Angels at Mariners
A productive performance by the bottom half of the lineup helped lead the Los Angeles Angels to victory in the opener of their four-game series against the Seattle Mariners. The Angels attempt to continue their surge and inch closer to the .500 mark when they visit the Mariners on Friday.
While eight of the nine players in Los Angeles' lineup participated in its 15-hit attack, the team's No.6-9 hitters combined to go 9-for-18 with two homers, five RBIs and seven runs in Thursday's 9-3 triumph. Cesar Puello homered among his three hits while superstar Mike Trout, who batted second, went 2-for-3 with three RBIs as the Angels posted their third straight win after losing the opener of their eight-game road trip. Puello is making the most of his second stint with Los Angeles and first in the majors since 2017 with Tampa Bay as he has gone 6-for-11 with two homers, five RBIs and four runs in two games since being brought up from Triple-A Salt Lake. Tim Beckham homered and drove in three runs for the Mariners, who dropped their third consecutive contest after beginning their 11-game homestand with a victory.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH Tyler Skaggs (4-4, 4.40 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Mike Leake (3-6, 4.93)
Skaggs ended a stretch of three consecutive rough starts Saturday but settled for a no-decision against Texas despite scattering three hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The 27-year-old Californian has done a good job keeping the ball in the park this year, serving up six home runs over 47 frames in nine turns, with half coming in a road loss to the Chicago Cubs on April 12. Skaggs owns a 2-2 record and 4.26 ERA in nine starts versus the Mariners.
Leake has lost six of his last seven decisions after winning his first two starts of the season, with the most recent setback coming at Oakland on Sunday. The 31-year-old Californian was tagged for five runs on three hits - two homers - and three walks in 6 2/3 innings in the defeat. Leake suffered a road loss against the Angels on April 21, when he yielded four runs and six hits - three blasts - in six frames to fall to 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA in eight career starts versus Los Angeles.
WALK-OFFS
1. Angels INF Tommy La Stella is riding a five-game hitting streak during which he has registered four multi-hit performances while going 10-for-25.
2. Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez (lat) threw long toss Thursday and is expected to partake in a bullpen session early next week.
3. Los Angeles sent RHP JC Ramirez (elbow) to Class A Inland Empire for a rehab assignment.