Brent Rooker smashed a three-run home run, while Lawrence Butler drove in three more runs with a double as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-2 on Saturday.
The A’s have now won five of their last seven games and hold an impressive eight-game home winning streak against the Angels at the Coliseum. A crowd of 14,574 attended the game. Oakland has also clinched consecutive series victories after taking two out of three games against the Phillies on the road before the All-Star break.
“You never know what to expect in baseball, how long it will take to build on our progress … so it’s satisfying to see us continue to swing the bat well and maintain momentum,” said manager Mark Kotsay.
Over their past three games, the A’s have scored a total of 39 runs, their highest tally in a three-game stretch since 2012.
Starting pitcher Mitch Spence (6-6) pitched into the sixth inning and limited the Angels to just two runs.
Rooker launched his 22nd home run of the season early in the game, giving the A’s a 3-0 lead after just four batters. Rooker has been hitting nearly .480 in July.
Butler cleared the bases with a two-out line drive to right field in the fourth inning, extending Oakland’s lead to 7-1. The rookie has driven in 22 runs over his last 14 games and ranks second in the league for RBIs in July alongside Miguel Andujar, both of whom had three hits in the game.
Butler was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas after hitting just .179 in the first 41 games of the season. However, since returning in June, he has regained the form that Kotsay observed during spring training.
“When he’s behind in the count, you can see there’s a mindset that he won’t let a bad pitch get the best of him,” Kotsay noted.
Spence praised Butler’s performance, highlighting his consistent approach at the plate.
“What he’s been doing is incredible,” Spence remarked. “Even when he’s not on a hot streak, he keeps his confidence up and continues to put together quality at-bats. That’s the mark of a great hitter.”
