OAKLAND, Calif. -- Garrett Richards felt some cramping in his biceps, as if someone had punched him in his pitching arm.
The Los Angeles Angels are taking no chances after going without him most of last season, yet manager Mike Scioscia still hopes the right-hander can make his next start.
Richards pitched beautifully while making his first appearance in 11 months after an elbow injury cut short his 2016 season, but left abruptly in the fifth inning with biceps cramping before the Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 on Wednesday night.
"Nothing serious. My arm feels good. I felt good tonight, elbow feels fine, shoulder feels fine," he said. "It was just kind of a long inning and it just kind of stiffened up a little bit. There's no red flags or anything, just something that flared up. ... Everything kind of moves on as planned."
Scioscia and the training staff rushed to the mound after Richards threw a 94 mph called strike to Matt Joyce with two outs in the fifth. Richards was removed from the game, one out shy of being eligible for the win, and slugger Albert Pujols put an arm around the pitcher in the dugout.
The team announced he came out for precautionary reasons. Afterward, Richards went through strength tests with no issues. He will be examined by team doctors back in Southern California.
Richards struck out four and walked one, allowing three hits in 4 2/3 innings. JC Ramirez (1-0) worked 2 2/3 innings for the victory.
"That's a great first step for Garrett," Scioscia said.
Mike Trout hit an RBI single to back Richards, the Angels' opening day starter a year ago. He pitched for the first time since last May 1.
Danny Espinosa hit a two-run single one night after delivering a deciding three-run homer, and Andrelton Simmons doubled home a run in the second against Jharel Cotton (0-1).
The 25-year-old Cotton, who came to the A's in a trade-deadline deal last year that sent Rich Hill and Josh Reddick to the Dodgers, can feel good about striking out Trout twice on seven pitches.
"He's got such a wide gap between his fastball and his breaking stuff," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "At times you almost have to guess with him a little bit, especially when he's spotting his fastball and he's got decent velocity with it."
Cotton allowed eight hits and five runs, struck out four and walked two in 4 1/3 innings. This marked his first major league loss after going 2-0 over five starts in 2016.
Frankie Montas -- who arrived in the same trade as Cotton -- pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in his A's debut.
The AL West rivals had split the first two games of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker came out fine from Tuesday's outing, his first in exactly seven months since being struck in the head by a line drive and needing surgery. "I think it's good he can exhale. He got the first one out of the way," Scioscia said. "I think like any starter, your first start is like opening day. It's probably, obviously, more focus on it to what happened to Matt last year. He was fine." ... Scioscia plans to start Carlos Perez behind the plate in the series finale Thursday afternoon to spell starting catcher Martin Maldonado.
Athletics: RHP John Axford was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained right shoulder. He experienced tightness after throwing a curveball warming up Tuesday night. Axford had no issues leading up to the injury. "None, zero," Melvin said. "It was a complete surprise not only to us but to him." RHP Jesse Hahn was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and will be used "for a little bit more length to have a starter back there," Melvin said. ... A's starter Chris Bassitt threw to hitters for the first time since Tommy John surgery last May. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, after his warmup. "The first time you had nerves and the first time you had adrenaline in nine months. Good feeling to have," said Bassitt, who threw about 10 bullpens before Wednesday's session. Bassitt is scheduled to pitch to hitters again Sunday at Class A Stockton and expects to be pitching in rehab games next month.
UP NEXT
LHP Tyler Skaggs makes his third career start against the A's and first since 2014, opposing Andrew Triggs as the Oakland right-hander begins his second major league season after making his first opening day roster.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are taking no chances after going without him most of last season, yet manager Mike Scioscia still hopes the right-hander can make his next start.
Richards pitched beautifully while making his first appearance in 11 months after an elbow injury cut short his 2016 season, but left abruptly in the fifth inning with biceps cramping before the Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 on Wednesday night.
"Nothing serious. My arm feels good. I felt good tonight, elbow feels fine, shoulder feels fine," he said. "It was just kind of a long inning and it just kind of stiffened up a little bit. There's no red flags or anything, just something that flared up. ... Everything kind of moves on as planned."
