A’s turn traffic into 9-3 win over Angels

After that, Nick Kurtz singled home Bolte. Shea Langeliers followed with another RBI single, pushing the lead to 7-1.

As a result, the A’s turned a one-run deficit into a six-run lead in one inning.

Ginn holds the line

J.T. Ginn gave the A’s exactly what they needed after the offense broke through.

The right-hander allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings. He walked one, struck out five and used a double play to escape trouble in the first.

Los Angeles scored first in the fourth. Wade Meckler doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Donovan Walton’s single.

However, Ginn limited the damage until the A’s offense arrived. Jo Adell hit a two-run homer in the fifth, cutting the lead to 7-3, but the Angels never got closer.

More pressure, more runs

The A’s added on in the seventh.

Bolte reached on catcher interference, stole second and scored on Kurtz’s second RBI single of the night. Langeliers followed with a single, and Heim later hit a ground-rule double to score Kurtz.

That made it 9-3 and gave the bullpen room to work.

Luis Medina struck out three over 1 1/3 innings. Then Hogan Harris escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Logan O’Hoppe and Christian Moore.

Elvis Alvarado finished it with a clean ninth.

Numbers that mattered

The Athletics finished with nine runs on 10 hits. The Angels had three runs on nine hits and two errors.

Kurtz went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, pushing his team-leading total to 64. Langeliers added two hits and an RBI, while McNeil drove in two.

Also, Bolte scored twice, drove in two and stole his 10th base. Heim doubled, drove in one and scored once.

The difference was situational hitting. The A’s went 8-for-12 with runners in scoring position, while the Angels went 1-for-11.

In the end, the A’s did what they failed to do too often last week. They turned traffic into runs, protected the lead and opened the series cleanly.

Up next

The Athletics continue the series against the Angels on Saturday at Angel Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:38 p.m. PDT.

Jack Perkins gets the ball for the A’s. The right-hander enters at 2-3 with a 6.26 ERA and 57 strikeouts.

Across from him, Los Angeles turns to left-hander Reid Detmers, who enters at 3-5 with a 3.93 ERA and 104 strikeouts.