A's Mix Up Bullpen Roles to Beat Angels, Snap Five-game Losing Streak

A's reliever Lou Trivino is the first to admit that he hasn't been effective recently. In Tuesday night's 4-2 win over the Angels, manager Bob Melvin decided to give him an extra day off in the late innings.

With the A's protecting that lead, Melvin turned to Yusmeiro Petit in the seventh inning and Liam Hendriks in the eighth, rather than the usual combination of Trivino and Joakim Soria. The decision paid off, as Oakland held on to snap a five-game losing streak.

"We just gave Lou an extra day," Melvin told reporters in Anaheim on Tuesday. "It doesn't mean Lou's role has changed. We just wanted to give him an extra day after the off day."

Trivino has allowed seven earned runs in his last three appearances, taking the loss in all three games. His season ERA has exploded from 1.13 to 4.25 in under a month. Still, Melvin and the A's have faith in the 27-year-old right-hander to turn things around.

In the meantime, Petit and Hendriks continued their stellar seasons, combining for two no-hit innings Tuesday night. Hendriks successfully navigated the heart of the Angels lineup, retiring Tommy La Stella, Mike Trout, and Jonathan Lucroy, walking Shohei Ohtani in between.

"It's big," Melvin said. "He's got good enough stuff to get a good lefty out. He wasn't going to let (Ohtani) beat him right there."

Even more encouraging for the A's was closer Blake Treinen's dominant ninth inning. Treinen struck out Kole Calhoun and David Fletcher, before getting Brian Goodwin to fly out to end the game.

"It looked like his sinker was back and he had some confidence in it today," Melvin said. "That's really kind of the pitch that makes him who he is. I think there have been times this year where he's been a little bit reluctant to throw it. (He) hadn't been keeping it on the plate. But you saw right away that they were getting some bad swings on it and that's typically what you see when his sinker is working."

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Tuesday marked Treinen's first one-two-three inning in exactly two weeks. After an All-Star season last year, the 30-year-old has struggled with his command this season, averaging more than four walks per nine innings.

But on Tuesday, Treinen looked like his old self, pumping in nasty 97 and 98 mph sinkers and throwing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. The A's hope this marks the start of a hot streak for the bullpen, and for the team.

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