KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As he warmed up in the bullpen, it was hard to tell what surprised Angels closer Huston Street more: watching his club beat up Kansas City's stingy bullpen, or realizing Albert Pujols was about to play third base for him.
After a series of pinch hitters and substitutions helped Los Angeles rally from a four-run hole, Street and his hodge-podge defense held on through a tense ninth inning for a 7-6 victory Thursday night that snapped a seven-game skid against the Royals.
"That's the beauty of a game like that," said Street, who gave up Eric Hosmer's solo homer before stranding runners on first and second to end the game.
"It was surprising, but at the same time, you just have to trust your guys."
Kansas City built a 5-1 advantage heading to the eighth, but All-Star reliever Wade Davis coughed up two runs in his first appearance since Aug. 6, when a stiff back put him on the shelf.
Greg Holland (3-1) entered in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, a walk and threw a wild pitch. C.J. Cron followed with a tying pinch-hit double, Johnny Giavotella singled and Kole Calhoun added a go-ahead double into the right-field corner.
Holland then walked Mike Trout before he was pulled. The former All-Star closer allowed four runs and four hits and a pair of walks without retiring a batter.
"When you're leading in the ninth inning, you should win the game," Holland said.
"I've been closing and in the bullpen long enough to know you've got to take the bad from the good and the good from the bad. It's one of those nights, I didn't get it done," he added. "I didn't execute when I needed to and we lose the game because of it. And I'm pissed off about it. I'll wake up tomorrow, hopefully, and I'll be ready to do the same thing tomorrow."
Street had slightly less trouble, hanging on after Hosmer's home run and with a strange mix of players behind him. Erick Aybar's back injury coupled with lineup changes meant that Pujols had to play third base for the second time this season and only the 12th time since 2002.
"That was the best we could come up with," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There were some things we had to do with so many guys out of position.
Jose Alvarez (3-3) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
The Royals' stunning bullpen meltdown squandered a nice bounce-back start by Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed two runs and three walks over six innings. The veteran had been dinged for at least 10 hits in each of his past three outings, putting his spot in the rotation in question.
Garrett Richards allowed three runs and eight hits and two walks for Los Angles.
Rios, Lorenzo Cain and Drew Butera drove in runs off Richards early in the game, and Hosmer and Kendrys Morales appeared to put it out of reach when they touched up the Angels bullpen.
Then, an offense that had been sputtering came to life.
Trout, Conor Gillaspie and David Murphy also drove in runs for Los Angeles, which had managed four runs total in a three-game sweep by the White Sox to start its road trip.
The victory snapped the Angels' nine-game losing streak away from home.
"I think it's definitely a win to build on. That's one of the best teams in baseball," Street said. "This is a good series for us to show something."
STATS AND STREAKS
The Royals lost for the first time since May 5, 2014, when leading after the eighth inning. ... The four runs allowed by Holland were the second-most in his career. He allowed five in 2 1/3 innings against Cleveland on Aug. 27, 2010. ... Gillaspie snapped an 0-for-17 stretch with his single in the fourth. ... Giavotella has hit safely in 20 of 22 games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson will have season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs. He hopes it allows him to be ready by spring training. ... Scioscia said that Aybar hurt his back in batting practice. It was unclear how long he'll be out.
Royals: LF Alex Gordon (strained groin) hopes to begin a rehab assignment soon. He's been taking regular batting practice and shagged fly balls in the outfield earlier this week.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP Jered Weaver makes his second start since returning from the DL. He allowed two earned runs and four hits in five innings against Baltimore on Sunday.
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy allowed three runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings before getting yanked from his previous start Sunday against the White Sox.
After a series of pinch hitters and substitutions helped Los Angeles rally from a four-run hole, Street and his hodge-podge defense held on through a tense ninth inning for a 7-6 victory Thursday night that snapped a seven-game skid against the Royals.
"That's the beauty of a game like that," said Street, who gave up Eric Hosmer's solo homer before stranding runners on first and second to end the game.
"It was surprising, but at the same time, you just have to trust your guys."
Kansas City built a 5-1 advantage heading to the eighth, but All-Star reliever Wade Davis coughed up two runs in his first appearance since Aug. 6, when a stiff back put him on the shelf.
Greg Holland (3-1) entered in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, a walk and threw a wild pitch. C.J. Cron followed with a tying pinch-hit double, Johnny Giavotella singled and Kole Calhoun added a go-ahead double into the right-field corner.
Holland then walked Mike Trout before he was pulled. The former All-Star closer allowed four runs and four hits and a pair of walks without retiring a batter.
"When you're leading in the ninth inning, you should win the game," Holland said.
"I've been closing and in the bullpen long enough to know you've got to take the bad from the good and the good from the bad. It's one of those nights, I didn't get it done," he added. "I didn't execute when I needed to and we lose the game because of it. And I'm pissed off about it. I'll wake up tomorrow, hopefully, and I'll be ready to do the same thing tomorrow."
