Oakland A’s Max Scheumann circles the bases after slugging a three run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Jul 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (41-56). 010 101 000. 3. 9 1

Athletics (38-61). 002 407 00x. 13 14 1

Time: 2:39

Attendance: 11,596

Friday, July 19, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–The A’s returned Friday night from the all-star break to demolish the Los Angeles Angels, whom they’re chasing for the third spot in the four team western division of the American League, in the first of a three game series. The 13-3 triumph would have been a laugher if it hadn’t included the loss of one of the Athletics’ brightest hopes.

Jacob Wilson, the A’s top draft choice and sixth overall last year, was promoted from Las Vegas earlier in the day and started at short, batting in the eighth slot. The Angels’ Anthony Rendon hit the first pitch of the game to him.

The debutant handled it cleanly and threw Rendon out at first. He also made a nifty play to initiate a 6-3 double play in the top of the third, shortly before leading off the bottom of the frame with a single to center in his first major league at bat.

This outstanding performance was cut short when Wilson was removed from the game between innings because of a strained left hamstring. An injury to his right leg had put the prospect on the IL from May 18 to June 24.

The Athletics sent southpaw JP Sears (6-7, 4.56 at game time) to the mound. Had been excellent, if not durable, in his two previous starts, giving up just one earned run in 10-2/3 innings of work on July 4th and 10th.

The holiday win was against the Angels at the Coliseum, where he shut them out over five frames while allowing two hits. He wasn’t as sharp Friday night but still managed to even his won-lost record at 7-7 by allowing three runs, two earned, in 5-2/3 of nine hit ball.

Two of those hits were for the distance. Such is life on a warm evening at the Coliseum, as the Angels’ pitching staff had a chance to learn. 69 of Sears’ 81 offerings qualified as strikes. He struck out four and didn’t issue any walks.

The outing lowered Sears’ ERA slightly, to 4.49. Austin Adams was the first man to replace Sears. He was wild in the beginning but didn’t allow any runs, inherited or otherwise, in his third of an inning on the mound.

Tyler Feruson, Osvaldo Bido, and Michel Otáñez each pitched a hitless and scoreless inning. Adams and Ferguson, at one apiece, were the only A’s relievers to issue a walk.

Opposing Sears and the A’s was Griffin Canning, the Angels’ second round draft choice in 2017. The 28 year old 6′, 180 lb right hander made his major league debut on April 30, 2019 and brought a lifetime record of 22-30, 4.64, accompanied by a season’s record of 3-9, 4.84, to the game.

Canning won the 2020 Gold Glove for American League pitchers. He missed all of the 2022 season with what was described as “a low back stress reaction.” Canning lasted a mere 3-1/3 frames, in which he threw 62 pitches, 38 for strikes. The six runs scored against him were earned and came on six hits, one a four bagger, and a couple of bases on balls. He took the loss and now has a record of 3-10 5.20.

Angels manager Ron Washington’s crew also called on Roansy Contreras, whom they list as a starter. He lasted two innings and gave up two runs, earned, on two hits before being replaced by Matt Moore in the sixth. It was not a felicitous move for the Angelinos.

The A’s scored seven runs in that frame, two of them charged to Contreras and the remainder to Moore. Hans Crouse (a perfect seventh that included a strike out), and infielder Luis Guillorme got the fallen Angels to the finish line without allowing another run.

The Halos took an early lead in the top of the second. Zach Neto hit a soft grounder in front of the plate. Sears made a nice play to grab it but threw off balance into left field for a two base error that put Neto on third. He scored easily on Jo Adell’s bloop single to right.

The A’s went ahead in the bottom of the third. Wilson went to second on a disengagement violation after his leadoff single. Max Schuemann beat out a grounder to third, and both runners scored on Lawrence Butler’s triple. Neto’s 13th homer of the year, a 397 foot fly clearly fair, but not by much, to left, evened the score in the top of the fourth.

The Athletics took the lead back and drove Canning from the mound in the bottom of that inning. Brett Harris, who had taken over Wilson’s spot in the batting order, drove in Zack Gelof, who reached first on a bunt single and advanced to second on a walk to Seth Brown, on. a single to left. Max Schueman then homered to left, his sixth round tripper of the year, driving in his 21st, 22nd, and 23rd runs of the season.

When Sears made his exit in the visitors’ sixth, the Angels had narrowed the score to 6-3 on Nolan Schanuel leadoff homer to right. He got two outs after that but allowed a pair of singles before being lifted in favor of Austin Adams, who threw two wild pitches and issued a walk but got Matt Thaiss to ground out to second to end the inning.

The homeless hosts blew the game open in the sixth, when they sent ten batters to the plate. The mixture of athletic prowess and angelic ineptitude featured

• Schuemann’s double that scored Seth Brown, who had led off the inning with a walk; • a passed ball; • a throwing error by Angels right fielder Jo Adell that let Schuemann score on Lawrence Butler’s single; • JJ Bleday’s homer (his 12th) into the stairway in right; and • Shea Langeliers’ home run (his 18th) with Rooker (who had singled) on base.

In addition to Wilson’s sparkling defense, Seth Brown made a notable over the shoulder catch of Brandon Drury’s foul that he chased deep into foul territory close to the visitors’ bullpen in the top of the sixth, and Geloff set off sparks with his play on Adell’s lead off grounder in the top of the ninth.

They’ll be giving away José Canseco bobbleheads Saturday, before the 1:07 start. Mitch Spence (5-6, 4.75) is scheduled to start for the A’s. Fellow righty Jack Kochanowicz (0-1, 12.00) will face him for the Disneyland Dandies.