Major League Baseball
BOXSCORE | RECAP
LA Angels 3, Texas 2
When: 10:05 PM ET, Friday, April 24, 2015
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Temperature: 62°
Umpires: Home - Jim Reynolds, 1B - Fieldin Culbreth, 2B - Clint Fagan, 3B - Manny Gonzalez
Attendance: 41054

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- David Freese's two-run home run in the seventh inning lifted the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers Friday night at Angel Stadium.

Freese's homer made a winner of Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards, who gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings, but stood to lose the game if not for Freese's big hit.

The Rangers pushed across two runs against Richards in the third inning and it was enough through six innings. Rangers starter Wandy Rodriguez, just called up from Triple-A Round Rock and making his first major league start since May of last year, gave up just one run in five innings.

In the seventh, Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun led off with a single. Center fielder Mike Trout hit into a force play, but Trout stole second. After first baseman Albert Pujols lined out, Freese stepped to the plate and worked the count full against Rangers reliever Keone Kela before hitting a fastball over the fence in left-center.

For Freese, the home run was his fourth of the season, most on the club. He hit just 10 homers last year, and didn't hit No. 4 until July 5.

Angels reliever Joe Smith pitched a scoreless eighth, and Huston Street did the same in the ninth for his sixth save.

Angels designated hitter C.J. Cron had three hits while Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder had two of the Rangers' three hits.

The Rangers took the lead in the third inning, scoring two runs without hitting the ball out of the infield.

Left fielder Jake Smolinski and catcher Carlos Corporan each drew walks, and center fielder Leonys Martin sacrificed them to second and third, respectively. First baseman Keith Moreland followed with a groundout to second, driving in the first run of the inning.

Designated hitter Prince Fielder drove in the second run with an infield single, a grounder that Richards deflected to second baseman Johnny Giavotella, whose throw to first was too late.

The Angels threatened to score in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two out, but Rodriguez retired shortstop Erick Aybar on a liner to center field to end the inning.

The Angels, though, broke through in the fourth inning, getting singles by Cron and left fielder Collin Cowgill, and a sacrifice fly by catcher Chris Iannetta, cutting Texas' lead to 2-1.

NOTES: The Angels and Rangers reportedly are working out the details of a deal that would send outfielder Josh Hamilton back to the Rangers, the team for which he won an American League MVP award and was a five-time All-Star. No other players are expected to be included in the trade, the terms of which will be strictly financial. The Angels owe $83 million to Hamilton over the next three years and the Rangers presumably would assume a very small portion of his salary. The deal is expected to be announced in the next few days. Hamilton wore out his welcome with the Angels after he self-reported a drug and alcohol relapse but avoided a suspension from Major League Baseball. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia entered the game needing 15 wins to pass Chuck Tanner and move into 29th place in career managerial wins. ... Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre needs three home runs to become the fifth player in major league history whose primary position was third base to hit 400 homers. The others are Mike Schmidt (548), Eddie Mathews (512), Chipper Jones (468) and Darrell Evans (414).
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Texas   LA Angels
Wandy Rodriguez Player Garrett Richards
No Decision W/L Win
5.0 IP 7.0
5 Strikeouts 5
5 Hits 3
1.80 ERA 2.57
Hitting
Texas   LA Angels
Prince Fielder Player C.J. Cron
2 Hits 3
1 RBI 0
0 HR 0
2 TB 4
.500 Avg .750
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Texas 3 0 4 .111 7 7 2 5 1 0
LA Angels 8 1 12 .267 21 8 3 3 1 1