A's look to extend walk-off streak vs. Angels (May 09, 2017)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics had lost nine of 11 games and had zero walk-off wins before facing the Detroit Tigers on Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum.
Shortstop Adam Rosales hit a two-run, walk-off single in the ninth inning that night, lifting the A's to a 6-5 victory.
The next afternoon, Ryon Healy hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth to beat the Tigers 8-6.
Then on Monday, Jed Lowrie made it three straight walk-off wins with a solo home run in the 11th inning, giving Oakland a 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.
The A's will try to make it four straight walk-off victories on Tuesday night in the second of three games against the Angels. Thanks to the three-game winning streak, Oakland (15-17) is tied with the Angels (16-18) and the Seattle Mariners (15-17) for second place in the American League West, six games behind the Houston Astros (21-11).
"I think that's something we've been waiting for, some kind of energizing sort of wins," A's catcher Stephen Vogt said late Monday night. "That's going to bring energy to anybody, but us coming off of that long road trip and really turning that series around against Detroit in a big way and carrying this momentum.
"We've been pitching great, defense has been outstanding, I feel like. Kept us in games. And timely hitting. Obviously, we've gotten some big hits late. That's kind of been our M.O. in the past. It's nice to see this team fighting and everybody pulling for each other. It's a lot of fun now."
The Mike Trout watch will continue Tuesday for the Angels, who have lost five of their past six games.
Trout, the reigning American League MVP, missed his third straight game Monday and fourth in five days due to a strained left hamstring. Trout said he didn't know whether he would be able to play Tuesday.
"Definitely improved," Trout said Monday. "Just taking it day by day. I feel a lot better, a lot better. It's improving each and every day."
Trout had an MRI of his left hamstring that came back "clean and normal," according to Angels general manager Billy Eppler.
"Huge, huge," Trout said of the news. "You never want to take an MRI. It's tough. But hearing the news, it relieves me a little bit."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia did not rule out Trout returning to the lineup Tuesday, but he said that putting Trout on the 10-day disabled list also has been discussed.
"He knows his body," Scioscia said. "If he feels good in a workout, there's a possibility he could play (Tuesday) night. In a perfect world, obviously you want him to work out and see how he recovers. We'll look at that. The thing about the DL right now being a 10-day DL it's a little more forgiving than having to put a guy down for the 15-day DL."
A's right-hander Jharel Cotton will make his team-high seventh start of the season. He had a career-high nine strikeouts in an 8-5 victory against the Twins at Target Field on Thursday. He allowed three run on three hits, including two solo home runs in the second inning. Giving up those homers seemed to ignite a competitive fire under Cotton. Over the next four innings, he struck out seven and allowed one hit and one unearned run.
"We've seen impressive games out of him," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I think that was another kind of area that he really impressed. He hadn't been pitching maybe as well as he was earlier in the season, and now he's coming off a tough start and all of a sudden two home runs are hit. Then you really look for, 'How's he going to handle this?' and he did it beautifully. He pitched as well as he has all year after those two home runs. It's impressive for a young guy to be able to do that."
Cotton, 25, is 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA this season and 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two career starts against the Angels.
The Angels will counter with 27-year-old right-hander Alex Meyer, who will make his third start of the season and ninth of his career. He is 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA this year and 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in two career starts against Oakland, both last year.
Meyer is coming off a rough start in an 11-3 loss to Seattle at Safeco Field on Thursday. He gave up six runs on eight hits over four innings with four strikeouts and three walks.
"This is one of those games where you turn the page and just get ready for the next one and try to be better than that," Meyer said after the loss. "You've got to get ahead early and establish that you're going to pound the zone or else it puts them in a position where they can swing the bat more comfortably. As a pitcher, that's not what you want."
Meyer was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, and he replaced injured lefty Tyler Skaggs in the rotation. Skaggs is on the disabled list with a right oblique strain and is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
