Mike Trout drilled his major league-leading 16th homer of the season, as the Angels beat the Marlins 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Marlins Park.
Trout’s 1st inning solo blast traveled 443 feet into the left field stands, giving the Halos a 1-0 lead.
JC Ramirez (5-3) got the win after holding Miami to just 1 unearned run in 7 innings.
Jose Alvarez provided an inning of scoreless relief. Bud Norris pitched the 9th and gave up a solo homer to Marcell Ozuna. Norris returned to the mound after tweaking his right knee on Friday night.
Ozuna also had an RBI single in the 1st inning to tie the score 1-1.
The Angels would retake the lead in the 3rd on an RBI groundout from Andrelton Simmons.
Luis Valbuena knocked in a 2-run single in the 8th. Simmons added an RBI double in the 9th to close out the scoring for the Halos.
Vance Worley (0-2), pitching his second game of the year, allowed two hits and two runs and likely earned another start despite taking the loss. He threw 63 pitches in 5 innings of work.
The Angels improved to 26-26, and are back at .500 for the 12th time this year. Sunday will be the rubber game of the 3 game set. Matt Shoemaker (4-2, 3.97 ERA) on the mound for the Halos, and Jose Urena (2-2, 3.08 ERA) goes for Miami.
Alex Wood threw 5 more shutout innings while improving his record to 6-0, as the Dodgers blanked the Cubs 4-0 on Friday night at the Ravine.
Wood allowed 2 hits while striking out 8 and walking 2. He extended his career-high scoreless innings streak to 25 1/3, longest in the majors this season.
“I definitely feel confident now,” Wood said. “The consistency of my stuff has been there and that’s where my confidence is coming from.”
Pedro Baez and Chris Hatcher combined to throw four hitless innings after Wood departed.
Chase Utley connected on a solo homer off of Jake Arrieta in the 3rd inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Yasmani Grandal doubled in Corey Seager in the 4th, and Adrian Gonzales drilled a 2-run shot to center in the 6th.
Arrieta (5-4) took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 9 and walked 1. He departed after 6 innings and 95 pitches.
“I thought it was somewhat of a victory getting Wood out after five,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “He started out hot. His numbers were high, but then all of a sudden his velocity came back down. But their bullpen was that good.”
Game 2 of the series will be on Saturday night. Brandon McCarthy (4-1, 3.76 ERA) is on the hill for the boys in blue, while the Cubs go with John Lackey (4-4, 4.82 ERA).
Giancarlo Stanton hit one of three Marlins home runs on the night, as Miami defeated the Angels 8-5 on Friday night at Marlins Park.
Stanton, J.T. Realmuto, and Justin Bour all went deep for the Marlins. Dan Straily (3-3) pitched 5+ innings to get the win. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits.
Jesse Chavez (4-6) took the loss for the Halos. He couldn’t get out of the 4th inning, yielding 5 runs on 8 hits.
Angel pitchers have allowed 73 home runs, the most in Major League Baseball this season.
Christian Yelich had three doubles in three at-bats, while scoring twice. Stanton and Dee Gordon also had 3 hits apiece.
The loss was the Angels’ third in a row, and dropped them 1 game below .500. To make matters worse, closer Bud Norris tweaked his right knee, and departed after throwing only three pitches in the 9th inning.
Martin Maldonado delivered a 2-run homer to center field in the 6th inning to pull the Angels within 5-3, but they wouldn’t get any closer.
The Angels and Marlins will do it again on Saturday night in Miami. J.C. Ramirez (4-3, 3.81 ERA) will be on the mound for the Halos, while the Marlins go with Vance Worley (0-1, 6.75 ERA).
The Dodgers are finding all kinds of creative ways to use their abundance of starting pitching. On Thursday night they got 5 strong innings from Kenta Maeda and another 4 solid innings from Hyun-Jin Ryu to beat the Cardinals 7-3. The Dodgers took two out of three from the Cardinals during their 3-game set.
