OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics have hired Chili Davis as hitting coach to complete Bob Melvin’s staff heading into 2012.

Davis spent the first seven of his 19 major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants. Returning to the Bay Area to work under Melvin – who twice expressed interest in his former teammate Davis to coach during previous managerial positions – was appealing. He worked as hitting coach at Triple-A Pawtucket for the Red Sox [team stats] last season.

Davis, one of the most accomplished switch-hitters, was a three-time All-Star and won three World Series titles while also playing for the Angels, Twins, Royals and New York Yankees.

He is a career .274 hitter with 350 home runs, 1,372 RBIs, 1,240 runs scored and a .451 slugging percentage in 2,436 games.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 14, 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jered Weaver shrugged off his career-best 17th victory of the season as if it were his first.

With his team locked in a tight race with AL West-leading Texas, the Los Angeles Angels ace will have plenty of time to relish his achievements in the offseason. Weaver may also have to come back on three days’ rest for his next start, so any individual celebration will have to wait.

“We haven’t gotten to our goal yet, but from a personal standpoint, it’s pretty cool,” Weaver said after pitching seven innings in a 4-1 victory against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. “It’s not over yet. We still have a lot of goals to accomplish as a team, which is more important. Hopefully we keep winning some ballgames.”

Los Angeles will have to do just that to maintain its playoff hopes.

The Angels began the day three games behind Texas with two weeks remaining.

That’s one of the reasons manager Mike Scioscia is considering juggling his rotation to get Weaver (17-7) back on the mound, possibly as soon as Sunday in Baltimore.

“I’m good with it,” Weaver said. “We’ve got a tight one going on right now and anything we can do to help the club win some ballgames, I’m all for it. I feel great.”

Mark Trumbo hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth and Bobby Abreu added two hits and scored twice for the Angels, who took the series after losing the opener.

Josh Willingham matched his career high of 26 home runs with a solo shot off Weaver in the third but the A’s managed only two baserunners over the final six innings.

Oakland, which has been held to one run or fewer 30 times this season, committed two errors to add to its AL-leading total of 119.

“That’s been the biggest weakness in the club this year,” manager Bob Melvin said. “In theory, next spring, that will be the No. 1 priority.”

Oakland might also want to work on its hitting after putting only two runners on base over the final six innings.

Weaver allowed six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first and escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the second to beat the A’s for the third time in four starts this season.

That lowered the lanky right-hander’s ERA to 2.40, second in the AL behind Detroit ace Justin Verlander (2.36). Weaver also improved to 13-0 this year when going at least seven innings.

That’s been big for the Angels, who are 21-10 in games Weaver starts and 61-57 otherwise.

“It was a rocky start for Weave,” Scioscia said. “It looked like he was struggling to get his pitches into good zones. He loosened up as the game went on. It was a day where he didn’t have his best stuff but pitched with it.”

It also marked Los Angeles’ second successive victory in Oakland after losing 10 of its previous 12 at the Coliseum.

Scott Downs pitched a scoreless eighth and Jordan Walden worked the ninth for his 31st save, extending his Angels rookie record.

The A’s, who still lead the season series 9-7, had Weaver in trouble early but couldn’t deliver with runners on base.

Willingham drove in the A’s only run when he hit a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left-center. That tied his career high set in 2006 with Florida.

Oakland’s defense made several nice plays to help preserve the 1-0 lead until Los Angeles broke through in the sixth.

Howie Kendrick, who hit a pair of two-run homers Tuesday in a 6-3 victory, drew a leadoff walk and scored from first on Abreu’s double to right-center. Two batters later, Trumbo hit his 26th home run of the season to make it 3-1.

Rich Harden (4-3) didn’t make it out of the sixth, allowing three runs and seven hits. Since throwing seven scoreless innings against Toronto on Aug. 19, the Oakland right-hander is winless in four starts and has a 6.97 ERA during that span.

Trumbo also hit a hard single off the wall in the eighth. He needs three home runs over the final 13 games to become the second rookie in Angels history to have at least 30 home runs and 80 RBI. Tim Salmon had 31 home runs and 95 RBI in 1993.

