Wilson With 10 K's Leads Angels Past Mariners 7-2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- C.J. Wilson struck out 10 in eight innings, Josh Hamilton had a two-run single and the Los Angeles Angels beat Seattle 7-1 on Wednesday to hand the Mariners their season-worst sixth straight loss.
Wilson (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in his longest outing since June 8, 2012, when he also went eight innings in a 7-2 interleague victory at Colorado. The left-hander won for the first time since May 1 at Oakland after losing his previous three starts, including back-to-back 3-0 decisions against Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.
Seattle rookie Brandon Maurer (2-6) made his first major league start near his hometown of Newport Beach, and it was a disaster. The right-hander, who played his high school ball a few miles away from Angel Stadium, gave up seven runs and 11 hits in three innings.
He pitched 6 1-3 innings in a 6-0 win against Los Angeles on April 25 at Seattle. But this one was much different.
Less than 24 hours after the Angels cruised to a 12-0 victory for their most lopsided shutout win ever against Seattle, Maurer retired only three of his first 15 batters and trailed 6-0 after 47 pitches.
Los Angeles scored five in the first on Hamilton's two-run single, Alberto Callaspo's two-run double and an RBI single by Hank Conger. It could have been worse, but Erick Aybar was thrown out trying to steal second after drawing a leadoff walk.
Mike Trout, coming off his first career cycle, tripled in the second for his sixth consecutive hit and scored on a single by Albert Pujols. Last season's AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP runner-up is batting .359 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in his last 21 games since going 1 for 8 in a 19-inning loss at Oakland on April 29.
Aybar made it 7-0 with an RBI single in the third. It would be the last Angels hit until Mark Trumbo's one-out double in the seventh against Yoervis Medina. The Mariners finally got on the board in the eighth when Brendan Ryan scored on a groundout by Michael Saunders.
NOTES: Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of the day Angels owner Arte Moreno assumed control of the organization from the Walt Disney Co. Since then, the club has won five AL West titles under manager Mike Scioscia and made the playoffs one other time as a wild card. "Arte definitely has a vision for this organization and a vision for what we can achieve," Scioscia said. "As far as ownership goes, you really couldn't ask for anything more over this last decade than somebody who puts his money where his mouth is. And it's very reassuring when that happens from ownership." ... Mariners 1B-DH Kendrys Morales, whom the Angels traded away last December for LHP Jason Vargas, got his 500th career hit in the first inning on a single through the box and finished the day 3 for 4 with a double. ... Trout has seven hits in his last 16 at-bats, but has struck out looking seven times during that stretch. ... Angels RHP Jered Weaver (broken bone in his non-pitching arm) took park in an extended spring training game at the team's Tempe, Ariz., complex. He threw 62 of his 75 pitches for strikes, allowing a run and six hits in 5 2-3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
