What we learned as A's clutch homers fuel comeback win vs. Angels

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ANAHEIM -- The Athletics (43-63) officially are hot, as their 5-4 win Friday over the Los Angeles Angels (45-59) in front of 28,722 fans at Angel Stadium marks Oakland’s seventh in its last nine games.

A's right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn (W, 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K, 72 pitches) initially struggled in his return from injury, but Oakland ultimately overcame the 4-0 deficit against Angels right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer (ND, 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 77 pitches) and Los Angeles.

Oakland, who entered the game with a league-leading 38 home runs and averaging 6.8 runs per game in July, prevailed for its second straight win in Anaheim and fifth consecutive over the Angels.

Here are three takeaways from the A’s 5-4 win over the Angels:

Return of the ‘Burn

Paul Blackburn was rusty in his first start since May 11.

The eight-year A’s veteran allowed a pair of two-run homers in the first -- a 415-footer to right off the bat of Taylor Ward and a 410-footer to center off the bat of Nolan Schanuel -- to put Oakland in an early 4-0 deficit.

However, Los Angeles didn’t do any more damage against Blackburn, as the righty shut down the Angels’ offense by pitching a scoreless four innings after a shaky first. 

Blackburn finished the night allowing five hits and four earned runs while collecting two strikeouts and a walk before he was replaced by right-hander Joey Estes and Oakland’s trustworthy bullpen with a 5-4 lead after five -- all the A’s would need to win, in the end.

Even though Blackburn, 30, had been struggling in his last few starts before he was sidelined in May, manager Mark Kotsay is glad to have one of his more experienced assets back in the mix.

Blackburn, of course, had been rehabbing a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of the right foot and was on the 60-day IL since June 4. 

The Antioch native is back for Oakland.

Brown-Hog Day

First baseman Seth Brown played a major role in the A’s rallying efforts.

Brown launched a two-run homer 396 feet to right in the second, hit a single to left in the fifth and poked a game-winning RBI single into right in the sixth. 

The righty’s three-hit day was much needed when Oakland collectively totaled just six, and the 30-year-old helped replace Lawrence Butler’s now-routine production on a day the rising star went 0-for-4.

Brown has collected nine hits in his last four games after going hitless in 13 at-bats between July 19 and 22.

He now is slashing .223/.286/.386 on the season. 

Butler’s quiet day

Butler -- not Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge or some other major-market star -- arguably has been MLB’s best offensive player over the last month.

However, Friday marked Butler’s worst game in weeks.

The 24-year-old finished an unusual 0-for-5 at the plate. It was Butler’s first hitless game since July 13 on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he entered the day having collected a league-leading 42 bases since July 14 -- 10 more than the next closest player (Boston's Jarren Duran, 32). 

The “Law Dawg” has been on a tear in July -- collecting 28 hits, 26 RBI, nine home runs, three stolen bases and 17 extra-base hits -- after being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on June 18.

Oakland earned the win despite Butler’s silent night.