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September 18, 2016 of 16

Clips

(September 18, 2016)


Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LA TIMES (Page 3)

Garrett Richards throws off a mound, providing a ray of light in Angels’

gloomy season

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)

The Angels’ Ricky Nolasco is showing he can compete with the best of ‘em

After another rehab milestone, Angels’ Garrett Richards is confident in avoiding Tommy John surgery

Analysis: Can Mike Trout win AL MVP despite Angels’ record? Absolutely.

Here’s how

On deck: Blue Jays at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 10)

Pujols joins elite club with 14th 30-HR season

Halos end skid on Pujols’ HR, Nolasco’s gem

Richards confident he’ll be ready for 2017

Meyer, Jays’ Stroman duel to wrap homestand

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 16)

Pujols hits 30th HR, Angels drop Toronto into wild-card tie


FROM THE LA TIMES

Garrett Richards throws off a mound, providing a ray of light in Angels’ gloomy season

Mike DiGiovanna

Amid the rubble of a brutal 2016 season rose a sign of hope for the Angels on Saturday.

It came three hours before a 6-1 victory over theToronto Blue Jays, when Garrett Richards, who four months ago was “dead set” on having elbow ligament-replacement surgery that could have sidelined him for 2017, threw off a mound for the first time since injuring his elbow on May 1.

It was only 20 fastballs at 80% effort, but it was a significant step in a process that Richards, who opted for stem-cell therapy instead of Tommy John surgery, is confident will lead to his starting on opening day next season.

“As of now, throwing off the bump today, doing everything I’ve done to this point, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be able to pitch next season,” Richards, 28, said. “I don’t feel anything abnormal. Everything feels rested and ready to go.”

Richards, who is 29-19 with a 3.11 earned-run average since the start of 2014, plans to increase his pitch count and mix in some breaking balls in his next three bullpen sessions before facing batters on Oct. 1.

Barring setback, the hard-throwing right-hander, who resumed throwing on Aug. 15, will make two or three instructional league starts in Arizona in October.

“I’ve built up to the point where if I was going to feel anything abnormal, I would have already felt it,” Richards said. “I can honestly say I don’t notice the difference in the way the ball is coming out of my hand now as it did in spring training. My body feels great. My arm feels great.”

Richards suffered a season-ending tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in early May, the same injury that sidelined left-hander Andrew Heaney in April.

Both received stem-cell injections, but Heaney’s elbow did not respond as well, and he opted for Tommy John surgery on July 1. Richards fared much better.

“I hope this paves the way for other guys going through the same thing,” said Richards, whose teammates applauded him, jokingly, as he walked to the dugout Saturday. “It’s probably the best decision I’ve made in my career so far.”

Exclusive company


Albert Pujols hit another milestone home run, and Ricky Nolasco gave up five hits and struck out seven over six shutout innings to help the Angels snap a five-game losing streak Saturday night.

Pujols lined a 1-and-2 slider from Francisco Liriano over the left-field wall in the second, giving him 590 career homers and 30 in a season for the 14th time in his career. Only three other players — Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez — have 14 or more 30-homer seasons.

The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the fifth when Andrelton Simmons walked, took second and third on a wild pitch that Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin couldn’t track down and scored on Shane Robinson’s two-out single to right.

They scored two unearned runs in the sixth. Kole Calhoun walked, Mike Trout reached on an error, and Pujols flied to right, with Calhoun taking third. Jefry Marte hit a run-scoring grounder that advanced Trout, who was running with the pitch, to second.

Trout stole third with a Matrix-like, head-first slide, avoiding Josh Donaldson’s tag by pulling his left arm back while he grabbed the bag with his right hand. Simmons then lined an RBI single to center.

The Angels tacked on two more unearned runs in the seventh when Yunel Escobar reached on a two-out error, Calhoun hit an RBI double and Trout had an RBI single.

Catcher Jett Bandy left the game in the second inning because of back spasms that flared up on a groundout.

Up to speed

Jered Weaver hit 87 mph several times and 88 mph once Friday night, but it’s not the sheer velocity that has the Angels encouraged about the right-hander’s immediate future. It’s the ease with which he is producing it.

“He’s not chasing velocity,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s staying in his mechanics, and the ball is coming out better in the spot he wants it . . . as opposed to earlier last year, when he tried to chase some velocity, and it would affect his command. Now, he’s getting easier velocity.”

