Pujols' bat, legs lift Angels in 11th inning
SEATTLE -- Albert Pujols doubled home Mike Trout with the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and set up the insurance score by stealing third, propelling the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Trout drew his third walk of the game with one out off James Pazos (0-1), who entered to start the 11th. Pujols then sliced a 3-2 pitch the opposite way that got past the diving attempt of right fielder Ben Gamel, allowing Trout to score from first.
The 37-year-old Pujols stole third, his first theft of the season. Luis Valbuena, activated off the disabled list earlier in the day, walked. Pujols scored when Andrelton Simmons beat out the double-play relay after bouncing into a forceout.
Deolis Guerra (2-1) pitched the final two innings for the victory, the Angels' seventh in the past eight games.
Robinson Cano singled home the tying run with two outs in the ninth off Angels closer Bud Norris. Jarrod Dyson singled with one out. After Jean Segura struck out, Gamel walked and Cano singled to left to make it 4-4.
Kole Calhoun put the Angels up 4-3 with two outs in the eighth, greeting Mariners closer Edwin Diaz with a two-run homer.
Danny Valencia gave Seattle a 3-2 lead in the sixth with his second homer, a one-out solo shot off starter Matt Shoemaker, who was returning to Safeco Field for the first time since sustaining a season-ending skull fracture in September when hit in the head by a liner from Kyle Seager. Shoemaker allowed three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Mariners starter James Paxton, who had not allowed a run in four of his first five starts and entered with a 1.39 ERA, labored through 5 1/3 innings. Paxton allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits but walked five and threw two wild pitches in a 105-pitch outing.
The Angels tied it 2-2 with a run in the fifth. Trout doubled with one out, advanced to third on a ball four wild pitch to Pujols, and scored on Jefry Marte's sacrifice fly to center.
Seattle took advantage of a wild stretch by Shoemaker for two runs in the third. Segura walked with two outs, stole second and continued on to third on a throwing error by catcher Martin Maldonado.
Gamel walked and Cano followed with an RBI single through the hole at short. Gamel scored from third on Nelson Cruz's hard-hit single off the glove of third baseman Yunel Escobar.
The Angels cut it to 2-1 with an unearned run in the fourth when Simmons singled, took second on a throwing error by shortstop Segura and scored on Cameron Maybin's ground-rule double to left.
Paxton worked out of jams in the second and third, stranding five runners.
The Angels loaded the bases in the third on a leadoff single by Maldonado, a walk to Escobar and a one-out intentional walk to Trout. Paxton struck out Pujols and got Marte on a fielder's choice bouncer to third.
Pujols doubled to open the second inning and Marte walked. Paxton retired Simmons on a fly out to center and struck out Danny Espinosa and Maybin.
NOTES: Seattle called up RHP Jean Machi and RHP Emilio Pagan from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday and designated RHP Casey Fein for assignment and optioned 1B Daniel Vogelbach to Tacoma. ... The Mariners also transferred INF Shawn O'Malley (right shoulder tendinitis) to the 60-day DL. ... To open a roster spot for the return of INF Luis Valbuena (right hamstring strain) from the DL, the Angels optioned RHP Jose Valdez to Triple-A Salt Lake.