Rangers Trounce Angels
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yu Darvish threw six scoreless innings and the Texas’ bats came alive against a mishmash of Los Angeles Angels’ pitchers in an 11-3 Rangers win Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Darvish (4-1) was dominant on a night he didn’t need to be. He gave up three hits — all singles — while striking out 11. No Angels’ baserunner even got as far as second base when he was in the game.
Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday’s game would be a “staff” game, considering he were shorthanded on pitching. Scheduled starter Tommy Hanson was placed on the bereavement list on Monday because of a death in his family, leaving Scioscia to piecemeal the game with a bullpen that was already thinned by injuries.
Angels’ starter Michael Roth was making his first career major league start, filling in for Tommy Hanson, who was placed on the bereavement list because of a death in the family. Roth, who was a ninth-round draft choice out of the University of South Carolina last year, was called up from Double-A Arkansas on April 13 and had pitched out of the bullpen until Wednesday.
He limited the Rangers to three singles through three innings, matching Darvish inning-for-inning until the fourth.
That’s when the Rangers finally figured him out. The Rangers got three hits and two walks against
Roth in the fourth inning, including RBI singles by A.J. Pierzynski and David Murphy. Roth was taken out with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, having made 75 pitches.
David Carpenter, himself just called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday, issued a bases-loaded walk to Ian Kinsler and a two-run single to Lance Berkman, and the Rangers had a 5-0 lead, all five runs charged to Roth.
The Rangers added a sixth run in the inning on a wild pitch by Carpenter, and three more on a homer by Nelson Cruz for a nine-run inning and 9-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Darvish did a number on the Angels’ bats. The only Angel hits through five innings were Mark Trumbo’s leadoff single in the second inning and Josh Hamilton’s infield single in the fourth. No Angels baserunner got as far as second base through five innings.
Lance Berkman added a two-run homer for the Rangers in the sixth inning.
The Angels scored three times in the eighth inning against Rangers reliever Derek Lowe.
NOTES: Angels RHP Jered Weaver played catch Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a fracture in his left (nonthrowing) arm April 7. Weaver was expected to miss four-to-six weeks, meaning if all goes well he could be back in mid-May. … X-rays taken on the bruised right knee of Rangers OF Jeff Baker were negative, and it’s possible he could be back in the lineup this weekend. Baker, who has been playing against left-handed starters, hurt his knee sliding into the short wall in foul territory while making a catch of a fly ball from Hamilton on Tuesday. … Angels RHP Ryan Madson, recovering from Tommy John surgery, will go to extended spring training in Arizona to continue his rehab while the team is on the road. The Angels are hoping Madson, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2011, can join the team by mid-May. … Rangers LHP Joe Ortiz had thrown 10 consecutive scoreless innings before he gave up Howie Kendrick’s walk-off homer in the 11th inning Tuesday. Left-handed hitters are batting .063 (1-for-16) against him. … Rangers DH/1B Lance Berkman began the day Tuesday ranked tied for first in the American League in on-base percentage (.463) and tied for third in walks (13). A switch-hitter, Berkman is batting .341 left-handed and .300 right-handed