Weaver, nearing the end of a five-year, $85-million deal, was 8-11 with a 5.47 ERA in mid-August and looked like a 33-year-old at the end of his career.

But with a renewed emphasis on flexibility that has loosened his oft-injured body, Weaver has gone 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA in his last five starts, holding two potent lineups — Texas and Toronto — to four runs and 11 hits in 12 2/3 innings.


“A lot of it stems from left-hip stuff and bad maintenance for 11 years,” Weaver said. “I’ve pitched through injuries, and it’s taken a toll. I never really paid attention to flexibility; I focused more on strength and cardio.

“When you’ve had 11 years of no stretching, it’s gonna take some time to get the flexibility back. But it’s getting better. Everything has been freeing up, and I’ve been able to throw the ball the way I want to.”

First-strike capability

Trout continues to benefit from a more aggressive approach in which he has boosted his first-pitch swing percentage from 10.6% in 2014 and 10.2% in 2015 to 17.2% this season.

Entering Saturday, Trout had a major league-best .607 average (17 for 28) with three homers, four doubles and 17 runs batted in when he put the first pitch in play. His overall strikeout rate has dropped from 23.2% last season to 20.7%, and his walk rate has improved from 13.5% to 16.3%.

“Even if I foul the first pitch back, it helps me to know what to do later in the at-bat, whether it’s to calm down a bit or be on time if I’m late,” said Trout, who entered Saturday with a .317 average, 27 homers and 89 RBIs.

“The last few years, pitchers have been throwing a fastball and getting strike one. I was getting into too many 0-and-2 holes, so I had to change that. I’m in more of an attack mode, and it’s helping me a lot, for sure.”

FROM OC REGISTER

The Angels’ Ricky Nolasco is showing he can compete with the best of ‘em

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – Ricky Nolasco is being tested now, and he’s passing.

Nolasco, who came to the Angels in a deal just before the trading deadline with a reputation as a back-end innings-eater, has lately proved he can be more than that.

And he’s done it against two of the more powerful lineups in baseball.

Nolasco tossed six scoreless innings in the Angels’ 6-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night, cutting his ERA to 2.25 in his last four starts.


In his previous outing, facing a Seattle Mariners team that has been surprisingly potent at the plate, Nolasco got into the seventh with only two runs on the board before the bullpen cracked behind him.

This time around, Nolasco had to escape plenty of his own jams, because he allowed Toronto leadoff hitters to get on base in five of his six innings.

“It’s a very tough lineup to face,” Nolasco said. “I didn’t want to face them with guys on base from the get-go, but that’s how it was. I made some mistakes to get those leadoff guys on, and I tried to bear down and make some good pitches after that.”

His tightest jam was the third, when he had to face the middle of the Blue Jays order with two on and no outs. He struck out Edwin Encarnacion, got Jose Bautista on a foul out and got Russell Martin on a grounder.

Nolasco persevered through six innings on 102 pitches, lowering his ERA in nine Angels starts to 4.03.

“He’s made some adjustments,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “(Pitching coach) Charlie Nagy has done a good job getting him to understand how his stuff plays. He’s a pitcher who threw a little harder maybe four years ago. Now he has to understand to trust that fastball in good spots.

“He has good life, good movement. He spins the ball well. To be that complete pitcher he has to use that whole package and he did tonight.”

The Angels supported Nolasco first with an Albert Pujols homer, and then by being opportunistic.

In the third inning, Pujols became the fourth player in major league history to hit 30 homers in 14 seasons, joining Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

In the fifth, Andrelton Simmons alertly went from first to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on Shane Robinson’s single.

An inning later, Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak botched a grounder to open the door for the Angels to score two more. They used a hit-and-run to stay out of a double play, and they stole two bases in the inning.

A Josh Donaldson error in the seventh set the stage for two more unearned runs, including one on Mike Trout’s 90th RBI.

The Angels also lost another player to an injury, going with the theme of the season. Jett Bandy left the game with back spasms. He is day to day.


After another rehab milestone, Angels’ Garrett Richards is confident in avoiding

Tommy John surgery


ANAHEIM – Garrett Richards passed another test, his most important one to date, on his way to pitching next season.

After Richards threw 20 pitches in the bullpen, his first time off a mound since he hurt his elbow on May 1, he confidently affirmed his belief that he won’t need Tommy John surgery that would have knocked him out till 2018.

