Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker hit home runs, Mitch Spence allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 innings, and the Oakland Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Brett Harris contributed with a two-run double for Oakland, who had struggled, losing seven of their last eight games and 17 of the past 21.
Nolan Schanuel had two hits and drove in four runs for Los Angeles. Butler’s three-run homer and Rooker’s solo shot came off Angels starter José Soriano in a four-run fourth inning.
“It’s really satisfying to see our young players step up and produce. It’s been a while since we’ve had a three-run homer, so that’s always a positive,” remarked manager Mark Kotsay.
Rooker’s 16th home run came on an 0-2 knuckle curve that Soriano left over the plate. Butler’s home run to the opposite field just barely cleared the left-field foul pole.
Kotsay attributed Butler’s home run to a mechanical adjustment. “It’s a process for him to repeat that, but the swing he took on the three-run homer was shorter, with less head movement, more direct to the baseball, and that led to the result,” Kotsay explained.
Harris’ two-run double in the sixth inning highlighted a three-run surge that extended Oakland’s lead to 7-1. Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 7-3 in the seventh inning thanks to Schanuel’s two-run single.
Schanuel later doubled in another run off A’s closer Mason Miller, who gave up two runs in the ninth inning in a non-save situation.
Spence (5-4) surrendered one run on six hits to end a streak of five winless starts. He struck out five batters and did not issue a walk, extending his streak of starts with no more than one walk to seven.
Soriano (4-6) allowed four runs on three hits in four innings. The hard-throwing right-hander returned from the injured list earlier in the day after missing three weeks due to an abdominal infection. He was on a 65-pitch limit for his comeback.
Angels manager Ron Washington viewed Soriano’s performance positively, noting that Soriano’s pitch limit would likely increase to 85 pitches in his next start
