Trout’s slam powers Angels
Christin Stewart watches his
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Any pitcher who wants a prayer of retiring Mike Trout should throw high fastballs, at least according to the old conventional wisdom on the star slugger.
That’s exactly what Drew Smyly threw, and that’s exactly what Trout hit 458 feet for the grandest homer yet in his latest power binge.
Trout hit a grand slam for his fourth homer in three days, and the Angels beat the Rangers 5-1 on Saturday for their first back-to-back victories of the season.
Trout’s fourth-inning drive off Smyly (0-1) cleared the bullpens beyond the left field fence at Angel Stadium. He absolutely clobbered a fastball at the top of the strike zone, taking an eraser to yet another item on the diminishing list of effective strategies to deal with the two-time AL MVP.
“It’s just adjustments,” Trout said of his increasing acumen at hitting high pitches. “I couldn’t tell you one thing that I’m doing to hit those pitches. Just getting a good pitch to hit and trying to put a barrel to it, not trying to do too much. If you try to do too much with a pitch up (high), you’re not going to hit it.”
After homering in the Angels’ home opener Thursday and adding two more Friday, Trout connected for his first grand slam since 2015 and No. 5 for his career. He has homered in three straight games for the seventh consecutive time in his career; he homered in four straight during May 2017.
Tyler Skaggs (1-1) pitched 61⁄3 innings of fivehit ball in a strong outing for the Angels, earning his first victory since July 25.
■ Indians: Carlos Carrasco became the first Indians pitcher since at least 1908 to strike out 12 over five innings, and the Indians beat the Blue Jays 7-2 in Cleveland. It was the 23rd career double-figure strikeout game for Carrasco (1-1), who held the Blue Jays scoreless until the fifth. Jake Bauers’ two-run single with the bases loaded was the key hit in the third when Indians scored three times.
■ Tigers: Rookie Christin Stewart hit a two-out grand slam in the seventh, lifting the Tigers to a 7-4 victory over the Royals in Detroit. It was Stewart’s second HR of the season and first career slam. The Tigers have won four straight, and the Royals have dropped five in a row.
■ Mariners: Jay Bruce hit two solo HRs, Tim Beckham had a three-run shot among his four hits and the Mariners powered their way past the White Sox 9-2 in Chicago. Ryon Healy doubled in two for the Mariners, who are off to the best start in club history at 8-2. They have homered in each of their first 10 games, also a franchise first, and lead the majors with 24 long balls. Mike Leake (2-0) struck out six and walked none and allowed just seven singles through 61⁄3 innings to earn the win.
■ Pirates: Kevin Newman drove home Francisco Cervelli from first base with a line-drive double in the 10th inning to give the Pirates a 6-5 win over the Reds in Pittsburgh. Josh Bell had three extra-base hits for the first time in his career: an RBI double in the first, a double in the third and a solo HR in the fourth. The Pirates won their third straight, while the Reds suffered their seventh straight loss despite ending a 30-inning scoreless streak in the third.
■ Cubs: The Cubs shook up their struggling bullpen by demoting RHP Carl Edwards Jr. to Triple A and placing LHP Mike Montgomery on the 10-day injured list with a strained left lat. Edwards has an ERA of 32.40 in four appearances, while Montgomery has a 16.88 ERA in four appearances.
■ Rockies: The Rockies and RHP German Marquez agreed to a five-year, $43 million contract. The Rockies also have a $16 million option for 2024 with a $2.5 million buyout. Marquez, 24, had a franchise-best 230 strikeouts last season while finishing 14-11 with a 3.77 ERA.
■ Extra innings: Albert Pujols added his 634th career HR during the Angels’ win over the Rangers. The HR was his 3,089th career hit, tying recently-retired Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd place in MLB history . ... Whit Merrifield hit a solo HR in the Royals’ loss to the Tigers, extending his hitting streak to 27 games. The streak, which dates back to last season, is tied for the second-longest in team history . ... Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run HR as the Padres beat the Cardinals 6-4 in St. Louis. It was the Padres’ third straight win . ... The Tigers placed LHP Matt Moore on the 10-day injured list with a right knee strain . ... The Red Sox placed utilityman Brock Holt on the 10-day injured list because his 2-year-old son poked him in the right eye, scratching his cornea.