“As of today, there is no doubt in my mind that I’ll be able to pitch next year,” Richards said. “I don’t feel anything abnormal. Everything feels rested and ready to go. It’s not something I’m worried about right now.”

In a miserable Angels season, in which just about all the injury news has been bad, Richards has been a positive for the past few months.

Immediately after he was hurt, tests showed he had a damaged ulnar collateral ligament, and Richards was set for Tommy John surgery.

Richards, though, opted against the surgery, instead trying to let stem-cell therapy heal his elbow. So far, it’s worked.

“I think about from time to time, what if I would have had surgery,” Richards said. “I wouldn’t be here making the progress I am. I am happy with my decision.”

Of course, Richards still hasn’t cleared all the necessary hurdles before he can definitively avoid surgery. He still needs to pitch two or three times in intstructional league games, getting up to about 60 pitches. If he can do that, the Angels can officially rule out surgery.

To that end, Saturday’s workout was his biggest test since he began throwing in mid August. He had been just playing catch and long toss since then. When he walked out to the field to begin preparing for his bullpen session, his teammates greeted him with joking applause.

They applauded again after he was done with the 20-pitch session, continuing until he tipped his cap.

Richards said he threw just fastballs this time, at about 80 percent effort. On Monday, he’ll begin throwing some breaking balls on flat ground and then throw another bullpen session. On Thursday, he’ll throw breaking balls in a bullpen session of about 30 to 40 pitches.


Richards said he is expecting to face hitters just before the end of the regular season. Then he’ll head to Arizona for instructional league, for a mini spring training of sorts.

Although those would figure to be much more significant tests because of the added intensity of facing hitters, Richards doesn’t seem concerned.

“I’ve already built up to the point that if I were going to feel something abnormal, I would have already felt it,” he said. “Everything feels totally normal. Honestly I don’t notice a difference in the way the ball is coming out of my hand now as it did in spring training. I have full confidence in it now.”

ALSO

Yunel Escobar decided to change his number to 0 for the final two weeks of the season. He had been wearing No. 6…

Brandon Marsh, the Angels’ second-round draft pick, has been fully cleared for baseball activities after missing about two months with a back injury. Marsh will work out in the Angels’ instructional league, although he’ll still start off behind the other players.

Analysis: Can Mike Trout win AL MVP despite Angels’ record? Absolutely.

Here’s how


ANAHEIM – Although there seems to be agreement in the baseball world that Mike Trout – burdened by a non-contending team – isn’t going to win the MVP, there is no agreement on who will.

Which is why Trout might actually have a chance.

Without getting into any of the merits of the candidates, let’s just look at what it takes to win. That’s how we cover elections in this country anyway, right?

The MVP race is a 30-voter election, and this year it’s one with four or five reasonable candidates.

In the interest of full disclosure, this year I am one of the MVP voters. It is a group that can essentially be split into two camps.

The Traditional voters, as we’ll call them, think the standings matter. They believe the MVP should come from a team that at least contends, and preferably makes the postseason.


The Best Player voters disagree. They think one player’s value has nothing to do with the quality of his teammates.

Those voters are a minority, no doubt. Based on the fact that Trout has gotten from 16 to 23 percent of the first-place votes in the years the Angels missed the playoffs, it’s still a significant chunk.

This year, the Best Player voters have their guy. It’s Trout, as usual. Period. Case closed.

But the Traditional voters? Could be Mookie Betts. Could be Jose Altuve. Could be Josh Donaldson. Could be Manny Machado. Heck, there might even be David Ortiz votes out there.

That’s where this year’s balloting is different from the others Trout didn’t win. In 2012, Miguel Cabrera received 22 first-place votes. In 2013, Cabrera got 23. Last year, Donaldson got 23.

In those years, the Traditional voters essentially agreed on their guy. As of today, they almost certainly don’t.

Imagine four or five players getting first-place votes, and none getting more than eight or nine. Trout got seven last year.

Trout also could benefit from a quirk of the Traditional voters, who seem to have no issue picking him second. Apparently, you can’t be the mostvaluable player on a bad team, but you can be the second most valuable player.

In 2013, when the Angels finished fourth, Trout got 19 second-place votes among the 25 writers who didn’t vote him first. Last season he got 22 of 23. Paul Goldschmidt (in 2014 and 2015), Ryan Braun (2012) and Matt Kemp (2011) also finished second while on non-playoff teams.

