ARLINGTON, Texas (KNTU) The Texas Rangers could not extend their win streak to 5 games, losing to the Los Angeles Angels 9-6 in Globe Life Park on Sunday, May 1.
Starter Cole Hamels went five innings and gave up four runs on seven hits. Tom Wilhemlsen picked up the loss and Greg Mahle earned the win for LA.
Texas jumped out to a 1-0 lead off starter Garrett Richards in the second inning thanks to a Mitch Moreland double. Moreland finished the day 1/4 with three strikeouts.
The Angels then proceeded to tie the game up in the third. Kole Calhoun singled to right to score Shane Robinson. Calhoun had a big day going 3/4 with two RBIs and a walk.
The game wasn’t tied for long when Texas put three runs on the board. The inning started with a walk to Adrian Beltre, and Prince Fielder then hit a tapper to Richards on the mound, but an errant throw to second kept the inning going.
Ian Desmond, who has been absolutely on fire lately, brought home the first run with a single. Desmond finished 2/4 with a walk. Four batters and an Elvis Andrus base hit later, Delino DeShields smacked a two-RBI single to right field that made it a 4-1 Ranger lead.
That chased Richards who gave up four runs, only one earned, in four innings of work. Walks hurt Hamels, who gave up two of his four runs in the fifth which led to the Angels coming back and tying the game off of RBIs by Mike Trout and C.J. Cron. Trout finished the day 1/5 with two strikeouts and two RBIs.
Wilhelmsen took over in the sixth and allowed LA to take the lead off a Yunel Escobar sacrifice fly to center. The Angels didn’t look back and tacked on three more runs in the eighth off left hander Jake Diekman, who lasted just two-thirds of an inning.
Texas looked like it might make a comeback in the ninth when DeShields and Odor led off with singles. Mazara brought DeShields home with a single, and an Adrian Beltre deep sac fly made it a 9-6 game. However, it was too little too late since Angel reliever Joe Smith was able to calm down and finish off the final two batters to end the game.
Mazara had a rough day going 1/4 with an RBI and a strikeout, Rougned Odor tallied his second straight multi-hit game going 3/5. He was 7/13 with three doubles in the three-game series.
The loss put Texas at 14-11 and moved them into second in the West behind Seattle which is 13-10 after a Sunday loss to Kansas City. Seattle has a better win percentage at .565 compared to Texas’ .560.
The Rangers will next be north of the border to play the Toronto Blue Jays, in a rematch of the 2015 ALDS. The series starts Monday night at 6:07 p.m.
