Yoenis Cespedes made the throw of the year last night, and apparently he isn’t quite done imposing his will on the Angels.
An amazing throw nabbing Albert Pujols as Pujols tried for a triple in the sixth inning was just one of many Cespedes highlights in a 7-1 rout of the Angels. Cespedes had three hits and two RBI, extending his hitting streak to nine games. He knocked in the A’s first run with a single to left in the third inning, and then manufactured the go-ahead run in the sixth. Cespedes led off the inning by stretching a single into a double, went to third on an infield single, and used his speed to score on a sac fly that wasn’t all that deep. The next batter, Stephen Vogt, came up and drilled his first homer of the year to give the A’s a 4-1 lead.
Oakland scored three more times in the ninth to extend the lead. On the mound, Tommy Milone allowed six hits and one earned run in 6.2 innings.
Straight A’s
— It wasn’t quite as mind-blowing as last night, but Cespedes’ throw from the outfield to third base was nothing short of phenomenal. You could just see it developing – Pujols hitting a soft line drive to left, Cespedes unable to pick it up, the ball rolling away, Pujols trying for third, Cespedes finally picking it up with the barehand and throwing a perfect strike to Josh Donaldson to tag out Pujols by a mile. It was an important out as well; the Angels were down 4-1 at the time and Pujols could have led the inning off with a triple, if it weren’t for Cespedes.
— Here is what all MLB teams should refer to when scouting the A’s outfield arms:
Guide to running on A’s outfielders: pic.twitter.com/V6MhouVGgn
— Ken Arneson (@kenarneson) June 11, 2014
— Josh Donaldson is still mired in a slump. He didn’t start today, but entered the game in the sixth for Alberto Callaspo and went 0-for-2. He is now hitless in his last 23 at bats and his batting average is down to .258. Yet, he’ll probably still be the starting third baseman for the AL in the All-Star Game.
— Jered Weaver has owned the A’s throughout his career, but during his last two starts against Oakland, his ERA is over 7.00. Weaver allowed four runs in 5.1 innings tonight.