If Betts, Altuve, Donaldson and Machado all fan out among the top five ballot spots, while Trout is in the top two on almost every ballot, that could add up to a victory for Trout.

In the 2009 NL Cy Young race, Adam Wainwright got the most first-place votes, but finished third, because the votes were split so evenly with Tim Lincecum (who won) and Chris Carpenter.

Of course, all of this is mere speculation at this point, and based on a lack of a single leading candidate among the players on contending teams. That could change. A surge by one of them could certainly doom Trout.

For now, though, as long as the race stays wide open, Trout has a shot.


On deck: Blue Jays at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.


Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West, 12:30 p.m. Did you know? Listed at 6-foot-9, Angels starter Alex Meyer is 13 inches taller than 5-8 Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman. THE PITCHERS RHP ALEX MEYER (0-3, 8.18) Vs. Blue Jays: First game At Angel Stadium: 0-1, 9.00 RHP MARCUS STROMAN (9-8, 4.55) Vs. Angels: 0-0, 15.19 At Angel Stadium: 0-0, 12.27

FROM ANGELS.COM

Pujols joins elite club with 14th 30-HR season

By Jack Baer / MLB.com |

ANAHEIM -- The milestones just keep coming for Albert Pujols, who registered his 14th season of at least 30 homers with a solo shot in the second inning of Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Pujols' 30th homer put him in elite company. Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez are the only other players to accomplish the feat.

Pujols is also the fastest to reach 14 30-homer seasons of the four players, doing it in just his 16th season as a Major Leaguer, while it took Rodriguez 17 seasons, Bonds 18 seasons and Aaron 19 seasons. With another season of at least 30 homers, Pujols would tie Rodriguez and Aaron for the most in MLB history.

Pujols' 590th career homer was a no-doubter. According to Statcast™, the ball left his bat at 106 mph and traveled a projected 417 feet into the left-field stands.

That power required some battling against Blue Jays starter Francisco Liriano in a six-pitch at-bat. Pujols fell behind, 0-2, then fouled off an inside slider and outside changeup from the lefty. After another changeup went low for ball 1, Pujols dug out a slider at the bottom of the zone and cranked it over the fence.


Halos end skid on Pujols’ HR, Nolasco’s gem

By Gregor Chisholm and Jack Baer / MLB.com |

ANAHEIM -- The Blue Jays had a prime opportunity to take sole possession of the first American League Wild Card spot but Ricky Nolasco and a milestone homer from Albert Pujols made sure that would not happen for at least one more day.

Nolasco tossed six scoreless innings and Pujols hit his 30th home run of the season in Los Angeles' 6-1 victory on Saturday night at Angel Stadium. With the loss, the Blue Jays dropped to three games back of Boston for first place in the American League East and they remained tied with Baltimore for the top AL Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays currently hold the tiebreaker 9-7 over the Orioles, but the two teams meet for a three game set in Toronto later this month.

Toronto's offense continued its September woes and Nolasco was the main reason why. The veteran right-hander scattered five hits and two walks while striking out seven en route to a third quality start in his last four outings.

Toronto finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. The leadoff hitter got a hit in all but one inning against Nolasco, but the righty was effective out of the stretch.

"It's a very tough lineup and I didn't want to face them with guys on base right from the get-go. That's just how it was," Nolasco said. "I made some mistakes to get those leadoff guys on and just tried to bear down and make some good pitches after that. Pitch count ran up a little bit. They were fouling off a lot of pitches and laying off a lot of good pitches just because I had to go straight to work, no get-me-overs."

Pujols and Kole Calhoun had the lone extra-base hits on the night for Los Angeles but the Angels still managed to piece together a well-rounded offensive attack.Shane Robinson, Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons chipped in with RBI singles while Jefry Marte brought home the club's other run with an infield grounder.

Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis extended his hitting streak to a personal-best 14 games in the losing effort. He hit a pair of singles and a double but the Blue Jays could not find a way to bring him around to score during any of those ensuing opportunities. Toronto ranks third-worst in the AL with 55 runs scored during the month of September.

"You want to do all you can to score that run, however those guys on the mound are also trying to execute their pitches and we've got to give those guys credit today, they did a good job getting out of jams," Travis said. "I look forward to getting back out there tomorrow."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Missed opportunity: Toronto entered the top of the eighth inning trailing by six, but the club did have one last chance to get into the game. Edwin Encarnacion andJose Bautista led off the


inning with a pair of singles and Troy Tulowitzki followed two batters later with a shot off the right-field wall. The problem was that Encarnacion and Bautista tagged on the play in anticipation of a possible catch, so a run did not score. Pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. added a sacrifice fly, but that was all the damage the Blue Jays could come up with vs. the Angels' bullpen

"We had some chances, we couldn't get that big hit to drive in some runs," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.

