TWO LOSSES in one day for the Angels; they fell 11-10 to the A’s on Sunday and learned that one-time starter Matt Shoemaker (above) would be lost for the season (Flickr/Keith Allison).

By Pete Zarustica

Sunday’s loss to the Oakland A’s was as long as it was painful for the Los Angeles Angels. Leading 10-5 in the seventh inning, the Halos saw the visitors rally for six runs to post a heart-breaking 11-10 final score.

The contest itself lasted four hours and five minutes, making it the longest game ever played at Anaheim/Angel Stadium. The come-from-ahead loss dropped the team record to 55-57 with two losses after clawing their way back to .500.

At first, things looked bright for the Angels. Home runs by Yunel Escobar and Mike Trout put the Halos up 2-0 early, but the A’s rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth for a 4-2 edge.

Then the home team countered with four in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. After Oakland scored once on a wild pitch in the fifth, the Angels responded with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend their lead to 10-5.

Not good enough. The A’s got home runs by Chad Pinder and Khris Davis to close to within two runs, and tied it up on an RBI single by Pinder.

The winning run came across in the eighth when Bruce Maxwell singled Pinder home. The A’s outhit the Angels 18-12 over the course of the game. Halo starter Ricky Nolasco was hit hard, giving up nine hits and five runs in four innings. Five relievers didn’t do much better. Bud Norris (1-5) was tagged with the loss and his third blown save. He worked one-third of an inning and gave up three hits and two runs.

On the bright side, Kole Calhoun had three hits; catcher Juan Graterol had two hits and three RBIs. On the dark side, it was revealed that one-time Angel starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker will undergo season-ending surgery for a compressed nerve in his right forearm. Before being sidelined in June, he had posted a 6-3 record.

On Monday the Angels will host the Baltimore Orioles with J.C. Ramirez (10-9) getting the start in Anaheim.