12-16-2019, 06:35 AM
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Brandon Moss had grand slam on his mind. It felt as good as he thought it might. Moss hit a grand slam in the first inning, Josh Donaldson had two home runs and four RBIs, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-5 on Friday night. "Ive never come close to one," Moss said after his first career slam. "I came close-ish once last year when I flied out to the wall. It was on my mind, not that I was trying to hit one. I just thought it would be cool to do it. And it felt good, for sure." Coco Crisp had two hits and drove in a run for the As, who have won three of five since a four-game losing streak. Moss, who left the game later with right calf tightness, came to the plate ready to swing. "He had just thrown six balls in a row and I was looking for one pitch in one spot," he said. "He needed to throw a strike. He has good stuff and you never know if the first pitch will be the best one you see. He missed twice and then threw a pitch in a good spot." Howie Kendrick hit a two-run homer and Mike Trout added a solo shot for the Angels, who lost for only the seventh time in 21 games. C.J. Cron also drove in a pair of runs. Drew Pomeranz (5-2) pitched a season-high 5 1-3 innings, allowing five runs and four hits. He walked three and struck out five. Pomeranz had not allowed a run at home in 17 innings before the Angels struck in the fourth. Garrett Richards (4-2) had not allowed more than two runs or five hits in his first six starts on the road before giving up five runs on five hits in the first inning. "That was embarrassing," he said. "I didnt show up for us tonight. I put us in a hole early. I couldnt find a feel for the two-seamer and couldnt make the adjustment." He did get an out prior to Moss slam and loaded the bases again before getting his second (and final) out. Richards walked Crisp to force in a run and was replaced by Wade LeBlanc. "When you know a fastball is coming, its easier to hit," Richards said. "Wade threw a heck of a game to keep us in it. Im disappointed, but I cant let one outing ruin my progress." Donaldson homered in the second and singled home a run in the third before the Angels answered with three runs in the fourth on the homers by Kendrick and Trout. Donaldson added a two-run shot in the fifth to put the As up 9-3. Cron responded with a two-run double in the sixth. "Ive been seeing good pitches for a while now," Donaldson said. "Its a matter of squaring them up or not. I was preparing for Richards and then its completely different with LeBlanc. He left a couple of mistakes over the plate and I was able to take advantage." Moss got his 19th extra-base hit of the month, setting an Oakland record for May. Donaldson reached base safely in his 45th straight game as a third baseman, the longest such streak in franchise history since at least 1914. LeBlanc pitched 6 1-3 innings in relief. He gave up four runs and six hits, striking out four. NOTES: The As sent 10 batters or more to the plate in an inning for the sixth time this season, which leads the majors. ... Angels OF Josh Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a strikeout in his first game of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake. ... Oakland LHP Eric OFlaherty threw 20 pitches in a simulated game at Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday. ... LHP Tyler Skaggs (4-2, 3.97 ERA) is the Angels scheduled starter Saturday. He set a season high with eight strikeouts in his last start. LHP Tommy Milone (3-3, 3.50) goes for the As. He is 3-0 with a 1.03 ERA over his last four starts. ... Trout extended his hitting streak to 11 games. ... The As improved to 21-3 when scoring first, best in the majors. Donte DiVincenzo Jersey . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. Giannis Antetokounmpo Jersey . The 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., defeated Germanys Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the Sony Open in just 89 minutes. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/596t-ra...bucks.html . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Stitched Bucks Jerseys .com) - Graeme McDowell opened up with a first- round, 5-under 67 on Thursday and he holds a 2-shot lead at the WGC - HSBC Champions. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Carter Hutton stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn his second career shutout in the Nashville Predators 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The Predators got goals from four different players to snap their two-game skid. Roman Josi and Gabriel Bourque scored in the first period, while Eric Nystrom and Mike Fisher added insurance goals later in the game. Star rookie Filip Forsberg tallied two assists for Nashville. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed all four Nashville goals on 24 shots as the Penguins lost for the sixth time in eight games. Nashville barely needed four minutes to score the only goal it needed. Josi ripped a shot from the point through traffic and past Fleury for the early goal. Just 2 1/2 minutes later, Bourque added to the lead after a Penguins turnover deep in their own zone. Simon Despres coughed up the puck under pressure, and Bourque stepped into a shot from right in ffront of the net.dddddddddddd In the final minute of the second period, the Predators took advantage of another Pittsburgh miscue. Sidney Crosby could not handle a pass in his skates, and Taylor Beck backhanded the puck toward the net and Nystrom. Nystrom deked Fleury to get him down on the ice and then lifted the puck past the sprawling goaltender. Fisher added a power-play goal in the third period with Crosby in the box for a slash. With former Penguin James Neal screening Fleury, Fisher found a soft spot in the defense and snapped a shot into the net. Game Notes The teams split the season series with each team earning a shutout ... This was Neals first game in Pittsburgh since the offseason trade that sent him to Nashville ... Patric Hornqvist, acquired by the Penguins in that trade, played in his 400th NHL game ... The Predators are 18-1-4 when scoring the first goal. ' ' '