OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics broke open a scoreless game with five runs in the sixth inning and Chris Bassitt continued to look the part of a division-leading stopper in a two-hit 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels Thursday night.
Bassitt (5-2) gave up just one hit through eight innings, an infield single that Matt Chapman couldn’t field with his barehand by Juan Lagares in the second. Justin Upton reached him for a double in the ninth. Bassitt walked one and struck out nine in pitching his first major league shutout and complete game.
He was matched through five innings by Angels starter Patrick Sandoval, who was a late replacement for scheduled starter Shohei Ohtani.
The Athletics improved to 30-22 with a game and a half lead on the Houston Astros in the American League West, with the Angels falling to 22-28.
Ohtani was pushed to Friday night because of a late arrival at the Coliseum. The Angels said a bus bringing Ohtani to the game got stuck in traffic, robbing him of preparation time as the starting pitcher.
Instead, Ohtani served as designated hitter, but the Angels were helpless for the most part against Bassitt. He threw 114 pitches, 70 of them strikes.
It was a scoreless game until the A’s finally broke through in the fifth inning. They didn’t exactly scald the ball, but had enough well-placed hits to give Bassitt all the support he would need.
Losing pitcher Aaron Slegers (2-2), who replaced Sandoval in the top of the sixth inning, struck out Ramon Laureano to open the inning before giving up a double down the field field line to Matt Olson.
After Jed Lowrie walked, Chapman grounded to deep short. Shortstop Scott Fletcher, seeing he had no chance to throw out Chapman, attempted to get Olson at third base and threw the ball away, with the first run of the game scoring and leaving runners at second and third.
Sean Murphy then lofted a bloop to center field that fell in for a single, bringing in Lowrie and Chapman for a 3-0 lead. Chapman, reading the ball correctly from the outset, nearly ran up Lowrie’s back on the play.
A ground single to right by Elvis Andrus drove in the fourth run, and Tony Kemp’s pinch sacrifice fly capped the inning, giving Bassitt a five-run cushion.
Sandoval looked nothing like a pitcher who came in with a 4.96 earned run average and 1-10 record since 2019.
The Athletics managed mostly soft contact through five innings, with Sandoval walking two, striking out four and scattering five hits through five scoreless innings. He through 84 pitches, 50 for strikes.
The Athletics had a prime opportunity to break through in the third inning when they loaded the bases with one out, getting singles from Stephen Piscotty and Canha and a walk to Chad Pinder. Laureano was next, but he hit a double play ground ball to Anthony Rendon at third base to end the threat.
