The Trout that ate Dallas
Slugger homers, doubles off Keuchel; Angels hold off Sox rally in 9th
Mike Trout homered, doubled and scored three runs, Michael Lorenzen pitched into the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Angels held off the White Sox 6-5 Sunday for their seventh win in eight games.
Shohei Ohtani had an RBI as the Angels’ designated hitter. The two-way AL MVP went 0 for 3 and exited in the ninth inning because of tightness in his right groin.
Trout walked in three other plate appearances. Andrew Velazquez and Jo Adell each doubled in a run and Anthony Rendon each had an RBI as the Angels took a 6-0 lead.
Lorenzen (3-1) took a bid for his first career complete game into the ninth before the White Sox scored five times in a wild finish.
Ryan Tepera, the Angels’ third pitcher of the inning, retired Gavin Sheets on a bases-loaded grounder for the final out. Chicago has lost 11 of 13.
Lorenzen gave up singles to Jose Abreu and Sheets singled to begin the ninth, then was pulled with one out after Leury Garcia’s two-run double.
Reliever Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double by Josh Harrison and singles to Tim Anderson and Luis Robert as Chicago closed to 6-4. Iglesias walked Yasmani Grandal to load the bases with two outs and hit Abreu with a pitch to force in a run.
Tepera took over and earned his first save.
Still, Lorenzen was mostly sharp for a second straight start and third in four since signing a one-year contract with the Angels last November.
The right-hander allowed three runs and nine hits, while walking two and striking two in 8 ⅓ innings.
Dallas Keuchel (1-3) labored through five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and five walks. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner’s ERA is 8.40
Trout hit his sixth homer, a solo drive in the first.