Anaheim, CA -- (Sports Network) - Daric Barton and Emil Brown each homered and drove in three runs, and the Oakland Athletics used an eight-run seventh inning to throttle the LA Angels of Anaheim, 14-2 in the first of a four-game series.

Frank Thomas went 3-for-3 and was a home run short of the cycle before being pulled for a pinch runner in the seventh inning for Oakland, which has won five of its last six. The recently acquired Athletic tallied two RBI, while Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney plated two as well. Jack Hannahan also homered for the victors.

Chad Gaudin (3-1) won his third straight start, allowing just two runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks in six innings.

"The club came out swinging, then we played some good clutch baseball," Gaudin said.

Mike Napoli hit a solo shot for the Angels, who managed just six hits. Starter Jon Garland (3-3), who is now 3-9 lifetime against Oakland, was touched for seven runs on ten hits and three walks in six-plus innings on the hill. Chris Bootcheck's forgettable relief appearance in the seventh saw him surrender seven runs on six hits and three walks while recording just two outs.

Barton began his big night with a two-out single in the first. Thomas then hit a high fly down the right field line, and after a diving Vladimir Guerrero couldn't come up with it, the 'Big Hurt' found himself with a relatively easy RBI triple.

"It's been a long time since one of those," Thomas said of his triple. "I saw the ball get by him (Guerrero) and I've been running well so I just kept going. I'm really happy to be here. No hard feelings in Toronto. It just didn't work out there. This is a good situation for me here. I'm happy to come back."

Torii Hunter opened the home second with a single, moved to third on Gaudin's wild pickoff throw and scampered home on Robb Quinlan's base hit to center for a tie score.

The tie wouldn't last long with Barton launching a three-run shot, his first of the season, over the right field wall for a 4-1 Oakland lead. The A's tacked on another run in the fifth when Thomas singled home Mark Ellis, who led off the inning with a double and had three hits in the game.

Napoli and Hannahan's solo round-trippers offset one another, and the away team broke the game open with an eight-run seventh that featured 13 A's coming to the plate.

Garland was pulled after allowing Thomas to smack a double to the left-field gap, and Bootcheck started off on the wrong foot when Brown drilled his 94- mile per hour fastball into the rocks beyond the left-center field wall.

Bootcheck then allowed five straight base runners and two runs before recording back-to-back outs with the bases loaded. Chris Denorfia then singled in a run, and after Brown walked to force in another, Davis slapped a seeing- eye single back up the middle for the seventh and eighth runs in the inning.

Darren O'Day was brought on to relieve Bootcheck and managed a groundout to end the barrage.

Oakland relievers Dallas Braden and Andrew Brown combined to pitch three scoreless innings in relief.

Game Notes

Thomas' triple was his 12th of his career and first since 2002...These two clubs split 10 games in Anaheim last season...Oakland's Greg Smith (2-0) will square off against the Angels' Joe Saunders (4-0) in the second game of the series on Tuesday...The Angels' Bobby Wilson recorded his first major league hit in the ninth inning...Mike Butcher LA's pitching coach, was ejected in the third inning when arguing balls and strikes with home-plate umpire Charlie Reliford.