Kaprielian, A’s Beat Angels 3-1 To Keep Pace For Wild Card

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — James Kaprielian pitched two-hit shot implicit six innings, Matt Olson deed his 36th location tally and the Oakland Athletics bushed the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 Saturday night.

The A’s person won 4 consecutive games and 7 of 10 successful their contention for the 2nd AL chaotic card. They’re 2 games backmost of Toronto for the last postseason spot, with the Yankees besides successful the way.

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Kaprielian (8-5) retired 18 of his 20 batters. He struck retired 5 and walked none. He had been moved to the bullpen and didn’t find retired helium would beryllium starting Saturday until aft he’d played drawback Friday.

“My mentality is the same, it didn’t truly alteration anything,” Kaprielian said of pitching successful alleviation oregon starting roles. “I astir apt threw much than I wanted yesterday due to the fact that I didn’t cognize until aft I played catch. At the extremity of the year, immoderate (manager Bob Melvin) asks maine to do, I’ll do. I conscionable privation to assistance this squad win.”

The A’s scored 3 runs successful the archetypal inning to springiness Kaprielian an aboriginal cushion. Los Angeles’ Jose Rojas singled successful the 3rd and Jack Mayfield deed a treble successful the sixth. Other than those 2 hits, Kaprielian was successful implicit control.

Andrew Chafin earned his 5th prevention contempt a shaky ninth. Chafin loaded the bases earlier 2nd baseman Josh Harrison made an unthinkable leaping drawback successful the web of his mitt for the last out.

“A feline we traded for going up and making that play, it’s large time,” Kaprielian said. “Winner’s win.”

Kaprielian rebounded aft struggling his erstwhile 4 starts successful which helium was helium was 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA.

Jose Suarez (7-8) had a unsmooth commencement with a three-run archetypal — each connected 2 outs — earlier settling down. He gave up six hits and struck retired 2 successful 5 2/3 innings.

Joe Maddon stopped him connected the mound erstwhile helium went to instrumentality him retired of the crippled with a message.

“I told him, ‘Listen, you didn’t person your champion everything but you got heavy successful this crippled and that’s a truly bully sign,’’’ Maddon said. “I wanted him to instrumentality that distant from his appearance. Here’s a kid that pitched astir six innings against a truly bully shot club, did it based connected a batch of guile and guts and the information he’s turning into a big-league pitcher.”

In the seventh inning, determination was a disputed telephone connected the 2nd retired of what was ruled a treble play. Reliever Deolis Guerra dived to the crushed aft helium caught the shot and tagged first, and past the shot came retired of his glove. The telephone was challenged and overturned for what was deemed not having power of the ball, adjacent though helium already appeared to person recorded the out. When Melvin came retired to argue, helium got ejected, his 4th of the season.

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Guerra and teammates, who were already celebrating the play successful the dugout, had to travel backmost out. Rojas singled successful a tally for the Angels’ archetypal of the game, but Guerra got Max Stassi to onslaught retired looking for the last retired of the inning.

Kaprielian made his 21st commencement of the season, which is the astir by an A’s rookie since 2017 erstwhile Jharel Cotton made 24 starts.

Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a run, and Rojas had 2 hits.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

An impassioned Maddon was campaigning for 2nd baseman David Fletcher to triumph a Gold Glove award, without adjacent a question asked during a pregame media session.

“The information that it’s adjacent considered a contention conscionable amazes me,” Maddon said. “If you’re conscionable going by a generated numerical metric, you’re going to beryllium deceived often. I haven’t seen that assemblage of enactment successful a season, amended than him. I’m going to accidental this, he’s the champion infielder. Him and (A’s 3rd baseman Matt) Chapman are 2 of the champion infielders I’ve seen this year. Don’t archer maine there’s anybody retired there, some leagues, that play that presumption similar helium does.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Daulton Jeffries (right elbow ulnar neuritis) was placed connected the IL retroactive to Sept. 13. The Athletics don’t judge it’s a ligament issue. The A’s volition spot however helium is successful a fewer days. He’s 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA successful 5 appearances with the A’s this season. … RHP Chris Bassit (surgery for facial fracture) threw a simulated crippled astatine Angel Stadium and is expected to propulsion again connected Monday. He was deed by a enactment thrust connected Aug. 17 and is trying to instrumentality this season.

Angels: LHP Reid Detmers and LHP Austin Warren (both COVID-related IL) some threw to batters astatine Angel Stadium.

UP NEXT

Athletics: RHP Frankie Montas (12-9, 3.72 ERA) is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA successful 12 appearances — 9 of them starts — against the Angels successful his career.

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Angels: RHP Ohtani (9-2, 3.36) volition spell for his 10th triumph aft determination was information of shutting him down from pitching for the remainder of the play owed to limb soreness. He gave up six earned tally successful a nonaccomplishment to Houston successful his past commencement connected Sept. 10. He is 6-0 with a 1.99 ERA astatine location this season.