Mike Fiers hit hard as A's fall to Angels 8-5

ANAHEIM - Mike Fiers’ poorest outing as a member of the Oakland A’s could not have come at a worse time.

Fiers was the latest A’s starter to enter the game after having a reliever open up the first inning, with that reliever being Lou Trivino Friday night. It seemed like an interesting plan, but it backfired as Fiers was shelled in an 8-5 loss to the Angels.

The right-hander never seemed to find his groove, getting crushed as he allowed a pair of home runs, including a two-run shot to Mike Trout, lasting just 3? innings and charged for six runs. It was Fiers’ shortest outing since arriving to the A’s via trade from the Detroit Tigers in August.

In what was his final outing of the regular season, Fiers may have ended his chances at starting the wild-card game next Wednesday, which will be played at Yankee Stadium after the Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox earlier in the day to clinch the top AL wild-card spot.

It was already an uphill battle for Fiers as he entered the night with the ninth-highest hard-hit percentage in the majors. With his propensity to allow fly balls, pitching in a hitter-friendly park like Yankee Stadium, which features a short porch out in right field, could be a disaster given the amount of power hitters in the Yankees lineup.

The A’s didn’t pick up their first hit of the night until the sixth inning, when Jed Lowrie led off with a single off Taylor Cole.

All five A’s runs came in the eighth as they tried to chip away at an eight-run deficit.