ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Kendall Graveman's return from the disabled list got off to a bit of a slow start, but the right-hander gave the Oakland A's everything they rightfully could have asked for.
Maybe even more, considering he turned in an unassisted double play, the first for an A's pitcher in 46 years.
But Graveman's six innings of two-run baseball, good as it was, wasn't enough to keep the A's from their fourth consecutive loss, 2-1 at the hands of the Angels with the Anaheim crew finishing off a series sweep that knocked Oakland, now 10-12, out of second place in the American League West.
In making his first start since April 14 when a right shoulder strain sent him to the disabled list, Graveman only had one stumble. That came in the first inning when with two out, Mike Trout doubled.
Albert Pujols jolted an RBI single off the wall in right-center for the first run, then raced around to score when C.J. Cron's double got past Jaff Decker in right-center for a double.
The A's, matched up against the man they beat on opening day, Angels' starter Ricky Nolasco, didn't do much all night. The sum of the Oakland offense was one-out double from Jed Lowrie in the fourth and a two-out RBI single from Yonder Alonso that cut the game down to a single run a 2-1.
The A's had just one more chance to break through, that being a two-out rally in the sixth when Lowrie and Khris Davis walked and Alonso was safe on an error. But Ryon Healy struck out, and the A's offense didn't do much the rest of the evening.
