Angels 5 - 4 Athletics
Final
  for this game

Lester eyes fourth straight win in finale against Angels

Sep 24, 2014 - 11:38 AM (SportsNetwork.com) - If the Oakland Athletics miss the playoffs it won't be Jon Lester's fault. Lester goes after his fourth straight win on Wednesday and tries to get the A's closer to a postseason berth in the finale of a three- game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at O.co Coliseum.

Lester has been brilliant since being acquired by Boston at the non-waiver trade deadline, going 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA in 10 starts. He won again on Friday against Philadelphia, as he limited the Phillies to just a run and five hits over seven innings to run his overall record to 16-10 to go along with a 2.41 ERA.

He's perfectly lined up to start either a potential Game 163 or a wild card game.

"He's been terrific. Every time out there," said Oakland manager Bob Melvin. "You feel like you don't have to score many runs for him because he's going to do a good job, and you'd like to make it easy on him every once in a while, but every time out there, he's deep in the games, 110-plus pitches and comes out with the lead. That's all you can ask for."

Oakland lost for the first time in three games on Tuesday, as Gordon Beckham smacked a solo homer, Wade LeBlanc pitched into the sixth inning and the Angels rolled, 2-0.

LeBlanc (1-1), who has tossed 15 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, scattered five hits and walked one over 5 1/3 frames for the Angels, who won for only the second time in their last six games.

"Staying aggressive," LeBlanc said. "I didn't have much in the way of swing- and-miss stuff tonight, but you know defense did what it always does behind you."

The Angels are 2 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore for home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs.

Sonny Gray (13-10) struck out a career-high 12 batters, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and three walks for Oakland, which hasn't won three in a row since Aug. 7-9.

Despite the loss the A's moved one step closer to the postseason, as Seattle continued to struggle. Oakland is now tied with Kansas City for the AL's top wild-card spot, with the Mariners three games behind.

"We had some opportunities," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "One or two more hits and it's a different game."

Los Angeles will hand the ball to lefty Hector Santiago on Wednesday, as he tries to bounce back from the worst outing of his career. Santiago was only able to last one inning against the lowly Texas Rangers on Friday and was rocked to the tune of seven runs (6 earned) and seven hits to fall to 5-9 on the year, while raising his ERA to 3.98.

Santiago only made it two innings in a loss his previous time out. He had been 4-0 with a 2.04 ERA in his 11 outings before that.

"Hector has definitely showed what he can do when he's on," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think he has to get back and just exhale, had a couple of rough ones, obviously, but his arm is good, his stuff is good, he competes well. Just had a rough go of it the last couple of times and we'll keep him going and see where everything falls together here in the next week."

The A's have split 18 meetings with the Angels this season.






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