Angels 5, Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE -- J.B. Shuck skipped a double off the first-base bag to score three runs in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Angels capped an 8-1 road trip with a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday at Miller Park.
The Angels (63-72) scored four runs in the seventh to finish a three-game sweep in their first interleague series against the Brewers at Miller Park since 2002.
The Brewers (59-77) were coming off a 4-2 road trip against NL Central contenders Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
C.J. Wilson (14-6) earned the victory, allowing just three hits and three runs (two earned) in six innings.
Brewers starter Kyle Lohse allowed six hits in the first 2 1/3 innings, but allowed just one over his final 3 2/3 innings and left with a 3-1 lead. Lohse threw 93 pitches, but saw his chance at earning a victory vanish after another 15 pitches.
Michael Gonzalez allowed a single to Hank Conger leading off the seventh. Rob Wooten took over and allowed a single to Luis Jimenez. Andrew Romine sacrificed the runners to second and third, and the Brewers elected to walk pinch-hitter Josh Hamilton.
Shuck ruined that strategy when his grounder down the first base line hit the bag and jumped over the glove of Yuniesky Betancourt. The ball then caromed off the wall into short right field, and all three runners scored.
After Erick Aybar struck out, Wooten intentionally walked Mike Trout. Kole Calhoun wrecked that strategy when he lined a shot to the gap in left-center that would have scored two more, but the ball one-hopped over the fence for a ground-rule double that forced Trout to stop at third.
Donovan Hand relieved Wooten and got Mark Trumbo to fly to center to end the inning.
After Carlos Gomez's homer gave the Brewers a 3-1 lead in the fourth, Wilson retired the next eight Brewers, and reliever Cory Rasmus worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
The Angels' Dane De La Rosa did not have such success in the eighth. Scooter Gennett worked a leadoff walk. After pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez flied out, Nori Aoki singled and Jean Segura walked to load the bases. That ended De La Rosa's day.
Closer Ernesto Frieri came on and locked horns with Jonathan Lucroy.
Frieri got ahead with two strikes before Lucroy fouled the next pitch off. After a ball, Lucroy fouled off the next seven pitches, including a couple of drives that were inches foul.
On the 12th pitch, Frieri got a 95-mph fastball past Lucroy for the second out. Frieri then struck out rookie cleanup hitter Khris Davis on three pitches.
Frieri closed out the ninth striking out Gomez and pinch-hitter Caleb Gindl and getting Jeff Bianchi to fly to right.
NOTES: Davis became the eighth player to bat cleanup for the team this season. Since being recalled on July 23, he is hitting .321 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 29 games. ... Early in the season, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke held back on putting younger players in key lineup spots. Injuries and other factors have changed his thinking. "Yeah, the options are just not there," Roenicke said. "If I had everybody here, Davis would not be hitting fourth right now." ... Wilson improved to 10-1 in his last 14 starts since June 14. In that span he has an ERA of 2.79. Wilson is 5-0 in his last nine interleague starts.