Angels Rally Past White Sox For 7-6 Win In 11 Innings
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cameron Maybin batted leadoff for the first time in an Angels uniform. He seemed right at home there.
Maybin had a career-high five hits, including a tying double in the 11th inning, and Albert Pujols singled home the winning run moments later to give Los Angeles a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
"I don't know that it's the leadoff spot. Hitting in front of Mike Trout is not a bad spot to hit," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Cam was comfortable all night. That's the way this guy can hit and swing the bat. It was a good breakout game for him."
Chicago erased a three-run deficit in the ninth and went ahead 6-5 on Tim Anderson's solo homer in the top of the 11th. But it was the Angels who pulled off the final comeback.
Andrelton Simmons singled leading off the bottom half against closer David Robertson (2-1), and Ben Revere singled with one out before Maybin drove a double to left-center that tied it 6-all.
After an intentional walk to Trout loaded the bases, Pujols singled to deep center field for his third RBI of the night. He also had a two-run single in the third.
"As soon as I hit the ball, I knew the game was over," Pujols said. "Just did my job."
Four home runs shy of 600, Pujols moved into sole possession of 11th place on baseball's career RBI list with 1,847, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He broke a tie with Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.
Mel Ott is 10th with 1,864 RBIs.
Anderson played his first game after missing four to attend the funeral of a good friend. He connected off winner Yusmeiro Petit (1-0), who was pitching his third inning of relief.
Maybin doubled in the first inning, singled in the third and fourth, and doubled again in a two-run seventh. He was 5 for 6 with two RBIs and two runs, raising his batting average 34 points to .214.
"If there's anybody here that deserves it, it's him," Pujols said. "He's been putting good swings. That's all you can do. Sooner or later, things are going to fall."
Scioscia batted Maybin leadoff against left-hander Derek Holland. Yunel Escobar was starring in the leadoff role for the Angels, but he went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury Monday.
JC Ramirez pitched seven strong innings for the Angels, allowing two runs and five hits. He gave up a two-run homer to Yolmer Sanchez in the sixth but retired his next five batters.
"I used my fastball a lot more," Ramirez said. "I'm pitching for contact now. It's nice to have strikeouts, but it's better when you go deep in the games. Today I threw seven innings with 85 pitches, and that's really good for me."
Todd Frazier tied it in the ninth with a pop-fly single that scored two runs. David Hernandez failed to get an out in the ninth for the Angels as they wasted a 5-2 lead. He allowed three runs and four hits on 15 pitches.
Holland yielded three runs and seven hits in six innings. A double play in the sixth helped him finish on a solid note.
"Anybody under the sun probably thought we were out of it until we came back in that wild ninth inning," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "All in all, these guys battled. In the end, like I told them, they shouldn't feel down about the end. They put themselves in a position to potentially win that ballgame. We just fell a little short."
KEPT IN THE PARK
On one of his three scheduled bobblehead giveaway nights at Angel Stadium this season, Trout went 0 for 3 with three walks. He fell short in his attempt to become the first Angels player to homer in five straight games since Bobby Bonds in 1977.
LONG-AWAITED RETURN
Gregory Infante pitched a scoreless eighth for the White Sox on Monday, his first major league outing since his debut with Chicago in 2010. He was called on again Tuesday but got only one out and loaded the bases. Still, his return to the big leagues has been heartwarming. "It was worth it. Before this season, I was talking with my wife and saying this year would probably be my last chance," Infante said through a translator.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels RHP Mike Morin (neck tightness) is expected to throw to hitters this week.
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Miguel Gonzalez (3-3, 3.83 ERA) has allowed 14 earned runs in losing his last three starts. He's held Trout to a .158 average in 19 at-bats, but Trout's three hits against him have all been home runs.
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker (2-2, 4.50) had his best start of the season with six scoreless innings in a victory against his hometown team, the Tigers, on Friday. He is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in four career starts against the White Sox. He threw his first shutout in his last start against Chicago, at Angel Stadium in 2015.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.