With a solid attendance of 14,574 fans at the Coliseum, the A’s have now won five of their last seven games. They've extended their franchise-long home winning streak against the Angels to eight games. This victory also marks back-to-back series wins for the A's, coming off a successful series against the Phillies just before the All-Star break.
A’s on Fire
- Mitch Spence: The A’s starter pitched into the sixth inning, holding the Angels to just two runs. Spence, with a record of 6-6, played a crucial role in the A’s victory.
- Brent Rooker: Rooker’s 22nd homer of the season gave the A’s a 3-0 lead early in the game. Rooker is currently on fire, batting nearly .480 in July.
- Lawrence Butler: Butler’s bases-clearing double in the fourth inning was a game-changer, extending the lead to 7-1. This rookie has been phenomenal, racking up 22 RBIs in his last 14 games.
Manager Mark Kotsay was thrilled with the team's performance. “You just don’t know what you’re going to see, and how long it’s going to take the team to continue the progress that we’ve made ... so it’s nice to see that we’ve come out and swung the bat as well, and kept the momentum going,” he said.
Explosive Offense
The A’s have been on a scoring spree, with 39 runs in their last three games. This is their most productive three-game stretch since 2012. The offense has been relentless, and the team is riding high on confidence.
Butler has truly found his stride since being called back up in June. He struggled early in the season, batting .179 over the first 41 games. However, he’s now showing the form that Kotsay saw in spring training. “When he’s behind in a count, you can see unconsciously — there’s a mentality there that he’s not going to let an off-speed pitch out of the zone beat him,” Kotsay added.
Angels' Struggles
Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz, making just his second career start, had a tough outing. He allowed seven runs in four innings. Although he settled in after the first inning, he lost his command by the fourth. Manager Ron Washington remarked, “That’s the story of the past two days: We couldn’t stop their offense and their pitching stopped our offense. Every opportunity we got, we got the minimal damage done. Every opportunity they got, they cashed it in big time. We’ve got to change our formula for that.”
The Angels' offense struggled, going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. They couldn't capitalize on their opportunities, unlike the A's, who made every chance count.
Injury Updates
- Angels: 1B Nolan Schanuel left the game after his at-bat in the third inning due to tightness in his left calf and is considered day-to-day. OF Mike Trout (knee) is expected to face live pitching at the team’s spring training facility in Arizona before beginning a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake City on Monday. He might rejoin the team by Thursday. RHP Griffin Canning (elbow) is day-to-day after leaving Friday’s start early. 3B Luis Rengifo (wrist) was expected to do live hitting off a tee.
- Athletics: SS Jacob Wilson (hamstring) will have an MRI on Sunday after sustaining an injury running the bases during his major league debut on Friday. OF Esteury Ruiz (wrist) was pulled from a rehab assignment and is scheduled to see a doctor on Monday.
Fun to Watch
Spence praised Butler’s resilience at the plate, saying, “The stuff he’s been doing has been unbelievable. The biggest thing is even when he’s not on an absolute tear, he doesn’t lose confidence. He's still putting together great at-bats, and I think that’s what makes a great hitter.”
This game highlighted the A’s impressive teamwork and the individual brilliance of players like Rooker and Butler. The energy at the Coliseum was palpable as the A's delivered another memorable performance for their fans.
As the Athletics continue their strong run, fans are eagerly watching to see how far this momentum will carry them. With the combination of solid pitching, explosive hitting, and the determination displayed by players like Butler, the future looks bright for the A’s.
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