Richards Leads Angels Past Blue Jays
TORONTO (AP) — Garrett Richards pitched 6 2-3 innings for his third straight win, Kole Calhoun hit a solo home run and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Erick Aybar had two hits and scored twice as the Angels won for the 15th time in 20 games and improved to 12-2 in their past 14 road contests.
Calhoun went 2 for 3 with a walk to help the Angels win for the 10th time in 13 meetings with the Blue Jays. Los Angeles recorded its first sweep in Toronto since April 16-18, 2010.
Jose Reyes homered and finished 4 for 4 with a walk, but the Blue Jays lost for the 29th time when scoring first.
Richards left after Reyes hit a two-out double in the seventh. Michael Kohn came on and walked Munenori Kawasaki on four pitches, then struck out Brett Lawrie to end the threat.
Richards (7-6) allowed three runs and nine hits, walked one and struck out four. He's 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA in three September starts.
Moises Sierra hit a one-out double off Dane De La Rosa in the eighth but Rajai Davis struck out and Anthony Gose flied out.
Sierra posted his second straight three-hit game and has five extra-base hits in the past two games.
Reyes hit a two-out double in the ninth and Kawasaki followed with a walk, but Angels closer Ernesto Frieri struck out Lawrie for his 33rd save in 37 chances.
Adam Lind gave the Blue Jays a lead with a two-out RBI double in the first, but the Angels answered with Grant Green's two-out RBI single in the second.
Angels infielder Erick Aybar made it 2-1 in the second when he tagged up from second base on Mark Trumbo's fly ball to center and scored when third baseman Lawrie couldn't handle an errant throw from Gose.
Reyes hit a leadoff homer in the third, his 10th, and Sierra added an RBI double to put the Blue Jays back in front, but their lead didn't last.
Calhoun tied it at 3-all with a one-out homer in the fourth, his seventh. The blast gave him at least one RBI in 15 of his past 16 starts.
The Angels chased left-hander J.A. Happ and took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Aybar and Mike Trout hit back-to-back doubles.
Happ (4-6) lost for the fourth time in five starts, allowing four runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings. It's the sixth straight start in which he has failed to pitch at least six innings. He walked two and struck out six.
NOTES: Reyes finished a triple shy of the cycle. ... Toronto fell to 18-25 in one-run games. ... Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion (left wrist) missed his fourth straight game but was able to hit off the tee before the game. ... Toronto OF Colby Rasmus, out since Aug. 11 with a strained muscle in his left side, hopes to return to the lineup this weekend against Baltimore. ... Trout started at DH for the Angels to give him a break from Toronto's artificial turf. ... Canadian singer Avril Lavigne attended the game.
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