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 The Angels made a number of outstanding plays, and the A's just
missed making one of their own. Oakland also committed a couple of
errors that resulted in an unearned run.
Center fielder Mike Trout made a running catch at the wall in left
center and third baseman Gordon Beckham made a leaping catch of a
line drive. But no play was quite as good as left fielder Josh
Hamilton's diving catch in foul territory down the left-field line
that helped Weaver get out of a rare jam in the fifth inning.
"A big play like that gets your team excited, gets you amped,"
Weaver said. "Just when you think he wasn't going to get there he
takes a couple extra strides to get to the ball. It was a great
play, and it was a momentum changer, for sure."
Pujols also nearly made a spectacular play at first base, leaping to
catch a ball thrown too high and reaching behind his back to try to
make a tag on the runner going by. A's shortstop Eric Sogard was
ruled safe on the play, which the Angels unsuccessfully challenged
via replay review.
"Any time your defense is making great plays behind you, it's going
to add up to victory," Weaver said. "I've been pretty lucky to get
some support."
Oakland center fielder Coco Crisp nearly made the play of the game,
reaching above the wall and appearing to rob Iannetta of a two-run
homer in the fifth inning. He initially had the ball in his glove
but lost it when he slammed into the wall and landed hard on his
back.
Crisp left the game under his own power and was initially diagnosed
with a strained neck.
"I was worried about his head too, but his neck's the issue," A's
manager Bob Melvin said. "He was a little shook up. We were worried
about a concussion, but it wasn't."
Weaver, who gave up three hits and three walks, improved to 15-7,
tying Detroit's Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer for the American
League-lead in wins.
"I do?" Weaver said when told he had 15 wins. "Fifteen? I don't
know, you would have never guessed. I'm just trying to my job and
keep the team in the game, no matter how I'm feeling or what the
case is. My team has been picking me up a lot this year, I've had
some great support, great defense behind me."
Relievers Joe Smith (eighth inning) and Huston Street (ninth)
finished the Angels' 10th shutout of the season.
A's starter Jon Lester (3-2), coming off a no-decision in a 2-1 win
over the Angels in his last start, gave up three runs (two earned),
six hits and one walk in six innings.
The win moved the Angels (81-53) three games ahead of the A's
(78-56) in the AL West, their biggest lead of the season.
The A's have now lost 12 of their past 18 games, going from four
games up to three back.
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"It's frustrating," Melvin said. "It seemed like every ball we hit hard
today was hit right at somebody. It's just the way it goes sometimes,
but you have to play through it. They're fighting, they're playing hard,
they're running down the line, just things aren't going our way right
now. But it will turn."
Weaver and Lester matched each other zero for zero for the first four
innings, neither allowing a run.
The A's put runners on first and second with one out in the fifth inning
when Weaver got a boost from his defense. Second baseman Alberto
Callaspo hit a foul popup down the left-field line, where Hamilton got
horizontal to make the diving catch.
"Josh plays aggressive out there in left field. He's a terrific
outfielder," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The Angels broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning on Iannetta's
two-run homer, despite the effort by Crisp.
"Unbelievable," Melvin said of Crisp. "He came out of nowhere to get to
it, airborne, actually in his glove for a while, just couldn't pull it
back."
NOTES: The A's have decided to drop their protest of Thursday's game, in
which Angels SS Erick Aybar was awarded first base after colliding with
RHP Dan Otero while running to first base in the ninth inning. Plate
umpire Greg Gibson ruled first baseman Brandon Moss, who initially
bumped into Otero, had obstructed Aybar's path to first base. Moss did
not field the ball, nor did Aybar run into him. "Based on my
conversation with the front office and the front office's conversation
with MLB, it was a judgment call and there's no chance it's going to be
overruled," A's manager Bob Melvin said. ... A's INF Jed Lowrie will
play games Saturday and Sunday for Triple-A Sacramento on a rehab
assignment. Lowrie, out with a broken right index finger, could return
to the big league club Monday. ... The Angels announced after Friday's
game that RHP Cory Rasmus, normally a reliever, will start Saturday's
game.
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