“He’s going to have to get a lot of Rookie of the Year consideration just because of the numbers,” Scioscia said. “And if we reach our goal, there’s no doubt he has to get some MVP consideration. If you take him out of our lineup this year, we’re not even talking about a pennant race.”

Abreu, who led off the eighth with a walk, scored an insurance run when Trumbo stole second base and Oakland infielder Eric Sogard bobbled the throw from catcher Kurt Suzuki.

Notes

• A’s CF Ryan Sweeney strained his quadriceps while running out a grounder in the sixth.
• Coco Crisp (foot) hit in the cage and might return to Oakland’s lineup Thursday.
• Angels RHP Dan Haren, who tossed a shutout in his last start, pitches in the series opener Friday night against Baltimore. Haren (15-8) can match his career high for wins by beating the Orioles.
• Brandon McCarthy, who starts Thursday for Oakland against Detroit, is holding opponents to a .196 batting average over his past four outings.

OAKLAND (CBS/AP) – Jered Weaver went seven innings for his career-best 17th win, Mark Trumbo hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Wednesday.

Bobby Abreu added two hits and scored twice for the Angels, who began the day three games behind first-place Texas in the AL West. The Rangers were scheduled to host Cleveland at night.

Josh Willingham matched his career high of 26 home runs with a solo shot off Weaver in the third but the A’s managed only two baserunners over the final six innings.

Weaver (17-7) allowed six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the first and escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the second to beat the A’s for the third time in four starts this season.

That lowered the lanky right-hander’s ERA to 2.40, second in the AL behind Detroit ace Justin Verlander (2.36). Weaver also improved to 13-0 this year when going at least seven innings.

That’s been big for the Angels, who are 21-10 in games Weaver starts and 61-57 otherwise.

It was also marked Los Angeles’ second straight win in Oakland after losing 10 of its previous 12 at the Coliseum.

Scott Downs pitched a scoreless eighth and Jordan Walden worked the ninth for his 31st save, extending his Angels rookie record.

The A’s, who still lead the season series 9-7, had Weaver in trouble early but couldn’t deliver with runners on base and lost for the sixth time in nine games.

Oakland, which committed two errors to add to its AL-leading total of 119, has been held to one run or fewer 30 times this season.

Willingham drove in the A’s only run when he hit a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left-center. That tied his career high set in 2006 with Florida.

Oakland’s defense made several nice plays to help preserve the 1-0 lead until Los Angeles broke through in the sixth.

Howie Kendrick, who hit a pair of two-run homers in Tuesday’s 6-3 win, drew a leadoff walk and scored from first on Abreu’s double to right-center. Two batters later, Trumbo hit his 26th home run of the season to make it 3-1.

Rich Harden (4-3) didn’t make it out of the sixth, allowing three runs and seven hits. Since throwing seven scoreless innings against Toronto on Aug. 19, the Oakland right-hander is winless in four starts and has a 6.97 ERA during that span.

Trumbo also hit a hard single off the wall in the eighth. He needs three home runs over the final 13 games to become the second rookie in Angels history to have at least 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. Tim Salmon had 31 home runs and 95 RBIs in 1993.

Abreu, who led off the eighth with a walk, scored an insurance run when Trumbo stole second base and Oakland infielder Eric Sogard bobbled the throw from catcher Kurt Suzuki.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Read More: Rich Harden (P – OAK), Josh Willingham (LF – OAK), Bobby Abreu (DH – ANA), Jered Weaver (P – ANA), Jordan Walden (P – ANA), Mark Trumbo (1B – ANA), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 14, 2011 12:35 PM PDT

Mark Trumbo hit a go-ahead, two-run home run off Rich Harden in the top of the sixth inning, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon at Overstock.com Coliseum in Oakland. Jered Weaver allowed one run in seven innings to pick up his 17th victory of the season. The Halos are now two and a half games behind Texas in the American League West, with the outcome of the Rangers’ game against Cleveland Wednesday night pending.