Some good company: Another milestone came for Pujols in the second inning, when he hit his 30th homer of the season to open the scoring and put the Angels up, 1-0. That gave Pujols 14 seasons with 30 or more home runs in his 16-year career. He joined Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez as the only players to accomplish the feat.

Costly mistake: Travis had a productive night at the plate but it was a baserunning mistake in the top of the fifth that loomed large in Toronto's loss. Travis was on second base with nobody out when Josh Donaldson hit a ground ball to shortstop. Travis made an ill-advised decision to try for third base on the play and was thrown out by Simmons. Toronto asked for a review but the call on the field was confirmed and it was the second time in the last week Travis has made that kind of error on the basepaths.

"That's the second time, I'd be very surprised if it happens again to him," Gibbons said. "Really, the play is right in front of you and you have to remember, too, who are the guys going to be at the plate anyway? You don't want to make an out there. Nobody tries harder or feels worse than he does. But he'll learn from that, I would definitely bet."

Sliding with style: Trout got his 26th stolen base of the season in the sixth inning and he certainly earned it with a high-awareness slide to avoid Donaldson's tag. The throw from Martin beat Trout to the base by a couple steps, but Trout lifted his left arm while sliding headfirst, leaving Donaldson with nothing but air in front of the base.

INJURY REPORT Angels catcher Jett Bandy left the game before the third inning due to back spasms after a groundout in the second inning. Scioscia said after the game that the team should know more about his outlook on Sunday.

WHAT'S NEXT Blue Jays: Right-hander Marcus Stroman (9-8, 4.55) will take the mound when the Blue Jays close out their four-game series against the Angels on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium. Stroman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last three outings but is 0-3 over that span because of a lack of run support. First pitch is at 3:35 p.m. ET.

Angels: Alex Meyer (0-2, 6.14) makes the fourth start of his career and his third as an Angel in Sunday's series finale, with first pitch scheduled for 12:35 p.m. PT. Meyer lasted a career-high


four innings his last time out against the Mariners, but possibly tipping his breaking ball led to four earned runs and a loss.

Richards confident he’ll be ready for 2017

Angels pitcher throws off mound in rehab from elbow injury


ANAHEIM -- It might have been a joke when Garrett Richards took a faux-curtain call to applause from his teammates as he walked off the field at Angel Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but there was no denying his accomplishment was significant.

Richards threw off a mound for the first time since suffering a right elbow ligament injury in early May. It was only 20 pitches, all fastballs, and only at around 80 percent effort, but it was another significant step forward for a pitcher who's become increasingly more confident he will pitch in 2017.

"As of right now, throwing off the bump today and doing everything I've done up to this point, there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to throw next year," Richards said. "I don't feel anything abnormal and everything feels rested and ready to go."

The plan from here is to throw a bullpen session every few days, then continue to ramp up in the instructional leagues in October. Once he's stretched out enough, he will throw in instructional leagues on his regular schedule. If all goes as planned, he will start preparing for next season.

Richards' next bullpen session will come on Monday, then a 30-40 pitch session on Thursday. By then, he plans to start mixing in curveballs and sliders to his repertoire. He plans to face live hitters near the end of the season.

"I feel like I'm already built up to the point where if I were going to feel something abnormal, I would have probably already felt it. Everything feels totally normal," Richards said. "Honestly, I don't notice the difference in the way the ball is coming out of my hand now as it did Spring Training this year."

The progress so far is a vindication of his decision to forgo Tommy John surgery. Instead, the right-hander opted for a platelet-rich plasma shot and months of rest.

Richards still has several steps to make, and a setback forcing the surgery would knock him out until at least 2018, but the process has gone as well as the team could have hoped. For now, all Richards can do is smile.


"I hope that this paves the way for some other guys going through a similar thing," Richards said. "I was dead set on having surgery, then we decided to go with this. Probably the best decision I've made for my career so far. If you don't have to have surgery, why have surgery?"

Meyer, Jays’ Stroman duel to wrap homestand


Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman starts Sunday's series finale in Anaheim as Toronto tries to gain ground in the American League East and maintain its hold on an AL Wild Card spot.

