ANAHEIM -- The Athletics’ ability to hit with runners in scoring position was a key to their win against the Angels on Friday.
That clutch hitting did not carry over into Saturday’s game and the A’s fell to the Angels, 5-2, at Angel Stadium.
The A’s went 8-for-12 with runners in scoring position on Friday and left just three runners on base. On Saturday, the A’s went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning while trailing by just one run.
After a Shea Langeliers single, Lawrence Butler and Jonah Heim drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay pinch-hit a scuffling Carlos Cortes for Colby Thomas. Angels pitcher Sam Bachman struck out Cortes and got Max Muncy to fly out to end the inning with the Angels’ 3-2 lead intact.
“It’s tough. I mean, you got a 100 mph sinker,” Kotsay said. “He executed pitches on Carlos. Muncy’s line drive was a good at-bat.”
Kotsay elected to pinch-hit Cortes despite his recent struggles due to lefties hitting Bachman much better than righties this season. Lefties had an .812 OPS against Bachman entering Saturday, while righties had just a .502 OPS.
Cortes entered Saturday hitless in his last 20 at-bats and was 1-for-10 as a pinch-hitter this season. He had not played in the A’s last four games, but he was the only left-handed hitter available off the bench.
“The matchup was there,” Kotsay said. “Carlos has had some big at-bats for us. Just unfortunate tonight.”
It was a game to forget for Muncy, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, stranded six runners in scoring position and missed a ground ball on a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh by Denzer Guzman.
The Angels took advantage of the A’s inability to score in the eighth and added a pair of insurance runs to put the game away. Oswald Peraza and Logan O’Hoppe each hit RBI singles for the Angels to extend their lead to 5-2.
A’s starter Jack Perkins was excellent in four of his five innings. Perkins allowed four hits in five innings with two earned runs and five strikeouts.
In the fourth inning, Perkins issued a leadoff walk to Nolan Schanuel and allowed a single from Jorge Soler. Perkins then gave up a two-run triple to Jo Adell to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.
He stranded Adell on third by striking out Donovan Walton and getting O’Hoppe to ground out.
“I know this is the best line I’ve had, so that’s a positive takeaway from it, but stuff-wise, just felt like it was one of those days where you had to battle,” Perkins said. “I felt like I gave us a chance to win. I think the biggest positive for me was getting through that inning with two runs and not letting it snowball.”
Perkins matched a season-high five innings Saturday, which he has done in three consecutive starts. It was also the third consecutive start in which he had at least five strikeouts.
Heim had a solo home run in the second inning on his 31st birthday to give the A’s a 1-0 lead. The home run traveled 445 feet, per Statcast, which is the second-longest home run of his career.
Thomas tied the game at 2 with an RBI single to score Nick Kurtz in the sixth inning. The single snapped an 0-for-19 streak, and it was Thomas’ first RBI in 12 games in which he had a plate appearance dating back to June 3.
Tyler Soderstrom left the game in the third inning due to left hip soreness. Soderstrom struck out in his lone at-bat in the second, then played another inning in the field before being replaced by Lawrence Butler. Soderstrom will be evaluated ahead of the Athletics’ series finale against the Angels on Sunday.