Angels lose in 10 iings in Ricky Nolasco's first start with club

ANAHEIM >> The earliest retu on the Angels’ trade deadline deals didn’t inspire any bargain hunters.

But Ricky Nolasco’s first start for his new team was practically a footnote by the end of the Angels’ 10-iing, 8-6 loss to the Oakland A’s on Thursday. He may ea a similar distinction in the final analysis of the trade.

The only Monday trade acquisition to have joined the Angels’ major league club gave up five runs in six iings, three courtesy of solo home runs. There were plenty of fireworks following his departure, including the Angels tying the game with a run in the eighth iing before the A’s won it with three consecutive two-out hits in the 10th.

A’s first baseman Yonder Alonso, whose error allowed the Angels to score the tying run in the eighth iing, mustered a redemptive RBI double in the 10th that scored the game-wiing run off reliever Mike Morin (2-2).

Thanks in large part to a pair of Ji-Man Choi home runs, Nolasco exited the game after six iings with the score tied.

A’s outfielder Coco Crisp completed a three-run tuaround when he robbed Choi of a third home run courtesy of a spectacular catch in the fifth iing before giving the A’s a 6-5 lead with an RBI double in the seventh.

Choi, who played 45 games in Triple-A after a May 11 demotion, was only recalled to the Angels on July 9 when C.J. Cron broke his hand.

Thursday was a convergence of several unlikely events for Choi. His family arrived in Anaheim from South Korea on Wednesday only to experience the first multi-home run game of his career and a career-high four RBIs the next day.

He would have added a third home run and two more RBIs were it not for Crisp. Choi hit an opposite-field shot that would have landed in the seats had Crisp not made the catch as he collided with the 347-foot sign in the left field coer.

“I hit the ball hard, but I couldn’t see where it was going,” Choi said through an interpreter. “I was thinking ‘Is it a home run? Is it a home run?’ But it was credit to Crisp. He made a big play.”

The Angels pulled even in the eighth iing, but left something to be desired after loading the bases with one out. Pinch hitter Mike Trout, who didn’t start because of a head cold, drew a walk to set up Johy Giavotella’s game-tying play. Giavotella’s ground ball wasn’t fielded cleanly by Alonso, causing a late throw home that allowed Jefry Marte to tie the score.

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The Angels couldn’t push another run across as A’s reliever Ryan Madson (4-4) entered the game and induced a pop-out from Yunel Escobar and fly out from Kole Calhoun.

“Give Madson some credit,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “(Escobar) was fighting some balls off, just missed a couple fastballs. Madson got a good pitch in on him and jammed him and Kole hit that ball hard to right field and it found a glove.”

The A’s hit three home runs off Nolasco in the game’s first four iings.

Choi answered with a solo home run in the second iing before his three-run shot in the third gave the Angels a 5-2 advantage.

Max Muncy hit Nolasco’s seventh pitch of the game into the right-field seats to give the A’s a 1-0 lead.

Nolasco’s second allowance was a Ryon Healy no-doubt solo shot to left field.

The A’s erased a three-run lead in a rocky fourth iing for Nolasco that included four hits and a wild pitch. Day Valencia began the rally with a third solo home run off Nolasco. Three hits later, the A’s were within 5-4 before a Nolasco wild pitch allowed in the tying run.

Nolasco finished with two scoreless frames to salvage the start. He wasn’t exactly Hector Santiago-esque, but the Angels are happy not to be paying Nolasco’s full $12 million salary this year and next.

“I didn’t do a good job of getting us back in the dugout after we scored,” said Nolasco, a Rialto native with several family members in attendance. “Obviously it’s good to get the first start out of the way. I don’t care who you are, you’re on a new team, you’re trying to make a good impression. So, just get that one out of the way, was able to get fairly decent into the game. Frustrating battling a little timing and rhythm going on.”

The Angels, who are 12-7 since the All-Star break, begin a nine-game road trip in Seattle before facing a pair of first-place teams in the Cubs and Indians.