Peralta’s homer lifts D-Backs by Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. – David Peralta hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks blew a seven-run lead before rallying for a 9-8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Longtime Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun had two homers, three hits and a career-high five RBIs in his return to Angel Stadium with the Diamondbacks, who hung on for their third win in 10 games after leading 8-1 in the fifth.
Justin Upton and Jared Walsh homered for the Angels, whose playoff hopes are increasingly dim after this loss in the opener of
their final homestand. The Halos have lost four of their last seven with a chance to gain ground on flagging Houston for second place in the AL West.
Madison Bumgarner yielded a career-high 13 hits and matched his career worst with eight runs allowed in his first appearance against the Angels. The veteran left-hander blew a seven-run lead and stayed winless with the Diamondbacks, who left him in the game far longer than expected.
Carson Kelly and Daulton Varsho also homered for the Diamondbacks.
After Peralta connected off former Arizona pitcher Matt Andriese leading off the eighth for his fourth homer, Arizona’s bullpen completed 3 2/3 innings of hitless ball. Keury Mella (10) pitched the seventh for his first major league victory, and Stefan Crichton worked the ninth for his second save.
Calhoun homered in his first two at-bats as a visitor in the stadium where he patrolled right field for the first eight years of his big league career before leaving for his hometown Diamondbacks last winter.
Calhoun hit 140 homers and played stellar defense during his time at the Big A, which played a tribute video to the empty seats after the first inning – and which Calhoun acknowledged with a joking curtain call.
Calhoun had five multihomer games with the Angels, but never drove in five runs in his 966 appearances over eight seasons.
His second homer put Arizona up 7-0 in the third, but the Angels steadily rallied against Bumgarner. Walsh homered for the fifth time in six games and added a two-run double before Anthony Rendon and Upton drove in runs in the fifth.
Taylor Ward, Andrelton Simmons and David Fletcher then delivered three consecutive doubles in the sixth, with Simmons scoring the tying run. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo still left Bumgarner in for one more batter before