SACRAMENTO — The Athletics erased a 6-0 deficit with nine unanswered runs from the sixth through the eighth innings to secure a dramatic 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park in the opener of the two-game series. The comeback kept the Green and Gold out of the division cellar and left them needing just one more win to avoid a 100-loss season.
Los Angeles built its lead early against opener Brady Basso. Denzer Guzman opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the first, then delivered the big blow in the third with his eighth home run of the season, a three-run shot that extended the lead to 5-0 — his fourth straight game with a home run at Sutter Health Park this season. Basso failed to retire any of five batters in the third before Scott Blewett escaped the inning, while Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi held the A's scoreless through five innings with help from left fielder Bryce Teodosio's catch to rob Alika Williams of a potential game-tying RBI double.
Seth Johnson steadied the Athletics with two scoreless innings in relief, inducing inning-ending double plays in the fourth and fifth, before Vaughn Grissom's two-out RBI single in the sixth pushed the Angels ahead 6-0. The Athletics ended their scoreless streak in the bottom of the sixth when Shea Langeliers doubled and scored on Lawrence Butler's RBI triple off the top of the center-field wall. They cut it to 6-4 in the seventh on pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes' RBI triple misplayed by right fielder Wade Meckler and Langeliers' RBI single off José Fermin, plus a bases-loaded walk to Jeff McNeil after Tayler Saucedo hit Zack Gelof.
Cortes completed the rally in the eighth with his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-center off Sam Bachman to put the Green and Gold ahead 7-6. With two outs, Gelof added insurance with his 20th home run, a two-run drive to left off Blake Weiman for a 9-6 lead. Gelof reached the 20-homer mark for the first time and was named the team's Roberto Clemente Award nominee, also showing heads-up baserunning earlier to disrupt a double play. Luis Medina stranded two in the eighth to earn his sixth win as pitcher of record, and left-hander Hogan Harris closed for his 16th save despite Christian Moore's RBI infield single, striking out pinch-hitter Oswald Peraza with Mike Trout looming and the tying run at the plate.
The Athletics grounded into their American League-leading 125th and 126th double plays via Butler and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer during the early drought. The victory came as the club opened its final Sacramento homestand against the Angels and gives the A's a chance to sweep the quick two-game series.