OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Athletics rookie right-hander Jharel Cotton didn't have to wait long to get his first victory and first standing ovation in the major leagues.

Cotton allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings in his big league debut, leading the Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

"It could not be any better," Cotton said. "Of course my dream was to get to the big leagues. I'm here now. My dream came true. I got to pitch in front of Oakland A's fans. I'm happy that I did a great job and showed them I can pitch here in the big leagues."

The A's were leading 3-1 with one out in the top of the seventh when A's manager took Cotton out of the game. Cotton was congratulated by each of Oakland's infielders before heading toward the dugout. Then he tipped his hat to a small but exuberant group of fans -- the announced crowd was 11,866 -- who were on their feet cheering.

"Our fans, there weren't too many of them here today, but they were the loyal ones and they always have our back and they always cheer loud for us," A's catcher Stephen Vogt said. "He deserved better today, but they gave him a great ovation."

Cotton (1-0) gave up two hits, struck out three, walked two and threw 102 pitches. The A's acquired Cotton and two other pitchers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 1, in exchange for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill. Before being called up Wednesday from Triple-A Nashville, Cotton went 3-1 with 2.82 ERA in six starts and came within one out of a perfect game on Aug. 9 against Round Rock.

"It's a lot of fun because there was some hype that came with him," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "The trade was a big trade. We traded some pretty good players. To get your first look at a guy like that and for him to pitch as well as he did, especially at home, was very rewarding."

Rookie Ryon Healy hit his seventh home run for the A's, a solo blast in the seventh inning. Yonder Alonso went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and a run scored. Brett Eibner added two hits, including an RBI double.

C.J. Cron hit his 16th home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the seventh inning for the Angels.

Sluggers Mike Trout and Albert Pujols were out of the starting lineup, leaving the Angels without their top two home run and RBI threats.

Right-hander Alex Meyer (0-2) gave up one run on one hit over 3 1/3 in his Angels debut and fifth major league appearance. Meyer, who was acquired from Minnesota in a trade on Aug. 1, struck out five, walked four and threw 68 pitches.

"I felt good," Meyer said. "It was fun getting out there. Command, obviously, went in and out a little more than I like to. Having two four-pitch walks, you can't have stuff like that happen. But overall, my arm felt good. It was fun being out there and competing."

Meyer used his mid-to-high 90s fastball and a sharp curve to keep the A's in check.

"You saw a big arm," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think you saw a guy that wasn't missing by a lot, so he had an idea of where the ball was going. ... It was good to see that stuff. He stuff was real."

Cotton had plenty of weapons at his disposal, too.

"It's as good a mix of pitches as we have," Melvin said. "It's a changeup that he throws in any count, a real good curve ball when he needs it, spots his fastball. There's real deception in his delivery. ... He's got a little cut slider. He's got a true four-pitch assortment."

Oakland went hitless over the first three innings, but Alonso led off the fourth with a double to right-center.

Alonso scored on Max Muncy's one-out single to left against reliever Jose Alvarez. Eibner brought Muncy home with a double to right-center, making it 2-0.

The A's extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth. After Marcus Semien lined a leadoff single, Jhoulys Chacin walked the bases loaded, and Alonso drilled an RBI single to right.

Cron launched Cotton's 3-and-2 pitch for a leadoff home run to center field in the seventh, with Eibner nearly making a leaping catch, but the ball tipped off his glove and went over the wall.

Healy answered with a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the frame, lining Brett Oberholtzer's first pitch into the left field seats.

After Cotton exited, Ryan Dull, Liam Hendriks and Ryan Madson combined to hold the Angels scoreless and hitless over the final 2 2/3 innings. Madson pitched a one-two-three ninth for his 29th save.

When Cotton got to the clubhouse, he checked his cell phone.

"Everybody was texting me," Cotton said. "I think I got to my phone with about 30 text messages. Family, friends, girlfriend, girlfriend's mom, dad. They all said the same thing, that I looked confident from the get-to."

NOTES: Angels CF Mike Trout and 1B Albert Pujols were out of the starting lineup Wednesday, getting days off. "These guys are grinding," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Trout and Pujols, who combined for 58 home runs and 198 RBIs through the Angels' first 138 games. ... Angels RHP Daniel Wright, who was claimed on waivers from Cincinnati on Sunday, will start Saturday against Texas, taking the place of injured RHP Matt Shoemaker (skull surgery) in the rotation. ... A's rookie RHP Daniel Mengden will start on Friday in the opener of a three game series at home against Seattle. RHP Kendall Graveman will start on Saturday and RHP Raul Alcantara on Sunday. LHP Ross Detwiler will start on Monday at Kansas City in the opener of a four-game set. ... A's LHP Sean Manaea (strained upper back) threw an extended bullpen session on Wednesday and could rejoin the rotation during Oakland's upcoming seven-day trip, manager Bob Melvin said.