Angels' youth movement officially underway in win vs A's

ANAHEIM >> If the Angels’ youth movement began at Monday’s trade deadline, it only gained momentum on Tuesday.

Neither of the young pitchers acquired when the Angels shipped out veterans Hector Santiago and Joe Smith have joined the parent club, but the resident young players helped deliver a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Rookie catcher Jett Bandy tied the game with a two-run home run in the fifth iing and 25-year-old Dominican Jefry Marte’s three-run shot in the sixth broke the tie.

Marte, who made his major league debut last season, slumped in June and July after finding several ways into the Angels’ lineup with some early success. But he went 2 for 4 on Tuesday, his third multi-hit game in his last five starts.

Mike Trout, who went 1 for 2, drew one of his two walks to begin the pivotal sixth iing. Albert Pujols reached on an error by the shortstop to set up Marte’s home run, caught by an Angels reliever in the bullpen in left field.

An iing earlier, with only two harmless singles to the Angels’ credit through four iings, Andrelton Simmons rolled a single into center field. Bandy then squared up a fastball hit to a nearly identical spot in the Angels’ bullpen in left field.

The A’s took a 2-0 lead courtesy of solo home runs by Khris Davis and Coco Crisp in the second and fifth iings, respectively.

Those tued out to be Matt Shoemaker’s only costly mistakes. The Angels starting pitcher continued his impressive run at home this season, where he entered Tuesday with an 0.79 ERA in his last six starts at Angel Stadium.

He gave up two runs on six hits with three walks and a hit batter in seven solid iings.

After Shoemaker exited, the A’s climbed back into the game in the eighth iing when Yonder Alonso followed a Davis single with a home run that just crested the low wall in the right field coer of Angel Stadium.

Reliever J.C. Ramirez gave up three hits in his lone iing of relief of Shoemaker, but escaped the eighth with a 5-4 lead.

With closer Huston Street put on the disabled list Tuesday, Cam Bedrosian seemed a natural choice to fill the role, having not allowed a run since May 31. Angels manager Mike Scioscia stated before the game that a committee would replace Street until he retued from knee inflammation.

Bedrosian got the call Tuesday night and responded with his 25th consecutive scoreless outing, striking out the side in the ninth iing to give the Angels 11 wins in 17 games since the All Star break.

Advertisement

It was the 24-year-old Bedrosian’s first career save.

The Angels’ ninth win in the last 11 home games broke a tie with the A’s at the bottom of the American League West.

Before the contest Scioscia bristled at the notion of the Angels’ trade deadline behavior insinuating the franchise had given up on the 2016 season.

There was likely nobody at Angel Stadium happier than Scioscia to see the team deliver a win considering the message the franchise risked sending by dealing veteran players who have made considerable contributions to the franchise.