C.J. Wilson struck out 10 over eight strong innings to lead the Angels to a 7-1 win over the Mariners.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- C.J. Wilson struck out 10 in eight innings, Josh Hamilton had a two-run single and the Los Angeles Angels beat Seattle 7-1 on Wednesday to hand the Mariners their season-worst sixth straight loss.
Wilson (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in his longest outing since June 8, 2012, when he also went eight innings in a 7-2 interleague victory at Colorado. The left-hander won for the first time since May 1 at Oakland after losing his previous three starts, including back-to-back 3-0 decisions against Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.
Brandon Maurer (2-6) gave up seven runs and 11 hits in three innings for Seattle.
The Cleveland Indians are in first place in the American League Central and may be a club that looks to add to their roster to make a deep run for a playoff spot this season. They could use some starting pitching, and perhaps another reliever, too. Adding a quality starter such as Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, who just returned from the disabled list and looked sharp in his first outing, could give the rotation the boost it needs to sustain their early-season success.
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Ranking the majors' best hitting combos
May, 22, 2013
May 22
12:15
PM ET
By
David Schoenfield | ESPN.com
OK, let's stir up some arguing and yelling again. Yesterday, I ranked the top five pitching duos. Today, let's do the majors' best hitting duos.
Ranking the pitchers was difficult because there were so many excellent pairs to choose. Ranking the hitters is difficult because of a lack of obvious candidates. But here goes. Angry comments can be posted below!
1. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, Tigers
They seem like the pretty clear choice for No. 1 to me. You have the best hitter in baseball in Cabrera and a power-hitting, on-base machine in Fielder. One bats right-handed, the other hits lefty. They never miss a game and the fact that they can't run is but a minor inconvenience. Right, Cabrera ranks first in wOBA and Fielder 21st. Last year they ranked first and sixth.
2. Joey Votto and Shin-Soo Choo, Reds
They've been the best pair so, ranking third and fourth in wOBA (Baltimore's Chris Davis is second). They've also combined to create the most runs of any pair -- Votto is second in the majors and Choo third in runs created, behind only Cabrera. As good as they've been, I can't put them No. 1 for a couple of reasons. First, Choo is unlikely to sustain this level of play (after hitting .337 in April, he's hitting .250 in May, albeit with power and walks). But it's hard to rate this duo as the best when Choo is also completely helpless against left-handers -- .146/.317/.188. He hit .199 against them last year, so you can pretty easily argue that he should be platooned.
3. Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, Giants
The Giants are no longer fueled by their starting rotation but by this pair. Their raw stats may not blow you away, but some of their effectiveness is masked by playing half their games in AT&T Park. Last year, for example, Posey hit 17 of his 24 home runs on the road (although this year he's hitting .367 at home and .227 on the road). Sandoval has been inconsistent throughout his career -- his year-by-year OPS totals since 2009 are .943, .732, .909, .789 and .832 so far in 2013 -- but after breaking a bone in each hand the past two seasons, looks poised for a big season. And we mean big. He's the ultimate bad-ball, bad-body hitter, and while I wished he walked more, he and Posey have developed into a lethal combo. Put them in a different park and their numbers would be even better.
4. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays
Both started a little slow but have still combined for 21 home runs. Each has the ability to hit 40 home runs (Encarnacion hit 42 last year, Bautista passed the 40 mark in 2010 and 2011). Both are hitting under .260 right now, but they draw walks so they will post solid-to-excellent on-base percentages. If Bautista ends up hitting closer to the .302 mark he posted in 2011 and Encarnacion hits .280 as he did last year instead of his current .256, they could end up challenging Cabrera and Fielder for the top spot.
5. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, Angels
Oh, yeah, Trout is now hitting .293/.373/.558, including .343/.434/.757 in May, and provides added offensive value with his speed. The question: What does Pujols bring to the table? He has scuffled so far with a .247/.318/.420 line, including a league-leading 10 double plays. The foot is clearly bothering him and maybe it doesn't get better. Maybe Pujols doesn't get better even if the foot does. But I'm not quite ready to write him off just yet.
Worth mentioning:
• Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez/Jean Segura, Brewers. Gomez and Segura are off to great starts, but let's wait a bit to see if they're this good.
• Carlos Santana and Mark Reynolds, Indians. Two reasons the Indians have scored a lot of runs.
• David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox. Ortiz has 29 RBIs in 27 games since returning from the DL and Pedroia has a .420 OBP.
• Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp, Dodgers. If Kemp gets going.
• Chris Davis and Manny Machado/Adam Jones, Orioles. Machado falls into the Gomez/Segura camp: Let's see him do it for bit longer period of time.
