Los Angeles Angels vs Colorado Rockies Box Score on May 09, 2018

It was the Angels' sixth win in their last eight games, as four pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts.

The early offense backed Los Angeles rookie right-hander Jaime Barria (3-1), who worked 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts and pitching around some trouble to keep the Rockies at bay.

Cozart, who hit leadoff early in the season when second baseman Ian Kinsler was hurt, returned there Wednesday with Kinsler hitting just .189.

Against Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson, Cozart opened the first inning with a double to deep right field. Mike Trout followed with a single to score Cozart.

The top of the Angels' order struck again in the third. With one out, Cozart hit a solo home run to left-center field, his fifth homer of the season. After Trout singled again, Upton launched a home run to left field, his eighth of the season, stretching the lead to 4-0.

Upton had three hits on the day and moved into a tie with Trout for the team lead in RBIs with 25.

Anderson (2-1) was coming off one of his best starts of the season, having allowed just two runs and three hits with nine strikeouts to beat the Cubs in Chicago on May 2. But in five innings Wednesday, he gave up four runs on six hits and struck out only three. He walked one.

Barria, meanwhile, escaped a few tough spots. He allowed a leadoff double to Carlos Gonzalez in the second inning. A flyout got Gonzalez to third, and Barria walked Chris Iannetta. But Barria struck out Ian Desmond looking and Daniel Castro swinging.

The Rockies posed a more serious threat in the fourth. Gonzalez led off with a single to center, and Trevor Story was hit by a pitch. Barria then struck out Iannetta and Desmond and got Castro on a weak fly ball.

Barria gave up a single to Nolan Arenado to begin the sixth, but came back to strike out Gonzalez before he was lifted in favor of right-hander Justin Anderson. Anderson struck out Story, and after Iannetta was hit by a pitch, Desmond struck out for the third time. He struck out in the ninth inning as well.

The Angels scored in the seventh on Rivera's second home run of the season, a solo shot off lefty reliever Chris Rusin.

They added two in the eighth against right-hander Brooks Pounders on doubles by Upton and Albert Pujols and an RBI single by Kinsler.

In the ninth, Andrelton Simmons drew a bases-loaded walk to account for the Angels' final run.

Angels relievers Jose Alvarez and Akeel Morris escaped scoring threats in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

--Field Level Media