Angels complete four-game sweep of Tigers with 4-2 victory
KEY MOMENT: David Freese led off for the Angels in the eighth inning, with the score tied, 2-2. Tigers ace David Price got ahead 0 and 2, then threw four consecutive balls. That put Freese, he of the .279 on-base percentage, on base with the winning run. Chris Iannetta got an infield single, Kole Calhoun sacrificed and Grant Green was walked intentionally, loading the bases for pinch-hitter Carlos Perez. He popped up. Price left after 121 pitches, but Johnny Giavotella’s two-run single against Joba Chamberlain, driving home the winning runs.
AT THE PLATE: Giavotella and Chris Iannetta had two hits apiece for the Angels. Giavotella doubled in the fifth inning, the Angels’ only extra-base hit, to drive home their first run. Giavotella is batting .400 in his last 25 at-bats; Iannetta .350 in his last 40 at-bats.
ON THE MOUND: Angels starter Matt Shoemaker has faced David Price twice and never lost. Shoemaker beat Price last season and got no-decision Sunday, giving up two runs, one earned, and four hits over 51/3 innings. Cesar Ramos, Cam Bedrosian, Joe Smith and Huston Street combined for 32/3 innings of one-hit relief.
EXTRA BASES: Albert Pujols, bothered by a sore groin, is limited to designated hitter. Scioscia said there is no timetable for when Pujols might return to first base. Pujols, 35, has been the DH in 10 of the Angels’ first 51 games. … In an effort to combat Price, whom Scioscia called a “special lefty,” the Angels batted Iannetta fifth and Calhoun sixth. Iannetta had not batted so high in the lineup this season; Calhoun had not batted so low.
UP NEXT: Garrett Richards (4-3, 3.12 ERA) faces Tampa Bay’s Alex Colome (3-1, 4.55) on Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Angel Stadium. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1330.
More to Read
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.