Josh Willingham hit his second home run of the series, a two-run shot off Weaver in the third inning, to give Oakland a 1-0 lead. Bobby Abreu tied the score with an RBI double off Harden in the top of the sixth, and Trumbo followed with his team-leading 27th home run of the season, giving the Angels a 3-1 lead. The Halos added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

Weaver threw 115 pitches in his seven innings of work, allowing just one run, but he also had just one strikeout against two walks. The 17 wins are a new career high for Weaver. Jordan Walden pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 31st save of the season.

The Angels are off Thursday, but open a three-game series in Baltimore on Friday against the Orioles.

For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.

By Eric Stephen

– Managing Editor

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Sep 13, 2011 – Jerome Williams takes the mound Tuesday night for the Angels, looking for his fourth win in as many starts, as the Los Angeles Angels battle the Oakland Athletics in the second game of a three-game set at Overstock.com Coliseum. Tonight’s battle features two pitchers who nearly threw a no-hitter in their last start, as Guillermo Moscoso pitches for the A’s.

Williams, at 29, has had a career resurgence for the Angels in the last month, going 3-0 with a 3.51 ERA in six games, including three starts. In those three starts, Williams has pitched at least seven innings each time, and has a combined three walks and 17 strikeouts. Against Seattle on September 7 the only hit Williams allowed was a sixth-inning home run to Trayvon Robinson.

Moscoso took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Royals on September 7, and settled for coming within one out of a two-hit shutout.

Here are Tuesday night’s starting lineups.

Athletics (67-80)

Weeks 2B
Pennington SS
Matsui LF
Willingham DH
Sizemore 3B
Sweeney CF
Suzuki C
Allen 1B
Taylor RF

Angels (80-67)

Izturis 2B
Kendrick 1B
Abreu DH
Hunter RF
Callaspo 3B
Wells LF
Aybar SS
Bourjos CF
Conger C

Read More: Jerome Williams (P – ANA), Trayvon Robinson (CF – SEA), Guillermo Moscoso (P – OAK), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 13, 2011 7:05 PM PDT

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Read More: Joel Pineiro (P – ANA), Hideki Matsui (DH – OAK), Torii Hunter (RF – ANA), Erick Aybar (SS – ANA), Grant Balfour (P – OAK), Scott Sizemore (2B – OAK), Cliff Pennington (SS – OAK), Jemile Weeks (2B – OAK), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, Sep 12, 2011 7:05 PM PDT

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Josh Willingham hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBI to help the Oakland Athletics take a 6-3 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim in the opener of a three-game set. Kurt Suzuki had three hits and Cliff Pennington added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Athletics, who had lost four of six coming into the game. Gio Gonzalez (13-12) gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 6 2/3 frames to get the win.

Vernon Wells hit a solo homer and had two RBI while Erick Aybar also hit a solo home run for the Angels, who have dropped their past two games. Joel Pineiro (6-7) went three-plus innings and was charged with four runs on five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

The loss moves the Angels to three games back of Texas for first place in the AL West.

Oakland jumped on top in the first inning as walks by Jemile Weeks and Hideki Matsui set the table for Willingham, who clubbed a shot over the wall in left- center for a 3-0 lead.

The Angels made it a 3-1 game in the second as Torii Hunter hit a leadoff single and later came home on a Wells triple.

Oakland added two more to its lead in the fourth. With men on second and third, Tyler Chatwood took over for Pineiro on the mound and, after getting the first out, gave up a single to Scott Sizemore to score one. Later in the frame, Pennington made it a 5-1 game with a single.

Aybar’s solo homer in the seventh made it a three-run game, but the Athletics got the run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Willingham.

Wells hit a leadoff homer in the ninth off of Grant Balfour, who set down the next three batters to cap the win.

Game Notes

Willingham has 25 home runs on the season and is one shy of matching his season-best set in 2006…Oakland has won nine of the 14 games against the Angels this season…The Angels batted 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.

For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.