ANAHEIM, Calif. _ The Oakland Athletics turned the first four innings of Wednesday's game into a long-drive contest, teeing off on Angels right-hander Griffin Canning with three tape-measure blasts to power their way to an 8-4 victory in Angel Stadium.
Matt Olson hit a 454-foot solo homer into a tunnel in the right-center field bleachers in the first inning, Robbie Grossman hit a 421-foot two-run shot to right-center in the second, and Stephen Piscotty hit a 428-foot solo shot to left in the fourth to help the A's avoid a three-game sweep.
Mike Trout hit his team-leading eighth homer of the season, a solo shot to right, in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third, and Anthony Rendon homered in three straight games for the second time in his career, driving a solo shot to center in the sixth, to pull the Angels to within 5-4.
The Angels nearly tied the score in the seventh when Brian Goodwin sent a two-out drive to deep center field, where Ramon Laureano, playing on appeal of a six-game suspension for his part in Sunday's benches-clearing incident with Houston, made a leaping catch above the wall to rob Goodwin of a homer.
Laureano then provided a dagger in the eighth, following Angels reliever Ty Buttrey's bases-loaded walk to Marcus Semien with a two-out, two-run single to center for an 8-4 Oakland lead.
The A's scored three runs on just one hit in the inning, taking advantage of Felix Pena's walk to Robbie Grossman, Keynan Middleton's walks to Piscotty and No. 9 hitter Sean Murphy and Buttrey's walk on a full-count slider in the dirt to Semien.
Canning endured his second straight rocky start, allowing four runs and six hits, striking out two and walking none, in four innings. Canning allowed four runs _ one earned _ and three hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Texas last Friday.
A's right-hander Chris Bassitt went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and five hits, striking out four and walking none, before yielding to left-hander Jake Diekman with two outs in the sixth.
