Athletics 8 - 1 Angels
Final
  for this game

A's pound Angels to cap sweep

Apr 12, 2013 - 5:58 AM Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer and Yoenis Cespedes added a solo blast to back eight stellar innings from A.J. Griffin as the Oakland Athletics completed a rare road sweep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with an 8-1 triumph on Thursday.

The A's have won eight straight since dropping their first two games of the season and have matched the best start in club history set in 1992.

Oakland, which last earned a sweep at Angel Stadium in Oct. 2001, banged out 44 hits and scored 28 runs in the three-game series.

Seth Smith had four of the club's 16 hits Thursday and knocked in a run, Jed Lowrie went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Chris Young contributed a two-run double behind Griffin (2-0), who limited the Angels to one run on five hits to pick up the victory.

"We were looking for an outing like that to give our bullpen a rest," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "This was probably our best game all around."

Jason Vargas (0-1), in his first home start as an Angel, was charged with five runs on 10 hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Howie Kendrick's RBI double was the only extra-bast hit for LA, which has an AL-worst 2-7 record and is 0-3 at home for the first time since 1994.

Andy Parrino legged out a double to open the away third and scored on Lowrie's two-out single to give Oakland the early lead.

The Angels got their run in the fourth inning, which started with Albert Pujols flying out to the deepest park of the park. Following the long out, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo each singled prior to Kendrick sending one down the left-field line to bring in Hamilton.

Griffin limited the damage by striking out Chris Iannetta and retiring Peter Bourjos on a groundout to third, and the A's went ahead with a four-spot in the sixth.

Donaldson provided two of the runs by sending a first-pitch breaking ball into the left-field bullpen after Derek Norris reached on a one-out double.

Vargas was pulled later in the frame with two outs and runners on first and second, and Young greeted Kevin Jepsen with a line drive that one-hopped off the left-field wall. Seth Smith and Coco Crisp were both moving on the payoff pitch and scored easily to extend the lead to 5-1.

Cespedes led off the seventh with a moonshot off Sean Burnett into the rocks past the center-field wall, and two runners scored on Smith's hit in the ninth -- one on an error by Kendrick.

The Angels did not record a hit after Kendrick's double.

"They took it to us, they played well," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Game Notes

Each player in the Oakland lineup had at least one hit ... The A's matched a club record with 10 or more hits in eight consecutive games (August 22-30, 2002) ... This was the third time in Oakland history the A's have gone undefeated on a road trip of six or more games ... The A's are 6-0 on the road for the first time since 1990 ... Lowrie has reached base safely in all 10 games ... Angels third baseman Alberto Callaspo left the game due to an injured leg ... Hamilton had two of the Angels' five hits.






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