Valbuena caps late rally, lifts Angels past Mariners
The Sports Xchange
Sep 30, 2017
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Luis Valbuena's two-out, two-run pinch-hit double capped a four-run eighth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels rally for a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angels Stadium.
The Seattle Mariners got home runs from Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino to power their way to a 5-2 lead before things unraveled in the eighth inning against their bullpen.
Mike Trout led off the inning with the second of his two homers in the game, cutting Seattle's lead to 5-3. Albert Pujols doubled and later scored on C.J. Cron's two-out single to make it 5-4.
Kole Calhoun followed with an infield single before Valbuena stepped to the plate to face Mariners reliever Edwin Diaz.
Valbuena hit a fly ball that landed only a few feet inside the right-field line near the foul pole, scoring Calhoun and pinch runner Eric Young Jr.
Blake Parker pitched the ninth for the Angels to close it out and earn his eighth save.
For Trout, the two home runs were his 32nd and 33rd, his second multi-homer game of the season. They were also the 200th and 201st in his career, as Trout joined Tim Salmon (299), Garret Anderson (272) and Brian Downing as the only players in Angels history to hit at least 200.
Cruz's home run also moved him closer to a noteworthy achievement. With 39 homers, he needs one more in the final two games to have four consecutive 40-homer seasons. The last player to do it was Philadelphia's Ryan Howard from 2006-09.
Marco Gonzales started for Seattle and gave up two runs and four hits in four innings.
Angels reliever Blake Wood (2-0) earned the victory over Mariners reliever Marc Rzepczynski (2-2).
Trout's first-inning homer off Mariners starter Marco Gonzales was his 32nd and gave the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Angels starter Tyler Skaggs held the Mariners scoreless through three innings before Cruz and Seager homered back to back to lead off the fourth, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead.
The Angels tied the score at 2 in the bottom of the fourth after Andrelton Simmons led off with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cliff Pennington.
But Seattle regained the lead on the fifth on an RBI single by Robinson Cano, making it 3-2 and knocking Skaggs out of the game.
Skaggs went 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, six hits and one walk while striking out seven.
NOTES: Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma had surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday after missing most of the season with shoulder inflammation. He is expected be able to start throwing again in five months, a couple weeks after pitchers and catchers report to spring training. The Mariners have a club option for next season on Iwakuma, 36, who went 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA in six starts this year. They can re-sign him for $10 million or buy him out for $1 million. ... The Angels have committed 79 errors this season, four less than the club record for fewest errors in a full season (83 in 2014). Their 98 errorless games are the most in the American League.
Sep 30, 2017
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Luis Valbuena's two-out, two-run pinch-hit double capped a four-run eighth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels rally for a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angels Stadium.
The Seattle Mariners got home runs from Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino to power their way to a 5-2 lead before things unraveled in the eighth inning against their bullpen.
Mike Trout led off the inning with the second of his two homers in the game, cutting Seattle's lead to 5-3. Albert Pujols doubled and later scored on C.J. Cron's two-out single to make it 5-4.
Kole Calhoun followed with an infield single before Valbuena stepped to the plate to face Mariners reliever Edwin Diaz.
Valbuena hit a fly ball that landed only a few feet inside the right-field line near the foul pole, scoring Calhoun and pinch runner Eric Young Jr.
Blake Parker pitched the ninth for the Angels to close it out and earn his eighth save.
For Trout, the two home runs were his 32nd and 33rd, his second multi-homer game of the season. They were also the 200th and 201st in his career, as Trout joined Tim Salmon (299), Garret Anderson (272) and Brian Downing as the only players in Angels history to hit at least 200.
Cruz's home run also moved him closer to a noteworthy achievement. With 39 homers, he needs one more in the final two games to have four consecutive 40-homer seasons. The last player to do it was Philadelphia's Ryan Howard from 2006-09.
Marco Gonzales started for Seattle and gave up two runs and four hits in four innings.
Angels reliever Blake Wood (2-0) earned the victory over Mariners reliever Marc Rzepczynski (2-2).
Trout's first-inning homer off Mariners starter Marco Gonzales was his 32nd and gave the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Angels starter Tyler Skaggs held the Mariners scoreless through three innings before Cruz and Seager homered back to back to lead off the fourth, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead.
The Angels tied the score at 2 in the bottom of the fourth after Andrelton Simmons led off with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cliff Pennington.
But Seattle regained the lead on the fifth on an RBI single by Robinson Cano, making it 3-2 and knocking Skaggs out of the game.
Skaggs went 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, six hits and one walk while striking out seven.
NOTES: Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma had surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday after missing most of the season with shoulder inflammation. He is expected be able to start throwing again in five months, a couple weeks after pitchers and catchers report to spring training. The Mariners have a club option for next season on Iwakuma, 36, who went 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA in six starts this year. They can re-sign him for $10 million or buy him out for $1 million. ... The Angels have committed 79 errors this season, four less than the club record for fewest errors in a full season (83 in 2014). Their 98 errorless games are the most in the American League.
