Oakland Athletics' Lawrence Butler #4 is congratulated by third base coach Eric Martins #3 after hitting a three-run home run off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher José Soriano #59 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
OAKLAND — A week ago, the A’s were swept by the Angels in Anaheim, scoring eight total runs in the process. Back in the Bay Area, Oakland landed its own punch — and found its offense, too.
Led by Lawrence Butler’s three-run home run and Brent Rooker’s solo shot, the A’s bounced back from a quiet offensive weekend to beat the Angels, 7-5.
Those seven runs were more than enough for Mitch Spence, who recorded his first win since May 28 as he allowed one earned run across 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. The outing was a rebound for Spence after he allowed a career-high six earned runs to these same Angels exactly a week prior.
The A’s did not appear destined for a big offensive night out the gates. José Soriano didn’t allow a hit in his first three innings of work, recording four strikeouts in the process. In the fourth, Oakland’s offense awoke.
Rooker put the A’s on the scoreboard with a solo home run to center field, his 16th of the season. After Shea Langeliers singled and Zack Gelof walked, Butler snuck an opposite-field, three-run home run over the left-field fence to give Oakland a four-run lead. For Butler, who spent a month with Triple-A Las Vegas, it was his first major-league homer since April 23.
Oakland padded its lead with three more runs in the sixth inning. Brent Harris, in his first game back from Triple-A, drove in two runs with a double while JJ Bleday chipped in an RBI single.
Originally published at Justice delos Santos