Angels at Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (4-3) are above .500 for the first time since April 14, 2015 as they host the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series beginning Monday, and are starting to win the close ones. Oakland completed a three-game sweep in Seattle with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings Sunday, improving to 3-2 in one-run games this season after finishing a franchise-worst 19-35 in such contests in 2015.
The Athletics hope a healthy Coco Crisp continues to be a positive factor as the 36-year-old center fielder, who played only 44 games last season because of a neck injury, belted a home run in the 10th inning Sunday - his first since Aug. 27, 2014. Los Angeles (2-4) opens a 10-game road trip after salvaging a split of their four-game set against Texas with Sunday's 3-1 victory. The Angels are hitting .200 in the early going - as is Mike Trout, who drove in his first two runs of the season Sunday. Los Angeles' Albert Pujols is off to a worse start (3-for-24) and is slow out of the gates for the second straight season after hitting .208 last April. Oakland ace Sonny Gray pitched well in his belated season debut and looks to build on his stellar record in April while opposing Nick Tropeano, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake City to replace Andrew Heaney (left flexor muscle strain) in the rotation.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Nick Tropeano (2015: 3-2, 3.82 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Sonny Gray (1-0, 1.29)
Tropeano, who was among the last cuts in spring training, was scratched from what was to be his season-opening start in Salt Lake City on Friday. The 25-year-old New Yorker defeated Oakland twice in his rookie season of 2015, permitting one run and eight hits while striking out 16 over 12 1/3 innings in his two turns versus the Athletics. Tropeano allowed 12 runs and five homers among 19 hits in 16 2/3 frames covering five starts in the spring.
Gray allowed one run, three hits and four walks while striking out five in seven innings of Oakland's 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday after his campaign was delayed two days because of the flu. The 26-year-old Tennessee native is 8-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 11 career April starts. Gray has fared well against Pujols (6-for-28, home run) and Trout (5-for-28, two homers, 11 strikeouts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Pujols has 1,701 RBIs and is one short of tying Reggie Jackson for 23rd place on the all-time list.
2. Athletics RHP Ryan Madson hasn't yielded a run in 16 straight regular-season games (15 innings).
3. Los Angeles won the 2015 season series 11-8 and took five of the nine meetings at O.co Coliseum.