Diamondbacks 7, Angels 3

[June 16, 2015]  ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Robbie Ray threw seven scoreless innings and Paul Goldschmidt had three hits, including a three-run homer, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels Monday night at Angel Stadium.

It was the fourth win in a row for the Diamondbacks, who got another strong performance from their starting pitcher. Ray became the third Diamondbacks pitcher in the past four games to take a no-hitter into the sixth. Chase Anderson and Allen Webster each did it over the weekend against the Giants.

Ray's no-hitter was broken up in the sixth inning on left fielder Daniel Robertson's two-out single. Shortstop Erick Aybar followed with a single, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Those were the only two hits Ray (2-1) allowed in his seven innings.

Goldschmidt continued his torrid pace at the plate with a two-out, three-run homer off Angels starter Jered Weaver (4-7) in the third inning, his 18th of the season. He also had a double and a single, raising his major league-leading batting average to .366.

The Diamondbacks added an unearned run in the fifth and another run on designated hitter Yasmany Tomas' homer in the sixth. They turned out to be key runs because the Angels nearly came back.
 

An error by Arizona third baseman Jake Lamb helped the Angels score three unearned runs in the eighth. One came home on a wild pitch, and center fielder Mike Trout doubled in two more. But the inning ended when first baseman Albert Pujols, representing the tying run, flied out to the warning track against Diamondbacks reliever Addison Reed.

Arizona added a couple insurance runs in the top of the ninth on an RBI bunt single by left fielder Cliff Pennington and a sacrifice fly by center fielder A.J. Pollock.

Weaver has had 10 starts this season in which he didn't walk as many as two batters, but he walked two in the third inning alone, and it cost him. The second walk -- to Pollock -- came with two outs and brought up Goldschmidt, who launched a three-run homer to center for a 3-0 Diamondbacks lead.

Meanwhile, the Angels hit the ball hard in the early innings against Ray, but hit it right at the defense. Ray retired the first 10 Angels hitters of the game until center fielder Mike Trout walked with one out in the fourth. But Trout was immediately erased when Pujols hit into an inning-ending double play.

Ray retired the side in order in the fifth, maintaining a no-hitter through five innings and facing the minimum number of batters (15).

NOTES: Angels LF Daniel Robertson, called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday, was in the starting lineup Monday. He is the sixth player to start in left field for the Angels this season, joining Matt Joyce, (39 starts), Collin Cowgill (11), Efren Navarro (six), Kirk Nieuwenhuis (five) and Alfredo Marte (one). ... Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt took a major-league-leading .359 average into the game, the highest mark of his major league career at least 12 games into a season. ... Angels CF Mike Trout made it a goal to steal more bases this season, and he stole six through the end of April. He has eight, but he hasn't stolen a base since May 22 and has not even had an attempt in June. ... The Diamondbacks lead the National League with 290 runs.

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