veral quality opponents, including in a pair of light heavyweight

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels are likely to see a lot more of Jharel Cottons mix-and-match pitching style in coming years.They sure found themselves off balance against the young Oakland right-hander making a memorable major league debut Wednesday, and the Angels lost the series finale 4-1 to the Oakland Athletics.For all the nerves during a lousy pregame bullpen session, the 24-year-old right-hander (1-0) sure looked poised from the moment he stepped on the rubber in the first. Cotton impressed with four pitches, dazzling with his changeup, showing strong command of his fastball and mixing in some solid curveballs and sliders to keep the Angels guessing.We didnt get too many good looks at him, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said.Alex Meyer (0-2) struck out five but walked four in 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit.Making his Angels debut and third major league appearance, Meyer became the 14th different Angels starting pitcher this season. He wasnt as consistent as he hoped.It was fun getting out there. Command, obviously, went in and out a little more than I like to, having two four-pitch walks, he said. You cant have stuff like that happen, but overall my arm felt good, it was fun being out there and competing.Cotton, on the other hand, had everything going.He allowed one run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two in a 102-pitch performance. He got the ball as a keepsake, a pie in the face from every player, and had 30 text messages to greet him from thrilled family and friends.When his day was done, Cotton received an embrace from catcher Stephen Vogt as the infield gathered around him. The pitcher jogged off the mound in the seventh and stopped to tip his cap for the sparse crowd on an unseasonably warm September afternoon. Attendance was listed at 11,866.They always have our back and they always cheer loud for us. He deserved better today, Vogt said. But they gave him a great ovation and were so thankful for our fans that showed up today.Born on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cotton became the fourth pitcher in big league history born in the Virgin Islands. He came to the As from the Dodgers at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Josh Reddick to Los Angeles. He nearly tossed a one-hitter in his second start for Triple-A Nashville, giving the Oakland front office a preview of his potential at the next level.C.J. Cron homered on a 3-2 pitch leading off the seventh with a drive that tipped off the glove of center fielder Brett Eibner, who Eibner hit an RBI double. Yonder Alonso and Max Muncy added run-scoring singles to back Cotton.Ryan Madson, Oaklands third reliever, finished for his 29th save.Cotton was the second As starter to make his major league debut in three days, following Raul Alcantaras struggle on Monday.It also marked the second time in Oakland history the As had five starters make their major league debuts in one season, also in 1978. Using the 27th pitcher of the season, the As matched the second-most to appear in a year -- also 1977 and 2009 -- behind 30 in 2015.It didnt look like anything really fazed him, As manager Bob Melvin said of Cotton. Hes got the stuff.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: RHP Matt Shoemaker flew home to Southern California from Seattle, three days after taking a line drive to the head and undergoing surgery to stop bleeding on his brain. ... INF Yunel Escobar (left wrist) was scheduled to hit Wednesday. He feels better, Scioscia said. Well turn him loose in batting practice and see how he is Friday. ... C Geovany Soto (right knee) continues to progress slowly. Hell be re-evaluated when the Angels return home this weekend.Athletics: With the pitching struggles, the As are looking at going with a six-man rotation. LHP Sean Manaea, who left his Aug. 29 start at Houston with a sore back, has recovered well and is likely to make a start during the teams road trip next week to Kansas City and Texas.UP NEXTAngels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (3-3) starts Friday looking to win his third straight outing on the heels of a three-start skid. He will face Texas for the first time since July 13, 2014.Athletics: After an off day, RHP Daniel Mengden (1-6) starts Friday against the Seattle Mariners trying to snap his 0-5 record at home in the Oakland Coliseum. Custom John Paxson Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Wholesale Custom Bulls Shirts . 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Blue-chip light heavyweight prospect Oleksandr Gvozdyk has been added to the HBO PPV card headlined by the junior welterweight world title unification bout between Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol on July 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Top Rank announced on Friday.Gvozdyk (10-0, 10 KOs), a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine and one of the top prospects in boxing, will take on Tommy Karpency in a scheduled 10-round bout.Gvozdyk, 29, was supposed to box Robert Berridge in an untelevised bout on Top Ranks card on July 16 in Lancaster, California, but he was moved to the pay-per-view card a week later against Karpency, a better-caliber opponent than Berridge.The opening on the pay-per-view telecast came about because super middleweight titlist Gilberto Zurdo Ramirez tore the tendon around the knuckle of his middle finger on his right hand during a sparring session on Tuesday, forcing his first defense against Dominik Britsch to be canceled. That fight was supposed to be the co-feature on the July 23 card.So the vacant featherweight world title bout between Oscar Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) and Matias Adrian Rueda (26-0, 23 KOs) was elevated to the co-feature position, welterweights Jose Benavidez Jr. (24-0, 16 KOs) and Francisco Chia Santana (24-4-1, 12 KOs) will meet in a 10-rounder and Gvozdyk-Karpency will open the broadcast.Karpency, a 30-yyear-old southpaw from Adah, Pennsylvania, has faced several quality opponents, including in a pair of light heavyweight world title bouts.ddddddddddddTwo fights ago, last September, Karpency got knocked out in the third round by world champion Adonis Stevenson, and in 2012 he lost a shutout decision to then-titleholder Nathan Cleverly.In October 2014, Karpency scored the biggest win of his career, a 10-round split decision in a major upset against faded former light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson.Top Rank wants to measure Gvozdyks performance against how Karpency (26-5-1, 15 KOs) did with other quality opponents while also getting him his first major television exposure.My matchmakers say this is a real test for Gvozdyk, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. Karpency was the best opponent we could get on short notice, but we were told he was training for another fight. So this is a good test for Gvozdyk to prove to us that he is as good as we think he is.Ramirez (34-0, 24 KOs), meantime, underwent what Top Rank and adviser Sean Gibbons termed successful surgery to repair his torn tendon on Friday in Los Angeles. According to surgeon Dr. Steven Shin, Ramirez is expected to be out of action for five months. ' ' '