by Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Angels won the rubber game of the three-game set by a score of 9-4 Wednesday afternoon at the O.Co Coliseum. They gave Sonny Gray the worst defeat of his young career. Gray lasted just five innings giving up six runs on eight hits. Gray’s record drops to 12-7. The Angels starter, Andrew Heaney, earned his sixth win of the season. He pitched seven innings giving up three runs on seven hits.

The Angels got to Sonny Gray for four runs and five hits in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Kole Calhoun started the inning with back to back singles to put men on at first and third with no out. Gray threw a wild pitch allowing Calhoun to score. Albert Pujo;s singled to drive in Trout with the second run of the inning. David Murphy singled sending Pujols to third. Murphy advanced to second on the throw.  C. J. Cron ground out to Marcus Semien. Pujols scored. David Freese singled to drive in Murphy with the fourth run of the inning. The A’s came roaring back in their half of the first. With two out, the A’s scored three times and had five straight hits. Brett Lawrie doubled down the rightfield line to get the rally started. Danny Valencia singled to drive him in with the A’s first run. Catcher Josh Phegley blasted his eighth home run of the year to dead center field to close the deficit to just one. Jake Smolinski and Billy Butler singled, but Heaney struck out Josh Reddick to end the frame. A’s trail 4-3.

Albert Pujols took Sonny Gray deep with a man on in the second inning to give the Angels a 6-3 lead halfway through the second inning. Pujols has hit thirty-five homers this year and 555 lifetime. He is tied with Manny Ramirez for fourteenth all-time.

The Angels added two more runs in the top of the eighth. David Murphy singled leading off the inning. He scored on a C.J.Cron double. Cron advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a David Freese single. The A’s got one back in the bottom of the eighth. Brett Lawrie, leading off, hit a laser shot over the wall in left. The fifteenth homer of the year and second in the last two games.

The Angels scored another run in the ninth to put them up 9-4. Single, double and a fielder’s choice put the run on the board for LA.  The A’s could do nothing in the bottom of the ninth, and they lose 9-4.

Game Notes- The A’s have lost two straight games and are now 7-7 in their last 14 games. The A’s have homered in a season-high nine consecutive games (12 total). Billy Burns had his eight-game hitting streak snapped. Billy Butler hit his 300th career double in the fourth inning. Brett Lawrie had two hits including a home run and is hitting .340 (16-for-47) with five home runs, nine RBI and 12 runs scored over his last 12 games.

The A’s are off Thursday. Play will resume Friday in Oakland when they Seattle Mariners come to town for a three-game series this weekend. The A’s announced that Aaron Brooks (1-1, 5.47) will handle the pitching chores and the Mariners’ starter will be left Edgar Olmos (1-0, 2.13).

Time of game was 2 hours and fifty-three minutes and 13.392 were on hand for the final game of the three-game series with the Angels.

The 17th Annual Oakland A’s Breast Cancer Awareness, Day, presented by Zevia, is set for this Sunday, September 6th. The A’s again honor those who have courageously battled breast cancer. This event raises funds to support research, education, advocacy and free services for cancer patients and their families throughout the Bay Area.