Jo Adell homered for the 35th time this season and Travis d’Arnaud delivered a decisive RBI double in the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Angels earned a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, preventing a three-game sweep at Angel Stadium.
Oddsmakers had Los Angeles favored at -120 entering the matchup, with Oakland listed at +100 and the over/under set at 8.5 runs. The game stayed tight throughout, with both teams exchanging leads before the Angels pulled ahead late.
The winning rally began when Chris Taylor worked a one-out walk against reliever Osvaldo Bido (2-5). Shortly after, Oswald Peraza was hit by a pitch, marking the fifth Angels batter struck in the game — a new franchise record. That set the stage for d’Arnaud, who entered earlier after starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe was forced to leave with a chin injury. The veteran catcher lined a ground-rule double into right-center, driving in Taylor to give the Angels the lead.
Reid Detmers (5-3) was credited with the victory despite surrendering a run in the top half of the eighth. Kenley Jansen, steady in the closer’s role all season, set down the Athletics in order in the ninth to notch his 26th save.
Angels rookie left-hander Mitch Farris made his second big-league start and allowed two runs on three hits across six innings, showing poise after a rough first inning. He struck out four and kept Los Angeles within striking distance. Oakland’s Luis Severino, looking to stabilize after recent struggles, gave up three runs on four hits over five innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.
O’Hoppe exited in the seventh after being struck inadvertently by the backswing of Jacob Wilson’s warm-up motion. His departure shifted d’Arnaud into a pivotal role, defensively and later at the plate.
Oakland had a chance to rally in the seventh, but pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on and one out. Taylor fielded cleanly and started a smooth 4-6-3 turn with Peraza that preserved Los Angeles’ slim 3-2 advantage at the time.
Adell’s offensive surge continued with a solo homer in the fourth inning. He is hitting .347 with 10 homers and 22 RBIs over his last 20 games, including four go-ahead home runs in September alone. However, he exited in the ninth inning due to nausea, leaving his status uncertain moving forward.
The Athletics were paced by timely hits but failed to sustain rallies against the Angels’ pitching. Their offense tied the game briefly before d’Arnaud’s late-game heroics swung momentum back to the home team.
The loss prevented Oakland from securing a sweep on the road. The Athletics will return to Sacramento on Monday, sending Luis Morales (3-0, 1.59 ERA) to face Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (14-5, 2.67). The Angels will remain home for the opener of a series against the Minnesota Twins, with rookie right-hander Caden Dana (0-0, 4.91) scheduled to oppose Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.53).