Piscotty hits, Anderson solid in A’s 10-0 win over Angels

OAKLAND — It wasn’t quite full-on panic mode pregame in the Oakland A’s clubhouse, but the mood was a little more tight. Entering the night losers of three in a row for the first time in nearly two months, they needed a game like this.

With the Tampa Bay Rays already winning earlier in the day, the A’s were in danger of seeing their lead for the second AL wild-card shrink even further. But an offensive explosion that featured a five-RBI day by Stephen Piscotty and a quality start by Brett Anderson helped the A’s snap the losing streak in Wednesday’s 10-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels, shrinking down their magic number to six and staying 2 { games back of the New York Yankees for the top AL wild-card with 10 remaining.

Anderson’s outing was a huge sigh of relief for A’s manager Bob Melvin, who has had to navigate through bumpy waters with a rotation that has struggled to pitch deep into games over the past few weeks. The left-hander held the Angels scoreless as he allowed just three hits over 6 2/3 innings, becoming the first A’s starter to complete six innings since Anderson himself tossed seven shutout innings in a win over the Texas Rangers Aug. 21.

It was a much-improved performance by Anderson in what was his second start back from the disabled list. He struggled in his previous start in Baltimore last week, hit around in a loss to the Orioles as he lasted just 3 1/3 innings that night. Anderson kept it simple Wednesday night, pitching to contact for early outs. He induced ground balls in 12 of his 20 outs recorded, handing the ball to Melvin with two outs and a runner on in the seventh at just 82 pitches.

In what continues to be a career year for Piscotty, he appears to be getting only stronger as the season winds down. His 2-for-5 day included a three-run homer off Parker Bridwell, his 25th of the season, and a two-run double off Angels starter Felix Pena as he matched his career-high in RBIs for the second time this month.

Piscotty’s double in the fourth was part of an inning that saw the A’s seven

first batters reach base and break the game open with six runs.

With such a comfortable lead built up, the A’s were able to rest the back end of the bullpen and go to their secondary relievers, who turned in a nice effort. Ryan Dull, Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks combined to shut out the Angels on just one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings.