Trout triggers offense, Weaver outduels Hutchison
TORONTO -- Marc Krauss hit the go-ahead double in the seventh inning to back a quality start by right-hander Jered Weaver in the Angels' 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.
Krauss didn't even enter the game until the fifth inning when first baseman Albert Pujols was lifted because of a contusion on his left wrist after he was struck by a Drew Hutchison pitch in the fourth inning. During his second at-bat, Krauss drove home a pair with a double to the gap in left-center field off Blue Jays right-hander Steve Delabar.
Mike Trout, who scored three runs on a 2-for-3 night, hit his 11th home run in the fifth inning off Hutchison.
Weaver won his third consecutive start after limiting the Blue Jays to three runs on four hits and three walks over seven innings. The Angels right-hander has gone at least seven innings during each of his past three outings and has allowed a total of four runs over that same span.
Hutchison was in line for the win until he departed with a pair of runners on base in the seventh. Delabar wasn't able to protect the 3-2 lead and as a result Hutchison picked up his first loss of the season and was charged with all four runs on six hits and two walks.
"I looked and it was a pretty good pitch, but it wasn't the right pitch," Delabar said. "We could have set it up differently. It was a good one, but he was kind of leaning out and got a barrel on it."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Krauss comes through: It looked as if the Angels had missed another run-scoring opportunity, when Erick Aybar's seventh-inning grounder prompted Taylor Featherston to be forced out at home. But Trout walked on four straight pitches, Delabar replaced Hutchison and Krauss ripped a double into the left-center-field gap, scoring two to give the Angels a one-run lead. It was Krauss' second hit in 15 at-bats this season.
"It was great," Krauss said. "You never want to lose a teammate, especially a Hall of Famer like Albert. Hopefully everything is all right. At that point, there is nothing we can do but go to battle. Next man up. I was able to come in. Once it got into the gap, I knew those guys were coming around."
Video: LAA@TOR: Krauss gives the Angels the lead
Hutchison's wasted start: Hutchison appeared well on his way to win No. 4 of the season until Krauss' double in the seventh, but the fact that Toronto's bullpen wasn't able to close things out shouldn't be overly surprising. The Blue Jays have now blown seven save opportunities this season and three over the past week. Toronto's relievers also have allowed 40.6 percent of inherited baserunners to score, which is the most in the Major Leagues. This time, Delabar was the victim despite having entered the game with one hit allowed in five appearances.
Video: LAA@TOR: Gibbons on Hutchison, offense in loss
Three big outs: Getting through the seventh with a lead has been crucial for the Angels this season, because it allows them to hand the game over to their superb eighth- and ninth-inning combo of Joe Smith and Huston Street. Weaver provided that on Wednesday, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh to finish his start, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters. In his last three starts, Weaver has given up just four runs in 23 1/3 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.29 to 4.37. More >
"Command has been there," Weaver said. "A lot more consistent than it had been. I've been able to hit that down and away to righties now. It was a little bit of a struggle early on. I've been working hard in between to get back to where I can be, and it's been paying off so far."
Video: LAA@TOR: Weaver pitches seven innings in a victory
QUOTABLE
"It's part of the game. We can look back on this in a couple of months and just laugh at it, when things turn around. But right now, it's not a lot of fun." -- Delabar, on the Blue Jays' recent struggles in the bullpen
"It's better to win them than lose them, but we're playing an incredible amount of one- and two-run games and holding our own. It points to the job our starting pitchers have done keeping us in games while pitching with their backs against the wall, and what Joe Smith and Huston Street have done." -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia, on the Angels coming out on top of close games
Video: LAA@TOR: Street induces a flyout to earn the save
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Blue Jays have surrendered at least one home run in six consecutive games, which is the club's longest streak since Sept. 10-19 (nine straight games). Toronto's pitching staff has allowed 53 homers this year, which is the most in the Major Leagues.
Trout's solo homer, a laser to straightaway center field, traveled 412 feet and was hit at 107 mph, as tracked by Statcast™. Heading into Wednesday's game, Trout had the most 425-plus-foot home runs in the Majors since 2013, with 26, according to ESPN.
INJURY REPORT
Postgame X-rays were negative on Pujols' left wrist. Pujols was noticeably in a lot of pain after getting plunked, but he stayed in the game, ran the bases and played the next half-inning on defense. Krauss came in to pinch-hit in the fifth, though, and Pujols left Rogers Centre early to undergo further evaluation.
"It didn't sound good," Trout said. "I was on first base and at first I thought it hit the knob. But after the replay, I heard everybody saying it hit the wrist. I just hope everything's all right. He's a big guy in our lineup."
Video: LAA@TOR: Pujols gets hit by a pitch, exits game
WHAT'S NEXT
Angels: Matt Shoemaker starts Thursday's 7:07 p.m. ET series finale from Rogers Centre. The 28-year-old right-hander had a nice bounceback start against the Orioles on Saturday, giving up one run on three hits and no walks in seven innings to lower his ERA from 6.61 to 5.63.
Blue Jays: Right-hander R.A. Dickey will take the mound for the series finale against the Angels. Dickey has hit a bit of a rough patch recently after allowing at least six runs in each of his last two starts. The veteran knuckleballer also has surrendered at least four runs in all but one of his previous six starts and has a 6.93 ERA over that span.
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