Angels 6, Rays 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jerome Williams gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday night at Angel Stadium.
Williams had been winless in his previous 14 starts, going 0-8 with six no-decisions and a 6.29 ERA before finally coming out on top for the first time since a win over Baltimore on June 12. He matched a season high with seven strikeouts. Williams walked two and gave up a two-run double to James Loney in the third inning, but that was it.
He got support from the Angels offense, which included a hit from everybody in the starting lineup. Josh Hamilton and Luis Jimenez each had two hits, but the big hit came from Collin Cowgill, who cleared the bases with a three-run double off Rays starter David Price in the second inning.
Price gave up all six runs in the first three innings, but he stuck around and lasted seven innings, giving up 11 hits, striking out six and walking one. The six earned runs are the most he's allowed since he gave up eight in his second start of the season on April 7.
The Angels salvaged a split in the four-game series, while the Rays missed a chance to increase their lead in the race for the second wild-card spot. The Rays lead the Yankees by 2 1/2 games, while Baltimore and Cleveland are both three back.
Singles by Hamilton, Jimenez and Grant Green loaded the bases for the Angels with one out in the second inning before Cowgill hit his three-run double off Price.
The Rays got two runs back in the third on Loney's two-run double.
But the Angels offense put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the third. They strung together five hits in a row at one point, including RBI singles by Hamilton and Kole Calhoun. The third run scored when Green hit into a force play, giving the Angels a 6-2 lead.
NOTES: Angels OF Mike Trout entered the game with 36 walks in his previous 34 games, most in the majors during that time, and his .534 on-base percentage during that stretch was 63 points higher than any other major leaguer. His 85 walks lead the league and are more than his total of last season (67). ... Angels RHP Ernesto Frieri entered the game with nine consecutive scoreless outings (10 2/3 innings), going 2-0 with four saves during that span. His 30 saves this season are a career high and make him the eighth Angel in club history to reach the milestone. ... Rays CF Desmond Jennings was not in the starting lineup Thursday, just getting a day off. He is hitting .263 (5-for-19) on the current road trip that started in Oakland and moves to Seattle starting Friday. ... Rays RHP Jesse Crain is scheduled to throw off the mound this weekend when the team is in Seattle. Crain has a strained right shoulder and has not pitched for the Rays since he was acquired in a trade with the White Sox on July 29.
