Tigers Win Rare Game In Anaheim As They Down Angels, 7-1
ANAHEIM (AP) — Justin Upton hit a three-run homer and Michael Fulmer pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in the Detroit Tigers' 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
Mike Trout went 0 for 4 as the Angels' designated hitter after missing five straight games and six of the previous seven with a tight left hamstring. The two-time AL MVP hadn't played since last Friday, and his 17-game hitting streak ended.
Andrew Romine hit a two-run homer as the Tigers got a rare win over the Angels in the opener of a four-game series at the Big A, where Detroit hasn't won a series in seven tries since August 2009. The Tigers improved to 7-23 against Los Angeles since September 2012.
Fulmer (4-1) walked two and struck out seven to improve to 3-0 in four starts.
Yunel Escobar had an RBI double for the Angels, who opened a seven-game home stand with their seventh loss in nine games.
J.C. Ramirez (3-3) settled down to yield eight hits over seven innings, but couldn't overcome early mistakes that allowed Detroit to lead 5-0 after its first eight batters. Ramirez retired 10 straight Tigers and allowed just one runner past first base in his final five innings.
Upton connected with two outs in the first inning for his seventh homer of the season.
Romine was a late addition to the Tigers' lineup when Jim Adduci was scratched with a right oblique muscle injury, and he promptly hit his second homer of the season in the second inning.
SLUMPING
The Angels benched 2B Danny Espinosa, who is mired in an 0-for-34 slump. Cliff Pennington started in Espinosa's place for the fifth time in nine games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: 2B Ian Kinsler returned to the leadoff spot after missing five games with left hamstring tightness. He went 3 for 4 and scored two runs.
Angels: Trout didn't appear limited while aggressively running out a groundout in his first at-bat, but the club is easing its franchise player back into full activity. With Trout as the DH, Albert Pujols played first base and was charged with an error in the second inning when he couldn't snag a high throw from Andrelton Simmons.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann (3-1, 6.21 ERA) is getting results despite allowing 23 runs in 33 1-3 innings. He has made just one career start against the Angels, losing a four-hitter on an unearned run in Anaheim in June 2011.
Angels: Matt Shoemaker (1-2, 5.21 ERA) has a 1.01 career ERA against Detroit, but the Wyandotte, Michigan, native lost to the Tigers for the first time in his career last June in Anaheim.
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