Oakland A’s defense shares spotlight in comeback win over Angels

OAKLAND – It didn’t take long for Ramón Laureano to make his presence felt in center field for the A’s on Wednesday.

Laureano, playing his first game since May 27, robbed Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton of a home run in the top of the fourth inning, timing his jump perfectly as he made a leaping catch over the wall on a long fly ball.

Laureano then followed that up with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning off Angels starter Griffin Canning as the A’s trailed 4-1. The plays helped spark a comeback, as the A’s rallied for an 8-4 victory at the Coliseum.

“When he made the catch then came in and hit a home run, all of a sudden we felt like a different team,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Laureano’s defensive play was one of a handful of web gems made in the early going of Wednesday’s game.

With Laureano back, Mark Canha returned to left field and tracked down a deep fly ball by Jared Walsh in the top of the first inning, making the catch before landing shoulder-first into the wall.

The Angels were already up 2-0 at that point and Canha’s catch was the second out. A’s starter Cole Irvin allowed another RBI single, with Phil Gosselin going back up the middle, but Canha’s catch limited the damage.

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“We’re trying to keep that ballgame close and they’re making plays behind me,” Irvin said. “We’ve got an incredible defense and I trust them with everything, and you can see that in the way I pitch.

“But on top of that, it helps when you make good defensive plays, you put up zeros and the offense turns around when their bullpen came out.”

Laureano was placed on the injured list June 1, retroactive to May 28, with a strained right hip. Before his injury, Laureano was batting .257 with 11 home runs, 22 RBI, and eight stolen bases in 48 games. Prior to May 28, he was hitting .292 with eight home runs over his last 24 games.

Despite the time away, Laureano entered Wednesday still ranked second among MLB center fielders in home runs with 11 and was tied for fifth in RBI with 22.

“It’s pretty impressive, what he does and he’s able to time it up,” Irvin said of Laureano’s catch. “When you make a good play, you’re bound to have a good hit after it. He’s just such a good player, we’re lucky to have him back in the lineup already. Just good to have him back.”

It was hardly the first time Laureano has robbed the Angels of a sure-fire hit. Last month in a game at Angel Stadium, Laureano reached over the fence to take away Anthony Rendon’s bid for a tying homer.

In Tuesday’s 6-4 win by the A’s over the Angels, first baseman Matt Olson started and ended a pretty 3-6-3 double play to snuff out a Los Angeles rally in the third inning.

In the sixth inning, Skye Bolt, playing center field in place of Laureano, made a diving catch on a Jared Walsh’s sixth-inning liner.

“This team never ceases to amaze me with what they can do defensively,” Irvin said.

Angels infielder José Iglesias made two unorthodox catches Wednesday. In the second inning, he leaned back to catch a drifting Mitch Moreland fly ball. In the third, he ran over from the shortstop position and snared a Tony Kemp pop up.