Rangers 7, Angels 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A.J. Griffin pitched an efficient six innings to earn his first victory in more than 2 1/2 years, helping the Texas Rangers to a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium.
Griffin last pitched on Sept. 24, 2013, for Oakland at Angel Stadium before his career was derailed by injuries. He had Tommy John surgery in April of 2014, then had to abort his comeback midway through last season because of a shoulder strain.
Friday he was far from dominating, but didn't need to be. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one and making 87 pitches in six innings.
He was helped by an offense that jumped on Angels starter Matt Shoemaker for three runs in the first inning and wound up with 10 hits, including at least one hit by eight of the nine batters in starting lineup.
Delino DeShields had two hits, a walk, two stolen bases and scored two runs from the top of the Rangers' order. Rougned Odor hit a two-run homer and Elvis Andrus had two hits and an RBI as the Rangers ended a three-game losing streak.
Kole Calhoun had two hits, a walk, a run scored and an RBI, Andrelton Simmons had two hits and Chad Pennington had an RBI triple for the Angels.
But it was not nearly enough on a night when Shoemaker struggled early and was out of the game one batter into the fourth inning. Shoemaker gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks in three-plus innings.
Rangers relievers Tom Wilhelmsen, Tony Barnette and Jake Diekman combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Griffin to finish it out.
Shoemaker found trouble immediately as the first five Rangers reached base. They included RBI singles by Prince Fielder and Adrian Beltre, and an RBI double by Mitch Moreland as Texas took a 3-0 lead before Shoemaker got an out.
Shoemaker, though, retired the next three batters while stranding runners at second and third.
The Angels cut their deficit to 3-1 against Griffin in the second inning, set up by a single by Kole Calhoun and double by Andrelton Simmons. Calhoun scored on a groundout by Carlos Perez.
Texas increased its lead to 5-1 in the third inning on a two-run homer by Rougned Odor, his first of the season.
The Angels pushed across a run in the bottom half, getting singles from Daniel Nava and Mike Trout before Calhoun singled home Nava with two outs, cutting Texas' lead to 5-2.
Texas scored again in the fourth after DeShields led off with a single, knocking Shoemaker out of the game. DeShields went all the way to third on a wild pitch by Cam Bedrosian and scored on another wild pitch by Bedrosian to make it 6-2.
Chad Pennington got his first hit as an Angel in the bottom of the fourth, an RBI triple that cut Texas' lead to 6-3.
NOTES: Angels OF Daniel Nava had to leave the game after three innings because of a cut on the index finger of his left hand. Nava's hand was stepped on earlier in the inning when sliding into second base, causing a laceration. Nava temporarily remained in the game and scored on a single by RF Kole Calhoun. After the inning, however, Nava was removed from the game and went for X-rays, which were negative. He's day-to-day. ... Rangers OF Justin Ruggiano was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for RHP A.J. Griffin, who was activated to start the game. The Rangers have 10 days to trade, release or put Ruggiano through waivers. Ruggiano appeared in one game, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. ... Angels 1B C.J. Cron and 2B Johnny Giavotella were not in the starting lineup, replaced by 1B Ji-Man Choi and 2B Chad Pennington. Choi made his major league debut Thursday, grounding out as a pinch hitter. ... Rangers RF Shin-Soo Choo already has been hit by a pitch twice this season. Since the beginning of 2009, Choo has been hit by a pitch 103 times, most in the majors. ... Angels LHP C.J. Wilson, in the final year of his contract that is paying him $20 million this season, will be evaluated Saturday to determine if he can begin throwing. Wilson was shut down for most of spring training because of an inflamed left shoulder. Once he is cleared to begin throwing again, he will need 4-5 weeks before he's ready for game action.