Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels Box Score on Aug 28, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 29, 2017

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Andrew Heaney struck out a career-high 10 batters, and Martin Maldonado had three hits to help lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 win over the Oakland A's on Monday night at Angel Stadium.

The Angels (67-65) also got a productive night from second baseman Kaleb Cowart, who drove in the go-ahead run with a fourth-inning double and made an outstanding defensive play in the seventh inning to thwart a potential Oakland rally.

For Heaney, the game marked his third start since returning from Tommy John surgery, and he has gotten better each time out. On Monday, he went six innings and allowed just two hits, one of them a solo homer by A's catcher Dustin Garneau.

Heaney (1-0) walked three batters after not walking any in his first two starts, but he made up for it with his strikeout total. He fanned at least one batter in every inning he pitched and struck out the side in both the first and sixth innings.

With Heaney out of the game and the Angels leading 2-1 in the seventh, Angels reliever Keynan Middleton got a big play behind him from Cowart. Middleton gave up a leadoff single to pinch hitter Boog Powell, and Matt Chapman followed with a sharply hit ball to the right side that appeared headed toward right field.

However, instead of the A's having runners on first and third and nobody out, Cowart made a diving stop before throwing out Chapman. The inning fizzled from there.

Taking over in the eighth, Angels reliever Yusmeiro Petit got a key double play to get out of the inning unscathed. Blake Parker struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.

A's starter Daniel Gossett (3-7) gave up nine hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings, but he managed to hold the Angels to three runs. Only two of the runs were earned, a throwing error by right fielder Matt Joyce in the seventh inning costing Gossett and the A's

The win allowed the Angels to move within one game of the idle Minnesota Twins in the race for the second American League wild card.

For the A's (58-73), the loss guaranteed they will having a losing record for the 10th consecutive month, the longest active streak in the majors.

The Angels got on the scoreboard against Gossett in the first inning after Cameron Maybin led off with a double. Ben Revere lined out to right field, but with Albert Pujols at the plate, Maybin took third on a passed ball.

Pujols struck out for the second out of the inning, but Kole Calhoun's single to right scored Maybin for a 1-0 lead.

Oakland tied the score in the third inning against Heaney when Garneau, hitting just .120 with no homers since being claimed off waivers from Colorado on Aug. 4, led off with a home run.

The Angels regained the lead at 2-1 in the fourth when Maldonado singled with two outs and scored on a double by Cowart.

NOTES: Angels CF Mike Trout did not play, a precautionary day off because of a sore neck. He got hurt Sunday when running into the wall trying to catch a triple by Houston's Brian McCann, but he likely will return to the starting lineup Tuesday. Trout is hitless in 17 at-bats, one short of his career-worst drought, in August 2014. At .318, Trout's average is the lowest it has been since he was hitting .304 on April 16. OF Cameron Maybin started in center field in Trout's place. ... Athletics 2B Jed Lowrie was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter, one day after having to leave the game when he fouled a pitch off his left shin. INF Chad Pinder got the start at second base.