Angels Rally In 9th To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
TEXAS (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels rallied for five runs in the ninth inning, taking their playoff hopes into the final day of the regular season with an 11-10 win over Texas on Saturday that again kept the Rangers from clinching the AL West title.
Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson, pitching for the fifth straight day, entered with a 10-6 lead and allowed consecutive homers to Erick Aybar and Kole Calhoun.
Ross Ohlendorf (3-1) relieved and retired Mike Trout out on a grounder, then gave up Albert Pujols' double on a difficult popup to short right that ricocheted off first baseman Mike Napoli's glove, whose back was to the plate.
C.J. Cron, David Freese, Carlos Perez and Giavotella had consecutive two-out singles, with Cron, Perez and Giavotella driving in runs.
Elvis Andrus singled off Joe Smith with two outs in the bottom half, then was caught stealing second by Perez when he overslid the base and Aybar applied the tag, a call upheld on video review.
Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0) threw one pitch in his first major league outing since Sept. 20, 2011, for Baltimore, retiring Prince Fielder on a liner to end the eighth.
Texas entered with a two-game division lead over Houston, which was one game ahead of the Angels for the AL's second wild card.
A loss by Houston at Arizona on Saturday night would give Texas its first division title since 2011 and would drop the Astros into a tie with the Angels for the wild card.
Texas built a 10-6 lead in the seventh when former Angel Josh Hamilton hit his second homer of the game and Rougned Odor homered two batters later.
Tolleson had thrown 63 pitches in the previous four games; in the ninth inning on Friday night he gave up a leadoff triple to Trout and Pujols' go-ahead single in the Angels' 2-1 win.
It was the Angels' first win when trailing by four runs or more in the ninth inning since July 6, 2013, when they won 9-7 in 11 innings at Boston, according to STATS.
Tolleson was the first Texas reliever used five days in a row since Tanner Scheppers from Sept. 26-30, 2013.
The Angels led 5-1 after their first four batters in the fifth had hits to chase starter Colby Lewis.
Freese led off that inning with a single and scored on a double by Perez. Giavotella followed with an RBI single, and the Angels scored again after reliever Chi Chi Gonzalez threw a wild pitch and Trout hit a sacrifice fly.
Texas then had its first six batters reach in the bottom of the inning, including two errors and a walk.
Andrus walked, stole second and scored on Odor's single Adrian Beltre's two-run single tied the game at 5.
After the Angels went back ahead on Giavotella's RBI double in the sixth, the Rangers loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning before Shin-Soo Choo's slow grounder through the left side of the infield to drive in two before Beltre had another RBI hit to make it 8-6.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Giavotella went down briefly, but stayed in the game after Odor's hard late slide on which his foot went into the second baseman's shin in the fifth inning.
Rangers: Texas is still being careful with reliever Keone Kela (tender right elbow). Manager Jeff Banister says the rookie pitcher has never thrown more in a season. Over his last 18 appearances, he has 21 strikeouts and hasn't allowed a run in 16 1-3 innings.
UP NEXT
Angels: Nick Tropeano is listed as the scheduled starter, but Garrett Richards (15-11) likely will pitch on three days rest if the Angels are still chasing a playoff spot.
Rangers: Texas has won the last nine starts by Cole Hamels, the left-hander acquired at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Hamels is 6-0 with a 3.39 in those starts.
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