Stroman has registered a 3.51 ERA in eight starts since Aug. 1. That's an improvement over the first half of the season, when he had a 4.92 ERA entering August. He struggled with command in his last outing on Tuesday, walking four and serving up a three-run homer to Alexei Ramirez.

The Angels will counter with Alex Meyer, who overcame his command issues with just two walks in his last start against Seattle, his lowest total in an MLB start in his career. He walked 4.7 batters per nine innings last season with Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate in Rochester.

The Blue Jays enter Sunday three games back of Boston for first place in the American League East in a tie with Baltimore for the top AL Wild Card spot.

Things to know about this game

• Josh Donaldson made his return to third base Saturday, freeing up the designated hitter spot for Edwin Encarnacion to get some rest from playing at first base. Jose Bautista is expected to get that same rest Sunday working as the DH.

• Yunel Escobar has seen Stroman the most of any current Angel, going 2-for-6 against him with two strikeouts.

• Devon Travis is currently on a 14-game hitting streak, tied for the third-longest active streak in the Majors.


FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pujols hits 30th HR, Angels drop Toronto into wild-card tie

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Even in a lost season for the Los Angeles Angels,Albert Pujols has still managed to grow his legacy.

Pujols hit his 590th career home run and the Angels beat Toronto 6-1 Saturday night, dropping the Blue Jays into a tie for the top two AL wild-card spots.

The Blue Jays and Baltimore are even in the playoff race. Seattle, Detroit and Houston are all three games behind in the wild-card chase.

Pujols hit his 30th homer. He joined Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez as the only players to reach 30 home runs in at least 14 seasons.

Ricky Nolasco (6-15) tossed six shutout innings as the Angels ended a five-game losing streak. It was Nolasco's first win against Toronto and he has now recorded wins over every major league team but two -- the Marlins and Indians.

"They pressured Ricky tonight," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "But he definitely made some pitches and got some big outs. I think he used all of his pitches well."

Nolasco put the leadoff batter on base in five innings but was able to make the necessary adjustments in order to pitch out of jams.

"It's a very tough lineup to face and I didn't want to face them with guys on base right from the get-go, but that's how it was," Nolasco said.

"Pitch count ran up a little bit. They were fouling of a lot of pitches and laying off a lot of good pitches just because I had to go, basically, straight to work, no get-me-overs or anything that because runners were on base the whole game."

Francisco Liriano (7-13) allowed four runs -- two earned -- in six innings. Manager John Gibbons thought the outing was one of his stronger ones, but three errors proved costly and left Liriano laboring.

The biggest mistake Liriano made was a slider to Pujols. Ninth on baseball's all-time home run list, he hit a solo drive into the left-field seats in the second.

"He's got a good fastball, he's not throwing anything straight and he's got a nice changeup and he's got a slider," Gibbons said. "Against a predominantly right-handed hitting team, he pitched good enough to win. We just couldn't score."


Mike Trout got two hits and his 90th RBI and Kole Calhoun had two hits and scored twice for the Angels. The Angels capitalized on three infield errors, scoring more than five runs for only fourth time this month.

Edwin Encarnacion scored Toronto's run in the eighth on pinch hitterMelvin Upton Jr.'s sacrifice fly. The Blue Jays stranded 12 and were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson returned to third base for the first time since in six days. Donaldson, who sat out the Blue Jays' three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays with an undisclosed hip injury, had previously been in the lineup against Los Angeles as a designated hitter.

Angels: RHP Garrett Richardsthrew off the mound for the first time since being tearing his right ulnar collateral ligament on May 1. He threw 20 pitches in the bullpen and is confident that continued stem cell treatments will allow him to avoid Tommy John surgery and be healthy by spring training. ... C Jett Bandy left the game after the first inning with back spasms. He was replaced by Carlos Perez.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (9-8, 4.55 ERA) gets the ball for the conclusion of the four-game series. He is trying to snap a streak of three straight losses. Stroman hasn't faced Los Angeles since 2014 but struggled in two appearances (one start), and is 0-0 with a 14.30 ERA.

Angels: RHP Alex Meyer will make his fourth big league start and his fifth big league appearance. Meyer is still looking for his first win (0-3, 8.18) and is coming off a rough outing against the Seattle Mariners, in which he struggled with his fastball command and was forced to throw more changeups than he was comfortable with.

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