Baseball: Rosales homers in 1st AB for A's, has 4 RBIs

ANAHEIM - Adam Rosales homered in his first AL at-bat, added a go-ahead single and finished with four RBIs as the A's the Angels, 9-4, Sunday.

Rosales, a backup infielder with Cincinnati the last two seasons, hit a solo home run in the second inning. His drive was Oakland's only hit through the first six innings against Joe Saunders (0-2).

Saunders retired 13 in a row before giving up three straight hits to start a three-run seventh. Rosales capped the rally with a two-run single.

Rosales drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth as the A's pulled away. The AL West champion Angels went 2-5 on their season-opening homestand.

Dallas Braden (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits over six innings. In his season debut last Tuesday against Seattle, the left-hander struck a career-high 10 in seven innings.

Rookie Tyson Ross pitched three innings for his first major league save.

The A's trailed 3-1 going into the seventh. Singles by Ryan Sweeney and Kevin Kouzmanoff put runners at the corners for Mark Ellis, who delivered the first of his two RBI doubles.

Bishop Manogue graduate Kevin Jepsen relieved Saunders and struck out Jake Fox. But Rosales, the Athletics' No. 7 hitter, lined the next pitch to right field for a 4-3 lead.

The A's tacked on three more runs in the eighth, all unearned because of third baseman Brandon Wood's throwing error. Wood, a perennial prospect who has taken over as the Angels' regular third baseman after the departure of free agent Chone Figgins, is 1 for 19 with seven strikeouts through his first five games. The error was his first of the season.