Messi Returns As Argentina Reaches Copa Semis
OAKLAND, Calif. -- — Lawrence Butler homered, JP Sears won for the first time in more than a month, and the Oakland Athletics blanked the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday for a second straight game by the same 5-0 score to complete a three-game series sweep.
Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker hit back-to-back RBI singles in the third and Tyler Soderstrom added a sacrifice fly in the decisive inning on a hot Independence Day in the Bay Area, with an announced holiday crowd of 11,956.
Oakland's pitching shut down an Angels lineup that had been on quite an offensive run.
“This offense that we faced had scored five or more runs in (seven) consecutive games, they had won six of their last seven, they swept us in Anaheim, beat a Detroit team at home, came here really confident and really swinging the bats well," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “So our pitching staff really did a great job this series of controlling their offense, keeping the guys that had really been providing the offense at check and not giving away free bases.”
Sears (5-7) struck out six and walked one, allowing two hits over five innings to snap a six-start winless stretch since beating Houston on May 25. The left-hander had dropped his previous four decisions.
“It's contagious, you just want to do what the guy did before you,” Sears said.
The Angels lost a fourth straight game coming off a 5-0 shutout Wednesday. They were shut out in consecutive games for the first time since June 20-21, 2023 at home against the Dodgers.
The club now has a six-game losing streak at the Coliseum.
"It was just a tough overall series," said center fielder Kevin Pillar, who made several sparkling catches and said he was close to snagging Butler's eighth inning drive. “We were playing really good baseball at home, you got that off day, you come here, just playing these guys not a lot of secrets.”
Right-hander Roansy Contreras (1-1) walked two of the first three batters in the third to get in trouble, then gave up the run-scoring singles and a sacrifice fly before another walk — and that was it in his second start for the Angels. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings.
The Angels played the first of four straight day games as they head to Chicago to face the Cubs — their first visit to Wrigley Field since 2019.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: OF Mike Trout hit on the field off a tee during Monday's off day and is running on a treadmill as he recovers from a torn meniscus in his left knee. Manager Ron Washington saw the video and said “he looked natural.” ... 3B Luis Rengifo was feeling better after exiting a night earlier with an injury on his lower right arm near the wrist after fouling a ball off it in the ninth inning. ... 3B Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain) will return to regular third base duties when healthy, with some games at designated hitter as needed, Washington said.
Athletics: LHP Kyle Muller has rejoined the team from his rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the injured list this weekend after dealing with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder.
UP NEXT
RHP Griffin Canning (3-8, 4.71 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels in the series opener with the Cubs. LHP Hogan Harris (1-2, 3.18) pitches for the A's in Friday’s series opener against Baltimore, which counters with RHP Albert Suárez (4-2, 2.43).
------
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Aqi3rbCf1cDC5hnKeSfUJPcqOaTYsEUKmZstR8NiCGU ?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=35c8dc7104f2f1a538b62e71f9b965418a6da6d8Chs06rx0thk41 ?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=6fe33c1f68f10a38dc0423da63fad64a9051a16cDungeons Dragons 2024 Dungeons Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures 1 Cover A By George Kambadais Esau Reyes Death Main Sheet ?1674020060Mirai Side A Thanatos ?1648747146129769311 103057678283385 3452492326483495626 N Da8c3369b35a2f0c9a4d7b80df9e248a 9a8b3cd819776481d96fdb4b380d52fe Character Concept Character Design 377px Pharasma 4 2a106dfbee4b4f3f0dc0b21d2412f11b Tumblr O6o940UW0P1ukgbqco5 1280 Latest?cb=20230720164113256201734ff9f6911f172433522f44ee Mythological Creatures Deities Latest?cb=202208080010284bc8d119bcaad475245dedc4c3e511b0 God Of Death By Akizero1510 Daabdb4 Fullview ?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTAwMCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2U0NmE0OGViLTNkMGItNDQ5ZS05MGRjLTBhMWIzMWNiMTM2MVwvZGFhYmRiNC1lMWZjZTI2OC1hZDViLTRmMTItODQ4Zi1jM2IzYzFkMzljMjMuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTcwNyJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.0Roc32kQ2la9bdDL7frQEr7IQMhNB8ErVkU VisMeUQMangouu Deathwolf ?1673294333Herbert Castillo Losloso Lobo Death 4 ?1674158144Latest?cb=20230113172929&path Prefix=pt BrHenrik Martensson The Dungeon Of Death Pano 360 V03 Final V01 ?1664110539Il 570xN.2495434468 71qb The Shinigami The God Of Death In My Dnd Setting V0 9vyqelyw5zv91 ?auto=webp&s=022c8cac4bffe5488b5e17a718313ba579f03a82Vladislav Ogorodnyk Kelemvor F1 ?153839609934037dd8a97f6692514ba0850135c5e5 Img 2049 Png.3357781000 F 559755076 MnNx6bzO25TbEZAs05rMo5Wzy4WuKs9Q V2 D2d35a2aa27fe4f84383a151e94420fb B 640px Prime Deities Claudio Pozas 09864e3746e0251678150809acf899f2 Maxresdefault Fred Studart God Of Death By Overdrivezero ?1657045906Alena Varnava Eden C ?1476858904253c593a6037cc56e8bccf632215c92b Ice Demon Story Starters