A’s starter Sean Gallagher held the Angels to just one run on four hits in his seven innings while the A’s went on to score eight.
The Angels saw the return of Erick Aybar atop the lineup, but he went 0 for 2 and was lifted after three. The only offense to speak of was a leadoff solo homerun in the fifth by Morales, which accounted for one of the Angels’ only four hits.
John Lackey lasted just 5 1/3 after nine days’ rest, giving up four runs on nine hits to take his first loss against the A’s since April of last year. He had a brief lead after Morales’ homerun in the fifth, but he gave the A’s two in the bottom half and two more the next inning before departing after giving up an RBI double. Jepsen finished the sixth but Bulger was roughed up for three runs in the seventh after walking three, hitting a batter, and giving up a single. Darren O’Day then tossed the final two, but not before giving up an RBI single in the eighth.
Their five game win streak was snapped, but the Angels can come back tonight with Jered Weaver taking the mound to face lefty Greg Smith. Weaver lost his one start against the A’s this year while Smith is 7-15, losing 8 of his last 10 decisions.
