Photo credit: mlb.com

By Matthew Harrington

So many times this season the Oakland Athletics have lived by the long ball to win games, but Friday night in Anaheim, the dinger doomed the Green and Gold. The Los Angeles Angels hit two two-run shots, outscoring the A’s 4-3 in the first game of a three-game set. The A’s hit a pair of dingers themselves, a solo shot by Jed Lowrie and a two-run blast by Khris Davis, but Justin Upton and Kole Calhoun’s round-trippers tipped the scales in the Halos’ favor.

The Swingin’ A’s did just that in the first inning, jumping on Angels’ starter Felix Pena after Matt Champan launched his 16th homer of the year with one out and no one on. Jed Lowrie reached base, allowing Davis to crush his team-leading 33rd homer of the season for a 3-0 lead.

Brett Anderson would exit the game in line for the win, but the A’s margin for error was razor thin, nursing a 3-2 lead after Calhoun’s 16th homer of the year knocked in two runs in the bottom of the third.

A’s manager Bob Melvin’s most reliable reliever not named Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino, came into the game in the sixth, but struggled to stymie the Angels after Upton’s two-run shot. Former Athletic Jim Johnson picked up the win, despite throwing just 1/3 of an inning. Blake Parker picked up his 11th save of the season.

The A’s still remain 1 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners and they got positive results from newly-acquired reliever Fernando Rodney. He pitched a perfect inning, notching a punchout along the way. Edwin Jackson takes the hill for Oakland in game two, opposed by Tyler Skaggs of the Angels.

The A’s and Angels face each other for game two on Saturday night at 6:07 pm PDT.