Field Level Media
Sep 4, 2019
Matt Chapman hit a three-run homer, and Seth Brown drove in two runs with a pair of triples Tuesday night, helping the host Oakland Athletics overcome Mike Trout's 44th home run in a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a three-game series.
Mike Fiers ran his unbeaten streak to 21 starts despite serving up home runs to Trout and Albert Pujols, benefitting from four innings of one-run relief by the Oakland bullpen in a game that was tied 5-5 in the middle of the sixth.
Brown's second triple came in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Mark Canha to put Oakland on top for good at 6-5. Khris Davis followed with a sacrifice fly off the third Angels pitcher, Noe Ramirez (4-3), to give the A's a two-run cushion.
Yusmeiro Petit (5-3), Joakim Soria and Liam Hendriks closed out the Angels from there, holding the visitors hitless over the final 3 1/3 innings. Hendriks notched his 18th save by striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.
Chapman's homer came in the third inning off Angels starter Jaime Barria and gave Oakland a 5-2 lead.
But the Angels rallied for single runs in the fourth on Pujols' 21st homer of the season, the fifth on an RBI double by Shohei Ohtani and the sixth on Justin Upton's 11th homer to draw even.
Fiers was pulled with a 5-4 lead after five innings, having allowed seven hits. He walked two, struck out four and did not get a decision.
Trout opened the game's scoring with a solo homer in the top of the first inning. The Angels made it 2-0 in the second on an RBI single by Andrelton Simmons.
The A's drew even in the last of the second on the first of Brown's RBI triples and the first of Davis' two RBIs, this one on an infield out.
Barria lasted just four innings, charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Four of the Athletics' six hits in the game went for extra bases, including Chapman's homer, which was his 31st of the season.
Upton and David Fletcher had two hits apiece for the Angels, who outhit the A's 8-6.
--Field Level Media