Street had slightly less trouble, hanging on after Hosmer's home run and with a strange mix of players behind him. Erick Aybar's back injury coupled with lineup changes meant that Pujols had to play third base for the second time this season and only the 12th time since 2002.
"That was the best we could come up with," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There were some things we had to do with so many guys out of position.
Jose Alvarez (3-3) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
The Royals' stunning bullpen meltdown squandered a nice bounce-back start by Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed two runs and three walks over six innings. The veteran had been dinged for at least 10 hits in each of his past three outings, putting his spot in the rotation in question.
Garrett Richards allowed three runs and eight hits and two walks for Los Angles.
Rios, Lorenzo Cain and Drew Butera drove in runs off Richards early in the game, and Hosmer and Kendrys Morales appeared to put it out of reach when they touched up the Angels bullpen.
Then, an offense that had been sputtering came to life.
Trout, Conor Gillaspie and David Murphy also drove in runs for Los Angeles, which had managed four runs total in a three-game sweep by the White Sox to start its road trip.
The victory snapped the Angels' nine-game losing streak away from home.
"I think it's definitely a win to build on. That's one of the best teams in baseball," Street said. "This is a good series for us to show something."
STATS AND STREAKS
The Royals lost for the first time since May 5, 2014, when leading after the eighth inning. ... The four runs allowed by Holland were the second-most in his career. He allowed five in 2 1/3 innings against Cleveland on Aug. 27, 2010. ... Gillaspie snapped an 0-for-17 stretch with his single in the fourth. ... Giavotella has hit safely in 20 of 22 games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson will have season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs. He hopes it allows him to be ready by spring training. ... Scioscia said that Aybar hurt his back in batting practice. It was unclear how long he'll be out.
Royals: LF Alex Gordon (strained groin) hopes to begin a rehab assignment soon. He's been taking regular batting practice and shagged fly balls in the outfield earlier this week.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP Jered Weaver makes his second start since returning from the DL. He allowed two earned runs and four hits in five innings against Baltimore on Sunday.
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy allowed three runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings before getting yanked from his previous start Sunday against the White Sox.
8:10PM,EDT,August 13,2015
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Los Angeles - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Giavotella flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Calhoun struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Trout walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Pujols popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Escobar singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Zobrist singled to right center, Escobar to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Cain singled to right, Escobar scored, Zobrist to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Hosmer grounded out to first, Zobrist to third, Cain to second. | 0 | 1 |
| K. Morales struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| Moustakas grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Murphy grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| Gillaspie flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| DeJesus popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Rios flied out to right. | 0 | 1 |
| Infante grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| Butera grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Pérez lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| Featherston grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| Giavotella walked. | 0 | 1 |
| Calhoun lined out to center. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Escobar flied out to right. | 0 | 1 |
| Zobrist walked. | 0 | 1 |
| Cain doubled to left, Zobrist to third. | 0 | 1 |
| Hosmer lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 1 |
| K. Morales struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Trout struck out looking. | 0 | 1 |
| Pujols flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| Murphy doubled to deep right. | 0 | 1 |
| Gillaspie singled to center, Murphy scored, Gillaspie to second advancing on throw. | 1 | 1 |
| DeJesus walked. | 1 | 1 |
| Pérez flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Moustakas reached on infield single to second. | 1 | 1 |
| Rios lined out to center. | 1 | 1 |
| Infante grounded into fielder's choice to first, Moustakas out at second, Infante to second on throwing error by shortstop Featherston. | 1 | 1 |
| Butera struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Featherston flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
| Giavotella grounded out to second. | 1 | 1 |
| Calhoun grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Escobar popped out to second. | 1 | 1 |
| Zobrist singled to right. | 1 | 1 |
| Cain flied out to center. | 1 | 1 |
| Hosmer struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jeremy Guthrie pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Trout flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
| Pujols flied out to center. | 1 | 1 |
| Murphy grounded out to third. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Garrett Richards pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| K. Morales walked. | 1 | 1 |
