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Balanced Oakland Athletics outlast Ohtani-less Angels 7-3

Marcus Semien had an early two-run single, Andrew Triggs pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Saturday night.
Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (26) hits an RBI triple during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. (PHOTO: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Marcus Semien had an early two-run single, Andrew Triggs pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Saturday night.

Shohei Ohtani didn't play for the Angels while resting for his home pitching debut Sunday. The two-way Japanese sensation homered in each of Los Angeles' last three games as a designated hitter, including a 449-foot shot Friday against Oakland.

Seven A's had one hit apiece, and six drove in a run as Oakland beat Los Angeles for just the second time in six meetings already this season.

Justin Upton and Luis Valbuena homered for the Angels, but their Ohtani-less lineup largely struggled against the Oakland bullpen and Triggs (1-0), who earned Oakland's second win by a starter all season.

Mike Trout went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and a double-play groundout, dropping to 1 for 18 on the Angels' homestand. The two-time AL MVP is batting .184 after nine games.

Trout and the Angels couldn't make up for another bad performance by their pitching staff, which wasn't significantly bolstered in the offseason beyond the addition of Ohtani.

J.C. Ramirez (0-2) and his first two relievers issued eight walks and hit a batter in the first five innings alone. Oakland went up 3-0 on Stephen Piscotty's RBI double and Semien's key single in the second, and Ramirez didn't return for the third after throwing 55 pitches and walking five of his 12 batters.

Lowrie added his second homer of the season in the fifth inning off Akeel Morris, who threw 2 1/3 otherwise solid innings in his Angels debut.

Matt Chapman had an RBI triple in the eighth when Upton lost his line drive in the lights, and Bruce Maxwell drove him in with a single.

Upton's two-run homer in the fourth was his third in four games and his second of this weekend series. He added a double in the sixth, giving him five hits in six at-bats since Friday.

TRAYCE ARRIVES

Trayce Thompson joined the A's at Angel Stadium after Oakland claimed him off waivers from the Yankees earlier in the week. The former Dodgers outfielder is from Orange County, as is his brother, Golden State Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson. He'll return to Dodger Stadium next week when the A's play a two-game interleague series.

HALOS MAKING MOVES

After Parker Bridwell flopped Friday in his first start of the season and left the Angels short of fresh arms, Los Angeles optioned him and infielder Nolan Fontana to Triple-A Salt Lake. The Angels also recalled infielder Ryan Schimpf and right-hander Morris, who was needed immediately. Schimpf struck out to end the game as a pinch-hitter in his Angels debut.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Kendall Graveman (0-1, 8.10 ERA) has given up four homers in two starts this season. He gave up five runs in five innings against the Angels on opening day in Oakland.

Angels: Ohtani (1-0, 4.50 ERA) faces the A's for the second time this season. The right-hander pitched six innings of three-hit ball in Oakland in his strong big-league debut, although Chapman connected for a three-run homer.

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