OAKLAND -- On Monday night, A's right-hander Ryan Dull used a slider to strike out Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa swinging in the seventh inning of Oakland's victory on Opening Night.
One day later, Dull threw the same pitch to Espinosa, but this time he didn't miss it, launching a three-run, go-ahead home run in the ninth inning to lift the Angels to a 7-6 comeback win on Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum.
The Halos entered the ninth down 6-4 after the A's scored four runs in the seventh, but Jefry Marte and Cameron Maybin jump-started the rally with back-to-back singles off Dull. Andrelton Simmons then grounded into a forceout to bring Espinosa to the plate with runners on the corners and one out. Espinosa jumped on an 0-2 slider to right-center field to collect his first hit as an Angel.
"I faced [Dull] last night, and he kind of pitched me a little bit differently," Espinosa said. "After I got two strikes right there, I just wanted to try to back the ball up a little bit. The slider, I think, was trying to come in and was left a little out over the plate, and I just got a good barrel to it."
Espinosa was acquired from the Nationals in exchange for Minor Leaguers Austin Adams and Kyle McGowin in December to fill the Angels' hole at second base. The trade was a homecoming for Espinosa, who grew in Santa Ana as an Angels fan and attended Mater Dei High School and Long Beach State.
The 29-year-old hitter batted .209 with a career-high 24 homers in 157 games for Washington in 2016 and said it was nice to contribute to his new team early in the season.
"It was a great feeling," Espinosa said. "To be able to come through for the team is the best feeling."
Espinosa wasn't the only newcomer who enjoyed a big night for the Angels. Catcher Martin Maldonado added a two-run single and also made a pair of outstanding throws to pick off Marcus Semien from first and throw out Rajai Davis at second on a steal attempt. Maybin, meanwhile, finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.
"It's a great comeback win," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We kept playing. We cracked the door in the seventh and they took advantage of it, and then we got it back. Good effort."