Red-hot Cron leads Angels to win at Tampa
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Los Angeles Angels got two home runs from red-hot C.J. Cron, pulling away with six runs in the ninth to an 13-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
Los Angeles (34-50) had lost 12 of 14 games before bouncing back for the road win, with Cron breaking open a back-and-forth game with a three-run home run in the ninth. The Angels had blown an early 4-1 lead and trailed 5-4 before retaking the lead in the sixth on a two-run double by Andrelton Simmons. The Rays (34-49) and their struggling bullpen dropped 17 of their last 20 games, allowing at least 10 runs in three of their last six games.
Rays pitchers have allowed 19 runs in the ninth inning of their last six games, this after allowing a total of 23 runs in the ninth inning of the first 77 games this season.
Cron hit his 10th and 11th home runs -- he already has five home runs and 13 RBIs in July -- but Los Angeles also got big production from the bottom third of their lineup, with Andrelton Simmons driving in three runs and Shane Robinson two -- he had entered the game with five in 62 at-bats all season.
The Angels trailed 5-4, having blown a 4-1 lead, when they jumped back ahead with three runs in the sixth off Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. Daniel Nava walked to lead off, and Johnny Giavotella followed with a ground-rule double. Simmons brought in both runners with a double for a 6-5 lead, advanced to third on one bunt, then scored on another by Robinson, as Odorizzi tried to flip the ball home but Simmons slid under the tag for a 7-5 lead.
The Rays bullpen couldn't keep the game close, as reliever Enny Romero faced three batters in the ninth, with a walk, a single and Cron's three-run home run. Even with the return of closer Alex Colome -- named an All-Star on Tuesday -- from the disabled list, pitching a scoreless eighth, Tampa Bay has very few effective options in their current bullpen. Dana Eveland, who replaced Romero in the ninth, gave up a triple to Simmons and RBI singles to Carlos Perez, Yunel Escobar and Kole Calhoun.
Robinson had to be helped off the field in the ninth after injuring his ankle, with Mike Trout drawing cheers as he took the field as a pinch-runner, later scoring.
The Rays, down 4-1 after two innings, rallied for the lead, tagging Angels starter Tim Lincecum for 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
A two-out rally started in the fifth with Brandon Guyer getting hit by a pitch for an MLB-high 17th time this season and a team-record 52 for his career, breaking Carlos Pena's record. Corey Dickerson followed with a double and Nick Franklin hit a two-run single to give the Rays a 5-4 lead and chase Lincecum.
Lincecum had strikeouts for four of his first five outs.
NOTES: Angels OF Mike Trout led all American League outfielders in fan voting and is headed to his fifth All-Star Game in as many full seasons in the majors. ... The Rays had a bit of a surprise, with RHP Alex Colome getting the team's nod for the All-Star Game ahead of 3B Evan Longoria, who will have a shot as one of five finalists for the last AL spot in fan voting online. Longoria leads the Rays with 18 HRs and 45 RBIs but was caught in a logjam of talented AL third basemen. ... The Angels announced that LHP C.J. Wilson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to address fraying to his labrum and rotator cuff. He is a free agent after this season, so his time with the Angels could be over. ... The Rays got back a key part of their bullpen, activating Colome off the disabled list. He'd been out since June 18 with biceps tendinitis after going 19-for-19 on save opportunities. Tampa Bay optioned RHP Danny Farquhar to Triple-A Durham to make room.