"It's a good feeling to get (the first homer) out of the way," the 22-year-old Cunningham said. "It's always nice to hit a home run but to come through and help the team get a W is even better.
"I figured they'd like to see what I can do and maybe I can come back and make the team next year."
Cunningham and the rest of the A's face Los Angeles starter John Lackey (11-3, 3.25 ERA) on Tuesday. The right-hander has dominated the Athletics, going 14-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 25 career starts against them, including 8-1 with a 1.71 ERA in his last 10.
Since a complete-game victory over Oakland on Aug. 26, however, Lackey is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts. He gave up five runs in seven innings of the Angels' 7-6, 15-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 6.
He'll try to get back on track in a matchup with Oakland's Sean Gallagher (1-2, 5.87), who fared well despite control problems Wednesday in his return from the disabled list. After being sidelined three weeks with shoulder fatigue, the right-hander held Detroit hitless in four scoreless innings of Oakland's 5-2 victory. He walked six and struck out six.
Gallagher won his only previous start against the Angels, holding them to two runs and two hits in seven innings of a 9-2 victory July 11.
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The story of "K-Rod" in 2002 is a part of Angels' lore.
Then 20 years old, Francisco Rodriguez was a September call-up and didn't even make his major-league debut until Sept. 18. But he struck out 13 batters in his first 5 2/3 innings in the majors and made the Angels' post-season roster, going on to become a key part of the Angels' run to the franchise's first (and so far only) World Series title.
This year, the Angels could have a similar story.
Kevin Jepsen began the season in Class AA, made a mid-season jump to Class AAA, went to Beijing with Team USA and was part of the bronze-medal winning baseball team then was promoted to the majors for the first time as a September call-up. Now he has a chance to pitch his way onto the Angels' post-season roster and join fellow rookie Jose Arredondo and veteran setup man Scot Shields as part of the Angels' relief relay team leading up to Rodriguez.
"He has a power arm, no doubt about it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Jepsen, who has been clocked as high as 97 mph during his first two big-league appearances.
