Angels squander 7-run lead, lose to A’s in 10th inning

WEST SACRAMENTO — The Angels scored 11 consecutive runs to build a seven-run lead on Friday night, but their inability to close out games bit them again as the A’s rallied to tie the score with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning then won, 12-11, on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th.

A strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play to end the top of the ninth seemed to be a harbinger of the end for the Angels. With the heart of the Athletics’ lineup coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning, the Angels sent out Sam Bachman to close out the game.

Shea Langeliers flew out on the first pitch of the ninth, to calm things down, but a Tyler Soderstrom double put a runner on and brought the tying run to the plate. Jacob Wilson grounded to short for the second out, but pinch-hitter Jonah Heim sent one into the seats to knot the score at 11. Lawrence Butler grounded out after hitting a pair of long fly balls went just to the right of the fair pole.

The Angels advanced automatic runner Christian Moore to third on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th, but a heads-up play by A’s third baseman Max Muncy cut him down when he tried to sprint home on a slow chopper from Logan O’Hoppe for the second out. Wade Meckler then struck out.

Kirby Yates loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the 10th, leading to left-hander Samy Natera Jr. coming in to face Nick Kurtz with the bases loaded. Natera walked him on five pitches to give the A’s a literal walk-off win.

“That’s baseball,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said after the game. “It’s the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. I think the beautiful thing about baseball is you come back, get ready to do it again tomorrow.”

After losing Mike Trout to the injured list and being shut out by the A’s on Thursday, the Angels were looking for a spark on offense. A’s starter Jeffrey Springs held a 10.66 ERA in three June starts going into Friday’s game, and looked like the right opponent to get the Angels’ bats going.

It took one turn through the lineup, but the visitors found their spark in the fourth inning, and then sprinted through the rest of the homer-heavy game.

Trailing 4-0 entering the fourth, a sacrifice fly from Moore got the Angels on the scoreboard, then Denzer Guzman’s two-run homer really got the offense going.

Springs walked the next two batters, Logan O’Hoppe and Wade Meckler, then Jose Siri hammered a 444-foot three-run homer to give the Angels a 6-4 lead. They kept piling on runs.

After a pitching change, Zach Neto launched his third home run in four games and the Angels’ third home run of the inning, extending the lead to 7-4 after the end of the fourth.

The Angels kept rolling in the top of the fifth with a Jo Adell walk and a single from Oswald Peraza putting two runners on before O’Hoppe hit his fourth home run of the season – part of a 3-for-4 night with a walk – to make it 10-4. O’Hoppe is 7 for 15 on the first five games of this road trip.

José Soriano was far from his best, giving up six hits, four earned runs, four walks and striking out six in five innings, but he was still one of the more effective pitchers for either team.

“It’s kind of hard pitching here, but it’s not only about the field, it’s the team,” Soriano said after the loss. “They have good hitters. Sometimes it’s going to happen. The best thing I can do is keep focused and try to make a pitch.”

Springs was charged with six earned runs in his 3⅔ innings, giving up four hits and four walks while striking out four on 86 pitches (47 strikes).

The A’s offense struck first, with right fielder Lawrence Butler breaking the scoreless tie in the bottom of the second, and then a walk and three doubles in the third extending the lead to 4-0.

Former Thousand Oaks High standouts Wilson and Muncy added two-run homers in the seventh and eighth innings to get the A’s within 11-9, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.