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Trout Proving Why He'll Be AL MVP, Powers Angels Past Rangers


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Jered Weaver earned his AL-leading 18th victory, Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark with a two-run homer and Mike Trout also hit a two-run shot to lead the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.

David Freese added a three-run homer in support of Weaver (18-8), who was charged with three runs and five hits in seven-plus innings. He left with an 8-1 lead before the Rangers rallied with four in the eighth.

Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his career-high 39th save and 15th with the AL West champion Angels, helping them maintain their 2 1/2 game lead over Baltimore in the race for the best record in the majors.

Weaver is 11-2 in his last 18 starts and will make one more regular-season appearance before starting Game 1 of the AL division series next Thursday in his first postseason start since Game 3 of the 2009 ALCS.

The three-time All-Star, who won a career-high 20 games in 2012, joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in franchise history with at least three seasons of 18 or more wins. Ryan did it four times.

Colby Lewis (10-14) gave up eight runs -- seven earned -- and nine hits in five innings. The Rangers' season-best seven-game winning streak came to a resounding end despite Adrian Beltre's three doubles, which equaled a career high.

Lewis is 0-4 with a whopping 11.51 ERA in his last four starts against the Angels, a stretch that began on July 10 with a 15-6 home loss in which the nine-year veteran surrendered career highs in runs (13) and hits (11).

Trout made it 3-0 in the third with his 35th homer, after shortstop Elvis Andrus dropped Kole Calhoun's popup in short center field for his 18th error. The two RBIs increased Trout's career-high total to 109, two behind major league leader Adrian Gonzalez.

In a span of just five pitches in the fifth, the Angels plated five more runs. Pujols drove Lewis' 1-2 delivery off the rock pile in left-center for his 519th homer, putting him within two of tying Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and newly inducted Hall of Famer Frank Thomas for 18th place on the career list.

Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar followed with singles, and Freese capped the five-run rally with his 10th homer, one more than he had last season in 138 games with St. Louis. The 2011 World Series MVP has 13 RBIs in his last 12 games.

Trout, who received the team's MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony, became the first player to hit 35 homers for the club since 2004, when Vladimir Guerrero hit 39 and won the AL MVP award.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: Injured RF Josh Hamilton won't play Sunday, marking the first time he'll go an entire season without a home run in his home ballpark. All 10 have come on the road. ... RHP Matt Shoemaker's status remains in doubt as to whether he'll make one more start in preparation for the playoffs. He has missed one turn with a mild left oblique strain, and has yet to throw off a mound.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Nick Tepesch (5-10, 4.47 ERA) is 3-10 with a 4.72 ERA over his last 17 starts, including a pair of losses to the Angels.

Angels: Sunday is the team's final home game of the regular season. Cory Rasmus (3-1, 2.57 ERA) makes his fifth big league start -- all in place of Garrett Richards, whose season ended on Aug. 20 at Boston because of a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

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