The Oakland A’s beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 on Tuesday night at the Coliseum.
Like he does in most starts, Frankie Montas looked unconquerable in the first and second innings, firing 99 mph fastballs and sinkers. They key to Montas’ success comes when he sustains that dominance a couple times through the opposing order.
Montas went beyond the sixth inning for the first time this season, holding the Angels to two earned runs over seven innings. Paired with his fastball, Montas threw his biting splitter 26 times and generated nine whiffs on it and three of his eight strikeouts.
Three of those whiffs came back-to-back-to-back against Shohei Ohtani, the final one Ohtani swung at for strike three to leave David Fletcher stranded in the fifth inning. Fletcher had batted in the Angels’ second run. They scored their first in the second inning in a quasi-rally ended by Matt Olson’s difficult 3-4-3 double play.
The A’s scored their runs in bunches. In a now signature play, Tony Kemp singled up the middle, Mark Canha doubled him home and Matt Chapman singled Canha home to give the A’s a 2-1 lead.
They answered a tie game with a three-run sixth inning. Matt Olson led off with a single stroked the other way that prompted Angels starter Andrew Heaney out of the game. Steve Cishek issued back-to-back walks and Seth Brown knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Elvis Andrus hit a two-run double to extend the A’s lead to 5-2. Sean Murphy extended the lead with a solo home run in the eighth inning, his eighth of the year.
Jesús Luzardo, in from the bullpen in the eighth, was victim to Shohei Ohtani’s solo blast that came off his quick and powerful bat at a 116 mph exit velocity.
Yusmeiro Petit allowed a home run in the ninth to Jared Walsh.
_____
