Angels Win 9th Straight On Road, Beat Rockies

DENVER (AP) — Mark Trumbo hit a pair of three-run homers to set a career high with six RBIs and the Los Angeles Angels beat the slumping Colorado Rockies 10-8 Sunday for their ninth straight victory on the road.

Torii Hunter added a two-run homer and scored three times to help Los Angeles complete a three-game sweep.

On a day when the ball was flying out of hitter-friendly Coors Field, the Angels scored nine times in the first four innings. Tyler Colvin hit a three-run homer and Carlos Gonzalez had a two-run shot as Colorado scored five in the second to tie the score at 6.

The Angels won the first two games of the series 7-2 and 11-5, and their nine-game winning streak away from home ties the second-longest in club history. They also won nine consecutive road games in June 1987 and set a franchise record with 11 straight from July 6 to Aug. 2, 1988.

The Angels, who continue their six-game road trip Monday at Dodger Stadium, have won 14 of their past 18 games against the Rockies and are 9-2 at Coors Field.

The Rockies fell to 0-6 in interleague play — with all the games at home — and lost their fifth straight overall. Colorado manager Jim Tracy was tossed in the ninth by plate umpire Greg Gibson, his first ejection of the season.

Los Angeles pounced on Christian Friedrich (4-2), who lasted four innings, and built leads of 4-0 after one inning and 6-1 in the second. But the Rockies scored five runs with two outs in the second. Colvin, who homered twice Saturday, hit his three-run shot after Ervin Santana walked Friedrich. Center fielder Mike Trout hit the wall hard after coming close to catching the ball before it dropped over the fence.

After Marco Scutaro doubled, Gonzalez tied the game with his 16th homer.

Friedrich made the shortest of his seven career starts and gave up a career-high nine runs while throwing 90 pitches to get 12 outs. His outing raised the ERA of the Rockies' starters to 6.20 and raised his ERA in three starts at Coors Field to 12.60.

Friedrich gave up five straight hits and four runs before getting an out in what became a 33-pitch first inning. Trout, who has hit safely in 13 of his past 14 games, led off with a double, his hard grounder deflected by third baseman Jordan Pacheco, and scored on Hunter's single. Albert Pujols followed with a single and Trumbo, hitless in nine at-bats in the first two games of the series, hit a mammoth three-run homer to left on an 83 mph changeup.

Trumbo launched Friedrich's first-pitch curve for a three-run homer in the fourth. Hunter began the inning with a single and Pacheco then bobbled Pujols' potential double-play grounder ahead of Trumbo's homer.

Friedrich found more trouble in the third but escaped after giving up a single and a walk to start the inning.

Santana (5-1) weaved through 5 2-3 innings, allowing nine hits and seven runs while winning for the first time in five starts since May 15. Scott Downs earned his sixth save.

Trout, Hunter and Pujols, the first three batters in the Angels' lineup, went a combined 23 for 42 (.548) in the series with 16 RBIs and 21 runs.

After Scutaro singled home a run in the ninth, Gonzalez lined a ball that pitcher Scott Downs appeared to snare as he went to his knees. He dropped the ball while trying to transfer it and threw to shortstop Eric Aybar, who threw to first base for what was ruled a double play. Tracy argued Downs had caught the ball.

Downs then gave up a single to Michael Cuddyer but retired Todd Helton on a game-ending popup.

NOTES: Angels catcher Chris Iannetta (broken right wrist) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Class-A Inland Empire. He was supposed to begin his rehab assignment Saturday but developed forearm stiffness while throwing. ... Trumbo also hit two homers June 5 against Seattle. ... The Rockies have gotten four innings or less from their starter in four of the past five games. ... Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left groin strain) took batting practice for the first time since he was injured May 30 and continued with running drills. Tulowitzki is progressing steadily but will have to complete a rehab assignment before being activated Friday at Detroit when he's eligible to come off the disabled list. ... Rockies CF Dexter Fowler didn't start. Since the conclusion of his nine-game hitting streak, Fowler has two hits in his past 15 at-bats with nine strikeouts. ... In 16 games with the Angels, reliever Ernesto Frieri, who struck out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth, has allowed two hits in 16 1-3 scoreless innings with 33 strikeouts. ... Jeremy Guthrie (3-4) starts Tuesday for the Rockies against Oakland. ... The Angels will start Garrett Richards (1-0) on Monday at the Dodgers.