season, went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs. Shortstop Erick Aybar was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Trout, batting third for the first time this year, had two hits, including a double, walked twice and scored two runs in three at-bats.
Angels third baseman David Freese had three hits and an RBI, and rookie third baseman Taylor Featherston went 1-for-2 with his first major-league hit and scored his first two runs in his second career start in the big leagues.
The A's (9-14) lost for the fifth time in their past six games and fell a season-worst five games below .500. They went 1-5 on their homestand and will open a 10-game road trip Friday against Texas. The A's fell to 0-8 in day games and 0-7 in the final game of series.
Oakland rookie left fielder Mark Canha went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs. Right fielder Josh Reddick went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to eight games.
In the bottom of the ninth, Angels right-hander Vinnie Pestano walked designated hitter Billy Butler. Reddick singled Butler to third, and Street entered the game.
Third baseman Brett Lawrie and Canha had back-to-back RBI singles, and pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt walked, loading the bases. Huston retired pinch-hitter Max Muncy on a popup, but center fielder Sam Fuld lined an RBI single to center, making it 6-5.
Shortstop Marcus Semien popped up to second baseman Johnny Giavotella in shallow right field for the second out. Then Trout caught Davis' deep fly to end the game.
A's right-hander Jesse Chavez (0-2), making his second start of the season and first since joining the rotation, allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Chavez made a spot start on April 23 against the Angels at Angel Stadium. He allowed two runs and one hit, but it was a two-run homer by Calhoun in a 2-0 loss to the Angels.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Catcher Drew Butera lined a leadoff single to center, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored with two outs on Giavotella's single to center.
The Angels extended their lead to 4-0 in the fifth. Featherston grounded a leadoff single to right. Aybar grounded a single to center, moving Featherston to second, and both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt.
Chavez walked Trout intentionally, loading the bases and bringing Calhoun to the plate. Calhoun singled sharply to right field, driving in Featherston and Aybar as Trout raced to third. Trout scored on Freese's fielder's choice ground ball when the A's couldn't turn a double play.
The Angels made it 5-0 in the fifth. Left-hander Eric O'Flaherty walked Featherston with two outs and Aybar hit an RBI double to left center.
The Angels added a run in the seventh. Trout led off with a double to left against Ryan Cook and scored on Calhoun's single.
After giving up a leadoff single to Reddick in the seventh, Richards gave way to right-hander Mike Morin. With one out, Canha launched a two-run shot to left, cutting the Angels' lead to 6-2.
NOTES: Angels 1B Albert Pujols (left hamstring tightness) was out of the lineup. "No worse than yesterday, which is a good sign, but it's obviously sore and we'll just take it day to day with Albert," manager Mike Scioscia said. Pujols was hurt in the top of the sixth inning Wednesday while running to first base on a single. ... Angels CF Mike Trout moved down one spot in the batting order to third, taking Pujols' spot. RF Kole Calhoun, who is batting .309, moved from leadoff to fourth. "I think out of all the guys you'd want to hit behind Mike, right now it's Kole," Scioscia said. "You want to make (pitchers) pick their poison." ... A's rookie OF/INF Mark Canha was in the starting lineup for the first time since Friday and made his first appearance since Saturday. He has been in a batting slump and battling an illness. "He feels a lot better now," manager Bob Melvin said. ... A's closer Sean Doolittle (strained left shoulder) threw his second bullpen session Thursday. He threw 25 pitches, mixing fastballs and changeups. "Felt great," Melvin said.