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 The right-hander pitched five innings of two-hit ball to lead the
Texas Rangers to a 12-3 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Friday
night in front of 38,467 at Angel Stadium.
The victory extends the Rangers' season-best winning streak to seven
games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.
"We're being aggressive," Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "Every
time we do that, especially the last couple of weeks, it turns into
wins."
Bonilla (2-0) held the Angels without a hit in the first four
innings before permitting two hits and two runs in the fifth, his
final inning. The 24-year-old Dominican retired eight successive
batters between the first and fourth innings, induced seven
groundouts and finished with four walks and four strikeouts in five
innings.
"I thought his fastball had more life than it looked like on video,"
said Angels designated hitter Brennan Boesch, who hit a two-run
homer off Bonilla.
Bonilla faced a lineup featuring center fielder Mike Trout and first
baseman Albert Pujols, both of whom joined their fellow starters in
resting Thursday night. Los Angeles, which secured the American
League West on Wednesday night, entered the game leading the major
leagues with 745 runs scored.
In his first start on Sept. 13, Bonilla limited the Atlanta Braves
to two runs and four hits in six innings while walking four and
striking out three.
"Tonight, he was a little more erratic," Rangers interim manager Tim
Bogar said. "He was effectively wild, but you can be that way if
you're not giving up base hits.
"He pitched inside really well. He changed speeds real well. He does
things to get himself out of trouble very well."
Left fielder Ryan Rua led the Rangers' 15-hit attack. He went
4-for-5, scored two runs and drove in a third. Third baseman Adrian
Beltre, right fielder Daniel Robertson and designated hitter Jake
Smolinski added two RBIs apiece.
The Rangers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against
left-hander Hector Santiago. Center fielder Leonys Martin began the
game with a single, then stole second base before coming home on
first baseman Adam Rosales' line-drive single.
Smolinski then propelled Santiago's 92 mph fastball just over the
left-field fence for his second home run of the year, a two-run
drive.
Texas extended its advantage to 7-0 in the second by turning four
hits, an error, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly into four runs.
After Robertson's bloop single drove Rua home, Martin forced the
Angels to make a pivotal mistake.
Martin bunted down the third-base line. Los Angeles catcher Hank
Conger retrieved the ball but threw wildly to first base, allowing
second baseman Rougned Odor to score, Robertson to take third base
and Martin to reach second. Martin received credit for a single and
Conger was charged with an error.
Right-hander Vinnie Pestano replaced Santiago and unleashed a wild
pitch that enabled Robertson to score and Martin to move to third
base. Andrus then hit a sacrifice fly to bring Martin home.
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Santiago (5-9) struggled badly for the second consecutive outing.
The left-hander allowed seven runs (six earned) and seven hits in
one-plus inning.
"I was a little surprised," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He
had good stuff tonight. Warming up, Hector looked good. When he got
out there, he had good velocity. He just missed spots and hit bats.
"I think seven of the first 10 hitters he faced got hits. That
pretty much was the game."
Despite Santiago's last two performances, Scioscia remains confident
in the left-hander's ability to perform once the American League
playoffs begin.
"He definitely has shown what he can do when he's on," Scioscia
said. "His arm is good. His stuff is good. He competes well. I just
think he has to take a step back and exhale."
Beltre added a two-run single in the fourth inning. Robertson hit
another sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth, catcher Robinson
Chirinos provided a run-scoring double in the ninth and Rua
contributed an RBI single in the ninth.
The Angels broke the shutout in the bottom of the fifth inning when
Boesch pounded an 85 mph pitch from Bonilla halfway up the
right-field stands for a two-run homer. First baseman C.J. Cron, who
relieved Pujols in the seventh, added a run-scoring double in that
inning.
NOTES: The Rangers' six-game winning streak is the longest active
streak of its kind in the major leagues. ... Rangers CF Leonys
Martin owned the second-highest batting average in the majors since
Aug. 12 at .374 (46-for-123) going into the game. Only San Francisco
C Buster Posey at .394 (50-for-127) had a better average. Martin
went 2-for-5 on Friday night. ... Texas has not had a player, coach
or manager ejected since June 22, when former manager Ron Washington
was thrown out for arguing an overturned video replay. Between April
13 and June 22, Rangers personnel had been ejected seven times. ...
The Angels are the first American League team to hold first place by
eight games or more after trailing by at least six after 70 games,
according to STATS LLC. ... Los Angeles CF Mike Trout is on pace to
become the first player in major league history to lead either
league in runs scored in his first three full seasons. ... The
Angels recalled RHP Drew Rucinski from Double-A Arkansas before the
game. ... The Angels' starting pitchers had held opponents to no
more than three earned runs in 34 of the past 38 games.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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