Marte's sac fly caps Halos' comeback vs. A's

June 26th, 2016

ANAHEIM -- Jefry Marte scored Mike Trout on a sac fly with one out in the ninth inning as the Angels enjoyed a walk-off win over the A's, 7-6, to snap a six-game losing streak. It was the fourth walk-off win for the Halos this season.
The Angels rallied from a 6-2 deficit after six innings. Trout got things started with a two-run homer in the seventh off A's reliever Fernando Rodriguez. The Halos got to John Axford for two runs in the eighth, tying the game on a run-scoring single from Andrelton Simmons.
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Coco Crisp clubbed a grand slam and Marcus Semien homered for the A's, who were bidding to sweep the Angels in a four-game series for the first time since October 2001.
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"When you have a 6-2 lead, you like to think you can finish it off," A's manager Bob Melvin said.
In his fifth start since missing two weeks to the disabled list, A's starter Sonny Gray allowed two runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out three and issued one walk. Angels starter Hector Santiago was charged with six runs on seven hits in six innings, striking out six against two walks on 116 pitches.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Follow the leader: Semien followed Crisp's grand slam with a solo shot to left, the third time the A's have hit back-to-back homers this year. He pulled an 0-2 sinker from Santiago and hit it a projected 392 feet, according to Statcast™. It was the second homer of the series for Semien, who leads all American League shortstops with 14.

Oakland digs the long ball: Santiago tied for the lead in the American League with 29 home runs allowed last season, and has continued to run into trouble with the long ball this year. He gave up back-to-back shots in the fourth on Crisp's grand slam and Semien's solo shot, giving him 17 home runs allowed on the season. That's second-most on the team behind Jered Weaver's 19, with both floating toward the top in the big leagues.
"My stuff was great besides the four walks," Santiago said. "Some of the guys I walked are usually aggressive and swinging at those pitches, but all-around I thought it was a good game. It was one bad pitch. …Take away one pitch from the day, and it's a completely different game."

Setting the table: Crisp finished the series 5-for-13 with one homer, two doubles, six RBIs, six runs scored and two walks from the leadoff spot. His grand slam Sunday was the third of his career.
"He's probably playing right now, from both sides of the plate, as well as he has all year," Melvin said.
Rally Time: The Angels looked up at a 6-2 score entering the seventh inning, but rattled off five runs in the last three innings to win on Marte's walk-off. It was the first walk-off of his career and the fourth for the Angels this season. It was the team's fifth win in 38 tries this season when trailing after the seventh inning.
"We kept fighting back," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We had a big hole to climb out of, and our guys did. The bench was alive, even when we were down 6-2." More >

QUOTABLE
"We just wasted a good effort by Sonny, a good strong start by him, a big day from Coco at the plate with that homer. A lot of good things wasted." -- Axford More >
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
With two outs and a runner on third, Athletics shortstop Semien chopped a grounder to third base. Third baseman Marte's throw was high, but first baseman C.J. Cron got the tag in time. The Athletics challenged the call, but it was confirmed after a review.

WHAT'S NEXT
Athletics: Right-hander Daniel Mengden (0-3, 3.00 ERA) gets the ball for the A's on Monday as they open the Bay Bridge series against the Giants at AT&T Park. It's already the third Interleague start for Mengden, who made his big league debut on June 11. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. PT.
Angels: Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (3-8, 4.43 ERA) takes the mound in Monday's series opener against the Astros looking to continue his incredible seven-start run. He shut down Houston for much of his last start, going 7 1/3 innings and giving up three runs before being saddled with the loss. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT.
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