Angels 7, A’s 3:
Two more HRs for Yonder Alonso but Oakland’s win streak ends.
Yonder Alonso did his nowusual thing Tuesday at the Coliseum, thumping two homers. The rest of the A’s couldn’t keep up their teamwide trend, though, failing to get a walk-off win or, indeed, just a win against the Angels.
That’s because rookie starter Jharel Cotton had his worst outing, allowing a career-high three home runs and seven runs in Oakland’s 7-3 loss to the Angels, ending the A’s threegame streak of last at-bat wins.
Alonso’s second career multi-homer game followed almost on the heels of his first, which was Saturday night. His first drive, a two-run blast with two outs in the first inning off Alex Meyer, gave him a career-high 10 five weeks into the season.
“What are we in, early May? It’s been impressive,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Certainly a breakthrough at this point for him, a breakthrough year.”
“That’s cool,” Alonso said of passing his career high. “But we came down with a loss, and that’s really all that matters.”
In the sixth inning, he took Meyer deep again to pass Khris Davis for the A’s lead in homers and move into a tie for second in the league. Alonso also made the defensive play of the game, running down a foul pop by Martin Maldonado that carried almost into the Angels’ bullpen.
Cotton already was teetering on the verge of being sent down to Triple-A Nashville when left-hander Sean Manaea returns next week, and Tuesday’s performance might have settled it. Manaea is pitching on the same turn as Cotton, making a rehab appearance with Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday; he is likely to return to Oakland’s rotation Sunday or Monday.
Cotton is 3-4 and his ERA climbed to 5.68, but he has turned in several strong outings this season, too.
“Sometimes for younger guys, it takes a little while, especially after last year being up for a period of time, having success, starting this year, having good games, having bad games,” Melvin said. “Sometimes it takes a little while to get consistent. He will.”
Cotton gave up a two-out solo shot by Albert Pujols in the first — No. 596 of Pujols’ career — and another two-out homer in the second to Ben Revere, the first of the season for the outfielder and just the seventh of his career.
Cliff Pennington and Martin Maldonado followed with singles and Yunel Escobar belted a homer to left-center.
“I’ve got to focus on finishing my pitches down in the zone,” Cotton said.
Josh Smith did a terrific job in relief of Cotton, entering the game in the sixth and retiring the first six men he faced. Smith walked Luis Valbuena to open the eighth, but Bruce Maxwell threw Valbuena out at second attempting to steal and Smith set down the next two hitters to complete three hitless, scoreless innings.
Davis has struck out at least once in 20 straight games (with 30 Ks in that stretch), an A’s record by a non-pitcher for consecutive games with at least one strikeout.
The Angels were again without April Player of the Month Mike Trout, who has missed four games with hamstring tightness.
The crowd was announced at 11,383, and it included Warriors forward Kevin Durant, watching from the stands behind home plate.