Final
  for this game

Angels-Athletics Preview

Jun 9, 2010 - 6:18 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Los Angeles (32-29) at Oakland (31-29), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Oakland managed to snap the Los Angeles Angels' longest winning streak of the season. Now, it hopes Dallas Braden can end his own personal skid.

The left-hander looks to avoid a fourth straight loss when the Athletics continue their four-game home set with the Angels on Wednesday night.

Braden (4-5, 3.77 ERA) makes this start a month to the day he pitched the first perfect game of the season in a 4-0 Mother's Day win over Tampa Bay on May 9.

Since then, Braden is 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA. However, he's received one run of support or less in three of those outings. In his last, Braden allowed four runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-4, 11-inning loss to Minnesota on Friday.

"Nothing to be frustrated about," Braden told the Athletics' official website. "I know so far more times than not, I haven't been crushed and hit extremely hard. It's just been the ones that fall in. That's just the game of baseball."

Braden is 2-4 with a 4.61 ERA in seven starts against the Angels, including 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA this year. In his first start after the perfect game May 14, Braden allowed four runs in eight innings of a 4-0 loss at Los Angeles to become the first pitcher to follow a perfect game with a complete game since Cleveland's Len Barker in 1981.

Angels' scheduled starter Joe Saunders (4-6, 4.78) also threw a complete game in that contest, giving up four hits to improve to 10-4 with a 3.73 ERA in 16 starts against the A's.

"You don't really get hyped up because of who's pitching against you," Saunders said of opposing Braden. "You just tell yourself to do what you can do - stay within yourself, throw as many strikes as you can, put the hitters on the defensive, throw up some zeros and hope your team can scratch out a run."

The left-hander, 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in his last five starts, allowed a run in six innings of a 7-1 win at Seattle on Friday.

Saunders looks to help the Angels (32-29) bounce back after their six-game winning streak was snapped in a 10-1 loss to the A's on Tuesday. Los Angeles was held in check after batting .310 and averaging 7.2 runs during the winning stretch.

Kurt Suzuki went 4 for 5 with a homer and four RBIs as the A's (31-29) pounded out a season-high 18 hits to snap a four-game skid against Los Angeles.

"We were getting some balls to fall. That's the game," Suzuki said of the A's, who scored double-digit runs for the fourth time this season. "Sometimes you hit line drives and they get caught, sometimes you place them in the right spot."

Jack Cust added a two-run homer, giving Oakland 12 home runs in June after combining for 15 in April and May.

Suzuki has four homers and 10 RBIs while batting .389 in eight games this month. However, he's 2 for 24 (.083) with a home run lifetime against Saunders.

After hitting a two-run homer in Los Angeles' 4-2 series opening win Monday, Bobby Abreu went 1 for 4 on Tuesday.

Though he's batting .375 against the A's this season, Abreu is 9 for 45 (.200) in his last 11 games in Oakland.








  • Athletics 1, Angels 7 - FINAL
    LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
    E Aybar ss 5 1 4 2 0 1 0 .264
    H Kendrick 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 4 .260
    B Abreu rf 5 0 0 0 0 2 6 .258
    T Hunter cf 5 1 3 1 0 2 2 .284
    H Matsui dh 5 1 2 1 0 2 1 .261
    M Napoli c 5 0 2 0 0 2 4 .266
    J Rive

    Jun 10 12:36 AM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY KEVIN KOUZMANOFF SCORED DARIC BARTON
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, K KOUZMANOFF ON FIRST, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 7
    OAKLAND 1 BOTTOM,9TH
    DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: A ROSALES (.281, 1-FOR-2, BB)

    Angels 7, Athletics 1  Bot 9, 0 OutsJun 10 12:32 AM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY HIDEKI MATSUI SCORED ERICK AYBAR
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, H MATSUI ON FIRST, H KENDRICK ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 7
    OAKLAND 0 TOP,9TH
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: M NAPOLI (.268, 2-FOR-4)

    Angels 7, Athletics 0  Top 9, 0 OutsJun 10 12:25 AM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SOLO HOME RUN BY JUAN RIVERA (9) TO CENTER WITH 1 OUT IN THE
    8TH OFF CEDRICK BOWERS.
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 6, OAKLAND 0
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: K FRANDSEN (.378, 1-FOR-3)

    Angels 6, Athletics 0  Top 8, 0 OutsJun 10 12:05 AM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    TRIPLE BY ERICK AYBAR SCORED ROBB QUINLAN AND KEVIN
    FRANDSEN
    SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, E AYBAR ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 5
    OAKLAND 0 TOP,6TH
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: H KENDRICK (.258, 0-FOR-3)

    Angels 5, Athletics 0  Top 6, 0 OutsJun 9 11:39 PM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY ROBB QUINLAN SCORED HIDEKI MATSUI
    SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R QUINLAN ON FIRST, K FRANDSEN ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 3
    OAKLAND 0 TOP,6TH
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: E AYBAR (.257, 2-FOR-3)

    Angels 3, Athletics 0  Top 6, 0 OutsJun 9 11:34 PM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY JUAN RIVERA SCORED TORII HUNTER
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J RIVERA ON FIRST, H MATSUI ON SECOND, 1 OUT
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 2
    OAKLAND 0 TOP,6TH
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: K FRANDSEN (.386, 1-FOR-2)

    Angels 2, Athletics 0  Top 6, 0 OutsJun 9 11:29 PM
  • 16
    roots
    RUWTbot Added 16 roots

    Angels 1, Athletics 0  Bot 5, 0 OutsJun 9 11:17 PM


  • AL
    AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
    SINGLE BY TORII HUNTER SCORED KEVIN FRANDSEN
    SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, T HUNTER ON FIRST, E AYBAR ON SECOND, R
    QUINLAN ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
    CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 1
    OAKLAND 0 TOP,3RD
    DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: H MATSUI (.256, 0-FOR-1)

    Angels 1, Athletics 0  Top 3, 0 OutsJun 9 10:47 PM