Halos rout Rangers on Trout's huge day
ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout hit a game-breaking grand slam in the sixth inning Sunday -- his 31st home run and second of the game -- and finished 4-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored as the Angels avoided being swept by the Rangers at Angel Stadium with a 13-7 win. The Angels took a one-game lead on the Astros in the American League West, with Houston losing to the Royals.
Texas' pitching staff struggled all afternoon. Starter Nick Martinez allowed four runs, including two home runs, in his five-plus innings. Anthony Bass came on in relief and committed a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, then allowed two straight hits without recording an out. Two batters later, Spencer Patton, brought in to face Trout, allowed the slam. Keone Kela and Wandy Rodriguez combined to allow five more Angels runs in the seventh and eighth.
"We shot ourselves in the foot and that one inning got away from us," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.
Angels starter Andrew Heaney, meanwhile, worked through six innings of two-run ball despite battling command issues, including two hit batters. In his six starts, Heaney is 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA.
There were times I was fighting a little bit -- a couple of innings in the middle -- but I tried to get myself back on track," Heaney said. "I'm trying to take the same stuff out there; the only thing that changes is the hitters."
Video: TEX@LAA: Heaney strikes out four over six innings
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Trout's curtain call: With the Angels up 4-2 in the sixth, Patton came on to face Trout with the bases loaded. Patton ran the count full, and after fouling off two straight pitches, Trout destroyed a fastball over the right-center-field wall for his third career grand slam. As "MVP!" chants echoed around Angel Stadium, Trout came out of the dugout for a curtain call.
"Our fans understand what they're looking at," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "This guy's a special player, a special talent. And when Mike does something special like that, although it doesn't happen very often out here, I think it's good to tip your cap and acknowledge them, and he did." More >
Video: TEX@LAA: Trout smacks two homers, drives in five RBIs
Can't break it open: The Rangers had seven baserunners combined in the third and fourth. In the third, they got a two-out RBI single from Rougned Odor but with runners at the corners, Adrian Beltre grounded out back to the pitcher. Texas loaded the bases with two out in the fourth and Tomas Telis drove in one run by getting hit by a pitch. But Delino DeShields popped out to end the inning..
Video: TEX@LAA: Odor knocks in a run with a single to right
Trout's pop, Pujols' wheels: Trout and Albert Pujols both reached milestones, Trout with his 30th home run of the season in the first inning and Pujols' 100th career stolen base in the fifth. Trout's homer, in the team's 97th game, made him the fastest to reach 30 home runs in a season in Angels history. Pujols' steal made him just one of four players in Major League history with a career .300 batting average, 500 home runs and 100 stolen bases. The others? Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. More >
Video: TEX@LAA: Pujols swipes 100th stolen base of career
"We're very fortunate to have him in the clubhouse," Trout said of Pujols. "Just his presence -- in the lineup, in the clubhouse, as a teammate, leading us the right way. He's been there, done that. Just happy he's on our team."
Rangers set up big inning: Rangers mistakes set up the Angels' five-run sixth. Martinez walked Conor Gillaspie to lead off the inning. Bass took over and Carlos Perez dropped a sacrifice bunt. Bass fielded it and bounced his throw to first, allowing runners to end up at second and third. The inning fell apart from there.
"The ball that we threw away set up that whole inning," Banister said. "If we can get an out there, we can maneuver around and do some different things."More >
QUOTABLE
"I'm OK. I'm OK. They said it was a mild concussion, go see the doctor [Monday] and see where we stand. I was definitely dizzy right afterwards and don't really remember walking off the field." -- Angels left fielder Matt Joyce, on his collision with shortstop Erick Aybar in shallow left field in the fourth, when Aybar kneed Joyce in the head
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
After hitting his 30th and 31st home runs, Trout became just the 14th Major Leaguer with three seasons of 30-plus homers before his age-24 season.
INJURY REPORT
Joyce had to leave in the fourth due to injury following a scary collision with Aybar on a DeShields popup to shallow left field. Daniel Robertson pinch-hit for Joyce in the bottom of the inning; Aybar was able to remain in the game. More >
Video: TEX@LAA: Aybar hangs on after collision with Joyce
"It looks like a concussion, although we're still evaluating it," Scioscia said after the game. The Angels have not made a decision about whether to place Joyce on the seven-day concussion disabled list, although Scioscia said they're leaning in that direction.
The collision followed a play earlier in the inning where Trout landed awkwardly on his left wrist attempting to make a diving catch on Elvis Andrus' single to short center field. Trout was also able to stay in the game after being examined by the Angels' training staff.
Video: TEX@LAA: Trout shaken up but remains in the game
"It's fine. A little sore," Trout said. "Just a scary thing for me. I didn't really know what to expect -- it hurt pretty bad, but once I loosened up it was better."
WHAT'S NEXT
Rangers: Left-hander Matt Harrison pitches for the Rangers against the Yankees at 7:05 p.m. CT on Monday in Arlington. Harrison threw six shutout innings in his last start against the Rockies. The Rangers have lost 10 of their last 11 games at home.
Angels: After the team's off-day Monday, left-hander C.J. Wilson opens the Angels' three-game series against the Astros on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. PT, when the top two teams in the American League West meet in Houston.
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