|
 Designated hitter Albert Pujols and first baseman C.J Cron each hit
a two-run home run to lead the Angels to an 8-4 win over the Seattle
Mariners on Friday night in front of 38,355 at Angel Stadium.
The Angels used their sixth victory in eight games to move within
half a game of the Houston Astros, who hold the American League's
second wild-card spot, while remaining five games behind the
first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West with nine to
play.
"We're neck and neck," Los Angeles center fielder Mike Trout said
regarding the Astros. "We have a good chance but we've got to win
games. That's the bottom line."
The Angels' late surge corresponds to the return of such key players
as third baseman David Freese, second baseman Johnny Giavotella and
infielder Taylor Featherston from the disabled list this month.
"It's good getting our full team back," Trout said. "When we were
going good at the All-Star break, we had our full squad."
Pujols registered his 37th home run of the season and the 557th of
his career in the bottom of the first inning. Cron added his 15th in
the bottom of the seventh. Giavotella added two RBIs and Trout led
the Angels' 14-hit attack with three hits.
Right-hander Garrett Richards (15-11) conceded only two hits and two
walks after the second inning to earn his second consecutive win.
Richards scattered five hits, allowed three runs, walked four and
struck out eight in seven innings.
First baseman Logan Morrison, third baseman Kyle Seager and center
fielder Brad Miller each had two of the Mariners' nine hits, with
Morrison driving in two runs. Designated hitter Nelson Cruz added
his 43rd home run.
Seattle, trailing 8-3, scored a run in the top of the eighth inning
and loaded the bases with two out to bring the potential tying run
to the plate. Second baseman Robinson Cano singled with one out,
moved to third base when left fielder Seth Smith singled and came
home on Morrison's two-out single.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on
Cruz's homer, which tied him for the major league lead with the
Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis. The Angels responded in the bottom
of the inning by turning five hits, including three doubles and a
home run, into four runs against left-hander Vidal Nuno.
Shortstop Erick Aybar lined a leadoff double down the left-field
line, and scored one out later when Trout blooped a double between
Morrison and right fielder Mark Trumbo. Pujols followed with a
two-run home run into the first row of the left-field bleachers
beyond both bullpens.
Cron hit Nuno's next pitch off the wall in left-center field for a
double, then came home when Freese lined the ensuing pitch into
right field for a single.
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Seattle retaliated in the top of the second by putting runners in
scoring position with nobody out after narrowing the deficit to 4-3
against Richards. Smith began the inning with a walk, moved to
second base when Trumbo walked and came home on Morrison's
line-drive single that also sent Trumbo to third.
Miller then bunted up the third-base line for a single that scored
Trumbo. When Angels catcher Carlos Perez threw the ball down the
right-field line for an error, Morrison took third and Miller
reached second. But Richards then struck out catcher Steve Baron,
shortstop Ketel Marte and Seager to limit the damage.
"We had him in trouble all night," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon
said about Richards. "I thought we had real good at-bats and got his
pitch count up. We really had opportunities to take the lead. We
just couldn't get the big hit to put us over the hump."
Los Angeles added single runs in the fourth and the sixth.
Giavotella hit a run-scoring single in the fourth and an RBI triple
in the sixth.
Nuno (1-4) had four strikeouts and yielded no walks in his 4 1/3
innings but gave up five runs and nine hits while throwing just 67
pitches.
"I'm not sure about my starter on Tuesday," McClendon said. "He may
have to start and I didn't want his pitch count to get too high."
NOTES: Mariners LHP Vidal Nuno is the first graduate of Baker
University, an NAIA college in Kansas, to play in the major leagues
in nearly a century. RHP Zip Zabel pitched for the Chicago Cubs from
1913-15. ... Los Angeles 2B Johnny Giavotella was activated from the
disabled list Friday and played his first game since Aug. 20.
Giavotella had been sidelined for five weeks because of a temporary
nerve disorder that causes double vision. ... The Angels have scored
three runs or fewer in 80 games this season, the most in 23 years.
In 1992, the Angels scored three runs or less 90 times. ... Friday
marked the 51st anniversary of Dean Chance becoming the first
pitcher in Angels' history to win 20 games and the 36th anniversary
of the Angels winning their first division title.
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