MESA, Ariz. -- Right-hander Jered Weaver returned to the mound after missing about two weeks with a neck injury to throw five solid innings and Mike Trout homered in his second straight game as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Oakland Athletics 11-3 on Friday.
Weaver, whose injury was diagnosed as degenerative changes in the cervical spine, gave up three earned runs on five hits and struck out two in his third start. He gave up a home run to Bruce Maxwell for Oakland's first run in the third inning and a solo homer to Coco Crisp in the fifth.
Trout, batting third, hit the first pitch from left-hander Sean Manaea over the fence in right-center field. Trout also had a run-scoring single in the fourth and stole a base.
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"He (Trout) never swings at the first pitch, but he took him deep," A's manager Bob Melvin said.
Trout had homered in a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He now has 12 RBIs.
The A's pulled to 5-3 in the fifth, but the Angels broke it open with five runs in the eighth.
STARTING TIME
Angels: Weaver had pitched four innings in a game against Colorado Rockies minor leaguers on Sunday. Friday's effort against the A's was an indication he is making progress, he said.
"Everything is starting to loosen up. Everything is strong and I am excited about it," said Weaver, who last pitched in a Cactus League game on March 9.
He had lost some velocity due to the injury but has adjusted by returning to the three-quarters arm slot he has used for most of his career.
"It's going to take some time, like anything else," he said.
He never has been a proponent of stretching, but he will continue to do that, lift weights and work on keeping the rotator cuff from tightening up.
A's: Manaea, making his third start in five spring appearances, is getting a good look from the team this spring.
In four innings against the Angels, he gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out one.
"He struggled with his slider, but overall, I thought he had good stuff," Melvin said. "We like what we see."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Albert Pujols left the game after the third inning after getting hit in the right foot by a pitch from Manaea. The injury was diagnosed as a bruise and Pujols, who was serving as the DH, is listed as day-to-day.
A's: RH reliever R.J. Alvarez has bone chips in his right elbow and will have surgery to remove them early next week. He was 0-1 in four appearances this spring. ... OF Sam Fuld will miss the remainder of the spring with a sprained left shoulder.
DEFENSE A PROBLEM FOR A'S
Oakland had four errors on Friday, its fifth game with three or more, and 17 in the last eight games. Oakland has 38 overall. Three of the errors were on throws that missed the cutoff man.
"Our defense has been putrid, and it's going to be addressed, believe me," Melvin said. "It's frustrating. We were our own worst enemy today. That makes it tough to evaluate (pitching) numbers."
UP NEXT
Angels: LHP Andrew Heaney will make his fourth start of the spring against a split-squad San Diego Padres team in Tempe.
A's: The team begins a two-game series with World Series champion Kansas City on Saturday, the first in Surprise and the second on Sunday in Mesa. RHP Chris Bassitt is due to start for the A's on Saturday.
