Field Level Media
Aug 12, 2018
Edwin Jackson took a shutout into the eighth inning, and Marcus Semien blasted two home runs to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 7-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night at Anaheim, Calif.
Jackson held the Angels scoreless on two hits through seven innings, but Los Angeles put a couple runners on base in the eighth, ending his night. But the A's bullpen bailed him out of the inning, and Jackson (4-2) wound up throwing 7 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six.
Semien led the A's 14-hit attack with the two homers and a double, while Stephen Piscotty had three hits and Khris Davis hit his 34th home run of the season.
Oakland also got a spectacular defensive play from center fielder Ramon Laureano in the third inning. With the Angels' Eric Young Jr. breaking from first on the pitch, Justin Upton hit a deep fly ball into the left-center-field gap. Laureano ran the ball down and made the catch, then threw the ball from the warning track in left-center all the way to first base on the fly, doubling up Young and ending the inning.
It didn't take long for it to become apparent Angels starter Tyler Skaggs was in for a rough night. Semien led off the game with a double and scored when Matt Chapman followed with an RBI single.
It got the ball rolling for Oakland, which increased its lead to 4-0 in the second inning on a three-run homer by Semien, and 5-0 in the third inning on a solo homer by Davis.
Skaggs didn't make it out of the fourth inning, but not before Semien hit his second homer of the game for a 6-0 Oakland lead. The A's scored another run in the inning on an RBI single by Davis off Angels reliever Hansel Robles, the run charged to Skaggs.
Skaggs (8-8) was activated from the disabled list before the game, out since July 31 because of a strained adductor muscle. In his last start, he gave up 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings, but wasn't much better on Saturday, giving up seven runs on 10 hits and one walk in 3 1/3 innings.
--Field Level Media