Scioscia and the training staff rushed to the mound after Richards threw a 94 mph called strike to Matt Joyce with two outs in the fifth. Richards was removed from the game, one out shy of being eligible for the win, and slugger Albert Pujols put an arm around the pitcher in the dugout.
The team announced he came out for precautionary reasons. Afterward, Richards went through strength tests with no issues. He will be examined by team doctors back in Southern California.
Richards struck out four and walked one, allowing three hits in 4 2/3 innings. JC Ramirez (1-0) worked 2 2/3 innings for the victory.
"That's a great first step for Garrett," Scioscia said.
Mike Trout hit an RBI single to back Richards, the Angels' opening day starter a year ago. He pitched for the first time since last May 1.
Danny Espinosa hit a two-run single one night after delivering a deciding three-run homer, and Andrelton Simmons doubled home a run in the second against Jharel Cotton (0-1).
The 25-year-old Cotton, who came to the A's in a trade-deadline deal last year that sent Rich Hill and Josh Reddick to the Dodgers, can feel good about striking out Trout twice on seven pitches.
"He's got such a wide gap between his fastball and his breaking stuff," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "At times you almost have to guess with him a little bit, especially when he's spotting his fastball and he's got decent velocity with it."
Cotton allowed eight hits and five runs, struck out four and walked two in 4 1/3 innings. This marked his first major league loss after going 2-0 over five starts in 2016.
Frankie Montas -- who arrived in the same trade as Cotton -- pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in his A's debut.
The AL West rivals had split the first two games of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker came out fine from Tuesday's outing, his first in exactly seven months since being struck in the head by a line drive and needing surgery. "I think it's good he can exhale. He got the first one out of the way," Scioscia said. "I think like any starter, your first start is like opening day. It's probably, obviously, more focus on it to what happened to Matt last year. He was fine." ... Scioscia plans to start Carlos Perez behind the plate in the series finale Thursday afternoon to spell starting catcher Martin Maldonado.
Athletics: RHP John Axford was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained right shoulder. He experienced tightness after throwing a curveball warming up Tuesday night. Axford had no issues leading up to the injury. "None, zero," Melvin said. "It was a complete surprise not only to us but to him." RHP Jesse Hahn was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and will be used "for a little bit more length to have a starter back there," Melvin said. ... A's starter Chris Bassitt threw to hitters for the first time since Tommy John surgery last May. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, after his warmup. "The first time you had nerves and the first time you had adrenaline in nine months. Good feeling to have," said Bassitt, who threw about 10 bullpens before Wednesday's session. Bassitt is scheduled to pitch to hitters again Sunday at Class A Stockton and expects to be pitching in rehab games next month.
UP NEXT
LHP Tyler Skaggs makes his third career start against the A's and first since 2014, opposing Andrew Triggs as the Oakland right-hander begins his second major league season after making his first opening day roster.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Los Angeles - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Jharel Cotton pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Escobar lined out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Calhoun lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Trout struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Joyce singled to deep center. | 0 | 0 |
| Lowrie grounded into fielder's choice to first, Joyce out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| Healy struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| K. Davis walked, Lowrie to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Lowrie to third, K. Davis to second on wild pitch by Richards. | 0 | 0 |
| Vogt grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jharel Cotton pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Pujols grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Cron singled to deep center. | 0 | 0 |
| Maybin walked, Cron to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Simmons doubled to deep right, Cron scored, Maybin to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Espinosa singled to deep center, Maybin and Simmons scored. | 3 | 0 |
| Espinosa caught stealing second, pitcher to first. | 3 | 0 |
| Maldonado doubled to right. | 3 | 0 |
| Escobar flied out to center. | 3 | 0 |
| 3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Plouffe struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Alonso struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Semien struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jharel Cotton pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Calhoun singled to deep center. | 3 | 0 |
| Trout struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Calhoun to second on wild pitch by Cotton. | 3 | 0 |
| Pujols grounded out to third, Calhoun to third. | 3 | 0 |
| Cron struck out looking. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| R. Davis bunt popped out foul to first. | 3 | 0 |
| Joyce grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| Lowrie grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jharel Cotton pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Maybin grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 0 |