Buster Olney blogs about Mike Trout becoming the youngest AL player to hit for the cycle and says that we could be looking at a battle between Miguel Cabrera and Trout for the AL MVP.
What a difference one offseason can make.
On May 22, 2012, the Cleveland Indians found themselves atop the American League Central, sporting a surprising 23-18 record. Today, the Indians again sit in first place with an equally surprising 26-18 record.
But the Indians are a completely different team in 2013.
They’ve been the best story in the AL this season. Outside of the New York Yankees' cast of reclamation projects, the Indians arguably have been the most fun team to watch in the league. New manager Terry Francona has injected the franchise with his positive energy and motivational skills. His championship-winning background earned him instant respect and credibility, from the players all the way to the front office. Teaming with general manager Chris Antonetti and president Mark Shapiro, the trio did a good job of addressing most of the team's needs.
So it is nearly June, and the Indians lead the division favorite Detroit Tigers by a game and a half. Indians fans should enjoy it while they can. Despite the team being significantly better than last season’s squad, it simply does not have enough starting pitching to keep pace with the Tigers in the AL Central. And without some extra pitching help, the Indians can’t even be considered a legitimate wild-card contender.
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With contending clubs such as the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox running into injury problems with their bullpens, one expectation is for them to hit the trade market and seek such a fix. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com asked one executive how that market is looking: "Non-existent," was part of the response.
Part of the reason for a slim-or-none market is that it's May, and with two Wild Card berths in each league, more teams are still within shouting distance. The Braves, however, are in the market for a southpaw, with both Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty out for the year with torn elbow ligaments.
Possibilities include Scott Downs of the Angels and Mariners' southpaw Oliver Perez, both of whom are set for free agency following the season. White Sox lefty Matt Thornton could also be available if the White Sox fail contend beyond the All-Star break.
Part of the reason for a slim-or-none market is that it's May, and with two Wild Card berths in each league, more teams are still within shouting distance. The Braves, however, are in the market for a southpaw, with both Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty out for the year with torn elbow ligaments.
Possibilities include Scott Downs of the Angels and Mariners' southpaw Oliver Perez, both of whom are set for free agency following the season. White Sox lefty Matt Thornton could also be available if the White Sox fail contend beyond the All-Star break.
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Trout aims high by looking low
May, 22, 2013
May 22
1:59
AM ET
By ESPN Stats & Information | ESPN.com
Trout became the sixth-youngest player to hit for the cycle, notching a single, double, triple and home run in the Los Angeles Angels' 12-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Let’s run through our collection of notes on Trout’s big day.
The history
The Elias Sports Bureau tells us that Trout is the youngest American League player to hit for the cycle, and the youngest player with one in either league since another phenom, Cesar Cedeno of the Houston Astros, hit for the cycle at age 21 in 1972.
Trout and Alex Rodriguez are the only 21-year-olds in AL history to hit for the cycle. Trout is 25 days younger than Rodriguez was when he hit for the cycle for the Seattle Mariners in 1997.
Trout is also one of only three players in that same span to hit for the cycle in a game in which he also drove in five or more runs and stole at least one base.
The two instances happened more than 80 years ago: Babe Herman for the 1931 Brooklyn Dodgers and Tony Lazzeri for the 1932 New York Yankees.
This was the seventh time someone has hit for the cycle in Angels history, the first since Chone Figgins had one in a loss to the Texas Rangers in 2006. Trout is the sixth different Angels player to hit for the cycle. Former Angels infielder and manager Jim Fregosi had two of them.
It marked the second straight season that a player hit for the cycle against the Mariners. Aaron Hill did it for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season.
Trout’s hitting
Trout entered the day hitting .278 for the season. He’d raised his batting average 17 points in May, but was 1-for-12 in his previous four games, and 1-for-9 on pitches in the lower half of the strike zone or below it.
That’s unsual because that’s the area in which Trout thrived last season.
Trout was the best hitter in baseball when at-bats ended in pitches to that area last season, leading the majors in all three slashline stats (.360/.394/.608). His 21 home runs were tied for seventh-most in the majors.
Until Tuesday, Trout hadn’t had that kind of magic, with a .259 batting average against those pitches.
But Tuesday may have cured what ailed him. All four of his hits came against pitches in the lower half of the zone, or just below it, including the final hit, a home run on a pitch that wasn’t even knee-high.
Mike Trout became the first player born in the 1990s to hit for the cycle in the Angels' 12-0 win over the Mariners.
Mark Mulder, Jon Sciambi and Aaron Boone discuss Mike Trout's outstanding evening in which he hit for the cycle and drove in five runs.
