Richards leaves early as Angels blank A's
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-0, but got a scare when right-hander Garrett Richards had to leave the game with right biceps cramping in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday night.
Richards blanked the A's on three hits over 4 2/3 innings in his first start since May 1 last season, which ended early for him because of a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Richards, who opted for stem cell treatments over Tommy John surgery, threw 76 pitches Wednesday and, according to the Angels, left the game for precautionary reasons. He struck out four and walked one.
Kole Calhoun went 3-for-5 and scored a run for the Angels, who beat the A's for the second straight time after losing to them on Opening Day.
Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and scored a run. Mike Trout went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a double, his fourth extra-base hit of the series. Danny Espinosa drove in two runs.
A's right-hander Jharel Cotton (0-1) allowed five runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Angels relievers Jose Alvarez, JC Ramirez (1-0) and Yusmeiro Petit combined to blank the A's on three hits over the final 4 1/3 innings.
The Angels grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. C.J. Cron lined a one-out single to center, moved to second on a walk to Cameron Maybin and scored on Simmons' opposite-field double down the right-field line.
Espinosa drove in Maybin and Simmons with a single.
The Angels extended their lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
Yunel Escobar walked with one out, moved to third on Calhoun's hit-and-run single to right and scored on Trout's single to center. Albert Pujols grounded a hit-and-run single, scoring Calhoun and knocking Cotton out of the game.
NOTES: A's RHP John Axford was placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained right shoulder. Axford felt tightness in his shoulder after throwing a curveball while warming up in the bullpen Tuesday night. This marks his first stint on the DL in his eight-year career. The A's recalled RHP Jesse Hahn from Triple-A Nashville to take Axford's place. ... Angels backup C Carlos Perez will make his first start of the season Thursday afternoon in the series finale against Oakland. ... A's RHP Chris Bassitt threw to hitters Wednesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 16.