Quick Hitters
Mike Trout has career night in New York
NEW YORK — Saturday night, center stage, under the Yankee Stadium spotlight. And the best player in baseball put on quite a show.
Mike Trout homered and doubled three times during his first five-hit game in the majors as the Los Angeles Angels quickly recovered from a rocky start in rolling to an 11-4 victory over the New York Yankees.
“It’s awesome. Preparation, working on timing, and nice payoff tonight,” Trout said. “I was just getting pitches where I like it and I wasn’t missing.”
Playing not far from his southern New Jersey hometown, Trout went deep for the third straight game to tie Boston’s Mookie Betts for the big league lead with 17 homers. The two-time MVP drove in four runs and set career bests with four extra-base hits and 11 total bases.
Trout added an infield single and finished 5 for 5, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning off shaky Sonny Gray (3-4) that put the Angels ahead 5-4.
Bumgarner looks sharp, fans 8 in first rehab start
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner was sharp in his first rehabilitation start since breaking the pinkie on his pitching hand in March, striking out eight while throwing 47 pitches over 3 2/3 hitless innings for Triple-A Sacramento.
It was such an encouraging start that Bumgarner didn’t rule out an immediate return to the Giants — if that decision was made.
“I obviously didn’t know before today, but judging off the way I felt out there, I think so for sure,” Bumgarner said. “I wouldn’t say I’d be back and be in midseason form, but I feel definitely good enough to get some outs.”
Bumgarner threw 31 strikes and walked one Saturday night while facing 12 hitters against the Albuquerque Isotopes.
The appearance came almost two months to the day of having surgery to insert three pins into his pinkie after injuring the hand in the final game of spring training.
“I feel pretty good about how everything was working.,” Bumgarner said. “My command was good. My breaking balls were doing pretty good also, so that’s what I was looking for, everything headed in the right direction.”
Bumgarner’s fastball was clocked between 91-93 mph and he effectively mixed pitches in his most extensive work since getting hurt.