Rays 3, Angels 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Wil Myers hit two home runs, and Jeremy Hellickson earned his first win in more than a month as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Myers hit a solo homer in the second inning (No. 10) and a two-run homer in the seventh (No. 11), both off Angels starter Jered Weaver, who otherwise shut down the Rays offense.
Hellickson, who spent the past week "resting" in the minor leagues, shut out the Angels on four hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn his first victory since July 26. Hellickson (11-8) had lost his previous five decisions, prompting the Rays to send him down Aug. 27 to Class A Charlotte, though he didn't pitch during his minor league stint.
The victory allowed the Rays to remain 5 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East, and 2 1/2 games up on the New York Yankees for the second AL wild-card spot. For the Angels, the loss was their 74th of the season, one more than they had all of last season, when they finished 89-73.
Weaver (9-8) gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings, losing for the first time in three starts.
The Angels scored their only run of the game on Chris Iannetta's pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning off Rays reliever Jake McGee.
Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth for the Rays and earned his 32nd save.
NOTES: Angels OF Mike Trout has 23 home runs and 31 stolen bases this season, becoming the youngest player in major league history to reach the 20-30 mark two seasons in a row (30-49 in 2012). Only two other Angels in team history have had 20-30 seasons: Bobby Bonds in 1977 and Devon White in 1987. ... Angels RHP Joe Blanton gave up one run and three hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief Tuesday, marking his first appearance in a game since Aug. 20. He is 2-13 with a 5.66 ERA in 20 starts and is 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in eight appearances out of the bullpen. ... Rays OF Desmond Jennings, who went 0-for-2 with two walks, is hitting .176 (9-for-51) in 15 games since returning from the disabled list. He had been sidelined due to a fractured left middle finger. Jennings needs one more home run this season to reach 13 and match his career high set last season. ... Rays SS Yunel Escobar entered the game hitting .307 (39-for-127) since the All-Star break, the second best among shortstops in the majors with at least 60 at-bats. His .395 on-base percentage was best among major league shortstops since the break. He went 1-for-4 Wednesday.
