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Mark Canha hits 3-run HR as Athletics beat Angels 11-5

Sep 1, 2015 - 7:56 AM OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) In less than a month with Oakland, Danny Valencia has learned plenty about his ballpark's quirks. From sewage problems to a rally opossum, and now an outfield wall coming down at the decrepit Coliseum.

Valencia hit a two-run double in the third inning and another RBI-double in the fifth to back Felix Doubront in his first win for Oakland, and the Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-5 on Monday night.

The game was delayed for a fix of the wall after Shane Victorino ran into it on Valencia's second double.

''We had a malfunction out there,'' said Valencia, who joined the A's on Aug. 3 from Toronto. ''I guess the combination of the ball being hit as hard as it was and Victorino running into it as hard as he did, brought the wall down. You never see that. I bet you it was because they played a football game last night and the fence probably wasn't intact like it probably normally is. As I've been here I've seen it, a lot of shenanigans out there.''

The game was delayed 10 minutes as players briefly returned to their dugouts. The piece that fell was a middle red panel of an advertising sign. Angels manager Mike Scioscia switched pitchers after the delay.

Only hours earlier, the stadium was rapidly transformed back to a baseball diamond after the Oakland Raiders hosted the Arizona Cardinals in an NFL preseason game Sunday night. The A's didn't work out on the field beforehand during that process.

''You take it in stride,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said. ''We know there are going to be some issues here. It's actually sometimes a little bit fun.''

Mark Canha hit a three-run homer and Jake Smolinski's three-run double highlighted a decisive third inning for the A's.

Erick Aybar hit an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly in his first two plate appearances for the Angels, while Albert Pujols singled in a run.

Oakland chased Angels starter Hector Santiago (7-9) after 2 2-3 innings as the A's earned their first three-game winning streak since Aug. 7-9, against Houston.

Doubront (2-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, striking out five and walking four in his first win since July 7, at the White Sox. It was the lefty's fifth appearance and third start with the A's since being traded by Toronto on July 31.

The Angels lost for the ninth time in 11 games and the 17th time in 20 road contests after being swept at Cleveland during a weekend series.

Santiago lost his third straight start, fifth consecutive decision and saw his winless stretch reach eight outings since a win against the Red Sox on July 20 gave him three straight victories.

The left-hander was tagged for five runs and four hits, struck out four and walked three in his shortest start this year and the shortest since working one inning last Sept. 19, at Texas.

He had been 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA against the A's since the beginning of last season.

''I had a rough August, September here we go,'' he said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: 3B David Freese, sidelined since July 23 with a fractured right index finger, was en route to Oakland and set to be activated from the DL and play Tuesday night. ... LHP Tyler Skaggs threw 40 pitches - all fastballs - in a bullpen session as he works back from elbow surgery that will keep him out all year.

Athletics: Reliever Evan Scribner was removed in the ninth with tightness behind his shoulder, further slowing the already slow game. He will have an MRI on Tuesday. ... LHP Sean Doolittle, who has made three appearances since returning from a shoulder injury Aug. 22, won't pitch three straight days as the A's remain cautious with him. ''We have a plan for how much we're going to use him,'' Melvin said. ... RHP Chris Bassitt had been scheduled to pitch Tuesday night but is out with shoulder soreness. He was scheduled to be examined by team doctors.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker (6-9) seeks his first victory against the A's in five starts this season after going 0-2 with a 7.85 ERA vs. Oakland. He looks to improve to 2-0 in as many outings since returning from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Athletics: RHP Cody Martin will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to start in place of Bassitt, who is already in Oakland. He expects between 10-20 family and friends as he makes his first career start a couple of hours from his home in Dos Palos. Traded by the Braves on July 2, Martin thought he would pitch in San Francisco for Atlanta in late May but was sent down.