Maeda (4-2) picked up the win after giving up just 3 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 2, while throwing 78 pitches. Maeda also delivered a 2-run single during a 3-run 4th inning that saw the Dodgers take the lead for good, after the Cardinals had jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Ryu was convinced by skipper Dave Roberts to come out of the bullpen. He reluctantly agreed, but pitched very well in his first stint. He allowed just 2 hits while pitching 4 shutout innings. That effort earned him his 1st career save.
The Cards got 3 in the 1st inning after Jedd Gyorko hit a 2-run double, followed by a Yadier Molina RBI single.
Michal Wacha (2-2) took the loss after giving up 6 runs on 7 hits. He lasted only 4 innings before giving way to the St. Louis bullpen.
LA began their comeback in the 2nd inning when Chase Utley connected on a solo homer to right center field. Yasiel Puig added an RBI single in the 4th, followed by Maeda’s 2 RBI.
A wild pitch from Brett Cecil in the 5th allowed another Dodger run, making it 5-3. Adrian Gonzales and Chris Taylor would each provide an RBI double later on, which rounded out the scoring.
Up next for the Dodgers will be a 3-game weekend set with the Cubs at the Ravine beginning Friday night. Alex Wood (5-0, 1.88 ERA) gets the ball for the boys in blue, while the Cubs counter with Jake Arrieta (5-3, 4.80 ERA).
Colby Rasmus delivered a pair of clutch 2-out hits, driving in four runs on the day, as the Rays defeated the Angels 4-0. The Rays and Angels split their four-game series.
Rasmus came to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 1st, then came through with a 2-run single to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.
In the 5th, Rasmus was at it again, coming up with a 2-run double with the based loaded once more. The ball bounced over the center field wall, otherwise the 4-0 deficit might have been even bigger.
That was all the offense the Rays needed on this day. Matt Andriese (5-1) got the win after pitching 8 shutout innings. He gave up 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 5, while throwing 112 pitches. Tommy Hunter pitched a scoreless 9th for the Rays.
The Angels looked like they were poised to take an early lead in the 1st inning, but Mike Trout was thrown out at home plate by Steven Souza.
The Halos put runners at 1st and 3rd in the 2nd inning, but Danny Espinosa popped out to end the inning. Those were the Angels best chances to score on the day.
Daniel Wright (0-1) took the loss after making a spot start for the injured Alex Meyer. He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs (2 of them earned) on 6 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 4, departing after 73 pitches.
Keynan Middleton, Deolis Guerra, and David Hernandez provided 3+ innings of scoreless relief for the Halos pen.
After 50 games the Angels are an even 25-25 on the season. Their road trip continues on Friday in Miami, where they’ll begin a 3-game set with the Marlins. Jesse Chavez (4-5, 4.61 ERA) will be on the mound for the Angels, while the Marlins counter with Dan Straily (2-3, 3.70).
Colby Rasmus and Steven Souza hit back-to-back homers in the 7th inning, as the Rays took down the Angels 5-2 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.
The loss came despite the fact the Halos got off to a great start. Albert Pujols connected on a 2-run homer in the 1st inning. The 597th homer of his career.
That was one of only 4 hits on the night for the Angels. Erasmo Ramirez (3-0) settled down after that. He picked up the win after pitching 6 innings, allowing only those 2 runs on the 4 hits to get the victory.
Souza hit a pair of home runs, including a 2-run blast off Ricky Nolasco in the 2nd to tie the game at 2-2.
The Rays would take the lead in the 3rd on an RBI double from Kevin Kiermaier, scoring Corey Dickerson.
Nolasco (2-4) took the loss after pitching 6 innings. He gave up all 5 runs on 7 hits, including the three home runs. Nolasco departed after giving up the back-to-back homers in the 7th.
Blake Parker and Brooks Pounders provided two innings of scoreless relief after that.
However, the Rays got three innings of scoreless relief from their bullpen as well. Jose Alvarado, Ryne Stanek, and Alex Colume did not allow a hit. Colume picked up his 12th save of the season.
The Angels and Rays will do it again tomorrow morning in the final game of the four game set.
