Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels Match Player Stats On Aug 10, 2018

Home runs by Kole Calhoun and Justin Upton were enough to help lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Calhoun hit a two-run homer in the third inning and Upton a two-run homer in the sixth, allowing the Angels to overcome an early 3-0 deficit.

Angels starter Felix Pena gave up three runs in the first inning on a solo homer by Matt Chapman and a two-run homer by Khris Davis, but allowed nothing more until being replaced with two out in the sixth.

The Angels bullpen took it from there, as five relievers combined to finish it off. Jim Johnson (4-2) made just four pitches to get the final out of the sixth inning, but it was enough to earn him the victory. Cam Bedrosian pitched the seventh before Justin Anderson struck out the side in the eighth.

In the ninth, Anderson struck out Davis for the first out before Angels manager Mike Scioscia went to lefty Jose Alvarez to face the left-handed-hitting Matt Olson.

Olson hit a ball up the middle, but second baseman David Fletcher backhanded the ball and made a strong throw to first for the second out of the inning.

Scioscia then went to right-hander Blake Parker to face righty Stephen Piscotty, who grounded out. Parker earned his 11th save.

Staked to a 3-0 lead, A's starter Brett Anderson didn't allow a hit or a walk through the first two innings, but Angels catcher Jose Briceno led off the third with a single. Two outs later, Calhoun connected on a 77 mph knuckle curve and hit it over the fence in right-center for his 16th homer of the season, cutting the A's lead to 3-2.

Anderson was finished after five innings, leaving with a 3-2 lead. But Oakland reliever Lou Trivino (8-2) couldn't hold it.

Fletcher led off the sixth with an infield single before Upton hit the first pitch he saw from Trivino for a two-run homer, giving Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 4-3.

The win was the Angels' fourth in a row while the loss for Oakland cut its lead for the second American League wild-card spot to 1 1/2 games over Seattle.

--Field Level Media