Chapman (2 HRs) erupts, but A's streak ends

Matt Chapman nearly willed the A’s to victory on his own with a career night on offense. Then, Mike Trout happened.

Chapman’s 3-for-5 effort with a pair of home runs and a career-high six RBIs went for naught as Trout’s go-ahead solo shot in the eighth sunk the A’s in Monday’s 10-9 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium. The loss snapped Oakland’s Major League-best winning streak at nine games.

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Through most of the winning streak, the A’s still didn’t feel like their offense was firing on all cylinders, having to string together late-inning rallies in tight ballgames. Ironically, the streak ended on a night where the offense racked up nine runs through the game’s first four innings.

“We scored a lot of runs, and it was back and forth,” Chapman said. “We were down, came back, then they came back. They’ve got some superstars on their team and put some good swings on the ball. To say we’re 9-1 in our last 10 games, we’re happy. We still have an opportunity to win the series.”

A dominant A’s bullpen that entered the game with the fourth-lowest ERA (1.63) in the Majors had an off night. Trout’s tiebreaking homer was his second of the night and came against Yusmeiro Petit, who had a favorable matchup as he entered the showdown having limited the Angels superstar to one hit in nine previous matchups.

Having to make up for a short outing from Sean Manaea that saw him pulled with two outs in the third, A’s relievers were roughed up for six runs over 5 1/3 innings. Holding a 9-7 lead in the sixth, Lou Trivino surrendered a game-tying two-run shot to Shohei Ohtani.

Trivino found himself pitching in a situation he normally would not have been in had a full assortment of relievers been available for the A’s. Because of a heavy workload over the win streak, A’s manager Bob Melvin was unable to go to several of his usual high-leverage relief pitchers.

“We made a couple of bad pitches. Our guys have been so good. It’s not going to go perfect throughout the course of the season,” Melvin said. “We had a lot of innings to cover. Sometimes you have to give their hitters credit, too.”

Chapman’s offensive tools tend to get overlooked at times due to his defensive excellence. In the series opener, the third baseman reminded everyone what he can do with the bat, becoming the first A’s player to hit at least two homers and a triple in a game since Mitchell Page on Aug. 29, 1977.

The big night for Chapman continued what has been a rampage at the plate over the past week. In his last four games, Chapman is 9-for-19 with four home runs, two doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs.

“I’m staying nice and relaxed and staying easy. Before the good stretch I’ve been on, I was still getting my timing and adjusted to the way guys were pitching me,” Chapman said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of hunting the pitch I want and staying disciplined.”

Chapman had a chance to answer Trout’s homer by leading off the ninth. He ultimately struck out against Ty Buttrey on five pitches.

“That last at-bat, I swung at a few balls,” Chapman said. “I gotta always be able to stay disciplined and look for my pitch. They’re not always going to come after me, so I have to be smart and take what they give me. I think I’ve been doing a good job of that lately.”

It seems like Chapman is making hard contact on anything these days. Even his lineout into a double play in the sixth was belted 101.3 mph off the bat, according to Statcast.

In Chapman’s past four games, seven of his nine hits have registered an exit velocity of at least 104 mph.

“He’s getting good pitches to hit and waiting for them. That’s when guys get on hot streaks,” Melvin said. “They get balls in the middle of the plate and don’t miss. He’s got a history of doing a lot of damage, and he’s on a hot streak. Between he and Trout, both had pretty good nights.”

As for the defense, Chapman also showed off his Gold and Platinum Glove skills in the third by robbing Albert Pujols of a potential RBI and extra bases. He ranged to his right and made a terrific diving catch on a liner, recording a hang time of 1.2 seconds.

Even Trout, who was the runner on third base at the time, was impressed, sharing a smile and a few words with Chapman after the play.

“[Trout] was like, ‘Wow. You’re just having a game aren’t you?’” Chapman said. “He jokes around like that. I started off the game hot, but they definitely got the last laugh. Pujols was like, ‘Why are you always taking RBIs and runs from me?’ I said, ‘I figured you already had enough.”