Mike Leake gave up 1 run in 8 innings of work, as the Cardinals hammered the Dodgers 6-1 at Chavez Ravine on Wednesday night.
Leake (5-2) got the win after allowing just four hits, striking out five, while not walking a batter. He has a National League-leading 1.91 ERA.
“He’s got a lot of movement on his ball,” Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger said. “He was hitting his spots. He has been effective all year, and he has got a good thing going. We just didn’t execute well tonight.”
Jedd Gyorkoa had three hits and scored a run in the 2-run second inning that gave the Cards the lead for good.
Rich Hill (1-2) took the loss in four innings of work. He gave up 5 runs on 4 hits. He walked 7 and struck out 4, while throwing 82 pitches.
“It was a bad outing. It was terrible,” Hill said. “I accept full responsibility for that. I just gave them the game. That is unacceptable.”
Kolten Wong delivered a 2-run single in the 2nd inning to give the Cardinals a quick 2-0 lead. Gyorko added another 2-run single in the 5th, aided by a throwing error from Bellinger. Yadier Molina would add a sac fly, and then connect on a solo homer in the 7th to make it 6-0.
The only Dodger run of the game came on a sacrifice fly by Bellinger in the 7th inning. LA couldn’t get much going offensively.
Chris Taylor started in center field for the Dodgers, replacing the injured Joc Pederson. Pederson collided with Yasiel Puig the night before, and is being monitored for concussion symptoms.
The Dodgers and Cardinals will be back at it on Thursday night in the rubber game of their 3 game set. Kenta Maeda (3-2, 5.03 ERA) will be on the mound for LA, while Michael Wacha (2-1, 2.74 ERA) gets the ball for St. Louis.
Logan Forsythe delivered a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 13th inning, as the Dodgers outlasted the Cardinals 2-1 on Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine.
With two outs in the 13th, Kike Hernandez walked, setting the stage for Forsythe. The Dodger 2nd baseman drove a 1-1 pitch into the right field corner, which bounced off the wall, allowing Hernandez to come all the way around to score the winning run from 1st base.
The game was a great duel between Clayton Kershaw and Cardinals’ starter Lance Lynn, resulting in a 1-1 draw between both sides after 9 innings. Neither pitcher received a decision.
Kershaw pitched 9 innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits. However, he took a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning when Randal Grichuk lead-off with a single to center. Grichuk advanced to second on a groundout from Tommy Pham, then scored on a wild pitch that Kershaw uncorked. That was Kershaw’s only blemish in an otherwise brilliant performance.
The Dodgers’ ace threw 104 pitches. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out 10. It was the 53rd time that he has struck out 10 or more batters in a game.
The Dodgers’ only other run of the game came on a solo homer from Yasmani Grandal in the 1st inning. That was one of only two hits that Lynn would allow on the night. It just so happened that one of them went 418 feet.
Grandal has at least one extra-base hit in 10 of his last 13 games. In one of those 3 games without, he had 1 at-bat as a pinch-hitter. The homer was his 5th of the season.
Lynn was equally as brilliant as Kershaw. The Cardinals’ ace went 8 innings, giving up just the 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 10 Dodgers and walked 2, while making 123 pitches.
With Kenley Jansen pitching the 10th inning, he retired the side in order, however, a scary moment occurred on the final out of the inning. Yadier Molina hit a fly ball to deep right, which was chased down by both Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson. Puig caught the ball but collided with Pederson, who took an elbow to the head. Pederson also slid into the wall, cutting his forehead and then leaving the game after that. He was replaced by Kike Hernandez. Puig stayed in the game, despite grimacing and grabbing his side after the collision.
Forsythe’s heroics came on the night he returned to the lineup for the boys in blue after missing the last 30 games with a toe injury. He started at 3rd in place of the injured Justin Turner, who was out of the lineup with a hamstring injury. Forsythe batted lead-off and struck out 4 times and walked once before coming through in the 13th. Yasiel Puig also returned to the lineup and started in right field after sitting out for two games with a back injury. He was hitless in five at-bats.
Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday night at the Ravine. Rich Hill (1-1; 2.77 ERA) goes to the mound for LA, while Mike Leake (4-2; 2.03 ERA) gets the call for the Cardinals.
Mike Trout and Cameron Maybin each hit solo home runs and the Angels shut down the Rays 4-0 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. The Halos have now won 3 straight games.
Matt Shoemaker (4-2) pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings to get the win. He gave up just 3 hits, walked 5, and stuck out 3, while throwing 89 pitches.
The Halos got 2+ innings of shutout relief from Yusmeiro Petit, Jose Alvarez, and Keynan Middleton, who did not allow a hit.
Maybin lead off the game with a homer to left center off of Alex Cobb. Then Trout went back-to-back, crushing the first pitch he saw to left center.
Cobb (4-4) took the loss after giving up 4 runs on 7 hits, striking out 5 and walking 3. He departed after 7 1/3 innings.
Luis Valbuena added an RBI single in the 8th, scoring Trout. Later in the inning, Kole Calhoun delivered a sacrifice fly as well.
The Angels will try to make it 4 in a row on Wednesday evening. Ricky Nolasco (2-3; 4.01 ERA) will be on the mount for the Halos, while the Rays counter with (2-0; 3.00 ERA).
Colton Sissons scored a hat-trick, including his 3rd goal with 6 minutes left in regulation, as the Predators knocked off the Ducks 6-3 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Nashville eliminated the Ducks for the second year in a row, and advanced to their first ever Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.
“Our effort was there and we were a desperate hockey club right from the opening faceoff, and we didn’t quit until they scored the second empty-net goal,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.
The Ducks trailed 2-1 heading into a wild 3rd period. Sisson scored his 2nd goal of the game 3 minutes into the period, after relentlessly chasing after a puck in the slot, then backhanding it past Jonathan Bernier. With John Gibson sidelined with a hamstring injury, Bernier got the start, but only stopped 12 of the 16 shots he faced.
The Ducks would rally at the 5 minutes mark after a creative chip shot from Chris Wagner, which beat Pekka Rinne top shelf. 2 minutes later, Cam Fowler tied the game on a slap shot from the blue line, which got by a screen Rinne. Corey Perry had knocked down the Predators’ goaltender moments earlier, who scrambled to get back into the play, but could not make the save on the shot from Fowler. The Predators asked for a review on the play, but referees ruled it a good goal, making the score 3-3.
Just over five minutes later, Sissons 3rd goal of the night came on a cross-ice pass from Calle Jarnkrok, allowing him to connect on a one-timer which got past the blocker of Bernier. That would prove to be the game-winner.
Ducks forward Ryan Kesler was disappointed his team couldn’t keep it together after fighting back. “It definitely hurts worse when you play that good and you come back. This team showed resiliency all year. To give up a goal like that, it (bleeping) sucks.”
Trailing 4-3 with 2:33 left, the Ducks pulled Jonathan Bernier for an extra attacker, resulting in a 6-on-5 advantage. However, Nashville would add two empty-net goals, one by Filip Forsberg at 17:38, the other by Austin Watson at 18:26, his 2nd goal of the game.
Watson and Sissons scored in the 1st period to make it 2-0. Rinne made 38 saves to improve to 12-4 during this year’s post season.
Ondrej Kase scored his second career playoff goal in the 2nd period, pulling Anaheim within one heading into the 3rd period.
The Ducks outshot the Predators 41-18 for the game, but Rinne made some big stops throughout the night. Anaheim was also 0-4 on the power play.
Both teams were missing their top scorers again. Nashville was missing Ryan Johansen and Mike Fisher, while the Ducks were without Patrick Eaves and Rickard Rakell.
“There’s a lot of fight in this room,” Ducks forward Corey Perry said. “This one is going to sting for a while. You got to give credit to them too.”
The Predators will play either the defending champion Penguins or the Senators beginning Monday, May 29th. Meanwhile, Anaheim’s playoff run ends once again in disappointing fashion.