| Simmons flied out to center. | 3 | 0 |
| Espinosa fouled out to first. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Healy grounded out to third. | 3 | 0 |
| K. Davis grounded out to pitcher. | 3 | 0 |
| Vogt flied out to right. | 3 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jharel Cotton pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Maldonado struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| Escobar walked. | 3 | 0 |
| Calhoun singled to right, Escobar to third. | 3 | 0 |
| Trout singled to deep center, Escobar scored, Calhoun to third. | 4 | 0 |
| Pujols singled to center, Calhoun scored, Trout to third. | 5 | 0 |
| Montas relieved Cotton. | 5 | 0 |
| Cron lined into double play, to first, Pujols doubled off first. | 5 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Plouffe grounded out to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Alonso singled to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Semien singled to center, Alonso to second. | 5 | 0 |
| R. Davis grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Semien out at second, Alonso to third. | 5 | 0 |
| Álvarez relieved Richards. | 5 | 0 |
| Canha hit for Joyce. | 5 | 0 |
| Canha popped out to first. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Frankie Montas pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Canha in right field. | 5 | 0 |
| Maybin flied out to right. | 5 | 0 |
| Simmons singled to deep left. | 5 | 0 |
| Espinosa hit by pitch, Simmons to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Maldonado grounded into double play, third to second to first, Espinosa out at second. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jose Alvarez pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Lowrie struck out looking. | 5 | 0 |
| Ramírez relieved Álvarez. | 5 | 0 |
| Healy popped out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| K. Davis singled to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Vogt doubled to deep right center, K. Davis to third. | 5 | 0 |
| Plouffe struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Frankie Montas pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Escobar grounded out to pitcher. | 5 | 0 |
| Calhoun singled to right center. | 5 | 0 |
| Trout grounded out to first, Calhoun to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Pujols popped out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| JC Ramirez pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Alonso popped out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Semien lined out to right. | 5 | 0 |
| R. Davis struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Coulombe pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Coulombe relieved Montas. | 5 | 0 |
| Cron singled to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Maybin singled to deep center, Cron to second. | 5 | 0 |
| Simmons lined out to pitcher. | 5 | 0 |
| Espinosa struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| Maldonado flied out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| JC Ramirez pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Canha grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Lowrie flied out to left. | 5 | 0 |
| Healy flied out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Coulombe pitching for Oakland | LAA | OAK |
| Escobar grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Calhoun lined out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Trout doubled to right. | 5 | 0 |
| Pujols grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Yusmeiro Petit pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | OAK |
| Petit relieved Ramírez. | 5 | 0 |
| K. Davis flied out to right. | 5 | 0 |
| Vogt grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Plouffe singled to deep left center. | 5 | 0 |
| Plouffe to second on fielder's indifference. | 5 | 0 |
| Alonso flied out to center. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Los Angeles Angels
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escobar 3B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | .231 | .286 | .231 |
| Calhoun RF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | .455 | .538 | .455 |
| Trout CF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | .385 | .385 | .923 |
| Pujols DH | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .083 | .154 | .083 |
| Cron 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .429 | .500 | .429 |
| Maybin LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | .273 | .333 | .273 |
| Simmons SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .364 | .417 | .455 |
| Espinosa 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .182 | .250 | .455 |
| Maldonado C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .200 | .273 | .300 |
| Totals | 37 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 147 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Simmons (1, Cotton); Maldonado (1, Cotton); Trout (2, Coulombe) RBI: Simmons (1), Espinosa 2 (5), Trout (4), Pujols (1) GIDP: Maldonado Angels RISP: 4-14 (Maldonado 0-2, Cron 0-2, Escobar 0-1, Espinosa 1-2, Simmons 1-2, Trout 1-1, Pujols 1-4) Team LOB: 8 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Espinosa (1, 2nd base by Cotton) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA |
| Attendance | 13,405 (38.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:15 |
| Weather | 64 degrees, overcast |
| Wind | 17 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Lance Barksdale, First Base - John Tumpane, Second Base - Ted Barrett, Third Base - Angel Hernandez |
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