Mickey Moniak went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and rookie right-hander Davis Daniel pitched five scoreless innings of relief for his first major league victory as Los Angeles won the opener of this season-ending series 5-1 on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
Both teams are fated to finish in the bottom two spots in the American League West. The A’s are last in the division at 49-111, the Angels are fourth at 72-88, while the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are still fighting for playoff spots.
The Athletics’ 111 losses are the worst in franchise history since the 1916 Philadelphia A’s went 36-117 in 1916 under Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack.
The A’s jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the third when Zack Gelof was hit by a pitch from right-hander Chase Silseth with two outs, and Brent Rooker drove him in with a double to left for his team-best 68th RBI.
But the Angels went ahead 3-1 in the fourth against Oakland left-hander Ken Waldichuk, with all the damage inflicted with two out.
David Fletcher’s RBI single tied things at 1-1 before Nolan Schanuel sliced a liner to left, driving home Moniak. But A’s left fielder JJ Bleday bobbled the ball and then threw wildly past third base, allowing Fletcher to score the Angels’ third run.
Moniak, in his first game back after a back injury, ripped a 397-foot, 105-mph homer off Waldichuk into the right-center field bleachers in the fifth, a two-run blast to make it 5-1. It was Moniak’s first home run off a left-handed pitcher in his four-year career.
Silseth, also just back from the injured list after a concussion, worked four innings, giving up two hits and a run with three walks and three strikeouts.
Daniel (1-1), pitching in just his third game in the majors, allowed only two hits — both in the ninth — and a walk while striking out two.
Waldichuk (4-9) allowed seven hits and five runs, four earned, in five innings. He walked three and fanned three. The Angels added to his home run woes. Moniak’s homer was the sixth homer Waldichuk has allowed in 23 career innings against Los Angeles.
Schanuel walked in the third to extend his franchise record to 28 games reaching base to start his career.
–Field Level Media