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 The Angels used a slew of doubles and a solo home run from rookie
designated hitter C.J. Cron to carve out a 6-4 win on a night when
there were plenty of things not working.
Second baseman Howie Kendrick, center fielder Mike Trout and first
baseman Albert Pujols -- the 1-2-3 hitters in the Los Angeles order
-- went a combined 1-for-13, but the bottom six hitters went
10-for-26 while accounting for four of the team's five RBIs.
Starting pitcher Jered Weaver was out of sorts from the start of his
pre-game bullpen session but still found a way to earn his fifth win
in six starts. Weaver (6-3) pitched six innings, allowing seven hits
and three earned runs while striking out five.
"I thought he pitched without his best stuff tonight, and he got
through six innings," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
Weaver said he could tell during his pre-game warmup that his
fastball command wasn't there, and he tipped off catcher Chris
Iannetta about his concerns.
"I told Chris before the game: 'It's one of those days we're going
to have to go out and battle,'" Weaver said. "And we were able to do
that tonight."
Los Angeles (29-22) had six extra-base hits, including five doubles.
Four of the doubles came in a three-run second inning that helped
the Angels jump out to a 3-0 lead.
The Angels were leading 5-3 in the eighth when Cron delivered the
big blow with a solo shot off Seattle reliever Tom Wilhelmsen.
That appeared to be enough to put the Angels in control, but Frieri
made the game interesting in the ninth. After retiring the first two
batters he faced, Frieri walked two batters sandwiched around
Robinson Cano's RBI single as the Mariners pulled within 6-4.
With two out and two runners on base, Seattle third baseman Kyle
Seager drove a ball deep into left-center field, but outfielder Mike
Trout caught it a few steps away from the warning track to give
Frieri his seventh save of the season.
"We battled back in that ballgame, but that's the way it goes,"
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said.
Seattle starter Roenis Elias went 6 1/3 innings while giving up five
earned runs off eight hits. Five of the Angels' eight hits off Elias
(3-4) were doubles, and four of the players that hit them came
around to score.
"He gave us a chance," McClendon said.
The Angels turned four second-inning doubles into a 3-0 lead. Third
baseman David Freese, Cron and shortstop Erick Aybar opened the
inning with back-to-back-to-back doubles to score a pair of runs
before Iannetta added a one-out, RBI double that scored Aybar.
Seattle got one run back on second baseman Nick Franklin's RBI
single in the bottom of the second before the Angels added a run on
a bases-loaded groundout in the top of the fourth to take a 4-1
lead.
Weaver struck out three of the first five batters and had a 4-1 lead
going into the bottom of the fourth inning before allowing Seattle
to get back into the game.
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Smoak opened the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, then a
bases-loaded wild pitch by Weaver brought home another run as
Seattle cut the deficit to 4-3.
Reliever Sean Burnett came on for Weaver to open the sixth but
lasted just six pitches before coming out of the game with elbow
pain. Burnett was making just his third appearance after missing
most of the 2013 season with an elbow injury that required surgery.
Burnett is scheduled to return to Southern California on Wednesday
for a checkup, and he was so distraught in the clubhouse late
Tuesday night that he broke down in tears during a session with the
media.
"We're praying it's nothing serious," Weaver said. "He worked his
(behind) off through the whole (rehab) process."
NOTES: Tests revealed that Angels OF Josh Hamilton has a bone bruise
in his thumb, which probably means his targeted return to action
this week will be delayed. Hamilton has been out since April 8 due
to a torn ligament in his thumb, but he appeared to be on track
toward returning this week while doing a rehab assignment at
Triple-A. Hamilton got jammed by a pitch over the weekend and missed
two games, leading team doctors to take a second look at the injury.
... A Tuesday MRI revealed inflammation in the throwing shoulder of
Mariners LHP James Paxton, who complained of soreness after his
recent rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma. Paxton, who has been on the
15-day disabled list since early April because of soreness in his
lat muscle, could be shut down for five to seven days before the
Mariners begin planning his next rehab start. ... Angels OF Mike
Trout is leading all players in the American League All-Star voting
results that were released by the league Tuesday, with 764,007
votes. Toronto OF Jose Bautista (675,290) and Yankees SS Derek Jeter
(602,525) were the only other players in the AL with more than
600,000 votes. ... Los Angeles 1B Albert Pujols is second among
first basemen in the All-Star voting, trailing Detroit's Miguel
Cabrera by almost 70,000 votes. ... Mariners 2B Robinson Cano served
as the designated hitter for the fourth time this season and the
second time in a week. Manager Lloyd McClendon said he is just
trying to give Cano's legs a rest whenever the opportunity presents
itself. ... The Angels still have not named a Thursday starter.
Manager Mike Scioscia said before Tuesday's game that LHP Wade
LeBlanc was the likely starter, but the injury that is expected to
land reliever Sean Burnett on the disabled list could open up a spot
for Matt Shoemaker to return to the rotation.
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