Trumbo, Wilson Lead LA Angels Past Texas 6-5
ANAHEIM (AP) — Mark Trumbo hit a three-run homer and C.J. Wilson pitched into the seventh inning to beat the Texas Rangers for the first time, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-5 victory on Friday night.
Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun had RBI singles during a five-run fourth inning for the Angels, who have won 11 of 14 late in their lost season. Trumbo capped the rally with his 30th homer.
Trout had three hits as Los Angeles rallied from an early three-run deficit to snap Texas' seven-game winning streak in the division rivalry, beating the Rangers for just the third time in 13 meetings this season.
Alex Rios and Elvis Andrus homered for the Rangers, who began the day with a half-game lead on Oakland atop the AL West.
Andrus added a ninth-inning RBI single in his return from a four-game absence with tightness in his back.
Ernesto Frieri allowed Leonys Martin's two-out double in the ninth before Andrus' single to left, the first run allowed by the Angels' Colombian closer in 11 games since Aug. 10. Frieri then struck out Ian Kinsler on a 95-mph fastball for his 31st save.
Wilson (15-6) allowed seven hits and four runs, persevering through a few jams for his first win over the Rangers since he left the club two seasons ago.
The left-hander has been the Angels' best starter this season, but was 0-2 with an 8.63 ERA in his first six starts against Texas since signing a five-year, $77.5 million deal with his hometown Angels in December 2011.
Matt Garza (3-3) gave up nine hits and five runs over seven innings in his third straight winless start, largely staying in control outside the Angels' big fourth inning.
Rios hit his 15th homer of the season in the second inning, and he added an RBI single in the third. Rios has been a solid replacement in right field for Nelson Cruz, who began serving his 50-game suspension during the Rangers' last trip to Angel Stadium a month ago, apologizing to his teammates in the Anaheim clubhouse.
A.J. Pierzynski also drove in a run while four straight Rangers reached base in the third, but Wilson got out of the jam with an inning-ending double play.
The Angels' first seven batters reached base in the fourth against Garza, with Trout and Calhoun delivering RBI singles before Trumbo's no-doubt homer.
The Orange County native is the first Angels hitter with back-to-back 30-homer seasons since Vladimir Guerrero did it three times from 2004-06, and he's just the sixth hitter in the club's 53-year history to accomplish the feat.
Trumbo has been bumped down in the Angels' lineup during a late-season slump, including a 7-for-46 skid in the previous 13 games.
Los Angeles added another run in the fifth when Erick Aybar doubled and scored on a bad throw by Kinsler, who couldn't throw out the speedy Trout on an innocuous grounder to second.
Wilson escaped a jam in the sixth when Jeff Baker grounded into his second double play of the night with two runners on and nobody out.
But Andrus put his first homer since Aug. 10 into the short left-field stands, chasing Wilson after 116 pitches.
Josh Hamilton went 1 for 4 and scored a run in the Angels slugger's latest meeting with his former team.
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