OAKLAND, Calif. _ Another highlight-reel play courtesy of Ramon Laureano was not enough to prevent the Athletics being swept away Sunday at the Coliseum.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who lost all seven games to the A's last season, won 5-4 before a crowd of 16,105 to sweep the three-game series.
Difficulties with starting pitching continued for the Athletics, as Brett Anderson, down 2-0 in the third inning, had to leave after spraining his left ankle coming off the mound in an attempt to field an infield single by Randal Grichuk.
Whether Anderson (3-1) will be good to go in his next scheduled start when the A's leave on a nine-game road trip this week remains to be seen.
Daniel Hudson (1-1), who pitched 1 1/3 innings after Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez left after four innings with a broken middle fingernail on his pitching hand, was the winning pitcher.
The A's put the tying and lead runners aboard in the ninth on a leadoff single by Stephen Piscotty and a one-out single by Laureano, but closer Ken Giles struck out Josh Phegley and got Robbie Grossman on a pop up to Richard Urena at short to end the game.
Trailing 5-1, the Athletics had their biggest inning of the homestand in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs on a run-scoring single by Marcus Semien, a sacrifice fly by Matt Chapman and a bloop single by Khris Davis to pull within a run.
With Davis at second, where he reached on an error following his single, Kendrys Morales hit solid liner to right that was caught for the third out.
Anderson escaped the second inning when Laureano stole a two-run home run from Teoscar Hernandez, a play in which the center fielder overthrew first base attempting to double off Justin Smoak, with catcher Nick Hundley backing up and throwing out Smoak attempting to reach second.
However, Anderson didn't make it out of the third inning.
Rowdy Tellez opened with a single, Danny Jansen walked and Billy McKinney sacrificed the runners to second and third. Alen Hansen followed with a single and Freddy Galvis hit an infield chopper that Morales threw to home for an out and a fielders choice.
Grichuk's infield chopper to third went for an infield single, scoring a run for a 2-0 lead, with Anderson injuring an ankle while attempting to get in fielding position. He was replaced by Yusmiero Petit.
The A's scored in the fourth inning when Morales hit into a double play with the bases loaded, scoring Semien from third.
Toronto added to its lead in the sixth when Tellez hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Brandon Drury. Laureano made it a close play at the plate, throwing a strike to Hundley on the fly. Drury, who had singled, reached third when reliever Ryan Buchter threw an errant pickoff throw into the Toronto bullpen in a pickoff attempt at first.
The Blue Jays made it 5-1 in the seventh when Smoak hit a two-run home run off J.B. Wendelken.
