TROUT’S MVP PUSH CONTINUES WITH 3-HR GAME
Cowgill Homers Twice as Halos Rout Tribe
CLEVELAND, Sept. 8 (AP) – Mike Trout became just the third major leaguer this year to hit three home runs in a game, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 17-3 pounding of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Trout, the consensus favorite to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award with three weeks left in the season, drove in a season-high six runs. The Angels pounded out an AL season-high 23 hits, including a total of six homers. Colin Cowgill hit two home runs of his own and he and he matched Trout with six RBIs. Albert Pujols added his 27th homer of the season for Los Angeles. Six Angels players had three hits apiece in the game and every Los Angeles starter had at least one safety.
The contest was really never in doubt as the Angels scored four times in the top of the first inning off Cleveland starter Danny Salazar. Trout and Pujols went back-to-back and, after Howie Kendrick doubled and David Freese walked, Erik Aybar singled home Kendrick and Freese scored on C.J. Cron’s sacrifice fly. In the second, Trout followed Cole Calhoun’s base hit with his second home run of the game, increasing the lead to 6-0.
Carlos Santana led off the bottom of the second with a home run off Angels starter Jered Weaver and Michael Brantley doubled home Jose Ramirez in the third to cut the deficit to 6-2, but the Indians would never get any closer and the Angels wasted no time expanding their lead by scoring four more times in the fourth. After Cowgill and Calhoun opened the inning with consecutive singles, putting runners on first and third, Zach McCallister replaced Salazar. Trout greeted the new pitcher with a blast onto the Home Run Porch in left field, becoming the first player this season to homer in three straight plate appearances in the same game. It was now 9-2 and the rout was on in earnest. Before the inning was over the Angels had scored a tenth run, when David Freese’s ground out plated Pujols.
Cowgill got into the act in the sixth when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs against Josh Tomlin and crushed a 2-1 offering high up into the left field bleachers for a grand slam and a 14-2 Los Angeles advantage. The teams exchanged single runs in the seventh and Cowgill capped the scoring in the eighth with a two-run shot off Nick Hagadone that cleared the mini-Green Monster, accounting for the 17-3 final score. Both teams substituted liberally over the final few innings, after the game was completely out of hand.
Weaver was solid for Los Angeles, allowing just two runs in six innings of work while striking out six. Following an awful start to the season, Weaver is undefeated in his last seven starts and has posted a 1.89 ERA in his last six outings, allowing just 26 hits while fanning 41 in 38 innings.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Angels, who continue their run of excellent play since the All-Star break (34-15). Los Angeles remains three games behind the first place Oakland Athletics in the AL West, following Oakland’s 4-3 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
9/8/2014, LAA14-Cle14, Progressive Field
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Angels 4 2 0 4 0 4 1 2 0 17 23 0 9 0
2014 Indians 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 12 1 11 2
Angels AB R H BI AVG Indians AB R H BI AVG
Calhoun rf 5 2 3 0 .246 Bourn cf 4 0 2 1 .214
Boesch rf 0 0 0 0 .178 Ramirez,J ss 5 1 3 0 .253
Trout cf 5 3 3 6 .315 Brantley lf 5 0 2 1 .311
Campana cf 0 0 0 0 .159 Santana,C 1b 4 1 1 1 .241
Pujols dh 5 2 3 1 .275 Holt,T rf 1 0 0 0 .240
O'Malley pr 1 1 0 0 .000 Kipnis 2b 4 0 1 0 .231
Kendrick,H 2b 6 1 3 0 .300 Walters 2b 1 0 0 0 .183
Iannetta c 0 0 0 0 .238 Chisenhall 3b 4 0 1 0 .257
Freese 3b 4 2 1 2 .223 Sellers 3b 0 0 0 0 .214
McDonald pr 1 0 0 0 .212 Gomes,Y c 3 0 0 0 .256
Aybar ss 5 1 3 1 .287 Giambi dh 3 0 1 0 .175
Jimenez,L 3b 1 0 0 0 .214 Shuck pr 1 1 0 0 .162
Cron 1b 2 1 1 1 .284 Murphy,Dav rf 3 0 0 0 .278
Navarro,E 1b 2 0 1 0 .303 Raburn rf 1 0 1 0 .199
Conger c 4 0 1 0 .223 39 3 12 3
Beckham ph 2 1 1 0 .216
Cowgill lf 5 3 3 6 .203
48 17 23 17
Angels INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Weaver W 7-14 6.0 6 2 2 1 6 91 57 4.02
Morin H 13 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 22 13 2.39
Diaz,Ja 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 9 8 0.00
Grilli 1.0 2 0 0 1 1 17 9 3.21
9.0 12 3 3 2 10 139 87
Indians INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Salazar L 6-6 3.0 9 8 8 1 4 83 50 4.04
McAllister 1.1 5 2 2 0 2 36 29 5.09
Tomlin 1.2 3 4 4 1 1 24 15 5.87
Adams,A 1.0 3 1 1 0 0 21 14 15.00
Hagadone 1.0 2 2 2 2 0 24 14 2.41
Price,B 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 14 12 0.00
9.0 23 17 17 4 8 202 134
LAA: Navarro,E inserted at 1b in the 6th
O'Malley ran for Pujols in the 7th
McDonald ran for Freese in the 7th
McDonald moved to ss in the 7th
Jimenez,L inserted at 3b in the 7th
Beckham batted for Conger in the 8th
Campana inserted at cf in the 8th
Iannetta inserted at c in the 8th
Beckham moved to 2b in the 8th
Boesch inserted at rf in the 9th
Cle: Shuck ran for Giambi in the 7th
Raburn inserted at rf in the 8th
Holt,T inserted at rf in the 9th
Walters inserted at 2b in the 9th
Sellers inserted at 3b in the 9th
Raburn moved to 1b in the 9th
E-Chisenhall. 2B-Kendrick,H(36), Freese(20), Cron(9), Beckham(23),
Brantley(45), Giambi(3). HR-Trout 3(39), Pujols(27), Cowgill 2(6),
Santana,C(30). RBI-Trout 6(102), Pujols(93), Freese 2(51), Aybar(37),
Cron(39), Cowgill 6(25), Bourn(30), Brantley(65), Santana,C(78). K-Pujols,
Kendrick,H, Freese, Aybar, Conger, Cowgill 2, McDonald, Bourn, Santana,C 3,
Kipnis, Chisenhall, Gomes,Y, Giambi, Murphy,Dav, Holt,T. BB-Calhoun, Trout,
Freese, Cron, Bourn, Gomes,Y. SF-Cron. PB-Conger. WP-McAllister.
GWRBI: Trout
Temperature: 57, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 12 MPH.
Attendance: 16,788
Game Time: 3:15