Butler homers, Sears pitches A's to series sweep of Angels with 5-0 win
Oakland Athletics pitcher JP Sears throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
OAKLAND, Calif. — Lawrence Butler homered, JP Sears won for the first time in more than a month, and the Oakland Athletics blanked the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday for a second straight game by the same 5-0 score to complete three-game series sweep.
Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker hit back-to-back RBI singles in the third and Tyler Soderstrom added a sacrifice fly in the decisive inning on a hot Independence Day in the Bay Area, with an announced holiday crowd of 11,956.
Sears (5-7) struck out six and walked one, allowing two hits over five scoreless innings to snap a six-start winless stretch since beating Houston on May 25. The left-hander had dropped his previous four decisions.
The Angels lost a fourth straight game coming off a 5-0 shutout Wednesday after having scored five or more runs in seven straight games. They were shut out in consecutive games for the first time since June 20-21, 2023 at home against the Dodgers.
The loss also ran the club's losing streak at the Coliseum to six games.
Right-hander Roansy Contreras (1-1) walked two of the first three batters in the third to get in trouble, then gave up the run-scoring singles and a sacrifice fly before another walk — and that was it in his second start for the Angels.
Butler hit a 400-foot homer in the eighth.
Oakland Athletics' Lawrence Butler, right, celebrates with third base coach Eric Martins, left, after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
The Angels played the first of four straight day games as they head to Chicago to face the Cubs — their first visit to Wrigley Field since 2019.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: OF Mike Trout hit on the field off a tee during Monday's off day and is running on a treadmill now as he recovers from a torn meniscus in his left knee. Manager Ron Washington saw the video and said “he looked natural.” ... 3B Luis Rengifo was feeling better after exiting a night earlier with an injury on his lower right arm near the wrist after fouling a ball off it in the ninth inning. ... 3B Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain) will return to regular third base duties when healthy, with some games at designated hitter as needed, Washington said.
Athletics: LHP Kyle Muller has rejoined the team from his rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the injured list this weekend after dealing with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder.
Oakland Athletics catcher Kyle McCann, left, throws to first for an out against Los Angeles Angels' Kevin Pillar during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
UP NEXT
RHP Griffin Canning (3-8, 4.71 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels in the series opener with the Cubs. LHP Hogan Harris (1-2, 3.18) pitches for the A's in Friday’s series opener against Baltimore, which counters with RHP Albert Suárez (4-2, 2.43).