While otherwise fooling Angels batters with signature off-speed and breaking pitches, Zito had a few trouble finding his location on the outside corner; the ensuing four walks were largely what prevented him from returning for the fifth and trying for his first win in an Oakland uniform since Game 1 of the 2006 ALDS. Richards gave up three unearned runs on two hits and four walks in six innings.
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The Angels hoped for a long start from Hector Santiago after taxing their bullpen in recent days, but the All-Star left-hander didn’t quite deliver despite yielding only three hits and two walks.
Losers of four in succession and nine of their last 10, the A’s had different plans, for once, although they got a few help from Giavotella’s defensive replacement at second base. But Mark Canha contributed a bloop single that scored a run, and Stephen Vogt roped a two-run single that made it 7-5.
Boring pitched a shutdown seventh, but Carlos Perez took him deep with one out in the eighth, ending his night with the A’s up 8-6 and Sean Doolittle coming in. Oakland has won one series this month (September), sporting a brutal 8-19 record. The Angels signed the veteran right-hander Monday after his tumultuous tenure up the I-5 freeway with the Dodgers ended with his release. Green hit. 190 in 21 games for the Angels this season, spending most of his time at Salt Lake….
He pitched once in relief, then on Saturday made what he thought was going to be his final start, pitching in Oakland against former A’s teammate Tim Hudson, now with the Giants.
At the plateSogard kicked the A’s into gear with a three-run double down the right-field line in the fourth, on an 0-2 pitch from Garrett Richards.
With Sonny Gray shut down for the year with hip pain, Barry Zito took the mound one more time for the A’s on Wednesday in what will likely stand as the last major league start of his career.
Zito, hurt by Trout’s 41st homer in the third, saw David Freese strike with a leadoff homer, his 14th, to trim the A’s advantage to 3-2, but with a man on first and one out, Zito caught Giavotella’s liner and turned it into a double play to preserve the lead.
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Thanks to a two-out, bases-loaded double from Eric Sogard in the fourth, Zito was able to leave the game with the lead. Before the inning was over, the A’s would go through three relievers and the Angels would add a run on a Calhoun double.
