The Los Angeles Angels will strive to bounce back from a demoralizing setback when they face the Athletics on Wednesday night in the finale of a two-game set at West Sacramento, Calif.
The Angels had a 6-0 lead in Tuesday’s series opener before the Athletics scored nine consecutive runs and eventually recorded a 9-7 victory.
Carlos Cortes hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth off Sam Bachman, who angrily fired his glove into the dugout bench three times after being removed. This wasn’t Bachman’s first bad moment at Sutter Health Park this season.
On June 19, the Angels led by seven runs before the A’s scored the final eight in a 12-11, 10-inning victory. Bachman served up a tying two-run, pinch-hit homer to Jonah Heim with two outs in the ninth inning.
The latest painful setback leaves the Angels (60-97) three losses shy of the first 100-loss season in franchise history.
Ben Joyce, the closer of late, hasn’t pitched since Saturday but manager Kurt Suzuki said after the loss that he was given Tuesday off. Suzuki said fellow right-hander Ryan Watson was in line to pitch the bottom of the ninth if Los Angeles was ahead.
“Bachman was going to be the guy to pitch the eighth inning and it just didn’t work out,” Suzuki said.
The Athletics (62-95) halted a six-game slide. Cortes also contributed a pinch-hit RBI triple in the seventh.
“We had a really tough road trip, but we won (Tuesday) upon returning home, and that’s the most important thing,” Cortes said.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was in the Athletics’ lineup on Tuesday, playing second base and going 0-for-2 in 5 1/2 innings before exiting.
It was Kuroda-Grauer’s first appearance since rupturing a testicle during a July 20 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he fouled a pitch off himself. He underwent emergency surgery later that night.
The Athletics activated him off the 60-day injured list on Tuesday and put him right in the lineup.
“We wanted to make sure we gave him a chance to come back and finish the season,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters before the game.
Kuroda-Grauer and his teammates will face Angels rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (9-10, 2.74 ERA) on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Urena received a no-decision in last turn when he blanked the Minnesota Twins over seven innings last Thursday. He gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked none.
Urena is 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts against the Athletics this season. Jeff McNeil is 3-for-7 with two RBIs against Urena.
Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (4-14, 6.18) will be starting for the Athletics. Springs has just one victory in his last 24 starts and has allowed 33 homers, third most in the majors.
Springs, who turned 34 on Sunday, lost to the Tampa Bay Rays last Thursday. He gave up six runs and five hits over 3 1/3 innings.
Springs is 2-3 with a 6.19 ERA in 14 career appearances (five starts) against the Angels. He received a no-decision against Los Angeles during that wild June 19 game. He gave up six runs and four hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Denzer Guzman and Jose Siri homered off Springs in the June matchup. Mike Trout is 5-for-13 against Springs.
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