The win at the end of a three-game series for the Los Angeles Angels over the Oakland A’s wasn’t just about the division or getting something out of another encounter, but also about having the best record in baseball thanks to a 9-4 victory. A great performance from Jered Weaver and big home run from Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout made sure they got they what they set out to do.

The A’s won the first two games of the weekend series but Scott Kazmir failed in holding this big hitting offense at bay, while not getting any kind of support from his offense until it was too late. He didn’t last four innings, giving up 10 hits and seven runs while on the mound, picking up his sixth loss this season while striking out only one batter and walking two. Weaver on the other hand didn’t have any trouble, striking out eight as he picked up his eighth win of the season after 6.2 innings.

The A’s started scoring in the 7th innings, getting home runs from Alberto Callaspo and Andy Parrino. Eric Sogard got an RBI in the ninth, but Jason Grilli didn’t make that many mistakes as he pitched the full ninth inning for the Angels. While the A’s offense lasted barely two or three innings, the Angels were at work early and often, scoring their nine runs from the second through the sixth inning.

It began with RBI doubles from Erick Aybar and Kole Calhoun, followed by Hamilton hitting a two-run homer. It’s his 10th home run of the season, and all of them have come while playing away from home. Pujols got his RBI next, making it to 78 this season and on pace to finish with over 100 this season. Hamilton and Kendrick added more RBIs in the 4th inning, while Trout saved the best for last with a huge 417 feet home run in the sixth inning.

It was Trout’s 29th home run of the season, reaching 91 RBIs. It was his first home run this season with the pitch coming to the upper third of the strikezone. The last time he hit one coming so high at him was last season, with 44 home runs coming in between those two big hits. The 23 year-old is batting .288 this season. He is fifth in AL Home runs so far and third in RBIs. Weaver got back at the A’s after going 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA so far this season against them.

It’s going to be a very interesting race until the end of the season for the AL West division crown, and it’s not quite certain that the big hitting of the Angels will last them the whole way, maybe gaining momentum a bit too soon for the big finish. However, considering the recent changes to both teams, maybe the A’s are hitting something or a stumbling block and this was only the beginning.

Images: Source