Josh Lowe hit his first career grand slam to help the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-1 win against the Athletics in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
Angels starter Sam Aldegheri (3-3) had surrendered a combined 11 earned runs over 7 2/3 innings in his previous two starts, but he bounced back to limit the A’s to one run and five hits over five innings. The left-hander from Italy struck out four and walked one.
A’s right-hander Aaron Civale (5-5) also went five innings, allowing four runs and seven hits while striking out two and walking one. Civale has lost four straight starts.
He retired the first four hitters before Vaughn Grissom reached on a single to center with one out in the second. Wade Meckler then walked and Oswald Peraza beat out an infield single to second to load the bases for Lowe, who fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before pulling a cutter into the seats in right for a 4-0 lead.
Aldegheri retired the side in order for the first time in the fourth, but was greeted with back-to-back singles by Jeff McNeil and No. 9 hitter Alika Williams in the fifth. A groundout moved both runners up before Joey Meneses drove in McNeil with a sacrifice fly to cut it to 4-1.
Aldegheri struck out Shea Langeliers with a runner on third to end the inning and finish his afternoon.
Jose Fermin replaced Aldegheri and retired all six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh.
Ryan Zeferjahn started the eighth for the Angels and walked the first two batters on nine pitches before bouncing back to strike out Langeliers and Jonah Heim.
Samy Natera Jr. was then called in to face pinch hitter Nick Kurtz and the rookie left-hander got him to fly out to center.
Natera came back out for the ninth and gave up a leadoff single to Lawrence Butler on a 3-2 pitch before getting the next three batters out for his first MLB save.
