Angels 5, A's 4 (11 innings)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Josh Hamilton hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning then hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in 11th, lifting the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-4 victory Wednesday afternoon over the Oakland Athletics.
Leading off the top of the 11th, Angels left fielder J.B. Shuck ripped a double off the base of the right-field wall against A's right-hander Jesse Chavez. Erick Aybar moved Shuck to third with a sacrifice bunt and reached safely when baseman Josh Donaldson couldn't bare-hand the ball and was charged with an error.
Chavez retired Mike Trout on a fly ball to right, but Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to deep left off left-hander Jerry Blevins, bringing Shuck home with the go-ahead run. Blevins had struck Hamilton out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning Tuesday night in a 2-1 A's win.
The Angels won the series, and the A's magic number to win the American League West remained at six.
The Angles and A's combined to hit four two-run homers. Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes each hit a two-run homer for the A's, while Trout and Hamilton hit two-run blasts for the Angels.
The A's took a 4-2 lead into the top of the ninth and sent closer Grant Balfour to the mound. But Aybar grounded a leadoff single to left and, with one out, Hamilton launched a two-run homer into the right-field seats as the Angels pulled even. The home run was Hamilton's 21st of the season.
Balfour blew his third save in 41 opportunities. He did not allow a run in his past three outings after giving up seven in his previous six.
Chavez pitched a perfect 10th inning before giving up an unearned run in the 11th.
Angels right-hander Ernesto Frieri pitched a scoreless 11th for his 35th save. Right-hander Juan Gutierrez got the win, pitching a scoreless 10th.
Oakland A's right-hander A.J. Griffin appeared headed for his fifth straight win before Hamilton struck in the ninth. Griffin gave up a two-run shot to Trout in the first when the Angels grabbed a quick 2-0 lead.
That was the first and last hit that Griffin gave up.
Griffin allowed just the one hit and two runs over six innings. He got a no-decision, but his four-game winning streak survived. Griffin struck out six and walked two.
Cespedes and Crisp slugged two-run homers during a four-run rally in the third inning off Angels left-hander Jason Vargas as the A's took a 4-2 lead. Josh Reddick led off with a single, and Crisp lined a home run over the left-field wall with one out for his career-high 20th blast.
After Jed Lowrie lined a two-out single, Cespedes crushed a home run to center, his career-high 24th of the season.
Vargas (8-8) allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings, getting a no-decision. He struck out six and walked two.
After relieving Griffin, A's right-hander Dan Otero blanked the Angels for two innings.
Angels right-hander Cory Rasmus threw two scoreless innings, and lefty Buddy Boshers pitched a perfect ninth.
Shuck led off the game with a walk, and Trout hit his 26th blast of the year, with one out. Trout homered for the third straight game against the A's, giving him five home runs and 15 RBIs at Oakland this season. The three-game homer streak is the longest of his young career.
Trout's home run was the 35th Griffin has allowed this season, the most in the majors.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Vargas drilled A's third baseman Donaldson in the backside with an 88 mph fastball on an 0-1 count. Home plate umpire Jerry Meals immediately warned both teams and, in light of what happened Tuesday night, he was obviously concerned about the situation escalating.
In the top of the seventh of the A's win Tuesday, reliever Ryan Cook hit Howie Kendrick and Trout -- back-to-back -- with mid-90s fastballs. Donaldson hit a walk-off single with bases loaded in the ninth, touching off a wild celebration.
NOTES: A's manager Bob Melvin said his players dealt with the overflowing toilet in their dugout with "great humor" during Tuesday night's game. "I think to an extent we got a kick out of it. It just made me move out of a superstitious spot more than anything else." As it turned out, the toilet was plugged by a blue rag. ... Cespedes (right shoulder tendinitis) started at designated hitter for the third straight day and continued to rest his throwing arm. Melvin said Cespedes could "potentially" receive a cortisone injection but, "we still don't know the timing on that." ... Second baseman Grant Green started against the A's for the first time since they traded him to the Angels for infielder Alberto Callaspo.
