ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even though the season is less than a week old, Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are mastering the art of late-inning comebacks.
The Angels won for the third straight game with a late rally, this time beating the Houston Astros 7-6 Monday night in a wild atmosphere at Angel Stadium.
“The whole homestand has been unbelievable,” said Trout, who hit his first home run of the season in the fourth. “We have to keep it up. Everyone up and down the lineup is feeding off each other, which is good to see.”
The Angels got weekend wins over the Chicago White Sox with go-ahead home runs. This time they rallied for four runs in the eighth on three singles, a sacrifice fly and a Houston error to open 4-1 for the first time since 2007.
“It is easy to say we don’t quit, but we don’t. The vibe in the dugout is good,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We got quality at-bats up and down the lineup.”
Shohei Ohtani, out of the starting lineup after pitching 4 2/3 innings Sunday night and getting upended while covering home plate, entered as a pinch-hitter after Albert Pujols and José Iglesias opened the eighth with singles. Ohtani was hit by a pitch from Joe Smith (0-1) and exchanged glances with the Houston reliever as he made his way to first base.
“Emotions were high. He’s hot at the plate right now and wanted to hit,” Trout said.
Blake Taylor gave up a single by Dexter Fowler that scored Pujols. Iglesias tied it at 5 when he scored on David Fletcher’s fielder’s choice. First baseman Yuri Gurriel made a diving stop on a sharp grounder by Jared Walsh but his throw home was wide, allowing Ohtani to score and put the Angels on top for the first time all night.
Fletcher came home on Anthony Rendon’s sacrifice fly, making it 7-5. The extra…
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