ANAHEIM -- Despite the presence of Albert Pujols, Jesse Chavez had a fine Monday night at Angel Stadium.The A's starter didn't get credit for the 3-2 victory over the Angels, one that turned around on John Jaso's two-run, pinch-hit home run with one out in the ninth off Angels closer Ernesto Frieri.But Chavez struck out nine and allowed one earned run in seven innings for his third excellent start in a row.Pujols hit his 496th career home run, a line drive to center off a 1-0 cutter in the third inning, and drove in an unearned run for the Angels on a first-inning RBI single. Chavez held the rest of the Angels to just two hits and no walks, putting the A's within Jaso's range 
It's a small sample size, but Pujols is 5-for-6 lifetime against Chavez.Meanwhile, the A's, who've had their way recently in Anaheim -- winning 14 of the past 20 at Angel Stadium -- couldn't solve the Angels' Hector Santiago, just the second left-hander to start against Oakland in 2014.Yoenis Cespedes touched Santiago for home run No. 4 in the fourth inning. The A's had just five hits off Santiago in seven innnings as he lowered his ERA to 4.96, but was denied his first victory in an Angels uniform.Like Chavez with Pujols, Santiago hasn't fared well against Cepedes, who's 4-for-6 lifetime against the lefty.Chavez, who went to high school in nearby Fontana and played junior college ball at Riverside, started just two of his first 191 Major League appearances, both for Toronto in 2012, and none of his first 39 outings for the A's.But the right-hander cracked the A's rotation in the spring, when he led the Majors with five wins and held hitters to a .216 average. Chavez allowed just one earned run in each of his first two starts this season. Monday's nine strikeouts matched his career high, set April 9 at Minnesota, in his last start prior to Monday.Earl Bloom / Special to MLB.com
It's a small sample size, but Pujols is 5-for-6 lifetime against Chavez.Meanwhile, the A's, who've had their way recently in Anaheim -- winning 14 of the past 20 at Angel Stadium -- couldn't solve the Angels' Hector Santiago, just the second left-hander to start against Oakland in 2014.Yoenis Cespedes touched Santiago for home run No. 4 in the fourth inning. The A's had just five hits off Santiago in seven innnings as he lowered his ERA to 4.96, but was denied his first victory in an Angels uniform.Like Chavez with Pujols, Santiago hasn't fared well against Cepedes, who's 4-for-6 lifetime against the lefty.Chavez, who went to high school in nearby Fontana and played junior college ball at Riverside, started just two of his first 191 Major League appearances, both for Toronto in 2012, and none of his first 39 outings for the A's.But the right-hander cracked the A's rotation in the spring, when he led the Majors with five wins and held hitters to a .216 average. Chavez allowed just one earned run in each of his first two starts this season. Monday's nine strikeouts matched his career high, set April 9 at Minnesota, in his last start prior to Monday.Earl Bloom / Special to MLB.com
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