Angels 6, Rays 5
Torii Hunter led off with a double and scored the winning run in the top of the eighth inning as the visiting Los Angeles Angels came from five runs down to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Sunday afternoon.
Hunter, who also had an RBI in the fourth inning, scored on a groundout thanks to a heads-up play by Vernon Wells, who stopped between first and second and forced a rundown that allowed the winning run to score before he was tagged out.
Bobby Abreu added two hits and an RBI for the Angels (16-12), who trailed 5-0 after the first inning.
Rich Thompson (1-1) got the win in relief. Jordan Walden earned his fifth save as the Angels won two of three in the series.
Matt Joyce had three hits, an RBI and a stolen base for the Rays (15-13). Reliever Joel Peralta (1-1) took the loss.
Jered Weaver, who had won his first six starts for the Angels, was scratched from the start Sunday morning due to a stomach virus. The Rays got seven hits and five runs off his replacement Tyler Chatwood in the first.
Rays starter Alex Cobb went 4 1-3 innings in his major league debut, allowing four hits, four walks and four runs (three earned). He was pulled with a three-run lead and two on base.
Alberto Callaspo’s RBI single off reliever Andy Sonnanstine capped the four-run rally that tied it at 5-5 in the fifth.