Morales, Weaver help Angels blank A's
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kendrys Morales hit his first home run in nearly two years and finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, carrying the Angels to a 6-0 victory over the AL West-rival Athletics in the opener of a four-game set.
Morales' homer was his first since May 29, 2010, the day the budding slugger celebrated a game-ending grand slam by jumping on home plate and subsequently suffering a knee injury that threatened to cut his career short.
His efforts overshadowed Jered Weaver's 6 2/3 shutout innings. Weaver (2-0) allowed just five hits and one walk while striking out six for the Angels, who were coming off a 2-4 road trip.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brandon McCarthy (0-2) surrendered five runs on 11 hits over seven-plus innings in Oakland's third straight loss.
Howie Kendrick and Albert Pujols each singled with one away in the first inning, and Morales brought them both home by hammering an 0-2 offering that barely cleared the wall in left-center,
Weaver set down the first 11 batters he faced and stranded a runner in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kevin Jepsen relieved Weaver with two on and two outs in the seventh and escaped unscathed, while Scott Downs worked around a two-out double in the eighth.
The Angels added to their 3-0 lead with three more in the eighth. Pujols came around on Morales' double to right, and Andrew Carignan issued three straight walks and uncorked a wild pitch to score two more.
LaTroy Hawkins struck out Jemile Weeks with the bases loaded in the ninth to finish off the shutout.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Weaver, in his seventh season, reached the 1,000-strikeout plateau with his sixth punchout...The A's have yet to produce double-digit hits in a game this year -- their longest ever stretch to start a season...Oakland went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.