| Moustakas doubled to left, K. Morales to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Rios hit sacrifice fly to right, K. Morales scored, Moustakas to third. | 1 | 2 |
| Infante grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Butera singled to center, Moustakas scored. | 1 | 3 |
| Escobar grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 3 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Ryan Madson pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Madson relieved Guthrie. | 1 | 3 |
| Gillaspie singled to center. | 1 | 3 |
| DeJesus struck out swinging. | 1 | 3 |
| Pérez singled to right, Gillaspie to second. | 1 | 3 |
| Featherston flied out to center, Gillaspie to third. | 1 | 3 |
| Giavotella grounded out to third. | 1 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Cory Rasmus pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Rasmus relieved Richards. | 1 | 3 |
| Zobrist walked. | 1 | 3 |
| Dyson ran for Zobrist. | 1 | 3 |
| Cain struck out looking. | 1 | 3 |
| Dyson stole second, Dyson safe at third on throwing error by catcher Pérez. | 1 | 3 |
| Hosmer singled to right, Dyson scored. | 1 | 4 |
| K. Morales doubled to deep right, Hosmer scored. | 1 | 5 |
| Álvarez relieved Rasmus. | 1 | 5 |
| Moustakas struck out swinging. | 1 | 5 |
| Rios lined out to second. | 1 | 5 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Wade Davis pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Dyson in left field. | 1 | 5 |
| Davis relieved Madson. | 1 | 5 |
| Calhoun singled to right center. | 1 | 5 |
| Trout doubled to deep center, Calhoun scored. | 2 | 5 |
| Pujols grounded out to second, Trout to third. | 2 | 5 |
| Murphy grounded out to second, Trout scored. | 3 | 5 |
| Gillaspie struck out looking. | 3 | 5 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Jose Alvarez pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Infante grounded out to pitcher. | 3 | 5 |
| Butera flied out to right. | 3 | 5 |
| Escobar flied out to right. | 3 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Greg Holland pitching for Kansas City | LAA | KC |
| Holland relieved Davis. | 3 | 5 |
| DeJesus singled to left. | 3 | 5 |
| Pérez walked, DeJesus to second. | 3 | 5 |
| Cron hit for Featherston. | 3 | 5 |
| DeJesus to third, Pérez to second on wild pitch by Holland. | 3 | 5 |
| Cron doubled to deep right, DeJesus and Pérez scored. | 5 | 5 |
| Victorino ran for Cron. | 5 | 5 |
| Giavotella reached on bunt single to first, Victorino to third. | 5 | 5 |
| Calhoun doubled to deep right, Victorino and Giavotella scored. | 7 | 5 |
| Calhoun to third on wild pitch by Holland. | 7 | 5 |
| Trout walked. | 7 | 5 |
| F. Morales relieved Holland. | 7 | 5 |
| Pujols struck out swinging. | 7 | 5 |
| Murphy popped out to catcher. | 7 | 5 |
| Gillaspie struck out looking. | 7 | 5 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Kansas City - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Huston Street pitching for Los Angeles | LAA | KC |
| Giavotella at shortstop. | 7 | 5 |
| Calhoun at first base. | 7 | 5 |
| Pujols at third base. | 7 | 5 |
| Gillaspie at second base. | 7 | 5 |
| Victorino in right field. | 7 | 5 |
| Street relieved Álvarez. | 7 | 5 |
| Dyson grounded out to first. | 7 | 5 |
| Cain flied out to right. | 7 | 5 |
| Hosmer homered to center (452 feet). | 7 | 6 |
| K. Morales singled to left. | 7 | 6 |
| Orlando ran for K. Morales. | 7 | 6 |
| Moustakas walked, Orlando to second. | 7 | 6 |
| Rios flied out to center. | 7 | 6 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles Angels | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Giavotella 2B-SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | .271 | .320 | .359 |
| Calhoun RF-1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .273 | .329 | .434 |
| Trout CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 35 | .300 | .395 | .600 |
| Pujols 1B-3B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .255 | .315 | .500 |
| Murphy DH | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | .285 | .328 | .418 |
| Gillaspie 3B-2B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | .230 | .273 | .363 |
| DeJesus LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | .239 | .305 | .341 |
| Pérez C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | .224 | .268 | .306 |
| Featherston SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .126 | .181 | .195 |
a-Cron PH
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .273 | .313 | .426 |
Victorino PR-RF
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .229 | .305 | .288 |
| Totals | 37 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 183 | |||
| a-doubled to deep right for T Featherston in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Murphy (13, Guthrie); Trout (21, Davis); Cron (11, Holland); Calhoun (20, Holland) RBI: Gillaspie (24), Trout (70), Murphy (33), Cron 2 (25), Calhoun 2 (62) 2-out RBI: Gillaspie Angels RISP: 4-12 (Murphy 0-2, Pérez 0-1, Featherston 0-1, Giavotella 1-2, Calhoun 1-1, Pujols 0-2, Gillaspie 1-2, Cron 1-1) Team LOB: 8 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Featherston (4, throw); Pérez (2, throw) | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| SS AYBAR (LOWER BACK TIGHTNESS) SCRATCHED FROM STARTING LINEUP |
Game Information
| Stadium | Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO |
| Attendance | 32,098 (84.7% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:45 |
| Weather | 85 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 8 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Gary Cederstrom, First Base - John Tumpane, Second Base - Lance Barksdale, Third Base - Quinn Wolcott |
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