Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics Box Score on Sep 20, 2018

Stephen Piscotty, Nick Martini and Chad Pinder smacked home runs to highlight a 22-hit assault Thursday afternoon, powering the Oakland Athletics to a 21-3 trouncing of the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland, Calif.

Marcus Semien collected three hits and five RBIs as the A's (92-61) amassed a season-high for runs en route to their second straight win, one that increased their lead over Tampa Bay (85-67) to 6 1/2 games in the race for the second American League wild-card spot. The Rays lost 9-8 to the Blue Jays in Toronto on Thursday.

Mike Trout and Francisco Arcia homered for the Angels.

Down 1-0 after Jose Fernandez drove in a run against Oakland starter Edwin Jackson (6-3) with a third-inning double, the A's responded with five runs in the bottom of the third and seven in the fourth for a 12-1 lead.

Piscotty had the big hit of the third inning, a three-run homer four batters after a two-run double by Matt Chapman. The homer was Piscotty's 26th of the season.

The A's made it a rout in the fourth with seven consecutive hits -- a hit by Chapman, RBI singles by Jed Lowrie, Khris Davis, Matt Olson and Piscotty, then an RBI double by Ramon Laureano before Semien lined a two-run single.

Oakland added six runs in the sixth inning, with Semien providing a bases-clearing double. The A's also teed off on Arcia, normally a catcher, for three runs in the seventh on home runs by Martini, a two-run shot that was the first of his career, and Pinder, his 12th.

Arcia got a measure of revenge in the ninth inning, powering his sixth homer of the season off Oakland's fifth pitcher, Chris Hatcher, to complete the scoring.

With his home run, Arcia became the first player in the modern era (since 1900) to catch, pitch and hit a home run in the same game, per Elias Sports Bureau. When told by the Angels after the game about his historic feat, Arcia said, "I'm pretty happy, I guess."

Minnesota's Chris Gimenez, who plays first base and catcher, nearly performed the feat earlier this month when he pitched in a game, then later homered in an 18-4 loss to Texas. The difference? Gimenez played first base, not catcher, in the game before taking the mound.

Trout's sixth-inning homer was his 36th long ball of the year.

Jackson worked one out into the sixth inning, allowing two runs and three hits. He walked three and struck out seven.

Angels starter Matt Shoemaker (2-2) didn't survive the third, pulled after giving up Oakland's first five runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Piscotty finished with four RBIs for the A's, while Martini and Josh Phegley each scored three times and recorded three hits.

Piscotty, Lowrie, Davis, Laureano and Chapman added two hits apiece for the A's, who won the series two games to one.

Fernandez had two hits for the Angels, who had won the series opener 9-7 before getting outscored 31-3 in the next two games.

--Field Level Media