ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Martin Perez worked seven strong innings, Adolis Garcia, Ezequiel Duran and Jonah Heim had RBI doubles and the Texas Rangers broke open a close contest in the ninth inning to win consecutive games for the second time this month, beating the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 Friday night.
Luis Rengifo had an RBI single for the Angels, who have a total of nine hits and two runs in the first two games of a four-game series.
Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 4, one night after he pitched six innings while giving up two runs. The Angels lost for the eighth time in their last 11 games as reports circulated that the club is at least listening to trade offers for their two-way superstar.
Still without Mike Trout, who hasn’t played since July 12 because of a back injury, the Angels did not have a hit against Perez until Jo Adell doubled in the fifth inning.
“I thought he was going to throw a perfect game, honestly, the way he was throwing the ball early,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said of Perez. “He hit a little bit of adversity, obviously, in the sixth and seventh (innings), but man this guy has been special all year.”
The Rangers got on the scoreboard in the sixth with the help of Adell. Marcus Semien doubled into the left-field corner, with the ball rebounding off the wall and slipping through Adell’s legs. He then dropped the ball while attempting to pick it up with his bare hand, allowing Semien to race all the way around the bases.
Two batters after Semien scored, Jonah Heim walked and came home on Adolis Garcia’s double, giving Texas a 2-0 lead.
The Angels got a run back in their half of the sixth. Brandon Marsh walked with one out, went to second on David Fletcher’s single and scored on Rengifo’s two-out single to left. But the Angels left a pair of runners in…