A's 3, Angels 2
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Left-hander Scott Kazmir gave up one run over 7 1/3 innings, and the Oakland A's defeated the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Sunday at the O.co Coliseum, taking two of three games to win the series.
Kazmir had lost four straight starts against the Angels, one of his three former teams, before ending that streak. He gave up six hits, struck out six, walked three and threw a season-high 112 pitches.
Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols hit his American League-leading 21st home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning off closer Tyler Clippard, cutting Oakland's lead to 3-2.
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards (7-5) gave up three runs on eight hits over seven innings as his two-game winning streak ended. It was his third straight quality start since allowing six runs on five hits in just two-thirds of an inning in an 8-2 loss to the Yankees on June 6.
The A's took a 3-0 lead into the eighth inning, but Kazmir walked second baseman Johnny Giavotella, then left the game after retiring right fielder Kole Calhoun. Clippard, who had a four-out save Saturday in a 4-1 victory against the Angels, got center fielder Mike Trout on a fly ball to left field, but Pujols crushed his 3-2 fastball deep into the left-field seats.
In the top of the ninth, Clippard struck out catcher Carlos Perez, but pinch hitter Matt Joyce reached on a fielding error by first baseman Ike Davis. Clippard struck out first baseman Efren Navarro looking, and Giavotella flied out to left fielder Sam Fuld at the wall to end the game. Clippard got his 12th save of the season.
Third baseman Brett Lawrie went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in a run for the A's.
The A's snapped a scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the third when Fuld pulled a double down the right-field line with one out and scored on center fielder Billy Burns' opposite-field single to left. Burns extended his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career high.
The Angels put two runners on base in the first and third innings and had a runner on second in the fourth, but Kazmir pitched his way out of each jam. The Angels put a runner on in the fifth and the sixth, but Kazmir got inning-ending double plays both times.
Oakland extended its lead to 3-0 with two runs in the sixth. Catcher Stephen Vogt lined a leadoff single to left and hustled to third when second baseman Ben Zobrist grounded a single to center. Lawrie brought Vogt home with a sharp one-out single to left, and Davis followed with a run-scoring single.
NOTES: Angels RHP Jered Weaver (left hip inflammation) was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Weaver, who has lost four straight starts, will undergo an MRI and a battery of tests Monday. "We just need to make sure we get this behind us and he can get back on path," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. The Angels have an off day Thursday and won't need a fifth starter until June 30 vs. the Yankees. ... The Angels called up OF Alfredo Marte from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Weaver's spot on the 25-man roster. Marte went 1-for-4 in two games with the Angels earlier this season. He hit .174 in 66 games with Arizona in 2013 and 2014. ... The A's claimed OF Jake Smolinski off waivers from the Texas Rangers and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville. Smolinski, 26, hit just .133 with one home run and six RBIs in 35 games over three stints this season with the Rangers, who designated him for assignment Friday. Last year he hit .249 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 24 games with the Rangers. ... Scioscia managed his 2,500th regular-season major-league game Sunday, all with the Angels. He's the 11th manager in major-league history to manage one franchise for at least 2,500 games. ... A's DH/1B Billy Butler, who is batting .209 over his past 13 games, was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game but will start Tuesday at Texas.