OAKLAND, Calif. _ Jed Lowrie hit a two-out home run in the bottom of the 11th inning in the Oakland Athletics' 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels Monday night at the Coliseum.
It was the third walkoff win in three days for the A's, who improved to 15-17. Liam Hendricks, the third reliever after Ryan Madson and Santiago Casilla, got his first win of the season.
The home run came off losing pitcher Deolis Guerra, who retired the first two batters of the inning before Lowrie struck with his second home run of the night. All three A's runs came on home runs, as Trevor Plouffe also hit a solo shot.
The game was a duel for much of the evening between starters Kendall Graveman of the A's and Ricky Nolasco of the Angels, neither of whom was around for the finish.
Graveman was gone after seven innings, the last six scoreless, with no decision. Both Angels runs came on a two-run home run by Luis Valbuena, his first, in the first inning.
Coming off a poor game in Minnesota, Graveman scattered seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He threw 95 pitches, 61 of them for strikes.
He was matched through seven by Nolasco, who gave up the solo homers to Lowrie and Plouffe, his fifth, and little else. Nolasco walked nobody and struck out 10.
It was already the third matchup of the season between Graveman and Nolasco, with Graveman winning 4-2 on Opening Day and Nolasco prevailing 2-1 on April 27.
Trailing 2-1, the A's tied with their second solo home run of the game. This one came courtesy of Plouffe, who hit one off the camera stand well above the center field fence with one out off Nolasco.
Graveman paid for his lone mistake in the first inning, with Valbuena launching a grooved 2-1 pitch over the center field fence for a two-run home run.
Leadoff batter Yunel Escobar was aboard for the Angels, having reached base on a swinging bunt that glanced off Graveman's bare hand and went for an infield single.
Nolasco, after retiring the first six batters of the game, gave up his first base in the third when Plouffe popped to left, only to have it turn into an "I've got it you take it" bloop double that fell between left fielder Ben Revere and shortstop Cliff Pennington.
The A's got their first substantial hit in the fourth, when Lowrie homered to right field to make it 2-1.
_ Athletics' first baseman Yonder Alonso was named the American League Player of the Week, and A's manager Bob Melvin is looking forward to more good things to come.
Alonso had five homers and 10 RBIs in six games last week.
"It's well-deserved, certainly, and it's not just for the week, he's been pretty much doing that all year for us," Melvin said. "Nice little feather in his cap. Doesn't mean he's going to stop there, but it's always nice to be recognized for that kind of work. Impressive week, impressive numbers."
