Mariners at Angels
Mike Trout put on a show in the series opener and he looks to torment Seattle again when the Los Angeles Angels host the Mariners on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game set. Trout hit his American League-leading 29th homer, doubled twice and drove in six runs as the Angels rolled to a 13-0 victory in which Taylor Cole and Felix Pena combined on a no-hitter.
Los Angeles was honoring the late Tyler Skaggs on Friday - as all its players wore No. 45 jerseys with his name on the back - and the pitchers responded with Cole working the first two innings as the "opener" and Pena tossing the final seven frames. Trout has belted eight homers in his last six games and is 19-for-47 with 15 walks, five blasts and 16 RBIs versus Seattle this season. Los Angeles erupted for seven first-inning runs - Trout drove in four of them - while David Fletcher and Andrelton Simmons joined the superstar in recording three hits. "It's not the way we want to come out to start the second half," Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters after his club lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
TV: 9:07 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (5-2, 4.66 ERA) vs. Angels RH Matt Harvey (2-4, 7.50)
LeBlanc will start from the outset instead of following an "opener" after Seattle was forced to use six relievers in Friday's game. The 34-year-old allowed just one run (on a homer) and three hits over 6 2/3 innings against Oakland in his last appearance but wasn't involved in the decision. LeBlanc defeated the Angels on June 9, when he gave up two runs and six hits in six frames of relief, and is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the club.
Harvey has missed more than seven weeks with an upper-back injury but will attempt to display better velocity. The 30-year-old is working an average of less than five innings per start and owns a 1.52 WHIP in his first campaign with the club. Harvey, who never has faced the Mariners, is just 1-3 with a 10.46 ERA in six outings at Angel Stadium.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Angels placed Jonathan Lucroy on the 7-day concussion list, activated fellow C Kevan Smith (hand) from the 10-day injured list and transferred INF Zack Cozart - who is scheduled to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery next Wednesday - to the 60-day IL.
2. Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session on Monday, while RF Mitch Haniger (testicle) remains without a timetable after experiencing a recent setback.
3. Los Angeles acquired LHP Adam McCreery and C Josh Thole from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations and optioned both to Triple-A Salt Lake.