Kole Calhoun Eagles Josh Sweat Jersey , Luis Valbuena and the Los Angeles Angels seem to be hitting their way out of a long funk.
Valbuena homered twice, Calhoun connected for the second consecutive game and the Angels defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 on Thursday night.
The Angels have won two straight after dropping seven of eight. They handed the Blue Jays their ninth loss in 10 road games.
Calhoun launched a two-run homer off John Axford (1-1) in the fourth inning to put the Angels ahead 4-3. The right fielder went 1 for 3 with a walk, scoring on Martin Maldonador17;s double in the sixth, and is 4 for 10 in three games since returning from a stint on the disabled list because of a strained oblique muscle.
r1;He looks so calm, so comfortable out there. I think her17;s seeing the ball much better, more plate coverage. All the things that lead to positive results seem to be in his game,r1; Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Calhoun, who was hitting .145 before the injury.
Valbuena made it 6-3 with his two-run shot to center field in the fifth, and added a solo drive to right in the seventh. It was his eighth career multihomer game.
The streaky Valbuena was 5 for 40 over his previous 11 games and hadnr17;t homered in his last 18. Valbuena went deep twice in that game at Detroit on May 29, and Scioscia had thought that would mark the beginning of a turnaround.
He has the same belief now, and is willing to trade any barren stretches for when Valbuena gets in a groove.
r1;If you look at Luisr17; track record, he gets real hot and at times he gets cold,r1; Scioscia said. r1;Therer17;s no doubt there is more OPS in his game, especially against right-handed pitching. Once he finds it, he usually swings the bat like he did the second half of last year, and thatr17;s something wer17;re going to need.r1;
Even the Angelsr17; erratic bullpen did its part, as Noe Ramirez (3-3) retired all eight batters he faced r11; striking out four r11; after relieving John Lamb in the fourth. Justin Anderson got his third save.
Lamb, a late replacement for injured Los Angeles starter Tyler Skaggs, went 3 1/3 innings. Lamb gave up three runs, six hits and one walk in his first career start at home.
For the Blue Jays, they couldnr17;t remedy their road woes despite home runs from Randal Grichuk 49ers Weston Richburg Jersey , Lourdes Gurriel and Kendrys Morales.
r1;They got a couple big homers off Ax. I mean, her17;s been dominating left-handers all year, and two leftys got him today. We hung around, but we just couldnr17;t get anything going late,r1; Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
TROUT AT 1,000
Mike Trout went 0 for 2 with three walks in his 1,000th career game, ending his hitting streak at eight games. Trout, who has reached base in 31 of 47 plate appearances over his last nine games, was the designated hitter and is not expected to be used in the outfield during the four-game series because of a sprained right index finger.
TRAINERr17;S ROOM
Blue Jays: Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez was pulled after the first inning due to a bruised right index finger. The Blue Jays said X-rays did not reveal any further injury. r1;Her17;d been pitching pretty good lately, but hopefully this isnr17;t a big deal,r1; Gibbons said.
Angels: Skaggs was scratched because of tightness in his right hamstring. Scioscia said therer17;s a chance Skaggs could start Sunday.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada (4-6, 4.66 ERA) tries for his third straight win. Estrada has allowed three runs in 18 2/3 innings over his last three starts.
Angels: LHP Andrew Heaney (3-5, 3.64) has won three of his last four starts at home, including a one-hit shutout against Kansas City on June 5.
r12;
The Pittsburgh Pirates had what looked like an out turn into a home run. They made a couple of questionable decisions, endured some nerve-wracking moments in the ninth inning.
But theyr17;re leaving Arizona with a win, which is all that really matters. Everything else can wait.
Jordy Mercer homered and had three RBIs, Jameson Taillon pitched seven effective innings and the Pirates avoided a sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
r1;We won. Letr17;s get on a plane and go home,r1; Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. r1;We can peel back the layers later.r1;
The Pirates blew a five-run lead in the opener and were knocked for 13 runs in the second game. Pittsburgh ended Arizonar17;s sweep bid with a four-run second inning against Zack Greinke (5-5) and a sterling performance by Taillon (4-5).
Taillon gave up a two-run homer to David Peralta in the first inning when the ball popped out of left fielder Austin Meadowsr16; glove and over the wall. Taillon got better as the game went along, working out of a jam in the second inning and allowing two runs on six hits to help end Arizonar17;s five-game winning streak.
Felipe Vazquez gave up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Jon Jay in the ninth before striking out Jake Lamb with the bases loaded for his 12th save.
r1;When you run into a team thatr17;s pesky with two strikes, theyr17;re tough to put away 49ers Cassius Marsh Jersey ,r1; Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. r1;Your17;re going to run into some situations when you make mistakes.r1;
Taillon has enjoyed pitching in the afternoon, entering Wednesdayr17;s game 8-2, including 3-0 on the road before the sun goes down. He got an unfortunate break in the first inning, when Peraltar17;s deep shot caromed out of Meadowsr17; glove as he leaped near the wall.
Taillon struck out Paul Goldschmidt with the bases loaded to end the second inning and struck out four.
r1;It was a weird start, but I felt really good,r1; Taillon said. r1;I kind of had that mindset, like letr17;s see if I could get my pitch count right through six.r1;
Greinke has been dominant at Chase Field the past two seasons, going 16-1 with 2.53 ERA at Chase Field since 2017.
Arizonar17;s ace struggled with his command against the Pirates, walking four while striking out seven. Greinke walked two in Pittsburghr17;s four-run second inning, giving up a two-run double to Mercer and a run-scoring double to Josh Bell. Mercer hit a solo homer in the fourth to put Pittsburgh up 5-2.
Greinke was lifted after walking two in the fifth to load the bases with two outs. He allowed five runs on five hits and struck out seven.
r1;I felt good, but every time I put a pitch over the plate, they hit it good,r1; said Greinke, who had not lost at Chase Field since last Aug. 9 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. r1;As long as Ir17;m able to make good pitches itr17;s fine, but I wasnr17;t able to do that every time.r1;
MEADOWSr17; MISCUE
One of the things the Pirates will look at when they get home is Meadowsr17; miscue that led to Peraltar17;s home run. He leaped to catch the ball just before colliding with the wall, but the ball appeared to carom out before contact was made.
r1;I havenr17;t said anything to him; wer17;ll show him the video,r1; Hurdle said. r1;Therer17;s room to go get the ball and it kind of looked like it was the fence or he drifted on the ball, there was hesitation. He had time to get under that ball or at least get to it quicker.r1;
DIAMONDBACKS MOVES
Arizona reinstated C Jeff Mathis from paternity leave and optioned RHP Braden Shipley to Triple-A Reno. Mathisr17; wife, Jenna, gave birth to their second daughter on Sunday.
TRAINERr17;S TABLE
Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli returned to the lineup after missing three games while being monitored for post-concussion symptoms. He was struck on the mask by a foul ball Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (strained right oblique) is expected to throw about 50 pitches in his rehab start with Single-A Visalia on Thursday.
UP NEXT
The Pirates have a day off before right-hander Chad Kuhl the Cincinnati Reds Friday at home. Kuhl is 1-1 with a 2.78 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.
Arizona RHP Matt Koch is 2-0 with a 5.29 ERA his past three starts heading into Thursdayr17;s game against the New York Mets.
