Field Level Media
May 29, 2019
Shohei Ohtani lined a two-out, two-run single to break a ninth-inning tie on Tuesday night, allowing the visiting Los Angeles Angels to snap the Oakland Athletics' 10-game winning streak with a 6-4 win.
Ohtani's hit came after a single by Tommy La Stella, a walk to Mike Trout and a wild pitch put two baserunners in scoring position in a 4-4 tie with two outs.
A's reliever Joakim Soria (1-4) got two strikes on Ohtani and came close to getting a third, but didn't get the call on a close pitch that catcher Josh Phegley dropped.
Ohtani then smacked his difference-making hit to right field, sending the Angels to their third win in the last four games.
The loss was the A's first since May 14 and came despite home runs by Marcus Semien, Ramon Laureano and Matt Olson.
Ty Buttrey (3-2) was credited with the win after pitching out of a seventh-inning jam before throwing a scoreless eighth.
Angels closer Hansel Robles worked around a one-out walk in the last of the ninth to record his sixth save.
The game couldn't have started any better for the A's, with Semien hitting Angels opener Cam Bedrosian's first pitch for a home run to center field. The homer was his sixth of the season.
Oakland's lead didn't last long, however, as the Angels got a two-run single from David Fletcher and two-run double from La Stella with two outs in the second inning to go up 4-1.
Los Angeles held the lead until the sixth. After Laureano hit a solo home run, his sixth of the year, in the fifth to get Oakland within 4-2, the A's drew even two batters into the sixth when Matt Chapman singled and Olson belted a two-run homer, also his sixth of the season.
Right-hander Nick Tropeano, making his first big-league start since last August, served up the Laureano and Olson homers. He was pulled after Olson's game-tying blast, charged with three runs and five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Oakland right-hander Frankie Montas went just four innings, with all four of the runs he allowed coming in the second. He gave up four hits, walked five and struck out five.
Ohtani, La Stella and Fletcher had two hits apiece for the Angels, who were beaten 8-5 in the series opener on Monday.
The A's had just seven hits in the game, four of which went for extra bases.
--Field Level Media