Oakland Athletics take first game of series with Angels, 5-3

KEY MOMENT: Angels reliever Jason Grilli came into a tie game in the sixth inning and five batters later Oakland had a two-run lead on an infield single, Sam Fuld’s triple to right-center and Andy Parrino’s scoring fly ball. The Angels didn’t quit, though, scoring once in the ninth and loading the bases before Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle struck out pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta to end the game.

AT THE PLATE: The Angels had just two hits through four innings but both of them were solo homers: Mike Trout’s 28th of the season in the first and Josh Hamilton’s first in 17 days in the fourth. Trout’s homer was the Angels’ first in six games. David Freese accounted for the Angels’ other run with an RBI single in the ninth. For Oakland, Coco Crisp had two hits — including a homer — and scored twice and Alberto Callaspo had two hits and scored once.

ON THE MOUND: Hector Santiago, who hasn’t won in August, worked hard to get through five innings, throwing 98 pitches and taking a line drive off his pitching hand. And though he allowed seven hits and walked two, the only earned run he gave up came on Crisp’s leadoff home run. A’s starter Sonny Gray also hadn’t won this month — until Friday, when he held the Angels to the two home runs in 81/3 innings. But he had to wait out a shaky performance by Doolittle to end a personal four-game losing streak.

EXTRA BASES: Right-hander Garrett Richards underwent left knee surgery Friday afternoon at the Orthopaedic Specialty Institute in Orange. Doctors said there were no complications and the procedure went as planned. Richards, a 13-game winner, is expected to be sidelined six to nine months…. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said he had “no reservations” about first baseman Albert Pujols participating in a five-game postseason tour of Japan. A team of U.S. All-Stars including Pujols and the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig will play a Japanese national team in November. In 2013, the Angels were in favor of holding Pujols out of the preseason World Baseball Classic, but on that occasion the player was coming off minor knee surgery.

UP NEXT: The Angels entered the weekend second in the American League with a .276 average against left-handers, which is what they’ll face Saturday when the A’s send Jon Lester (13-8, 2.58 ERA) to the mound. Lester is 7-1 with a 1.67 ERA in his last 12 starts, but that loss came in his most recent outing, when he matched a season high by giving up two homers in falling to Atlanta. The Angels will counter with a left-hander of their own in C.J. Wilson (10-8, 4.59). Wilson has won his last two starts, giving up three runs in 12 innings to right the ship after a rough six-week spell in which he won just once. Wilson is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his last five starts against Oakland, and he’ll be facing an Oakland lineup that began Friday last in the AL with a .239 average against left-handers. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 830.