To stave off a 100-loss season, the A’s will need to beat Shohei Ohtani on Thursday night.

They were beaten Wednesday night by Michael Lorenzen, Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels. The 4-1 loss put the A’s (56-99) within one loss of becoming just the second team in Oakland’s 54-year history to lose 100 games. The 1979 A’s went 54-108 under manager Jim Marshall.

Cole Irvin (9-12, 4.05) will start Thursday for the A’s against Ohtani (14-8, 2.47). Ohtani has struck out 203 batters in 153 innings and is nine innings-pitched away from becoming the first player to qualify for league-leading statistics as a hitter and pitcher..

The A’s struck out eight times in five innings against Lorenzen and didn’t score after the first inning. Rookie Conner Capel drove in the run for the A’s, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games.

Tony Kemp led off the game with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by Angels third baseman Matt Duffy. Seth Brown walked and stole second base with two outs before Capel singled to left field.

That ended Lorenzen’s scoreless streak against Oakland at 12 innings.

“I think Lorenzen had pretty good life on his fastball,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We came out aggressive and got a run in the first. I think overall, you tip your cap to the performance he had. The changeup looked really, really good tonight.”

The Angels had just one hit against A’s starter Adrian Martinez in three innings before breaking through in the fourth. Trout led off with a home run to center, his 10th of the month and his 38th in a season in which he was sidelined 42 games by injuries.

Ohtani followed with a single, while Taylor Ward reached base on a fielder’s choice. After a wild pitch by Martinez put both runners into scoring position, Matt Thaiss hit an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. Duffy made it 3-1 on a ground ball that scored Ward.

“I thought Martinez threw the ball well with a lot of movement on his pitches and we got to him the second time through the order and hit some balls hard,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said. “Those guys (Trout and Ohtani) are guys we lean on a lot and to get the three (runs) in that spot was big.”

In the eighth inning, Ward added his 22nd home run of the season on a blast to center field.

Martinez gave up three runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. The right-hander was making his 11th career start.

“Adrian came back against Trout and got him in that third at-bat, which shows that maturity, shows that progress,” Kotsay said about Martinez, who struck out the Angels’ three-time MVP as his last batter of the game in the fifth inning.

ROSTER MOVE

The Angels reinstated Anthony Rendon from the injured list and the third baseman will immediately begin serving a five-game suspension, with the goal of playing in the final three games of the regular season next week at Oakland.

Rendon already was on the injured list because of a wrist injury when he took an open-handed swing at the Seattle Mariners’ Jesse Winker during an on-field brawl June 26. That incident earned his suspension.

Rendon, who last played June 14, is batting .228 this season with five home runs and 24 RBIs.

Outfielder Magneuris Sierra and infielder Mike Ford were designated for assignment.

TRAINERS ROOM

A’s: LHP Sam Moll, who last appeared in a game Sept. 15, has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a strained left shoulder.

___