This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Max Schuemann, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers hit home runs and the Oakland Athletics overcame an injury to debuting prospect Jacob Wilson to thump the visiting Los Angeles Angels 13-3 on Friday night.
Wilson, a shortstop who was taken sixth overall in the 2023 draft, singled in his first big-league plate appearance. It came in the third inning off Angels starter Griffin Canning (3-10) as the teams opened a three-game series.
But the son of former major league shortstop Jack Wilson sustained a strained left hamstring while scoring from second base on Lawrence Butler’s triple two batters later and had to be removed from the game.
Butler’s hit also scored Schuemann and erased a 1-0 deficit. It also got the A’s rolling toward their second straight double-digit scoring output. They bombed the Philadelphia Phillies 18-3 in the final game before the All-Star break.
Schuemann, who moved from shortstop to third base to make room for Wilson, had Oakland’s biggest hit of the night, a three-run homer in a four-run fourth. The burst came Zach Neto’s hit 13th blast of the season had drawn the Angels even at 2-2 in the top of the inning.
Schuemann added an RBI double in a seven-run sixth inning that broke the game open. The homers by Bleday, his 12th of the season, and Langeliers, his 18th, contributed two runs apiece to the uprising.
Needing a triple to complete a cycle, Schuemann, batting ninth in the order, flied out to right in the seventh to complete a 3-for-4 night with three runs and four RBIs. The homer was his sixth of the year.
JP Sears (7-7) benefitted from Oakland’s 14-hit assault, earning the win despite allowing nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He managed to limit the Angels to three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts and no walks.
Canning was pulled after 3 1/3 innings, charged with six runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Butler, Bleday and Miguel Andujar had two hits each and Seth Brown scored twice for the A’s, who improved to 4-0 at home against the Angels this season.
Neto added two singles to his homer and scored twice for the Angels, who went into the break on a three-game winning streak. Nolan Schanuel had a home run, his ninth, among two hits, while Kevin Pillar singled twice in Los Angeles’ nine-hit attack.
–Field Level Media
